TopwaterintermediateNortheast & Mid-Atlantic
Striper Gurgler
Flybox sourcing profile
No TWG price or checkout is active. Use this page to validate the fly, then source it through the mapped tier or trusted fly shops.
Pattern Ledger
Source Striper Gurgler
Want help finding this exact pattern or a tied-to-order equivalent? Join the sourcing ledger and we will prioritize demand by water, species, and pattern.
Trusted Sourcing Ledger
Find this fly from an independent source
Exact links are published only after the product name and live page are checked. TWG does not sell the fly, set the price, or control stock, shipping, or returns.
Exact source still under review
We have not published an exact product link for this pattern yet. The directory below can help locate a regional specialist, but it is not proof that the exact fly is currently listed.
Regional source directory
New England Fly Company
Matched on Northeast & Mid-Atlantic, topwater flies, striped bass. New England tier lead for brook trout, landlocked salmon, and coastal striper patterns.
Salty Fly Tying
Matched on Northeast & Mid-Atlantic, topwater flies, striped bass. Drew Chicone's saltwater tying catalog and learning hub, strongest for saltwater pattern validation.
Fulling Mill Flies
Matched on topwater flies, bass, baitfish. Large pattern house with broad freshwater and saltwater fly categories.
AZ Fly Shop
Matched on topwater flies, bass, bass. Arizona and Southwest shop lead for desert trout, bass, canal carp, and warmwater patterns.
These are independent businesses. A listing does not imply endorsement or partnership. TWG currently receives no purchase commission from these links. Any future paid or affiliate relationship will be labeled beside the relevant link.
Jack Gartside designed the Gurgler in his Boston apartment, which is exactly the kind of origin story a topwater fly deserves. The foam back creates a wake on the surface that stripers interpret as 'wounded baitfish making its last stand.' Strip it across a calm flat at dawn and the strike, when it comes, will rearrange your internal organs. There is a moment between the wake and the explosion when time slows down and the universe consists entirely of you, the fly, and the boil behind it. That moment is why people fly fish.
Quick Facts
Where to Fish It
Cape Cod
MA · Flats
Martha's Vineyard
MA · Flats
Plum Island
MA · Estuaries
Loading map...
Related Reading
region guide
Northeast Stripers: The Blitz Guide
The fall blitz along the Northeast coast is one of fly fishing's most electrifying phenomena. When migrating stripers, bluefish, and false albacore pin baitfish against the surface, the water erupts into a frenzy that can be cast to with a fly rod. This is how you prepare for it.
technique
Solunar Tables: Science, Myth, and Practical Use
Solunar theory claims that the gravitational pull of the moon and sun creates predictable periods of peak animal activity. Saltwater anglers swear by it. Freshwater anglers roll their eyes. The truth, as usual, lives somewhere in between — and the practical implications might surprise you.
seasonal playbook
The Fall Guide: Changing Seasons, Changing Tactics
Fall is when the fishing world rearranges itself. Brown trout become aggressive and territorial as spawning urges override caution. Steelhead push into Pacific Northwest rivers on autumn rain. Striped bass blitz baitfish along the Northeast coast. And trout streams that were too warm in August cool into prime condition. Here's how to fish every opportunity the changing season offers.
You Might Also Like
TopwaterintermediateCrease Fly
FlyboxFind a tier or trusted source
Northeast & Mid-Atlantic
#1/0 - #3/0
Bob Popovics' foam-bodied surface fly. A creased foam sheet creates a wide, V-wake profile that imitates a wounded baitfish struggling on the surface. Deadly on stripers at dawn.
Striped Bass · Bluefish
TopwaterbeginnerBluefish Popper
FlyboxFind a tier or trusted source
Northeast & Mid-Atlantic
#1/0 - #3/0
An oversized, hard-foam popper built to survive bluefish teeth. Cupped face creates a loud pop that draws blues from across the flat. Wire weedguard protects the hook.
Bluefish · Striped Bass · Jack Crevalle
TopwaterintermediateBob's Banger
FlyboxFind a tier or trusted source
Northeast & Mid-Atlantic
#1/0 - #3/0
A hard-foam popper with a cupped face that creates a loud, splashy pop. Bob Popovics' answer to the question of how to make a striper lose its mind on the surface.
Striped Bass · Bluefish
BaitfishintermediateStriper Deceiver
FlyboxFind a tier or trusted source
Northeast & Mid-Atlantic
#1/0 - #3/0
Oversized Deceiver tied for Northeast stripers. Long white saddle hackle with flash. The workhorse of the striper fleet and the first fly every Northeast saltwater angler learns to love.
Striped Bass · Bluefish
BaitfishbeginnerSnake Fly
FlyboxFind a tier or trusted source
Northeast & Mid-Atlantic
#1 - #2/0 (tied long, 4-6 inches)
A long, slender sand eel imitation made from a single saddle hackle wrapped around the shank. Incredibly simple construction creates a remarkably realistic sand eel profile in the water.
Striped Bass · Bluefish · False Albacore
BaitfishintermediateRay's Fly
FlyboxFind a tier or trusted source
Northeast & Mid-Atlantic
#1 - #2/0 (3-5 inches)
A sparse, elegant sand eel imitation by Ray Bondorew. Ultra-realistic in the water with a slim profile that matches the sand eels stripers obsess over in the Northeast.
Striped Bass · Bluefish