S.K.S Adventures

Avid followers of the blog know that I am a big fan of Steve Culton and an equally big fan of The Saltwater Edge. The two recently teamed up in podcast form to discuss the use of trout and salmon fly fishing techniques for Striped Bass. Give it a listen here.

Raise your hand if this has ever happened to you: striped bass are crashing on a school of sand eels or silversides. The bait is thick and the action looks promising. You tie on your best imitation and yet you cannot buy a hit. What's going on? If this has happened to you it might mean your fly was TOO good at "matching the hatch". Your fly likely got lost in the chaos and never got a glance from a fish. The solution: tie on a fly with the same size and profile as the bait, b

Terminal tackle and wader’s aside, every angler has their assortment of gadgets and gizmos that they use on the water. The following is a list of 5 accessories that I use to ensure safety and success when chasing stripers on the fly. Headlamp The best Striped Bass fishing occurs at night. There are various hypothesis as to why—nocturnal, light sensitivity, water temperature, night vision—but the fact of the matter is that dark skies bring these fish into the shallows and put

Today presented my best chance at catching one of the broodstock Atlantic Salmon that are stocked annually in the Naugatuck River. According to the Connecticut Department of Fish and Game, the Naugatuck has recently been stocked with 48 broodstock atlantic salmon ( 24 in the Upper Section, 48 in the Lower Section) ranging from 6-20 pounds. Despite my best efforts, I was not able to coax a fish to take my sparsely tied Mickey Finn. To make matters worse, it seems our first re

Part flatwing, part soft hackle, and part bucktail, the Soft Hackle Flatwing is a favorite in my spring run rotation. The ingenious mix of materials creates ample movement and gives the fly a lifelike energy. Like the fly's originator, Steve Culton, I like to tie this fly in an array of colors ranging from all black, to highlighter orange. Recipe Hook: Mustad 3407, size 2 - 2/0 Thread: Color of preference. Tail: A small clump of bucktail tied sparse, then two strands of flash

With the school year in full swing I am forced to pry myself away from the Ocean State. Yes, I'll miss the beaches, the tidal rivers, the estuaries, and the stripers. But then again, the southern tip of the Berkshires isn't a bad place to spend the academic year. It may be awhile until I am back to swinging flatwings, but the trout of the Housatonic and Farmington Rivers will keep me company in the meantime. Though S.K.S Adventures is mainly concerned with morone saxatilis, I

When people ask me about what sort of "set-up" I use for striped bass, they quickly get the realize that I don't fish for striped bass the same way that most people do. When I tell them I use a 10.5 foot rod, they usually raise an eyebrow. When I explain why I use a floating line, intrigue sets in. Then, when I tell them I also bring a 5 weight with me, they think I've lost my mind. Someday I may very well loose my mind (exposure to all that head cement cant be good for me),

If you enjoy the S.K.S Adventures blog, please consider becoming a subscriber. Subscribers receive email updates when something new is posted to the blog. Subscribers are also eligible for giveaways and other special offers. There are no costs associated with becoming a subscriber (aside form one more email in your inbox). Go to the "Subscribe" tab or click here to join our mailing list .

Gear Review is a chance for us to give honest reviews of the fly fishing gear that we have been using. Our hope is that these reviews will help our readers navigate the fly fishing marketplace and make informed decisions when purchasing new fly fishing equipment. Synopsis Pro's: Stealthy matte finish, affordable ($109.99 in the 3.5, $129.99 in the 4), aesthetically attractive, sold in a 3-pack (one reel and two spare spools, all in a neat case), sports a sealed drag! Con's: D

This fly was created by Ken Abrames to imitate finger mullet, which move through Rhode Island in the fall. However, to save this fly for September is it do it a disservice. It makes a great herring and alwife imitation in the spring as well as a great big fish searching pattern year round. The light on bottom, dark on top construction resembles the typical color patterning of all baitfish, and the marabou collar adds a lifelike action to the fly. They always say don't judge a

Whether you are a new angler looking for your first fly rod or an experienced angler looking to replace “old faithful”, shopping for fly rods can be a daunting task. Simply put, the fly rod market has become saturated with hundreds of rod companies each selling a variety of rods at a variety of price-points. Some rod companies market their products by appealing to our desire for performance. They make claims that their rods (typically the more expensive ones) will help you ca

I tie lots of large flatwings in various colors and styles. Yet when I open my fly box I find myself reaching for a Razzle Dazzle time and time again. Developed by Kenney Abrames as a generic big bait pattern, the Razzle Dazzle has a seductive action and a color pallet that captures the many hues of the New England coast. I like to use this fly when I am targeting big fish or when there is big bait present. It doesn't matter what kind of bait is around; herring, menhaden, alw

Simple, sparse, and small, the Mini Bondorew Bucktail is an impressionist fly that looks like everything and nothing. Its sparseness gives the fly the same translucent quality present in most small baitfish (think bay anchovies, peanut bunker, juvenile herring), and its colors pop ensuring that the fish will see your offering. Like all bucktail flies, be sure to experiment with size and silhouette. This fly makes a great addition to a multi-fly rig. I like fishing it during t

Sadly, catch and release mortality is approximately 9%. That means for every 10 fish you catch one fish dies. One fish that could have spawned; that could have been caught by someone else; that could have lived a good life. We can do better. Thankfully, the Fish Need Water Alliance (FNWA) agrees and has put out a list of six fish-handling techniques to help anglers reduce their catch and release mortality rate. Not all of them apply to striped bass, but most do. Conservation

Most of New England's aquatic baitfish employ one of two methods of camouflage. Some have silvery scales that reflect the colors around them (think herring). Others, have translucent quality that allows them to absorb the colors around them (think silversides and sand eels). Thus, when selecting a fly one must take into consideration the color of the sky, the atmosphere, the water, and the bottom to properly "match the hatch". Such is the thinking behind the Storm Cloud Big E

This spring was especially tough for shore-bound fishermen, especially fly fishermen. The cold weather, dearth of bait, and preponderance of weeds in The Bay made fishing quite difficult and likely altered some of the seasonal patterns regarding bass and bait. We could easily explain this relatively lackluster spring season by reminding ourselves that "every year is different", but the scarcity of large bass and the scarcity of bait really worries me. I understand that as a

Last night I had the opportunity to show a friend one of my favorite striper haunts. The prevailing bait was, once again, grass shrimp. There was a lot less surface activity than previous nights, but with a little more water in the area some larger schoolies came out to play. Between the two of us we probably landed 8 fish, two of which cracked the 20 inch mark. Again, not the most prolific of "hatches", but there was enough fish and bait to get my friend, George, back on th

More grass shrimp and more baby bass. I'd hate to think the big fish are gone, but then again, they never really did show up this year in the first place. We are still in the early stages of this tide cycle, so there is room for things to get better over the coming days. Last year around this time I caught my largest bass of that season at 33 inches. Not long to some, but she was shaped like a football and put my 8 weight to the test. This full moon may very well be our last

Have you ever gone dry fly fishing for striped bass? With a 5 weight? And a size 8 fly? It's grand. Every spring grass shrimp begin to hatch in the Narraganset Bay. In most cases the grass shrimp hatch is a small fish game. Most people scoff at the prospect of targeting trout-sized bass, but when armed with a 5 weight rod and a size 8 grass shrimp fly, things can get pretty entertaining. Upon arriving at last night's spot, I heard the tell tale pops of baby bass slurping on g

No fish, but great views.