Newsletter | Winter 2009 | Issue 1
Striped bass illustration by Flick Ford
The Mighty Striped Bass
The chatter begins weeks before they arrive. Schedules are rearranged. Plans are made. Weather: check. Tides: check. Gear: check. Men will risk their lives on wave-crashed jetties or by piloting small boats in massive heave for a shot at catching one. And no wonder, a tight line with a hefty striped bass at the end of it is an electric experience.
Right now along the Mid-Atlantic Coast, large migratory populations of striped bass have made the last leg in their journey to the south. Schools of adult stripers have traveled throughout the fall from summer feeding areas along coastal Maine and Massachusetts to spend the winter in warmer waters off the coast of the Carolinas. In vast numbers, they followed schools of alewives, shiners, menhaden, herring, and silversides, and other prey species to fatten up for the push south.
When they are on the feed, the blitzes of striped bass are one of the most spectacular events in nature. Huge balls of baitfish pool together near the surface with striped bass and bluefish stalking close by. In sorties from below, the bluefish and the bass swim through the baitfish taking their fill. The baitfish explode out of the water to escape the predators and the water boils with hungry bass and bluefish amid the prey. (Baitfish illustrations © Flick Ford and Greenwich Workshop Prss)
Almost always, terns, gulls, gannets, cormorants, and loons join the banquet pointing the way out for anglers on the hunt. (Photos © Brian Small)
“the movement of striped bass and other fish from coastal Maine and Massachusetts to the Hudson and Chesapeake Bay may be the largest migration on Earth”
Writer Peter Kaminsky in his excellent book The Moon Pulled Up An Acre of Bass (Hyperion) writes that the movement of striped bass and other fish from coastal Maine and Massachusetts to the Hudson and Chesapeake Bay may be the largest migration on Earth. Wrap your mind around that possibility, and it’s not difficult to understand why so many anglers become obsessed with striped bass. They are plentiful and can be amazing fish to catch on a fly rod. Some anglers land 40–50 pound fish and they fight like a truck.
One of the obsessed is artist Flick Ford (and for the record, we’re obsessed here at Scott & Nix, too). In 2008, Flick went out for stripers with Capt. Jeff Walther of Striped Tease Charters. Using a 10-weight fly rod and a popper pattern, he brought thirty-eight stripers to the boat in just a few hours. One of the fish was carefully measured, photographed, and released back into the waves. Returning to his studio, Flick set about to create one of the most accurate and beautiful illustrations of a striped bass ever made. We’re proud to offer Flick’s homage to the striped bass as a high-quality wall poster. We look at it every day here on the wall at Scott & Nix’s offices, waiting for the spring, when the stripers start moving back to our homewaters of the New York Bight.
The Striped Bass Poster
The most accurate and detailed illustration of a striped bass ever made—a hefty 39-inch striper caught by illustrator Flick Ford in June 2008 off the coast of Massachusetts. 24 × 36", full-color on 80-lb paper. Click for more information.
The Saltwater Gamefish of North America Poster
Illustrated by Flick Ford. Thirty-six species illustrated with astounding fidelity and reproduced in relative scale. The most beautiful and popular saltwater gamefish in the world—from striped bass, redfish, bonefish, and false albacore to yellowfin tuna, striped marlin, and dolphinfish. 24 × 36", full-color on 80-lb paper. Click for more information.
Saltwater Gamefish
Eighteen Card Set
Illustrated by Flick Ford. Superbly reproduced in this set of eighteen note cards are the most popular and beautiful saltwater gamefish. Flick Ford, world-renowned artist and angler, has perfectly captured these hard-fighting fish in a series of exquisite paintings. Each illustration is finely reproduced on high-quality paper stock and presented in a colorful and sturdy keepsake box. Three cards for each subject are included in the set:
Saltwater Gamefish of North America is the perfect gift for the passionate inshore and offshore angler.
• 18, 8 × 6 inch cards plus envelopes (3 cards of 6 subjects) in keepsake box
• $24.95 US ($8.00 shipping and handling via USPS)
Bluewater Gamefish
Eighteen Card Set
Illustrated by Flick Ford. Superbly reproduced in this set of eighteen cards are the most popular and beautiful bluewater gamefish. Flick Ford, world-renowned artist and angler, has perfectly captured these hard-fighting fish in a series of exquisite paintings. Each illustration is finely reproduced on high-quality paper stock and presented in a colorful and sturdy keepsake box. Three cards for each subject is included in each set:
Bluewater Gamefish of North America is the perfect gift for the passionate inshore and offshore angler.
• 18, 8 × 6 inch cards plus envelopes (3 cards of 6 subjects) in keepsake box
• $24.95 US ($8.00 shipping and handling via USPS)
Custom Poster Framing
Choose from two styles of custom high quality black matte or matte silver anodized aluminum frames. Sturdy, lightweight, and elegant. (Final frame size is 36.5 × 24.25 in).
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Each framed poster has a special Framers Brand™ uv-filtering protective lens cover. This archival-quality cover is better than glass and prevents sunlight from damaging your poster. It’s also scratch-resistant and will not show fingerprints. It’s the perfect cover to preserve and protect your poster for over 100 years. Each framed poster is backed with acid-free foamcore for maximum archival protection.
The poster is shipped fully framed with wire hanging hardware, bumper stickers to protect your wall, and nails.
All shipments are sent via Federal Express Ground in a specially designed shipping container to arrive in perfect condition.
Price: $175.00 (plus shipping and handling)
Orders take 2–3 business days to process and arrive to most destinations within 2–3 days.
More About Stripers…
On the Run:
An Angler’s Journey Down the Striper Coast
“The power and savagery of nature is never more evident than during the stripers’ fall run, and DiBenedetto captures it all in this engaging work. Whether you are an outdoor enthusiast, an adventure lover, or simply a fan of fine writing, On the Run will have you hooked from the start.”
—from the publisher
Striped Bass Fishing
“The Complete Book of Striped Bass Fishing offers a comprehensive look at every aspect of the striped bass, making it a book that no one who fishes for this great gamefish will want to be without, and the essential book for all striped-bass enthusiast.”
—from the publisher
Stripers on the Fly
“Over the course of this invaluable instructional, Tabory wades from the basics to the advanced on striper habits and likely locations; equipment; understanding tides, weather, and the seasons; learning how to read and approach different kinds of water; how to cast in various conditions; what flies to use; and the nuances of hooking, fighting, and landing. Illustrations abound, none better than the insert of color photos of Tabory’s favorite striper flies. ‘No other saltwater species offers the average fly angler such fishing opportunities so close to highly populated areas,’ Tabory assures. With Tabory as guide, anglers can turn these opportunities into successes.”
—Amazon.com Review by Jeff Silverman
The Moon Pulled Up An Acre of Bass
“…makes flyfishing sound like a form of sanctifying grace…his writing style is lyrical and as lovely as his sport.”
—Pat Conroy
“Peter Kaminsky’s passion…is so great I half expect him to have his waders and fly rod surgically attached.”
—Tom Brokaw
“I know of no wiser, more useful and convincing celebration of the great virtues of making time for pleasure…”
—Kurt Andersen, author of Turn of the Century
Fly Fishing for Striped Bass
“The average angler can enjoy the sport of fly fishing for the rebounding populations of striped bass as they migrate from the Carolinas to Maine with this practical guide to tackle, casting and retrieving techniques, striper behavior and biology, and habitat-specific fishing tactics. Remarkable close-up and underwater photos of the bass in their natural marine environments, spectacular satellite photos of the coastal waters of New England, and photographs of 33 original fly designs round out the presentation.”
—from the publisher
Tight Lines:
Ten Years of the Yale Anglers’ Journal
Tight Lines: Ten Years of the Yale Anglers’ Journal presents a selection of 50 stories, recollections, essays, and poems featured in the Yale Anglers’ Journal during its first remarkable decade, and the volume is lavishly illustrated with more than 30 original paintings by James Prosek.
Contributors include: Skip Morris, Jimmy Carter, John Hollander, Christopher Buckley, Dana S. Lamb, Elliot L. Richardson, Ron McFarland, Scott Bowen, John E. Smelcer, Robert Behnke, R. Howard Bloch, and Steven Rinella.
Tight Lines includes a foreword by Nick Lyons and a preface by James Prosek and Joseph Furia, who cofounded the Yale Anglers’ Journal. Anyone who has felt a line pull tight, or is curious to know why the experience has inspired anglers throughout human history, will want to open the pages of this inviting book.
—from the publisher
Reviews
“This is the liveliest collection of angling (and angling-related) pieces I have read in a long time. And we can be confident that James Prosek's wonderful watercolors, included as a bonus here, will be a part of the sport permanently.”
—Ian Frazier, author of The Fish’s Eye
“One of the finest anthologies of contemporary angling writing I have read in the past 20 years. Tight Lines is full of interesting voices, vivid prose, and wonderfully original takes on the angling passion.”
—Christopher Camuto, author of A Fly Fisherman’s Blue Ridge, Another Country, and Hunting from Home
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