Bass in the Backwater
The Striper Series: Part III
By Tom Richardson, Reel-Time contributing editor
The Striper Series
Part I: Flats
Part II: Whitewater
Part III: Backwater
Matt Hawkins casts for bass on a small grass island in a Buzzards Bay backwater. Tidewater areas are great places to relax and practice your casting, and you can usually find a spot that’s out of the wind.
Backwater bass may not be large, but the action can be fast-paced. When you hit it just right you can catch a fish on every cast.
You don’t need much of a boat to access the backwaters. Matt Hawkins motored out to this marsh island in a 14-foot tin boat and then fished on foot.
Even tidal creeks that are narrow enough to jump across may hold stripers at high tide.
Steve Moore took this spring striper from a mud flat deep in Cape Cod’s Barnstable Harbor.
Fly-casting in the morning fog on a Cape Cod estuary.
Backwater marshes, creeks and estuaries really come alive at night. During the summer, when heat and boat traffic keep the fish down, savvy anglers wait until dark to head out in search of stripers.
There is something about slinking along the shore like some kind of neoprene-clad commando or quietly lowering your anchor near a secret spot as the tide begins to ebb amid the first sounds of feeding fish. Things slow down; casting is less frenzied. There’s more time to think, to reflect on your surroundings, than if you were fishing the high surf or trying to keep your balance in a bouncing rip.
Then there’s the sense of anticipation, of never knowing what you’ll find. You could stumble upon an autumn blitz with the fish boiling under a cloudless sky or discover an unexpected bonanza in the teeth of a screaming nor'easter. On the other hand, you could flail away for hours under ideal conditions until your arm falls off without so much as a strike.
Nighttime fishing? Don’t get me started. When the dog days of summer make the bass sluggish, keeping them sulking near the bottom, there's always the night. Ah, the glorious potential! Few things can stir the blood like a muggy, windless evening of slinking through the spartina grass in pursuit of stripers. Even if you're a hardened pessimist, the possibilities of something really big nailing your fly seem greater under cover of total darkness or in the silver light of a full moon.
The tidal estuaries, creeks, marshes, and ponds that comprise the backwaters of the Northeast provide a special kind of fishing adventure. Every angler should have a handful of these spots, secret waters shared with only a few friends. Part of the fun of backwater fishing is becoming so familiar with an area that you could fish it blindfolded -- or at least on a pitch-black night when you can't see your hand in front of your face. There's a sense of accomplishment in knowing the location of every point, boulder, sandbar, channel and pothole, even if you took a dunking to find them the first time.
For the novice, tidal backwaters are also excellent places to learn the basics of casting. Instead of struggling to keep your balance on a pitching boat or in pounding surf, you can set your feet on solid ground. Also, you can usually find a protected spot that’s out of the wind.
Backwater Hot Spots
While striped bass can be found almost anywhere in tidal backwaters at some point, there are certain key spots to look for them. The best way to "learn" a backwater area, whether it's an estuary, salt pond, or sprawling tide marsh, is to visit it during the day on a dead-low spring tide. Since the water will have drained from the shallower areas, potential fish-holding structure is revealed. Make note of the marsh layout, perhaps even drawing a sketch of the area and labeling distinctive features. Make note of points, deep holes, pockets, undercut banks, sand bars, rocks, and any type of manmade structure, such as sunken pilings, rubble piles, or even old tires. These features may prove valuable, not only when it comes to locating fish, but also for avoiding a bent propeller if you plan to fish from a boat.
As in most types of salt water fishing, tide and current play important roles in determining where the fish can be found in the backwaters. During the highest stages of the tide, they could be virtually anywhere there's enough water to cover them. Since there's little or no current to make the bait more vulnerable to attack, stripers may lay low. Or they may spread out and actively hunt for a meal. This is the time to fish sand and mud flats and the edges of grass banks where the bottom drops off abruptly.
Sometimes the fish will actually get into areas of flooded marsh grass if the water is deep enough, such as on a spring high tide. Work each area carefully and systematically at the top of the tide, since this is when you're most likely to intercept a cruising fish that's searching for bait that hasn't wriggled into the safety of the grass. Use your ears, especially at night. Listen carefully for the pops and splashes of feeding fish. Sometimes you'll hear or see baitfish showering over the surface, a sure sign that something is chasing them. Try to discern the direction of the fish's movement and work your fly along the edges of the bait school.
You may also see wakes or bulges created by cruising stripers as they swim just below the surface. If you know the location of a mussel bar or an outcropping of rocks, be sure to work your fly over it. These sections of "hard bottom" provide shelter for a variety of marine creatures that stripers like to snack on, such as worms, shrimp, crabs, and baitfish.
Ebb-Tide Tactics
As the tide turns and begins to ebb, things become more predictable. Responding to the increase in current, stripers begin to take up station at advantageous feeding spots. Any object that breaks the flow of current will hold stripers. Grassy points, jetties, boulders, groins, docks, fallen trees, and riprap that jut out from the bank and deflect the current are always great places to find stripers waiting for a meal. The fish will most likely hold on the downcurrent side of the structure, where they can conserve energy while waiting to nab any baitfish that are swept past. Bass will also trap baitfish in the pocket of deeper, calmer water that's formed behind the point. Baitfish school together here for protection and to escape the current, but frequently find themselves herded against the bank by packs of stripers. Shoreline pockets are where you're likely to see baitfish being driven out of the water by attacking bass.
Another good spot to fish on the ebb is wherever a small side or "feeder" creek empties into a larger body of water. Even the run-outs of tiny foot-wide creeks or culvert pipes are worth trying, since baitfish use them to exit the marsh or else risk becoming stranded at low tide.
This school of leaping baitfish is a sure sign that bass are in hot pursuit below the surface. At night, always listen for the sound of bait raining on the water.
A well-outfitted Steve Moore pulled this fine striper from an undisclosed Cape Cod tidal river. Note the head lamp, which should be used sparingly.
Phil Klug of Stoddard’s Store in Boston fights a striper on the banks of the Parker River near Plum Island. The marshes in back of Plum Island offer miles of prime tidewater territory that can be explored with small boats and canoes.
There’s no mistaking this swirl! A fall high tide had stripers busting near the grass banks in a Buzzards Bay marsh during the middle of the day.
Boulders, Bridges and Bars
As mentioned, always make note of any large boulders, for these also serve as prime holding sites. Expect stripers to lie behind the rock where the current is deflected, like a trout holding in a stream. Similarly, bass will also hold in the dead zone created by the current piling up against the front of the rock. Tidewater angler Steve Moore says that the largest fish often hold in this position and that flies must be fished right across their noses to catch them.
Just as rocks will hold lurking bass, so will any object that offers protection from the current and a convenient place from which to ambush bait. Tires, oil drums, sunken pilings and other debris should all be given thorough attention.
Bridges are well-known striper hangouts. Not only is the current more powerful because it has to pass through a constricted passage, which also concentrates the amount of baitfish being swept through, but the pilings and abutments offer excellent holding sites for the bass. Look for fish behind the pilings or along the edge of the riprap lining the banks below the bridge. If you're fishing at night under a lighted bridge, climb up and take a look. You can often see bass finning in the current below or lined up along the shadow line of the bridge. Some anglers even use this technique to locate the biggest fish before climbing down and casting from the bank.
Often a large eddy is formed below a bridge where the creek or estuary abruptly widens. This creates an interesting situation, since the current is actually flowing along the bank in the opposite direction. Remember that baitfish use these areas of relatively calm water to school up for protection after their wild ride through the main current, and you can bet that stripers are waiting for them. Just remember that they'll be facing in the direction of the current, not upstream like their counterparts in the main flow. This "reverse" flow can be tricky to fish, especially from the bank.
Sand bars and mussel bars are of great importance in backwater areas. The raised bottom of the bar forms "mini rips" that concentrate the current and disorient baitfish. You can often tell the location of a bar by the line of riffled water that forms on the surface above it. Stripers hold close to the bottom in these areas, finning on the edge of the bar. Don't ignore even the smallest sand bar. If you discover one at low tide, be sure to fish it thoroughly when the current is flowing over it, for it’s sure to hold fish.
Mussel bars attract bass for reasons other than simply providing a strategic intercept point to wait for bait. Mussels collect marine growth and detritus, providing food and shelter for small crabs, worms, copepods, and baitfish. As mentioned, this also makes them good places to find cruising bass at slack high tide, when the stripers will be foraging about.
Islands present one more type of potential holding structure. In an estuary, expect bass to position themselves on both ends of the island, where the current separates and then joins again. Look for sand bars and deep pockets to form near the points of such islands, as well. In areas with less current, work any points or bars extending from the island, and fish any deep holes where the bank drops off abruptly.
Another lesser-known place to find stripers in a tidal creek or estuary is right next to the banks -- even under them. Savvy striper fishermen like Mark Quarantiello of Newburyport, Massachusetts, have discovered that bass will often hold in the shade of a mud bank that has been undercut by the current. He likes to fish the banks during the last hours of the incoming tide, and says you must cast your fly inches from the bank if you want to score.
Steve Moore, who fishes Cape Cod’s Barnstable Harbor, says he’s caught fish at low tide by casting his fly onto the bank and then gently tugging it into the water. He reports that the strikes can be explosive and instantaneous. I've had similar experiences while fishing at night around Buzzards Bay. On the latter stages of the outgoing tide, when the fish have stopped feeding in the main part of the estuary, I'll often find a few bass lurking right along the grass banks. The only problem is that the fly must be placed right next to the bank in order to score. This takes quite a bit of guesswork in the dark, resulting in not a few snagged flies.
As the tide continues to drop, both bait and game fish have fewer places to go; therefore, they become more concentrated -- good news for the fisherman. Here is where your knowledge of pockets, depressions, and deep holes will pay off. Work these spots meticulously as the tide gets low, for there's certain to be some bass holding deep. Use a sinking line, heavily weighted flies, or a shooting head to get as close to the bottom as possible. Note that very deep holes are carved out at the bends of estuaries and creeks, making them likely places to find bass waiting out the low water until they can move freely about the marsh again. By the same token, try dredging your fly slowly along the length of deep estuary channels at low tide. During the lowest stages of the tide, stripers tend to sulk on the bottom of holes and channels or vacate the marsh for the safety of a deeper bay.
In smaller backwaters, I always try to move downcurrent as the tide ebbs, in effect following the fish as they retreat with the falling water. As the tide begins to rise again, I’ll position myself at the mouth of the river to intercept fish as they begin filtering back into the marsh.
As you become more familiar with your own personal backwaters, you'll notice that certain spots are more productive at certain stages of the tide. This can be very frustrating for newcomers. One minute they're pulling fish off a bar one after the other and the next they can't buy a strike. That's because bass move around according to changes in the current. They seek out spots where they'll have to spend the least amount of energy while still being able to receive the greatest amount of food. As the current increases or decreases in one spot, they'll seek another that offers optimum conditions. Only experimentation and experience will uncover the fish's pattern of movement based on the tide and moon phase, but that's all part of the fun.
Tidewater areas can often yield the first action of the year, since open water may be too cold. The fish may be on the small side, but it’s better than sitting at home.
Canoes are ideal for poking deep into shallow marshes and creeks. They also have the advantage of being stealthier that motor-powered craft.
The Striper Series
Part I: Flats
Part II: Whitewater
Part III: Backwater
Tackle and Flies
Backwater tackle need not be fancy or heavy. I prefer a rod in the six- to eight-weight range for tide marshes and small estuaries, since long casts aren't usually required and most of the fish will be small. For larger estuaries I recommend a nine-weight, since even a medium-sized fish can be a handful in a strong current, and using too light a rod will dangerously exhaust the fish.
As for line, I use an intermediate sinking line 90 percent of the time, although a shooting head, full-sinking or sink-tip line is valuable for working deep holes and larger, deeper waterways. Your choice of fly really depends on the type and size of the available baitfish. Look for baitfish along the banks or schooling in back eddies to get an idea of what to imitate.
In May, try large herring patterns, since this is when herring are entering the rivers to spawn. I've also heard that small grass shrimp imitations work well in the early season.
In June try small silverside or spearing flies, increasing the size as the summer progresses and the bait grows larger. Lazy midsummer nights are good times to work an eel pattern slowly along the bottom or near a grass bank.
In sandy areas, sand eel patterns can be effective in summer and fall. Again, match the size of the fly to the size of the sand eels. In autumn, baby bunker and other wide-bodied flies work well, since this is when many juvenile baitfish are exiting the backwaters on their way to the sea.
Sometimes very large "slab-type" herring and bunker patterns work in larger, deeper estuaries in the fall. While the above time line will give you a rough idea of which flies to use, I must confess to relying mostly on a handful of patterns. During the day, my old standby is a chartreuse-and-white Clouser Minnow, followed by a white Deceiver, Snake Fly, or wide-bodied Baby Bunker-type fly. At night, you can't go wrong with a black Clouser, chartreuse Clouser, black Snake Fly or black anything for that matter. Remember, use black on the darkest nights. When fish are taking bait on the surface, a slider fly often works well, and is a lot of fun besides.
If it's one of those wild nights and you're tired of catching small fish one after the other, try a large fly. This often deters the smaller fish and presents a real meal to the larger bass. Also, it could be that the smaller, more aggressive fish are simply beating the bigger ones to your original offering. Another trick for targeting larger bass is to fish your fly deeper, since big bass are less likely to chase after bait in the upper levels of the water column.
There is one instance where having the right fly makes all the difference. I'm talking about the famous "worm hatches" that take place in the spring. For a few magic days in May, June, or July, nereus worms wriggle from the backwater mud to spawn by the millions on the surface. There are often so many worms dimpling the surface, depositing milt and eggs, that you may think it’s raining. The bass feast on the worms, slurping them up with abandon.
Most normal flies won't work, and there are so many real worms in the water that the bass often refuse everything you show them. (For this reason some have come to curse the worm hatches.) Always make sure you have some red worm flies, such as Page's Worm Fly, in your box in case you find yourself in the midst of a worm hatch. I've heard that small olive Deceivers will also work. Doug Jackson, a fisherman who’s had experience with worm hatches in the ponds of Martha's Vineyard, informs me that eels also feed on the worms, and that some very large bass in turn feed on the eels. Seems like the perfect time to try snaking a long, black eel-type fly along the bottom.
A great thing about backwater fishing is that you don’t need an expensive boat to catch fish. In fact, you don’t need a boat at all. Small tin boats, canoes, kayaks, or fiberglass skiffs are ideal for gaining access to these shallow, protected waterways, and you might consider a trolling motor for extra stealth. Another option is float-tubing -- as long as you don’t think too hard about sharks.
Actually, there’s not much danger involved in backwater fishing (except if you fish in urban areas), although I can confess to being a little spooked when fishing alone at night in a thick, swirling fog. On nights like that a horseshoe crab bumping against my foot is likely to send me scrambling for shore. Most times, however, fishing in these quiet, secluded areas is relaxing. Even if you prefer the beachfront surf, the turbulent whitewater of the rocks, or the tumbling rips, you owe yourself a quiet evening in the backwaters.