Ed Mitchell Outdoors

The Cinder Worms are Coming Soon

Here in Southern New England, the Cinder Worms are coming soon. At least we hope they are. I say that because these Cinder Worm spawns vary from year to year.  They can be intense. They can be a bust. And the timing is tricky.  It all depends are where you are and the weather.

In all cases, these spawns are found in areas with a mud bottom, be they river or creek mouths, or salt ponds, or bays, or marshes. But hang onto your hat, things are not that simple. In Connecticut, typically the spawn happens at the top of the drop, on a moon tide, in the dead of night. Yeah that could be around midnight. And it may repeat on the next moon in the following month. Over in Rhode Island, on the other hand, the spawn occurs during the day, as water heats up to near 60 degrees in shallow muddy bays and mud flats. You need warm weather, winds from the southwest and no rain. And expect a cold front to shut it down fast. This spawn can last several days to a week, although expect the bite to move around.

Cinder Worms

As the photo shows, cinder worms vary in size and length. A good general average would be around 2 inches. Still it is wise to carry a few flies as small as 1 inch and as large as 3 inches. In the color department, no question red or pink is king, but dirty white might be a killer. What is the best pattern? Opinions vary all over the damn place. Truth is, however, a number of difference patterns work. Still allow me to warn you. The Cinder Worm spawn can be frustrating. At times striped bass may seem to totally ignore your offering. Why? If the water is filled with naturals, your fly simply gets lost. Note too, the worms swim in an odd slow erratic manner that is tough to match.  So presentation plays a big role. Try to delivery the fly as close to a feeding fish as you can. And retrieve it slowly.

Here’s one last tip. At times a floating fly is your best bet, one that creates a small wake on the surface as it moves forward. That’s why some patterns are tied with foam bodies. Still you can tie a floating fly without foam, as you see below in a Cinder Worm fly made by Mark Lewchik. Hang on. The Cinder Worms are Coming Soon!

Mark Lewchik’s Worm Fly

Warning: Clinging Jellyfish found in the salt ponds

Bill Catherwood “The Giant Killer”

Bill Catherwood’s Pogy Fly

A couple of days back I did a post on the tragic passing of Bobby Popovics – the finest saltwater fly tyer ever to grace a vise.  And that got me thinking about another great saltwater tyer -the late Bill Catherwood.  Bill is gone about 12 years at this point, but in the fly tying world his flies are still talked about. Look on You Tube and you’ll see his fabulous work. He was often referred to as the “Giant Killer” for his large flies designed for large striped bass. Yeah, Bill was decades ahead of his time. I only have one; it’s the menhaden pictured above. He had a couple versions of this fly. But it has Bill’s signature use of spun deer hair. Perhaps Bill’s most interesting creation was his lobster fly. Occasionally Bill would bring one to the Fly Fishing Shows. Everyone wanted a chance to see it.  Wish I had one to show you. Yes, it imitated a small lobster. How cool is that?