I start with scaling the fish. The skin is perfectly edible, delicious, and full of nutrients. I don't want to waste it.

The combination of the skirt, the split-tail trailer, the color contrast, the deep rattle, and that bill-driven dive gives stripers exactly what they’re looking for.

“In low-light conditions, darker flies with a bigger silhouette stand out best. Once the sun’s up, lighter colors like white over chartreuse produce more bites. If it doesn’t have chartreuse, it’s of no use.”

The Golden Boy Aruku Shad series has quietly become a local legend among anglers who know how to put stripers in the boat when others are left guessing.