It’s been a long, cold, snowy, fishless winter in New England, and Kismet Outfitters is beyond ready for the 2026 Spring fly fishing season on Martha’s Vineyard to begin. If you’re reading this, there's a good chance you’re salivating at the thoughts of striped bass-on-sandeels blitzes as well. The good news is that it’s finally warming up, and we’ll be tossing squid flies in the rips before we know it.
However, there are a few things we, as anglers, can do to make the most of the last few months of downtime to prepare for the season ahead. Time spent fly fishing on Martha’s Vineyard, like any world-class fly fishing destination, is precious, and it is always disappointing to have one’s limited fishing days shortened by tackle that’s been neglected during the winter, not being organized, or simply not having the appropriate gear. Once more, Martha’s Vineyard is a unique fishery, and if you’re coming from other parts of the country to fish the Island for the first time, or the tackle you used for a winter destination fly fishing trip might not cut it on the Vineyard.
Over the years, we have had many clients who, having previously sworn to us that their fly fishing setup was in working order, return to the shop after an unsuccessful outing with tales of stiff fly lines, brittle tippet, and rotted backing. It’s quite funny how the same terminal tackle failures tend to repeat themselves each season, and we are all guilty of this at times in the busy lives we lead. To better maximize your time fly fishing on Martha’s Vineyard this season, our latest blog is designed to help avoid many of the easily avoidable mistakes we see each spring.
Check Your Backing
I mean, really check it. There is nothing worse than, after a cold, long winter, losing the first big striped bass of the season due to rotten backing or a faulty backing-to-fly line connection. If you have kept your backing the same for the previous three years, stop by the shop to replace it with durable 30lb Dacron.
This isn’t trout fishing, and a simple overhand knot won’t cut it once a hard-charging striped bass takes you into your backing. Kismet Outfitter’s staff will tie on a Bimini Twist for your backing-to-fly line connection, so you'll never have to worry about breaking off that big one!
New Leaders & Tippet
Leader and Tippet material have a shelf life, and if you’re unsure of how long those spare spools of mono have been sitting around, the chances are it’s time to replace them. Tapered leaders and tippet are one of the most affordable parts of your fly fishing kit, and it’s better to be safe than sorry.
RIO’s brand new Fluoroflex Striped Bass Leaders are, you guessed it, striper-specific. At 9ft long, the RIO Fluoroflex Striped Bass Leaders have the extra stealth and abrasion resistance needed when sight-fishing to spooky striped bass on Martha’s Vineyard’s flats. RIO’s Striped Bass Leader is 7ft long and made from a stiffer mono material, making it perfect for turning over larger squid flies in the rips.
The ideal Martha’s Vineyard fly fishing kit should include both the tapered Fluoroflex and mono leaders, along with spools of RIO’s Saltwater Mono and Fluoroflex Saltwater Tippet in 12 to 30lb test.
The Appropriate Fly Line Is Critical
Perhaps the most important piece of tackle in your Martha’s Vineyard fly fishing kit is the fly line. Every year, anglers arrive on Martha’s Vineyard in the spring having either forgotten to switch over their floating tropical fly lines from a winter bonefishing kit to an appropriate fly line for Martha’s Vineyard or simply believing there’s such a thing as a universal fly line for all water temperatures, conditions, fishing depths, situations, and fly size.
My first recommendation is to check that the fly line is clean and not cracked. RIO has two excellent how-to videos on fly line TLC, available HERE and HERE. Next, be sure to check if the fly lines are appropriate for spring fly fishing on Martha’s Vineyard. While a tropical, floating line has its place for sight fishing to bass on the flats in July and August, the core of a tropical fly line that’s designed to prevent it from turning into overcooked noodles in the sweltering heat will stiffen in the chilly Vineyard surf.
Fly lines designed for sight fishing feature longer, lighter heads for precise and delicate casts to spooky fish in skinny water. Again, these lines have their place for the Vineyard, but the last thing you want is to be rigged with a bonefish line when throwing big flies in the wind to fast-moving targets in the rips and unwilling surf. RIO’s Striped Bass and Premier Outbound Short fly lines feature compact and aggressive front-loaded tapers designed to shoot bulky flies with minimal false casts. Both lines are wind-piercing, cheat-codes with cores designed for cold water.
It’s not uncommon for Kismet Outfitter’s guides to fish with floating, intermediate, and full sinking lines during our daily fly fishing charters on Martha’s Vineyard. I encourage everyone planning on fly fishing the Vineyard to be fully equipped as well. The Premier Striped Bass and Outbound Short fly lines are available in a wealth of different density options to ensure your flies are always in the strike zone.
Stay tuned for part two in our “2026 Martha’s Vineyard Pre-Season Fly Fishing Kit Check.” You can find the aforementioned terminal tackle at kismetoutfitters.com. For any questions, please email stephen@kismetoutfitters.com or call or text 706-580-6712.
Leave a comment