Sight Fishing for Stripers on the East End of Long Island’s Peconic and Gardiners Bays

Starting in early May and continuing thru July we sight fish to stripers cursing the beautiful clear shallows of both Peconic and Gardiners Bay located seventy miles east of New York City. Using an 18' Hewes flats skiff we stalk hungry spring stripers who have left the Hudson River and Chesapeake Bay a month before on their annual migration to New England. Beginning the first week of May flats anglers encounter schools of stripers in the 24"-26" range along with numerous fish in the keeper size (28" in New York). On many days especially, early in the season, shots at larger fish some exceeding 20lbs are not uncommon. 7 and 8 weight rods, intermediate and floating lines ending with 12' leaders are the tackle of choice. Sand eel and silverside patterns are the first choice for flies but stripers fall to a variety of patterns including crabs and baby flounder. Anglers who have bone fished before will find lots of similarities. Speed and accuracy of casting many times are more important than distance. As the waters warm in Peconic Bay in early June we move a little bit east to Gardiners Bay to continue chasing stripers thru the end of July.