Bass On the Fly
If you’ve never experienced fighting a big striper on a fly rod, you don’t know what you’re missing. Stripers are scrappy anyway, and when one of those streamlined behemoths grabs a fly and makes a run for it, it gets your pulse racing big time.
Spring and early summer is prime time for stripers and other bass on flies. Ben Koller of The Hook Up Outfitters is an old hand at helping even a greenhorn land big bass on a fly rod. He knows just what the fish want and ties his own flies.
“Stripers are basically ocean fish,” explains Ben, “so they’re roamers by nature. That can make them hard to pattern.” Areas with lots of bait fish will hold big numbers of stripers. When the water temperatures reach the 70’s, the shad begin to spawn and that brings the stripers up into shallow water.
In the back of creeks you’ll find stripers boiling all over the place early in the morning. This same scene occurs lake-wide in the backs of coves. “One of the benefits of using a fly rod is that when the fish are busting everywhere you can pick up your lure and put it down in a different spot quickly with a fly rod. You don’t have to reel in and re-cast like you do with a regular fishing rod.”
Sometimes even voracious feeders like stripers need a little enticement. When Ben guides fly fishermen, he often throws out a Zara Spook with no hooks. Walking the dog with this big topwater lure will usually get the stripers to come around and pay attention.
When stripers start biting the action is fast and furious, but it can be over all too soon. Keeping your eyes peeled aids in seeing where the fish have moved off to, and many times they are close enough to get to quickly. When a school of stripers is on the feed, everyone in the boat can get hooked up at the same time, and the fish you pull in will look like clones because stripers school by size.
Take a fly rod out to the lake right now and you never know what you’ll end up with. White bass, stripers, largemouth and even carp will take a fly. Once the water starts to heat up the bass will move out to the thermocline, but you’ll still be able to tease them up early and late.
What You Need
8 or 9 weight fly rod
Forward weight floating line for poppers
200 grain sinking line for streamers
Mono leader (16- to 20-pound test)
Flies: Big gurglers (topwater poppers), also an assortment of different sizes of streamers in patterns to match the fry, bluegills, shad, etc. Use smaller streamers when the fish are keying on fry, bigger ones when they are after shad.
If you’re looking to fish for stripers on Lake Pleasant (20 minutes north of Phoenix, AZ), call Ben Koller at The Hook Up Outfitters at 623-412-FISH.
Fly Rods: Traditionally, fly rods have always been nine feet long. This can make them a bit ungainly in a boat, but fly rod manufacturers are beginning to realize that bass fishing enthusiasts are a huge market. Since tournament rules usually forbid a rod longer than 8 feet, many manufacturers are making shorter, 8-foot fly rods specifically geared toward bass fishermen.
Ben Koller says that he’s not sure if a major bass tournament will ever be won on a fly rod, but he’s come darn close and gotten some decent checks in the FLW and Stren Series tournaments using a fly rod at least part of the time.
Tips for Deeper Fish on Flies
When you’re throwing a streamer you need to remember that a fly, unlike a crankbait or spinnerbait, has no built-in action. No bill makes the streamer dive, no wire makes it thrum. Ben says it’s crucial to tie on with a loop knot to allow the fly as much movement as possible. 
Largemouth bass and stripers both prefer a faster retrieve in warmer water. For largemouth, Koller gives the line five or six quick strips with a pause. If it’s stripers he’s targeting, he eliminates the pauses and just strips line as fast as he can. The 200 grain sinking line he uses sinks at five inches per second, so he can count his flies down with a fair amount of precision.
Since the stripers took hold at Pleasant, Ben says that the largemouth have changed their behavior. Instead of pulling out into deep channels in summer, he finds that they often just pull out to slightly deeper brush and wait for the stripers to herd the shad into the trees. He finds them in fifteen feet of water or less.
Don’t give up right away if you don’t see a lot of surface activity around. Ben says that once a striper reaches about six or seven pounds, it leads a solitary life. These rogue loner fish can hit any time and any place, so keep a good grip on your rod at all times.
Tacos Pescados
Stripers make excellent fish tacos. Ben cuts the fillets into thin strips and dips them in flour seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika, and crushed red peppers. Once the fish strips 
are fried crisp he serves them in corn tortillas with shredded cabbage and a sauce made from mayo, plain yogurt, cilantro, garlic, salt, pepper, and a smidgeon of sweet pickle relish. Or you can just use ranch dressing.
If you prefer your fish grilled rather than fried, try Arizona Zing marinade (available at AJ’s) or Spicy Ginger sauce (available at Safeway). Just brush the fillets with sauce as they grill.