TopwaterintermediateNortheast & Mid-Atlantic
Striper Gurgler
Flybox sourcing profile
No TWG price or checkout is active. Use this page to validate the fly, then source it through the mapped tier or trusted fly shops.
Available Sizes#1/0 - #2/0
Color Variations
Chartreuse/WhiteAll WhiteBlackOlive
Pattern Ledger
Source Striper Gurgler
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Sourcing Ledger
Where to source this pattern
TWG checkout is closed. These are current sourcing leads, scored by mapped tier, region, species, fly type, and named-pattern evidence. Confirm availability directly with the tier or shop.
Signature tierStrong match
New England Fly Company
Matched on Northeast & Mid-Atlantic, topwater flies, striped bass. New England tier lead for brook trout, landlocked salmon, and coastal striper patterns.
Northeast & Mid-Atlantictopwater fliesstriped bass
Visit sourceSignature tierStrong match
Salty Fly Tying
Matched on Northeast & Mid-Atlantic, topwater flies, striped bass. Drew Chicone's saltwater tying catalog and learning hub, strongest for saltwater pattern validation.
Northeast & Mid-Atlantictopwater fliesstriped bass
Visit sourceBroad sourceStrong match
Fulling Mill Flies
Matched on topwater flies, bass, baitfish. Large pattern house with broad freshwater and saltwater fly categories.
topwater fliesbassbaitfish
Visit sourceRegional shopStrong match
AZ Fly Shop
Matched on topwater flies, bass, bass. Arizona and Southwest shop lead for desert trout, bass, canal carp, and warmwater patterns.
topwater fliesbass
Visit sourceBroad sourceBroad match
Orvis Fly Catalog
Matched on topwater flies, bass, broad catalog. Broad retail catalog for standard trout, warmwater, salmon/steelhead, and saltwater patterns.
topwater fliesbassbroad catalog
Visit sourceJack Gartside designed the Gurgler in his Boston apartment, which is exactly the kind of origin story a topwater fly deserves. The foam back creates a wake on the surface that stripers interpret as 'wounded baitfish making its last stand.' Strip it across a calm flat at dawn and the strike, when it comes, will rearrange your internal organs. There is a moment between the wake and the explosion when time slows down and the universe consists entirely of you, the fly, and the boil behind it. That moment is why people fly fish.
Quick Facts
TypeTopwater
Difficultyintermediate
SeasonsSpring, Summer, Fall
Target SpeciesStriped Bass, Bluefish
Sizes#1/0 - #2/0
Best LocationsCape Cod, MA; Martha's Vineyard, MA; Plum Island, MA
Where to Fish It
Cape Cod
MA · Flats
Martha's Vineyard
MA · Flats
Plum Island
MA · Estuaries
Map unavailable. Locations for Striper Gurgler: Cape Cod, MA; Martha's Vineyard, MA; Plum Island, MA
Related Reading
region guide
Northeast Stripers: The Blitz Guide
The fall blitz along the Northeast coast is one of fly fishing's most electrifying phenomena. When migrating stripers, bluefish, and false albacore pin baitfish against the surface, the water erupts into a frenzy that can be cast to with a fly rod. This is how you prepare for it.
technique
Solunar Tables: Science, Myth, and Practical Use
Solunar theory claims that the gravitational pull of the moon and sun creates predictable periods of peak animal activity. Saltwater anglers swear by it. Freshwater anglers roll their eyes. The truth, as usual, lives somewhere in between — and the practical implications might surprise you.
seasonal playbook
The Fall Guide: Changing Seasons, Changing Tactics
Fall is when the fishing world rearranges itself. Brown trout become aggressive and territorial as spawning urges override caution. Steelhead push into Pacific Northwest rivers on autumn rain. Striped bass blitz baitfish along the Northeast coast. And trout streams that were too warm in August cool into prime condition. Here's how to fish every opportunity the changing season offers.
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