After great success fishing at the north end of Plum Island during the first weeks of May, the action slowed down dramatically. The weather and the water turned colder, which called for a dramatic shift in tactics. Rather than using the boat, I felt the water temperature had dropped far enough that the fish would be further up the river, where the water would be warmer. 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.