A couple years ago, I enjoyed a fly fishing vacation on the Kola Peninsula in Russia. This trip specifically targeted Atlantic salmon and we “sports” were put up in bunk-house lodging and each provided a guide. Until this time, I’d never had the experience of fishing with a professional, so I was a bit reluctant to open my mind to the possibilities (I’m a stubborn Maine native).

For the first couple days of my fishing trip, I delicately pounded the waters with some success. My guide offered comment and even a fly, but I shrugged off the advice. The fly was a tube fly, something I’d never seen or used, and it clearly offended my staunch traditional ethic. After a particularly long dry spell, I finally relented, partly to appease the guide. I tied the monstrosity onto my leader and pitched her out there, quickly working the fly through the pool. I didn’t want this “thing” to put all the fish down.

After several casts, the fly swung over a holding lie I’d already fished thoroughly, and as you might imagine, up came a 15 lb salmon to smash the tube fly. Frankly I was shocked, but pleasantly so! We landed the fish and I proceeded to repeat the process over and over again for the next three days. I never took the fly off and it was my secret weapon. I almost cried when I lost the fly 30 plus salmon later. The moral of this tale is, local knowledge can play a big part in your success.

For the 17 Rivers Striper Tournament, anglers are permitted to use the services of professional guides and those guides can be a big help. They spend a great deal of time on the water, exploring territory and learning where and when the fish are feeding and these feeding patterns are dynamic. Seasonality, sun light, weather patterns, water temperature and bait all drive the stripers behaviors.

At times, striper will key in on the obvious like schools of bait fish, which anglers typically see fleeing the slaughter. At other times, anglers will see fish hugging the bottom of a flat, but everything they try is to no avail. Stripers can be super aggressive or incredibly particular. A local guides knowledge and experience better your odds of success.

Those interested in procuring the services of a guide can contact any of the “Official Tournament Guides” to book a fishing trip. These guides all have differing approaches and strategies. Please feel free to review the “Fishing Guide Profiles” a News Category, to learn more about each of the tournament guides.