The Day 5/19/06

1. The big news is lots of bass that moved into The Race since last week. An example of the good fishing was the e-mail sent by John “Chappy” Chapman of Uncasville. He and five others fished on the Sunbeam out of Waterford on Monday for a total of 51 stripers, catching them right through slack tide. John described it as a trip “all fishermen dream of.”
2. Capt. Al Anderson said the bass are also in good in the Montauk rips. The local charter boat pros are using wire line and parachute jigs for stripers up to 44 pounds along with a few bluefish.Capt. Al Anderson said the bass are also in good in the Montauk rips. The local charter boat pros are using wire line and parachute jigs for stripers up to 44 pounds along with a few bluefish.
3. The fluking around the point is much slower than two weeks prior and it's expected those fish will show up around Isabella and eastern Sound waters very soon. Rod and reel commercials were landing a lot of fluke outside the center wall of Point Judith Harbor and some Connecticut anglers enjoyed good action with fly rods in the Narrows of the upper Salt Pond even in drenching rain. All the northeast wind dropped the temperature in the pond from 62 down to 51. At present, that body is brown versus its normal off shade of green.
4. Capt. Don's in Charlestown said both Connecticut surf anglers and the locals had increasing catches of shorts and keeper bass in Quonny Pond and breachway after the rain finally stopped at mid-week. Del Barber had 20 in the breachway channel on Wednesday evening on plastic shads while others caught keepers opposite the rock pile in the western part of the pond on small poppers.
5. The first catch of hickory shad was recorded at the end of the breachway by a gent looking for schoolie stripers. Tautog can be caught along the breachway rocks or try for a fair to modest fishery for winter flounder in both Charlestown and Weekapaug Ponds.
6. King Cove in Stonington said the fluke people reported fair results along the Rhode Island beaches with about a 50-50 ratio of shorts to keepers but as of press time the numbers were so-so at best. Bass moved into The Race with some boats from here making the run down there to use bucktails on the running tides or diamond jigs when it slacked a bit. A school of small bluefish was spotted on top under a large flock of birds just one day outside Wicopesset Passage. Squid jigging is on the wane as more bass push into our waters.
7. Allen Fee at Shaffers took John Russo out on Mother's Day for a bass in the Mystic River on the popular Slug-Go lure. The two biggest were 28 and 31 inches caught around Sixpenny Island. The water temps in the river are around 60 but drop to 54 out in Fishers Island Sound so bring a jacket with you in plan on running along in an open boat.
8. On Wednesday afternoon a school of small bass was chasing bait on top around buoy 18, the Eel Grass Ground. Casters caught them into the 20-inch range and Bill Kelsey trolled a lure under the birds and breaking fish for a striper in the low, 30-inch range. Bucktailing is producing bigger bass in The Race.
9. Larry Strickland and Shawn Ross came down from Hebron to fish in the Sound, returning with a 4.8-pound sea bass, one winter flounder and too many skates. Others from the marina headed to Misquamicut for fluke, landing a few keepers but lots that had to be tossed back.
10. Bob's Rod & Tackle in Quaker Hill reported people still not out in force after a week of wind and rain. The Thames is still high from all the runoff with a scant few larger bass since last report. Nobody made the run over to Montauk during the early part of the week due to wind and very high seas.
11. Capt. Jack Balint of the Fish Connection in Preston warned shore anglers about wading in the Shetucket below the Greenville Dam. The river is very high from all the runoff and someone that isn't careful could find himself or herself in over their head or be hit by one of the many trees coming in the swift current.
12. All the bunkers in Norwich Harbor were flushed out by the runoff and the best striper fishing now is down below the Sub Base until the Thames returns to normal levels. The Pawcatuck is said to be in the same shape if you're thinking of trying over there for bass.
13. The Race is full of fish and you should be able to find some at Bartletts. Fluking is better for the time being in Peconic Bay than this side of the Sound though Jack expects to see keepers caught any day now in the 50-80-foot depths off Isabella Beach.
14. Stephanie Cramer fished Bill Krueger with Capt. Al Anderson in the Point Judith Salt Pond in nasty weather for 50 small stripers to 25 inches on fly tackle and 31 fish to 24 inches on the second trip with the weather no better.
15. Over in Waterford, Hillyer's Tackle said small boaters continue to find school bass and blues in the Millstone discharge and winter flounder in the Niantic River. Yesterday around mid-morning, 11 trucks and trailers were in the launch ramp parking lot, their owners all fishing for the popular flatfish. Tube and wormers caught some bass at Bartletts and bucktailing was good in The Race. Your best bet for fluke is to run over to Greenport, not on this side of the Sound just yet.
16. River's End Tackle in Old Saybrook had much the same story about all the high, muddy water from the long, long storm muddying the lower Connecticut River and spoiling chances for schoolie striper fishing.
17. Pat predicts tomorrow the river will be cleaned up and back in business. Outside, you can locate larger bass on Southwest Reef and East Rip with bucktails or use a diamond jig in The Gut and Race. The small number of blues in the lower part of the river disappeared in the wind and rain. [Tim Coleman is The Day's saltwater fishing columnist]