Conn Post 11/11/05

• The alphanumeric designation for the region's saltwater fishing is "H3B," meaning hot bluefish, bass and blackfish angling. All three fish species are cooperating with enthusiasm throughout the western end of Long Island Sound. Inland fishers also are enjoying sizzling action as the autumn crappie and yellow perch runs get under way. Right now, if you have the time and desire to go fishing, you are almost assured of catching something.
• Bluefish are falling into their autumn patterns. Anglers fishing with bunker chunks or diamond jigs on the deeper reefs and breaklines are scoring well with bluefish in the 6-to 10-pound class. Only a few fish over 14 pounds have been reported. Some noteworthy bluefish spots have been Buoy 11B, Buoy 28C, the channel edge off Penfield lighthouse, Buoy 20 and the breaklines offshore from Stratford and Milford. Trolling in the Housatonic River also has produced a bluefish or two.
• Striped bass action is excellent with improvements expected as the bigger fish continue to migrate into the Sound from Cape Cod and the Massachusetts islands. Lately, fish in the 15- to 20-pound class are common close to the shoreline near Calf Pasture Beach, Compo Beach, Penfield Reef, Seaside Park, Seabright Beach, Short Beach, Bonds Dock, the Devon power plant, Milford Point, Gulf Beach, Fort Hale and Lighthouse Point. Larger striped bass, often pushing the 30-pound mark, have been caught in all the above bluefish spots, as well as around Sheffield Island, Shea Island, Pecks Ledge, the mouth of Southport Harbor, Buoy 18, the Thimble Islands, Six Mile Reef and the Madison shoreline.
• Blackfish are holding tight to almost every breakwater and rock pile between Norwalk and Rhode Island. The fish are even holding around navigation aid anchors and dock pilings. Remember, the creel limit on blackfish is only four fish over 14 inches. The state Department of Environmental Protection also has a "no culling" rule on these fish. When you catch your fourth blackfish and put that fish in your bucket or livewell, you are done fishing. Some anglers are now only keeping three blackfish and then holding out for one big brute as their fourth.
• Blackfishermen are likely to catch porgy on the offshore reefs. Porgy season is closed. Release these fish immediately.
• Freshwater anglers are reporting routine double-digit catches of crappie and yellow perch, especially in the lakes along the Housatonic River. Lake Zoar, Lake Lillinonah, Lake Housatonic, and the small impoundments in New Milford, Kent and Falls Village offer good panfishing. Crappie are holding very tight to hard vertical structures, like bridge abutments or small brush piles. Concentrate your crappie efforts in water between eight and 15 feet deep.
• Yellow perch seem to prefer weedbeds, gravel points or mudflats for their autumn activities. While you can catch yellow perch in deep water, you will fare better in depths of three to 10 feet. Both panfish species are taking small live minnows, natural colored marabou jigs, small jigging spoons and tiny tube lures.
• Atlantic salmon are beginning to attract more attention now that the Naugatuck River has returned to normal flows and water levels. Several salmon enthusiasts reported decent action in the Litchfield portion of the river and the portion of the river between Naugatuck State Forest and Seymour. Another good bet for salmon is the tailrace of the Derby Dam. Try the dam area at high tide. [by FRANK MCKANE JR.]