I’m fairly knowledgeable on buggy whips for tarpon/permit/bonefish but never caught a rockfish on a fly… I’ve been catching 19-23" fish in the usual places on Murray with the usual artificials…
I want to try something new. Can I get by with an 8wt? What would be your go to streamers? I’d rather NOT use a sinking line if I don’t have to. Any advice is appreciated.
8wt is fine…Loon should be along shortly to answer fly questions…he makes and uses his own and targets them with the long rod frequently. I know he will say he likes coyotes as well. He ties a bunch of stuff for me when i thought i wanted to try it…and i still do just havent found the time…tough to decide to do that over targeting big girls 
“All fisherman lie. And if they say otherwise, then they’re lying”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
140 Suzuki
USCG Licensed Captain
Sea~N~Stripes Guide Service
Why no sinking line? All I throw on Murray are Int and heavy sinkers.
The line choice is usually dictated by the depth fish are at. You can get down a good depth, 10 and maybe even push 15 feet with a floating line and long leader & tippet combination, with heavily weighted flies, but that means you really have to beef up the leader for both fly weight & size if you need to go big. This can create a problem if you encounter particularly large fish, as you still want the tippet to be the weak link rather than damage or lose a fly line. The 8 wt will limit that too somewhat as far as fly size with the weight. Not how I like to fish and I generally like my leader & tippet to only be about the rod length. A sinking type line gives you more options. Floating lines are fine if the fish are within the surface to 10 ft depth.
Everyone has favorite flies, and Stripers aren’t usually picky as much about fly types or colors/patterns as they are about size. Still it doesn’t hurt to try & match the forage.
I’ve yet to fish at Murray, but generally use Deceivers or Flat Wing Deceivers often and Clouser Minnows, plus some of the various bucktail patterns/styles that Bob Popovics has made famous, like the bulkheads. I always carry some Half & Half’s too and some flies tied with rabbit strips, although they tend to get heavy once wet which makes casting more difficult. However, I also use a 10 wt more often than an 8 wt when targeting Stripers.
This one is not mine, but I tie some similar.
Jim, those are some good looking ties! Color is perfect for Murray! I had a buddy that caught lots of striper on flies on the lake while fishing with me, I never got into it, I always wanted to cast my baitcaster with a bucktail a long way to cover more water. He’s gone now and I sure miss him!
Thank you boatpoor! IMO, basic color patterns for Stripers are really all you need and these have served me well over the years. I also use some black, so carry a few to have more options. I would also include some for the surface, poppers and slider types, and I very much like the Gurglers.
These that I’ve shown are generally in the 5" to 6" length range, but it never hurts to have a few smaller or bigger if your gear will handle it. The flat wing styles can be very good in that regard, as they’re light but provide the appearance of a much bigger offering. Some of the big patterns tied with synthetic materials can do the same.
I know what you mean about missing a fishing buddy! I had a great friend who I fished with for about 15 years when I lived in MD. He & my dad both passed within two weeks of each other in 2003, both from cancers. Such is life unfortunately.
excellent advice… thanks guys…
“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went.”
Will Rogers
You’re welcome! Since you say you’ve got experience with Tarpon, if you have Tarpon flies, particularly older Key’s style feather wing patterns, even those can work well on Stripers. I grew up in MD and fished the Chesapeake & tributaries often for them. I’ve caught them on all kinds of flies. Most I looked for were the schoolie size, as that allowed me to fish in areas that most other’s didn’t bother with, and especially with fly tackle. I used to supply Tarpon & other flies to several Keys guides too, and would tie some of the same patterns on lighter wire hooks (straight shank plastic worm hooks, like Owner or Gamakatsu) for bass & Striped bass. The various Cockroach patterns have all been good, both Key’s style & Deceivers, but as I said previously, they’re not often particular about the patterns they’ll grab. Get the fly in front of them and they’ll take it! 
thanks Jim… I’ll look thru my Cuba box and see what fits… btw - that last fly is spectacular.
“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went.”
Will Rogers
Yes, it is! I wish I could take credit for it, but it’s not one that I tied. I don’t recall who did tie it either. It’s a picture that I had saved for reference.
I know several other tyers who tie similar flies. Most are Striper anglers along the northern Atlantic coast, from DE up to MA.
You might also want to check out two friends of mine, Capt. Chris Newsome & Capt. Henry Cowen. Both guys guide for Stripers & tie some excellent fly patterns for them. Chris lives in VA and fishes the lower part of the Chesapeake Bay, and Henry lives in GA and fishes Lake Lanier, and some in NY coastal waters.