Fishing

Epic Striped Bass on the Fly: Fishing the Squid Run

Bring the long rods, the big flies, and hold on. How to fly fish for Striped Bass with large squid patterns so it's productive, simple, and flat out fun.

Ken Baldwin

An armful of striped bass.
An armful of striped bass. / Geof Garth

Fly Fishing the Squid Run

The Atlantic coast explodes with life each spring as millions of longfin squid migrate inshore, followed closely by schools of hungry striped bass. This "squid run" is a great opportunity for fly anglers to catch a trophy striper. You need a boat and the right location—the rest is pretty straightforward.

From April to May, squid arrive inshore to spawn. Around the end of May, after spawning, they'll school up in shallow rip currents, and the striped bass soon follow. Stripers use the turbulent water to ambush the squid, driving them to the surface where there's nowhere to go.

Targeting big bass with squid patterns is popular around the Northeast coast. Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Rhode Island, and Cape Cod are prime spots thanks to abundant squid and easy access to shallow rips where the best fishing happens.

How to Fish the Squid Run

- Find the right rip current. Look for fast, heavy currents moving from deeper water (around 15 feet) to shallows. Around Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket, this type of water is common. When the current hits the shallows, it forms a wave—that's your target zone.
- Position your boat. Head upstream of the waves, facing the current. Maintain a stable position with your motor. Sometimes you can even anchor if the current isn't too strong.

An angler shows off a big striped bass to the camera.
Big squid streamers equal big striped bass. / Ken Baldwin


- Use a heavy-duty fly rod. I prefer a 10 or 11 weight. You won't need to cast far. Get your squid fly into the current and let out line until it reaches the breaking waves. Give it a pulsating action as you let out line but be ready, a strike can come hard and fast. When the fly reaches the waves, pump your line in short bursts. You're not stripping the fly back, but making it jump and dance. Big movements are key.
- Hang on, it's a feeding frenzy. You'll see fish splashing, birds diving, and squid jumping 6 feet out of the water. If you don't get any action within 20 minutes, find another rip. Birds and other boats are good indicators of squid and feeding fish.

The Squid Fly

When bass are keyed in on squid, they're not picky about fly realism. A simple fly that resembles a squid in size, shape, and color will work.
- Length: 5-7 inches
- Color: White, cream, pink, tan, or light orange.


- Material: Flowing, lightweight, and sinks (unless you are purposely fishing topwater)
- Shape: Narrow like a squid.

A Shout-Out to the Artists

There are some beautiful squid flies out there. The Realism isn't needed but it's nice to have. Jonny King's flies come to mind. Worthy of fishing them and displaying on the wall

The Right Fly Fishing Gear for Big Flies and Heavy Fish

The TFO BC fly rod and an extra-large streamer in the hands of a fly angler.
The TFO BC fly rod with its unique handle and butt extension improves the casting of big flies and handling big fish. / Temple Fork Outfitters

- Fly Rod: A 10 weight for throwing big streamers and battling strong fish. I love the TFO BC Big Fly. It's designed for casting large streamers and has a unique handle that makes fighting fish more efficient.
- Fly Reel: The Redington Grande 10 weight is a reasonably priced reel that performs at a high level. It has a sealed drag system that is exceptional and needed for saltwater fly fishing.

A close up of a fly angler's hand reeling in a fish.
The Redington Grande fly reel. An exceptional drag system is needed when fishing the salt. / Ken Baldwin


- Fly Line and Leader: Scientific Anglers Amplitude Textured Infinity Salt. An attachable 8-10-foot sink tip (Sink 3). A simple 6-foot, 30-pound leader will do (40lbs if bluefish are around).

Fishing the Rips - Adrenaline on High

Fishing the squid run in the rips is an adrenaline rush that can land you a fish of a lifetime. It's a sight to see squid jumping out of the water with a big 'ol bass right behind it. Twenty pound fish are common and up to forty isn't unheard of. Get your fly pattern in the water and hold on.

“The gods do not deduct from man’s allotted span the hours spent in fishing.” - Herbert Hoover

Published |Modified
Ken Baldwin
KEN BALDWIN

Ken Baldwin career in fishing and the outdoors started twenty-two years ago. For twenty of those years he guided anglers in remote Alaska. Along with his work as a guide, he created a TV show called Season on the Edge, which aired on NBC Sports, worked on the nature documentary Our Planet 2, for Netflix, specialized in photographing the Alaskan brown bear, and has published his photographs and writing in several magazines. Ken Baldwin is a graduate from the University of Washington.

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