Throughout North America, bass of all types are loved and obsessed over, from the smallies of the Midwest to the bucketmouths of the South. But along the north Atlantic coast, there’s no question that the People’s Choice award goes to Morone saxatilis—the Striped Bass. They’re a hard-nosed, no-nonsense fish—the perfect New England mascot—one that demands respect no matter your approach. Chasing diving terns and blitzing bass on top? You betcha. Dredging squid patterns in tidal rips for heavyweights? Why not. Sight-fishing white-sand flats with a floating line and Merkin crab? You had me at “sight-fishing.” Whether you’re running a $100K center console, a $5K new-to-you skiff, or a $5 pair of flip flops and a repurposed milk crate stripping basket, there’s a striper out there for you.

For a fish with more aliases than Jason Bourne, the false albacore has taken up its fair share of the spotlight over the years, and rightly so. The chaos of a school of false albies blitzing bait amid the cascading cries and dives of seabirds is, simply put, a thing of beauty—the natural world at its most visceral and alive, and at its most heart-attack-inducing for fly anglers. But it’s about more than just the chaos. It’s about drive-by takes that rip the line from your fingers. It’s about the runs that can properly test a drag. And it’s about a fish pulling hard for the center of the earth—and feeling like there’s no way in hell you’ll ever stop it.