Norwich Bulletin, Bob Sampson, Jr. 5/7/05

Striper fishermen are prepared for tournament Striper fishermen are prepared for tournament By BOB SAMPSON JR.

• Today the Thames River will be crawling with fishermen each after a large striped bass that could potentially earn them a share of the $10,000 first prize money, based on 250 entries, in the 2005 Dime Bank Thames River Striped Bass Tournament and Maritime Festival
• It's too late to enter the tourney at this point. However, there are many activities offered at the harbor and marina that are mostly free of charge, so don't hesitate to come down to grab a snack and enjoy the festival portion of this great event.
• With the final rules and prizes set last night, starting at 5 a.m. contestants spread out in search of a super-sized, prize-winning striped bass, that is probably lurking somewhere between the Gold Star Bridge and Greenville Dam.
• They used to call this tournament the Thames River Striped Bass Challenge, which would be an applicable word for this year's event.
• For the last 10 days or so the river has been full of fish, but most are sub-legal in length. The bite from larger fish that took place up river between Norwich and the dam slowed recently, due to the increase in water flows after last weekend's soaking rains.
• However, the water flows should be subsiding enough to allow fishermen full access to the fast flowing portion of the Shetucket south of the Greenville Dam, where I suspect most of the jumbo, prize-winning sized stripers are currently holding.
• I will be fishing this event as always, but personally don't have much faith in my ability to land a decent sized bass this year. I've caught or seen nearly 500 fish caught in the past two weeks and not a single one was more than 26 inches! You can't even bring in a fish that size to measure because its below the legal limit and must be released immediately.
• What will the contest officials do if no one catches a keeper striper for official measurements -- hold a big raffle? I hope so, because my odds of winning will be better.
• Remember, herring can't be used as bait once again this year due to the state-wide ban on catching and possession of river herrings. However, chunk bait, eels, etc., will be allowed at least according to the rules I have seen.
• With or without bait, catching a big fish is going to be tough this year due to so many small fish and it appears that at least a portion of the larger fish that had been in the river earlier may have already headed out to go spawn or move northward up the coast.
• My guess is someone fishing from a small boat, kayak or from shore between the Laurel Hill Bridge and the dam will enter a fish in the low 40-inch range that will win this year's event.
• Regardless of the results, this has always been, and I assume will continue to be, a very well run and fun event. The catering from Old Tymes Restaurant has always been top notch. I just hope someone catches a big enough legal-sized bass to claim the prizes that are being offered.
• We will check back in with the "fishy details" of the event in next week's column.
• New regulations for 2005
• As expected, the regulations for fluke changed once again this year but rather than confuse, it's made things the same for the tri-state area.
• Connecticut anglers and those fishing Connecticut waters will be allowed to catch six fish per day with a minimum length of 17.5 inches, during a season that runs through December 31.
• This year, both Rhode Island and New York have minimum lengths for fluke set at 17.5 inches, which will reduce the confusion this summer for those anglers who leave from Barn Island and fish the south shore of Fishers or Rhody's south shore beaches for fluke.
• This is the first time in recent memory the tri-state area has had the same size limits on fluke. However, creel limits vary, New York allows 5 fish, Rhode Island, 7 and Connecticut, 6. So if you're traveling across state lines, don't forget to keep the lowest common denominator in the boat (5 fluke per person should you be so talented as to catch your limit this year) to be on the safe side.
• Scup regulations were relaxed slightly, but not enough in my opinion. This year the season runs from July 1 through October 31, with a 10 1/2 -inch minimum length and a creel limit of 25 fish per person.
• Seabass regulations were also essentially unchanged other than the open season which runs from January 1 through November 30. The same 12-inch minimum length and 25 fish per day creel limits are still in place for this species.
• Corn still legal as bait
• You know how they say a piece of misinformation will always travel further than the truth? It holds true when it comes to the fishing world as well. My friend, Captain Jerry Morgan of Island Charters and his namesake tackle shop in Madison, said there have been rumors that it is illegal to use corn for trout bait in Connecticut.
• It seems that in an April issue of The Fisherman Magazine there was a report from a Branford tackle shop that stated it was illegal.
• This is absolutely not true. Corn is a legal and effective bait for trout and carp as well. A call to the DEP to be sure, verified the fact that there is no problem fishing with corn here in Connecticut, or Rhode Island for that matter. (I called a shop in that state to be sure.)
• It's been written that trout have a problem digesting the tough kernels, as do humans, but I don't think it's as lethal as a hook in the throat. Any bait that is fished on a static line has the chance of deep hooking and harming any fish that takes it.
• I don't know for sure but would assume that trout will pass kernels of corn like they would any hard material they ingest. I've seen them with stomachs full of leaf buds and other hard indigestibles that seem even more dangerous than a kernel or two of corn. So use baby nibblet corn, it's more tender and easier for trout to pass.
• Fisheries report
• The shad and herring runs are really just getting started as flows ease and temperatures rise into the 60s in the state's major river systems. As of April 22, 81 American shad, 1 gizzard shad, 6 striped bass, 1 lamprey, 2 searun trout, and 564 alewives had been lifted over the Greenville Dam.
• Figuring that was two weeks ago, for sure hundreds maybe thousands more have been lifted there since that time.
• The number of alewives, 564, is disturbing because there should have been thousands lifted over the dam by this time. However, that's why there's a closure and also why most of the larger striped bass are currently up in the stretch of river below and leading to the Greenville Dam. It's chow time on a favorite prey item, shiny, soft rayed herring.
• The report indicated that elsewhere, in places such as Groton Pond (they have thousands of herring), Bride Brook and Trading Cove have all passed thousands of alewives.
• The report that this information was taken from listed two searun trout (probably browns) as also being passed over the newly instituted fish lift at the Ponemah Mills Dam in Taftville. Two of the first fish to use this newly installed facility.