Conn Post, Frank McKane 6/25/05

1. The local fishing scene seemed to stabilize over the past week. Most anglers are reporting fair to good action, but the number of trophy-class fish dwindled slightly. Striped bass offer the best angling on Long Island Sound while panfish are making sweetwater casters very happy.
2. Striped bass hunters are finding loads of small sub-legal schoolie bass in all the tidal rivers and harbors. The beauty of these fish is they can be caught on almost anything. Small mackerel or bunker chunks work well for the bank sitters. Lures and flies are scoring with the beach waders. Dawn and evening hours are the best times to go looking for the schoolie bass. Since most of these fish are below the legal limit, crush the barbs on your hooks flat to facilitate quick releases.
3. Larger "cow" striped bass in the 35- to 45-inch range are on the offshore reefs and in the strong tidal rips. Free lining eels or hickory shad is a hot live bait tactic for the giants. Also, mackerel chunks, white or red tube-and-worms, and small 7-inch wide umbrella rigs are taking the reef fish. Some of the typical striper haunts include the reefs off Watch Hill, Fishers Island, Ram Island Reef, the Race, Plum Gut, Bartlett Reef, Hatchett Reef, Long Sand Shoal, Southwest Reef, Sixmile Reef, Browns Reef, the mouth of the Quinnipiac River in New Haven Harbor, Smith Point, Sunken Island, and the outer perimeter of the Norwalk Islands.
4. Greg Rentz and Tim Osborne, both of Bridgeport, went striped bass fishing off the BH Buoy last week. According to Jimmy O's Bait, they each caught a trophy-class striped bass, weighing 35 and 27 pounds, respectively. The fish were fooled with mackerel chunks. John Dederer of Stratford stopped by Stratford Bait & Tackle with his first keeper bass. The fish weighed 11.92 pounds and came from the mouth of the Housatonic River.
5. Bluegills and sunfish are biting extremely well throughout the state. Anyone armed with a can of nightcrawlers, bobbers and hooks can catch a nice batch of fish. Some good places to try are Putnam Park Pond, Great Hollow Pond, Nells Rock Reservoir, Lake Mohegan, Lake Housatonic in Indian Wells State Park, Perry Mill Pond, Mondo Pond and Bunnell Pond.
6. Also on the panfish front, crappie are cooperating in Lake Zoar, Lake Saltonstall, Stillwater Pond, Park Pond and Upper Moodus Reservoir. Carp, often exceeding 10 pounds, are bending rods at Lake Zoar and Lake Housatonic. White perch are available in Lake Lillinonah and the Connecticut River.
7. Boaters traveling across Long Island Sound report large schools of spawning bluefish. While these fish are often difficult to catch, their presence is a good sign of things to come. We should see plenty of five- to eight-pound bluefish in all the harbors and tidal rivers after the spawning period. The good spawning season should also translate into a super snapper fishing period in August and September.
8. Trout are still a very viable angling option in the Farmington, Housatonic, Willimantic, Naugatuck, Scantic, Salmon, Quinnipiac, Pootatuck, Mill and Saugatuck rivers. Bait fishermen are finding a corn kernel/mealworm combination is most productive. Fly casters have had decent luck with March Brown nymphs, Light Cahills, Blue Wing Olives, Caddis flies, Green/Brown Drakes and stoneflies.
9. Those anglers looking for a new adventure, New York is having a free fishing weekend starting Saturday. You may fish any freshwater body of water without purchasing a fishing license. The Empire State is blessed with numerous fishing waters. This weekend would be a great time to sample that state's offerings.