Conn Post 7/29/05

• Largemouth bass have become highly energized with the heat. Buzzbaits or "rat" type baits ripped across the weedy surfaces cause sudden and thrilling results. When using these lures, keep a second rod handy. Rig this rod with a weighted soft plastic worm. If an attacking bass missed your surface offering, cast the worm into the area of the strike. This second-chance cast often produces the desired conclusion. Try this dual-rod method in Lake Zoar, Gardner Lake, Rogers Lake, Highland Lake, Ball Pond, Mudge Pond, Lake Lillinonah, Coventry Lake, Mansfield Hollow Reservoir, Bantam Lake, the beaver ponds along the Bantam River in Litchfield, East Twin Lake, West Twin Lake, Winchester Lake, Messerschmidt's Pond, Pickerel Lake, Long Meadow Pond, Stillwater Pond, Winnemaug Lake, Mohawk Pond, Black Pond and Lake Saltonstall.
  
• Smallmouth bass also are providing similar good fortune for fishermen. Lake-dwelling smallmouth bass are hitting tube lures, jigging spoons and surface twitch baits, such as Rapala minnows and Fin-S Fish. The better smallie angling has been coming from Bantam Lake, Bashan Lake, Gardner Lake, Candlewood Lake, Highland Lake, Squantz Pond, Mashapaug Lake and the northern end of Lake Lillinonah. Don't overlook the state's larger river systems for smallmouth bass. While these river-bred fish rarely exceed two pounds, their environment gives them strong muscles for superior fights. Noteworthy rivers are the Enfield section of the Connecticut River, the lower Salmon River, the Farmington River near Tariffville, the Housatonic River between Bulls Bridge and Lake Lillinonah. Small crayfish imitations are all you need to entice the river smallmouths.
  
• Over the past week, the striped bass fishing has improved dramatically and can be rated as excellent with several fish over 40 inches being taken. The bigger bass seem to prefer real bait, such as live eels, hickory shad, live porgy, large bunker chunks and mackerel halves. Because of the summer heat, the best fishing times are at dawn and dusk. Some of the better bass action is coming from Bartlett Reef, Hatchett Reef, Crane Reef, the Connecticut River between the Baldwin Bridge and the Amtrak RR Bridge, Southwest Reef, Six Mile Reef, Browns Reef, the mouth of Branford Harbor, the confluence of the Mill and Quinnipiac rivers, Pond Point, the area between Gulf Beach and Milford Point, the shoreline access points on the Housatonic River from its mouth to the Merritt Parkway Bridge, Bridgeport Harbor, Sunken Island, Southport Harbor, Compo Beach and throughout the Norwalk Island Chain, especially on island points and shoals.
  
• Bluefishing has improved, too, as larger fish showed up this week. To date the better chopper action is in the eastern end of Long Island Sound, where fish in the 15-pound class are being reported. Locally, a 10-pound blue is worth bragging about. Look for bluefish in New Haven Harbor, Milford Harbor, Bridgeport Harbor, Black Rock Harbor, and Greenwich Harbor.
  
• Also, snapper bluefish are beginning to show in the area estuaries. These 3-to 4-inch-long fish are fun to catch on light tackle. They make excellent quarry for children and novices learning about the sport. The creel limit on snappers is 10. — FRANK MCKANE JR.