My hunch was right, the water was five degrees warmer and pinstripes were there. The early season stripers chase herring up the river when they arrive. Warm water improves the situation. A couple of days later I took my first striper clients to fish up around Carr and Eagle Islands and they had a good time catching numerous schoolies on flies. I disagree with such a view.
Small stripers are very powerful for their size and provide exciting action.
Later in May, as the water warmed again down the river, my clients and I found stripers breaking water all over Joppa Flats. On the early morning of May 19, we were into stripers for more than four solid hours. My hands were battered and water logged from reaching over the side to release fish. The season was moving into full swing. We also found a fast-moving school of stripers outside the north jetty.