Herald, 10/1/05

• Most anglers greet October with open arms and tight drags. For just as the fiery colors on the hardwood trees peak during the month, so does the fishing. In preparation for their migration south, striped bass and bluefish congregate into large schools along our shores. The baitfish they prey upon will also come together into massive schools and when the two collide, angling can be spectacular. The cooler water temperatures increase gamefish activity in both fresh and saltwater during the daytime. There will be many days when fish seem to feed continuously even under the brightest skies and in the calmest of waters. Often when stripers or bluefish have corralled a school of bait, they will drive it right up on the shore and feed in very shallow water. Such feeding frenzies are not uncommon during October, and the frenzy can last a couple of hours. When these blitzes occur, the feeding fish are sometimes very showy. Boils, breaks, bait, and birds, each working frenetically, are the hallmarks of these frenzies. At other times, however, active feeding can go unnoticed by the casual observer.
• If the bait is thick and the water deep enough, the gamefish may only attack at the bottom of the bait, with only slight boils evidencing the attack. At these times, linesiders may only be keying on crippled baits, and may be less likely to reveal themselves. Without any surface activity the presence of birds is unlikely, so don’t always count on birds to locate fish. In fact, stripers and bluefish will often feed so close to shore that a boil or slight break is barely discernible from the wash or undertow of a wave breaking over a rock or against the shore. This can be true even on the calmest days.
• Along the Connecticut and Rhode Island coast stripers will be preying on bay anchovies also known as "rain bait", which should be thick along the shore in early October. That means lots of birds diving, fish breaking and fishermen chasing the marauding bass by boat and from shore. While stripers will make up the bulk of t he predators chasing bay anchovies, expect to find times when bass, bluefish and false albacore are all feeding on this bait at the same time. As the days grow shorter and water temperatures drop into the fifties, herring appear drawing larger migrating bass and bluefish along the beaches and jetties. Big bass and bluefish are opportunistic feeders and will forage the bait -filled nooks, crannies and outflows. The variegated Connecticut and Rhode Island coastline has a number of excellent places for the shorebound angler to cast a line for migrating species.
• Some of the traditional fall hotspots are: In the Western Sound - Sherwood Island State Park has easy access and the area is solid with fish into late December. Charles Island in Milford and the West Haven sandbar are good spots for the angler that likes to wade. The rips off the jetty at Meigs Point in Hammonasett State Park attract fish through November. In Old Saybrook try the town beach and the causeway for schoolies and bluefish.
• Over in Old Lyme, Griswold Point has good fishing for stripers into late November. The D.E.P. walkway on the Connecticut River and the pier on the Thames River in New London offer consistent fall fishing. Rocky Neck State Park gives up some big stripers year after year to late fall fishermen. The lower Niantic River below the railroad bridge holds fish into late November. In Waterford the rips off Seaside attract big blues. Harkness State park is a great place for a family picnic and all migrating species can be caught off the beach late into the season. Ocean Beach in New London is an area that produces consistently in the late fal l. Over in Groton , Bluff point is the scene for fall blitzes of stripers, blues and albies every October and November. Over in Rhode Island the Watch Hill area including Napatree Point should be on every fisherman’s list as a spot to hit in the fall. A little further east the beaches at Misquamicut and Weekapaug are prime fall hotspots for blues and stripers right into early winter.
• In freshwater, anglers have a good opportunity of latching on to a big bass or trout that is feeding ravenously in an effort to store fat for the cold months ahead. The Farmington River is a great spot for some terrific fall fishing. D.E.P. stockings combined with some holdover trout offer anglers consistent action in uncrowded water among the colorful foliage. The Salmon River in Colchester , and the Housatonic also are great spots to relax and enjoy the autumn scenery. The "Housee" is the place for dynamite smallmouth bass action at this time of year.
  
• The bigger lakes get stocked with fair numbers of trout to support a winter fishery, and don’t forget the Trout Parks as they also get a healthy stocking. Give West Hill Pond, Mashapaug, or Candlewood a try. Moodus Reservoir, Lake Lillinonah and the Connecticut River are proven waters for late season bas of both species. Early morning hours are not required in order to catch autumn trout or bass. Anglers can sleep a little later and enjoy the warmth of the day.
• Autumn is a time to either fish with a serious edge for a trophy or relax a bit and have some fun. The weather and scenery are superb, the beaches are open and the fish are biting , so take some time and get out on the water.
• FISHING REPORT: Despite the very low water conditions, trout fishing has been good on the Farmington River . Current hatches continue to include Isonychia, Rusty Spinners, Blue Wing Olives, Caddis, Midges, Black Ants and Stenonema.
• Lake and pond fishing for trout is excellent in the morning and evening hours. Success is reported from East Twin Lake , Highland Lake , Crystal Lake ,Beach Pond and West Hill Pond . Best results are trolling lures and live bait and still fishing with worms and corn combos. &nb sp; In saltwater the big news is the arrival of false albacore in the eastern end of Long Island Sound and along the south shore beaches of Rhode Island . It is far from a sure bet with these fast-moving fish, but they are around in sufficient numbers. The most consistent catches are coming from Montauk Point, with other "inside" areas the usual hit or miss. Hot spots include The R ace, Fishers Island Sound and the along the South Side, Millstone, the Sluiceway and the Weekapaug Breechway.
• Since the storm, bass and bluefish activity have improved as these fish moved inshore to chow down on the super abundance of bait that seems to be everywhere in the region. Bluefish are reported all over the place with fish size classes from two-pounders to choppers that weigh in the mid teens.