Ask Ed Lombardo about the best striped bass he’s ever caught on a flyrod and you can almost hear the snapshots of moments clattering through his memory.
The stories generally all start in the same place, with him wading through tide water pushing through a salt marsh or salt pond, and the fly at the end of his line descending with the current into a deep hole.
And now that he’s had a moment to think about the question ... there was that morning, about 10 years ago, on the Narrow River in Narragansett.
He had tied on a “black snake” – a six-inch fly of puffy black fibers disguising the hook. Lombardo, one of Rhode Island’s well-known striper fly fishing guides , kept his fly line tight like a kite string as it made its arc through the current, just in case his twitching creation drew the desired attention.
It did. A monster down there sucked it in.
“I knew immediately from the heavy pull it was a good fish,” recalls Lombardo. After a 15-minute battle, Lombardo lifted the 42-inch striped bass out of the water for a buddy to photograph, then eased the trophy back in. “It was a wonderful event.”
Why Rhode Island is so good for fly fishing
If you’ve ever wanted to spend a summer day having intimate encounters with one of the ocean’s wildest, hardest fighting fish, Lombardo is a good guy to talk to.
Truth be known, many striper fly fishers share their knowledge easily, he says. They appreciate the beautiful surroundings their pursuit takes them and enjoy sharing the experience.
"Rhode Island has some of the best tidal rivers for stripers in all of New England,” says Lombardo. “Narrow River, the Charlestown Breachway, Quonochontaug Pond, Napatree Point [in Westerly]. We are so fortunate.”
Lombardo, who is 74, has been fly fishing for 60 years, splitting his passion between trout and striper waters.
The two pursuits share a major commonality: moving water that Lombardo can wade and “read,” looking for “what we call the seam.”
A seam is where sections of water of varying speeds meet, like when a fast current bumps into a point of land or rock, splitting the water into fast and slower sections. A big striper might rest in the slower water waiting and watching for bait fish to pass by in the faster current.
“Observation is the key to success,” Lombardo says. “I love reading the water. Ninety percent of the fish will hold in about 20 or 25 percent of the water.”
When is the best time for striper fly fishing in RI?
While some striped bass stay in Rhode Island waters for the entire year, most are migratory, moving north, back along the New England coastline as spring and summer arrive.
Ranging in size from foot-long “schoolies” to monster hogs of 40 pounds, stripers like to prowl along rocky shorelines and through estuaries, making them accessible to fly fishers.
The biggest difference between fly fishing for trout and fly fishing for stripers, says Lombardo, is in the equipment.
“Salt water flyrods are heftier, with bigger lines so you cast into the wind while you throw bigger flies.”
And reel choice is more critical in salt water than with trout.
“You need one with a good drag to tire out bigger fish.” And it should be corrosive resistant. Because the salt can damage parts of the reel, striper fishers usually wash their reel in warm soapy water after each outing.
What equipment do you need for saltwater fly fishing and how much does it cost?
Another absolute must for striper fly fishers is a stripping basket, says Lombardo.
Resembling a plastic dish-washing bin (which can work in a pinch), the fisher wears it around his waist to catch his fly line as he strips it in. This way the line doesn’t sink deep into the water and is easier to get into the air for the next cast.
Like any specialized hobby, be it golf or kayak racing, the more you get into saltwater flyfishing, the more money it seems you spend on improved equipment.
You can spend $80 to $300 for a pair of chest waders. A half-dozen flies (sold at most flyfishing stores) can run you $30, and a fly line can cost you $60 to $120 depending on the brand.
For the average beginner, the difference in price is negligible any honest sporting goods employee will tell you.
For the beginner, Lombardo says, a 9-foot flyrod that shoots and 8-, 9- or 10-weight line is best, depending on how stiff the rod is and where you’re fishing. A heavier line is best in getting the fly out there in windy conditions.
Lombardo likes an intermediate-sinking line that descends two or three inches a second. But if fishing in shallow water, a floating line will work well, too.
Lombardo says if you’re interested in learning to transition to striper fly-fishing, make sure you practice your long-distance casting before you get to the water. And do it over grass. Dragging your fly line across the driveway or pavement can damage the coating on that expensive fly line.
What are the rules for striper fly fishing?
Striped bass are a regulated sport fish that state fisheries departments work to protect from overfishing. In Rhode Island this year, regulations allow each fisherman to keep one fish a day but it must be between 28 inches and 31 inches.
Stripers seem to feed best when the tide is running, and the sun is low. But Lombardo says the best time to go striper fishing “is the most pleasant time of day” whenever that is. “That’s when you should be out there.”
Contact Tom Mooney at: tmooney@providencejournal.com.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Summer striper fishing in RI: Get close to the action casting flies to big fish
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