Time of day and tides make a difference when pursuing stripers along the beach. A moving tide is best — whether it's rising or falling doesn't seem to matter. When the tide moves, the bait moves, and that brings the hungry stripers to the dinner table.

Great way to start the day

Time of day matters just as much as the movement of the tide, especially in the summer when stripers become harder to find. As with most species of fish, low light conditions are best. Sunrise and sunset are the most productive times for striper fishing.

	Practicalities

I prefer the sunrise because it's less frustrating for me to start fishing in darkness and let it get lighter. Besides, the beaches are much less crowded at 4 a.m. than they are at 8 p.m. When the moving tides and the sunrise occur simultaneously, I clear my calendar and spend every morning I can at the beach hauling in hungry stripers.

The recent growth in popularity of saltwater fly fishing, particularly in New England, is largely due to the remarkable rebound in the striped bass population in recent years. It wasn't too many years ago when you couldn't buy a striper in the waters off of Cape Cod.

Better Fishing through Conservation

Organized conservation efforts combined with strictly enforced size and possession limits have been instrumental in helping the striper regain its former habitat.

Fishermen have also contributed to this rebound by practicing catch-and-release tactics and fishing with tackle, like flies, which minimize the damage and stress caused to fish when caught.

When the stripers are in it's not fair to call it"fishing" . . . "catching" would be a more accurate description of what you will be doing. So plan a trip to Eastern Massachusetts this summer.

The stripers will be there from May until October. You won't be disappointed. Besides, what could be better than a Cape Cod sunrise with fog on the water, boats bumping lightly against their moorings, and striped bass as far as the eye can see?