Danbury News Times 5/26/06

• The rivers are finally beginning to slow down a little, as flow rates have dropped to only about twice what they should be at this time of year. Accordingly, trout fishing has picked up some in the bigger streams like the Housatonic and Farmington Rivers.
  
• The Farmington is already under 1,000 cubic feet per second, while the Housy is expected to be in that flow range over the coming holiday weekend, barring any heavy thunderstorms.
• Lower flows and falling water levels have had beneficial effects in the major tidal rivers as well, with the striped bass fishing recovering in the lower Housatonic River following a serious decline during the recent heavy rains and hard flow.
  
• In the Connecticut River, there are still plenty of stripers up in the Enfield area, but anglers are finding they have to sort through an awful lot of schoolies to get a big fish. Eels and soft plastics that imitate eels are working best, and the best time is after dark on an incoming tide.
• Pike fishing is on the upswing in the Connecticut River as well, with the Haddam Meadows area and the mouth of the Salmon River being two of the often mentioned hot spots. Spinnerbaits, soft plastic jerkbaits and large, live minnows are the hot tickets there for pike right now.
• Out on the Sound, the schoolies and barely keeper-sized stripers are cooperating around the Norwalk Islands and Greenwich Point, but the bigger fish seem much more prevalent in the Eastern end of the Sound. Bluefish are in the Sound as well, but that fishery is pretty much confined to the eastern sound, except for a few reports of blues from the West Haven area.
• Bass fishing has been good across the state, but success is a matter of figuring out just what part of the spring cycle the fish in any given waterbody are in, and then keying on patterns specific to that stage. Pre-spawn largemouth in Candlewood for instance, are chowing down on spawning alewives, while post-spawn smallies in the same lake are beginning to move off shore to the humps and roadbeds already. Everything is post-spawn and even early-summer-type patterns in smaller ponds, but the deeper lakes to our north — places like East Twin and Wonoscopomuc haven’t seen much of the spawn yet, and many of the largemouth are still out on the mid-depth breaks, waiting for the shallows to warm.
• I had an interesting bass fishing experience last weekend on a trip to Lake Champlain. Reports I got before I left home all said that the largemouth spawn was about to kick in in earnest in the southern section of the lake, and that most of the fish were in protected backwaters. By the time I got there, the reported 58-to-60-degree water had dropped to 54 degrees, and the water level in the lake had gone up almost two feet from a week of heavy rain.
• The spinnerbait and jerkbait bite we anticipated wasn’t happening. The jig bite we expected to fall back on never materialized. We caught and released plenty of largemouth, most of them over three pounds. But we had to fall resort to places and techniques we might associate more with fishing in November than in May.
• Other anglers we talked to fared poorly because they were fishing their seasonal expectations instead of the reality of the conditions. Throwing at the bank with spinnerbaits and surface plus and constantly moving wasn’t going to cut it. It took light tackle, a drop shot rig with a four-inch worm, and a slow, tedious approach in 10 to 20 feet of water — and most important, the patience to sit and work over a school of fish once we found them — to score consistently. But while “springtime tactics” were producing four or five fish a day for most of the bass anglers we talked with, fishing like it was November produced over 100 fish for my son and I. It’s a lesson that neither of us will forget soon. [Danbury News Times, Rich Zalesk]

Rivers End Tackle UPDATE

UPDATE------ STRIPED BASS! The Connecticut River has
turned on. Each year we get a run of 25" to 45" bass moving into the extreme end of the River. They're generally here from mid-May to early June. The action is generally on top, takes place early and late in the
day, preferably on the outgoing tide. All the factors are lining up for the next week. I'm afraid that by the time the report comes out next Friday some good fishing will be mixed.

Nor'east Saltwater 5/28/06

1. The fishing flashed in and out of high season form during the week in eastern Connecticut, with some days producing bountiful catches of all the major species. Although striped bass have certainly settled in on the major reefs and river mouths, and fluke can be found in their deep water haunts and even close to our shores, anglers experienced the highs of success and lows of disappointment with the inconsistent conditions.
2. Given time, the elements of bait such as squid and bunker and the target species in place should all come together to produce more predictable results, if that is possible in fishing! But in this time of transition, winter flounder fishing ended with a flurry in the Niantic area, porgies jumped the gun for their June 1st opener in the Niantic Bay and blackfish broke through the gate near the railroad bridge in Niantic, which still has two weeks to go until their season opener. Bluefish began to maraud anglers near the Millstone outflow, and also competed with bass for diamond jigs, tubes and umbrella jigs in the Race and the Sluiceway. Many bass enthusiasts competed in the Striped Bass Memorial Classic over the weekend and tackle shops were busy weighing fish. It's the time of year we have all been waiting for, with the fluke making an early start and the bass running maybe a week or so behind schedule. It certainly appears that everything arrived at the same time.
3. Peter of Dee's Bait and Tackle feels that the striped bass have returned to the rivers after the May monsoon, with lively action below the Derby Dam on the Housatonic River, where Kevin Schiff and his son kept their limit of bass up to 25 pounds on live eels. Bass also roamed the open water at the Branford Beacon, Townsend's Ledge and between the New Haven Breakwaters. Bass may still be working into the area as an absence of truly large fish could indicate that they are a week or so behind schedule. Peter recommended drifting the channels between the breakwaters for fluke. Fluke also hit the rigs of shore anglers near the lighthouse. Look for weakfish near Long Wharf on the West Haven Sandbar. "A few guys are doing really well for flatfish or winter flounder outside of Millstone; they're limiting out."
4. Pete of Hammonassett Tackle Company said there are, "Quite a few bass and a few bluefish on the reefs." Try Six Mile Reef. Hammonassett Tackle weighed a 50-pound striped bass the other day that fell for a live bunker. As for fluke, there are a few on this side.
5. Tate of J&B Tackle described the fishing for bass and blues at the Race as very good, with bluefish, "Really starting to show." Trolling tube and worm around Bartlett Reef was effective for big bass. Fluking near Greenport and Montauk was mostly a short story, with a few keepers ranging from 20 to 23 inches. The R.I. beaches offer the best shot at doormats.
6. Al of Mackey's Bait and Tackle was stuck on winter flounder in the Niantic River, away from the porgies out in the Niantic Bay. Expect an occasional legal fish fluking on this side. There are, "A few bass at the point and keepers up to 42 inches at Rocky Neck off the beach on bait." Harkness State Park also rewarded anglers with bass on bait.
7. Pat of River's End Tackle noted that the striped bass action slowed down at the Race yesterday after a tremendous Friday, but it picked up at the mouth of the Connecticut River in four feet of water away from the channels. This is the time of year stripers wait to ambush herring in the river mouths, making Sluggos an effective choice for the bass-blitz of herring. East Rip in Clinton and Southwest Reef were often mentioned in the same breath as big bass. Surprisingly, the south side of Fisher's Island upset Greenport and Montauk for doormat fluke up to 10 pounds. "They're moving through so get out there fast." Abundant bluefish could be subduing the fluke bite at Greenport.
8. Carl of Ted's Bait and Tackle summed up the fishing as, "Weird." On Friday captain Jimbo of the Ernit Charters found cow bass near the surface feasting on bunker near Long Sand Shoal in the fog. On Saturday, there was nothing there. The weak tides may have something to do with it. At Soundview, Carl's friend Paul caught a 21 inch fluke on a mackerel chunk. He then followed it up with a 43-pound, 49.75-inch striped bass! Schoolies continue to dodge logs and entertain anglers in the Connecticut River. Red and white diamond jigs triggered the bluefish and bass bite in the Gut and the Race. "But it's a long way to travel and in a week they'll be right here."
9. Jack of Jack's Shoreline Bait and Tackle applauded Tony Cerase's catch of a 32-inch, 9.5-pound fluke at Mattituck Inlet on Big Brother Amgri's boat. Brandon Genovese plucked an 8.5-pound fluke out of the numerous shorts on Saturday. Young Brian O'Keefe caught his first striper ever at East Rip in the middle of the day on a live eel, which weighed 26.5 pounds! Look for fluke at Grizzly Point in Niantic.
10. Lou of Hillyers Tackle Shop spoke of one fluke outing that included fish at 12.7 pounds, multiple five-pound fish and a couple in the four-pound range. Closer to home in Niantic between the bridges, a mish mash of flounder, bluefish and huge illegal blackfish devoured bait, sending anglers back for seconds of sandworms. The Millstone outflow teamed with bluefish and striped bass. At the Race, the bluefish were absent with only striped bass. Bartlett Reef rewarded the tube and worm crew with plenty of cows. [Nor'east Saltwater, Dixon Downey]

CT DEP Weekly 5/24/06

1. TROUT: Fishing is improving as water levels continue to drop with reports from the Hammonassett, Salmon (6.5-pound brown and a 30-inch Atlantic salmon), Jeremy, Farmington (31 fish for one angler), Pequabuck, Coginchaug, Farmill, Mill, Housatonic, Willimantic and Eightmile (Southington) Rivers. Success is being found using worms and corn/mealworm combinations. Farmington River water temperatures are in the low 50s. Current hatches include Blue Winged Olive, Blue Quills, Tan Caddis (starting) and Hendrickson (ending). Anglers can expect fishing to be a bit off due to the past rains. March Brown nymphs (#12-14), Blue Wing Olives (#18-22, mid-late afternoon), Caddis (tan #14-18, all day) and Midges (#22-32) are the current patterns working. Some Hendricksons (#12-14) are still being found in the Riverton area.
2. In the Housatonic River, water temperatures are in the upper 50s and flows are clearing and still high, but continue to drop. Current hatches include Blue Winged Olive, Green Caddis & Brown/Tan Caddis. March Browns (#10-12), Blue Wing Olive (#20-22, early morning; spinner fall in evening) & Gray Foxes (#14-16). Green caddis (#14-18, early morning and evening) are on the water. Midges (#22-26) are being seen at the mouths of tributaries.
3. Anglers can expect good fishing in western CT at the Blackberry, Farmington and Whiting Rivers. In eastern CT, good fishing can be expected at the Blackwells, Chatfield Hollow, Indiantown, Mashamoquet and Shunock Brooks, and the Blackledge, Branford, East Branch Eight Mile, Eight Mile, Farm, Hammonasset, Hockanum, Jeremy, Moosup, Mount Hope, Natchaug, Quinebaug, Salmon, Scantic, Moosup, Mill River (Hamden), Shetucket, West, and Yantic Rivers.
4. Good trout fishing was found in many lakes and ponds throughout Connecticut with reports from Saugatuck Reservoir (24-inch brown), West Hill, Mt. Tom, Great Hollow, and Squantz Ponds, and East Twin (100 fish for two anglers), Bashan (some nice 12-15 inch rainbows), Coventry, Waramaug, Highland, Crystal (Ellington), Gardner and Wonoscopomuc Lakes.
5. LARGEMOUTH BASS: Fishing is generally fair to good with reports from Mansfield Hollow Reservoir (mixed), Upper Moodus Reservoir, East Twin, Gardner (fair), Coventry, Eagleville, Waramaug, Candlewood (31 fish for one angler), Winchester (23" bass), Congamond, Winnemaug, Middle Bolton (25 bass for one angler) and Bantam Lakes, and Gorton, Pachaug, Lantern Hill, Tollgate and Batterson Park Ponds. Lake Saltonstall, Lake Housatonic and Highland Lake report slow fishing for largemouth.
6. SMALLMOUTH BASS: Fishing is generally good with reports from Colebrook Reservoir, Candlewood Lake, Gardner lake (good),
7. Lake Housatonic (fair) and Squantz Pond. Fishing for smallies at Highland reported as slow.
8. OTHERS: Northern pike action is reported from Mansfield Hollow Reservoir, Winchester Lake, Bantam Lake and Pachaug Pond. ... Walleye action is reported from Lake Saltonstall (30 walleye in two days for one angler, up to 7.2 pounds) and Squantz Pond (26.5-inch walleye among the catches). ... Kokanee salmon catches reported from West Hill Pond (including a 17.5-inch, 1.88-pounder).
9. CONNECTICUT RIVER: Striped bass are in the river from Haddam to Enfield. School size (16-25 inches) fish and adults up to 48 inches are showing up. Trolling tube and worm, eels and soft plastics are working well.
10. STRIPED BASS: Fishing is in high gear as the spring migration for cow bass is on. The major reefs and rip areas in eastern Long Island Sound are hangout locations for stripers in the 40-plus inch range. Schoolie fishing in the tidal rivers and harbors is also good. School striper spots include the Pawcatuck River, Napatree Point to Sandy Point, lower Mystic River, Thames River, Niantic River, Connecticut River by Calves Island, Great Island and North and South Cove, Sandy Point area in New Haven Harbor, Milford Harbor, Housatonic River from the Devon power plant to the Derby Dam, and around the Norwalk Islands.
11. SUMMER FLOUNDER: Fishing remains good off Montauk Point, south beaches of Fishers Island, Black Point area, Horton Point to Mattituck Inlet, and Port Jefferson.
12. BLUEFISH: Fishing is good in the Race, Plum Gut and off Millstone Point.
13. NOTE: The State Boat Launch at Dock Road, Waterford, is closed until further notice.

Conn Post 5/26/06

1. Anglers got a big weather break this week. Except for some morning chills, the fishing climate was very comfortable. The fish were also keeping anglers happy. Those casters venturing outside caught good numbers of trout, striped bass and a host of other gamefish.
2. The state Department of Environmental Protection concluded its spring trout stocking this week. Trout were released into Wononscopomuc Lake, East Twin Lake, the Saugatuck Reservoir, Candlewood Lake, the Blackberry River, Squantz Pond and Highland Lake. Other locations still producing trout include the West Branch of the Farmington River, Mianus River, Pomperaug River, Salmon River, Hammonasset River, the Saugatuck River fly fishing area, the Farmington River Trout Management Area, Colebrook Reservoir, Lake Quonnipaug, West Hill Pond, Highland Lake, the Mill River in Hamden, Tyler Pond, Hop Brook Flood Control Impoundment, West Branch Reservoir and Black Pond.
3. Several anglers enjoyed the trout season last week. Seven-year-old Tristan Wilgan of Stratford caught his first trout on a fly rod. According to the Stratford Bait & Tackle report, the youngster landed a 15-inch brown trout in the Pequonnock River within Beardsley Park. He was casting a Blue Wing Olive fly. Wayne Lauro of Fairfield picked up a 4.35-pound brown trout from the Saugatuck Reservoir. Ted's Bait & Tackle verified the weight.
4. The Long Island Sound striped bass fishery has improved dramatically thanks to the better weather. These fish are biting very well on mackerel chunks, sandworms and whole squid. Some noteworthy striper spots are the outer perimeter of the Connecticut River mouth, Hammonasset Beach, Lighthouse Point, Sandy Point off West Haven, Bradley Rock, Pond Point, Gulf Beach, the lower Housatonic River between the
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6. Rt. 1 Bridge and old gun club site, Bridgeport Harbor, Fayerweather Island, inside Black Rock Harbor, Sunken Island, Southport Harbor, Compo Beach and the mouth of the Saugatuck River.
7. Most of the striped bass currently being caught are below the 28-inch size limit. The average fish is running about 20 to 24 inches in length. But Dave Redford, Jr. of Fairfield managed to catch a 44-inch striped bass, which weighed 27.15 pounds at Ted's Bait & Tackle. Juanita Spillane of Stratford reeled in a 20.28-pound striped bass off Bonds Dock. Redford caught his fish on a whole squid, while Spillane opted for a mackerel chunk.
8. Fluke fishing is still slow on the Connecticut side of the Sound. Anglers crossing over to New York at Horton Point, the Mattituck Inlet and Port Jefferson Harbor are catching fish. Last week, Carl Ferrarese of Stratford boated over to Mattituck and returned with a 5.60-pound fluke. He reportedly used a live freshwater minnow scented with a squid strip as bait.
9. Other marine news this week is that the State Boat Launch at Dock Road in Waterford is closed until further notice. Anglers are encouraged to pursue winter flounder over the holiday weekend as the season ends next week. Gene Lowery of Bridgeport picked up a chunky 2.30-pound winter flounder last week off Westport. Bluefish have been taken consistently in the Race, Plum Gut and off Millstone Point. [Connecticut Post by Frank McKane, Jr]

The Day 5/26/06

1. If you want some winter flounder before the season closes on May 31, now is the time said Lou at Hillyers Tackle in Waterford. On both Tuesday and Wednesday, two gents in a small boat had their limits to 2 pounds right in the Niantic River.
2. Small boaters also headed to the Millstone discharge for bluefish and school bass or trolled the tube and worm at Inner Bartletts for chance at larger stripers. Shore anglers landed blackfish between the Niantic Bridges but all had to be tossed back because the season is closed. A local dragger towed up a 17-pound fluke off Harkness but catches to date in our waters with rod and reel have been fair at best.
3. Greenville Dam produced a 41-inch bass last Friday to a shore fishermen and another cast to a swirl in the water he thought was a bass but had a 17-inch squid grab his striper lure. No bunkers were seen in Niantic Bay in the last week or so. The Race is loaded with bass and a few more blues, both diamond jigging and bucktailing. Unfortunately the Pleasure Beach ramp area is closed due to repairs to the railing.
4. Al Golinski of Misquamicut got out for fluke on Sunday. Fishing off the local beaches in 30-45 feet, he landed 29 total with six keepers along with a 10-pound striper. His friend, Capt. Ben DeMario, used a spinning rod and bucktail on the Watch Hill Reefs Wednesday evening for 22 bass, four keepers.
5. Shore fishing, on the other hand, has been on the poor side from Watch Hill Light up through East Beach. The catch has been mainly a few small stripers, squid that grabbed the striper lures and a couple of smaller bluefish.
6. Capt. Don's over in Charlestown reported sporadic catches of fluke in 35-45 feet off the Rhode Island beaches, mostly shorts with a few keepers. Black fishing isn't bad from the rocks at Quonny Breachway. Fly fishermen are getting hickory shad on very small streamers from the beaches and in the ponds. Last Saturday, a worm hatch in Quonny Pond produced 100 small stripers for two flyrodders using small flies that matched the hatch.
7. King Cove Outfitters in Stonington summed up the fluke catches along the Rhode Island beaches, saying the guys are coming back with a few keepers and lots of shorts tossed back.
8. As of press time, Isabella Beach has the chance for a larger fish. Wednesday morning saw a 30-pound bass landed around Catumb Reef, method unknown.
9. We had a busy weekend, said Cheryl at Shaffers Marina. Ron Behnk used a diving Rapala plug off the Napatree Point bell for a 29-pound striper that was chocked full of squid.
10. The first keeper fluke of the season, 19 inches, was landed around the Stonington Breakwater. Warren Firtion and Pepperoni Joe from Enfield went to Misquamicut, returning with three keepers and tossed over several too small to keep.
11. Capt. Brad Glas of the Hel-Cat finished up the 2006 cod season last weekend “with more of a whimper than a bang.” The catch was a few codfish, some hake, a bunch of eel pout and of course, dogfish. On Saturday through Monday, they will switch to bass and blues, sailing at 9 a.m., returning around 3 p.m. They will also sail next Saturday and Sunday then switch to daily fishing on June 10, leaving at 9 in the morning.
12. Anchoring up and chumming heavily off Harkness and Pleasure Beach were the places and method to catch winter flounder before the season closes on May 31 said Bob's Rod & Tackle in Quaker Hill. River fishermen landed small bass and a couple bluefish but nothing to get excited about. Most of the fluke boats stayed tied to the dock or on the trailer because of all the windy weather through Wednesday.
13. Stephanie Cramer fished in the upper Thames but landed only a scant few small stripers in all the wind. Last Sunday afternoon into evening she got out with Capt. Al Anderson in the Point Judith Salt Pond for 39 schoolies then ran for cover as the hail started coming down out of ominous black clouds.
14. Capt. Joey on the Mijoy is back with us, starting his trips last weekend. Bass were up to 32 pounds on Saturday and on Sunday they caught a 30-pounder on the last drift of the morning trip.
15. They will sail on the weekend and Memorial Day at 6 a.m. and again at 1 p.m. If you want a chance for striped bass on the grill, now is the time to go.
16. Capt. Kyle Douton at J&B in Niantic noted their charter boat had good trips to The Race, both trolling and bucktailing with bucktails or Sassy Shads. Last Friday night they also had good numbers of smaller bass on their first night trip of the season.
17. Fluke reports from Peconic are mostly shorts with a keeper here and there. Fluking on the backside of Fishers is just now starting, maybe developing into a steady fishery for the long weekend. The only sign of surface casting was at Race Rock at first light for small bass.
18. River's End Tackle in Old Saybrook warned the Connecticut River is still high and muddy from all the runoff and fishing very poor. Outside, however, there are bass on both the Sand Shoal and East Rip and lots of short fluke, a few keepers and a few doormats for those running over to New York.
19. Already people are landing big porgies on their fluke rigs, drifting on our side of the Sound; that fishery opens in Connecticut waters on June 1. [Tim Coleman is The Day]

Rivers End Tackle Fishing Report 5/26/06

1. STRIPED BASS- The Connecticut River hasn't been the place to be this past week. Its still high and muddy. The reports from up north have not been too promising, at best we still have a few days to go before it clears up. The bunker have moved out of the River, the herring are still here. What bass we're lacking in the River are being made up for in the Race and Plum Gut. Drifting with bucktails and diamond jigging has been paying off big time. Most of the action has been days. East Rip has had some good bass on eels and bucktails. The squid have been strong in the Eastern Sound up through Rhode Island and beyond. Watch Hill and its surrounding reefs have been good.Theres been some on and off worm hatches in the RI ponds with some good weather conditions for them coming up after todays storms.
2. The shore fishing from the Connecticut to the Thames Rivers has been on the slow side. The only action on the DEP Piers has been on worms. Napatree Point has some schoolies on the bay side.
3. BLUEFISH- They're in the Race and Gut but not that thick yet. Some are also at Southwest Reef.
4. FLOUNDER- Few reports this week. Last day of the season is on May 30th
5. FLUKE- Fluking on this side is picking up slowly. Niantic Bay had a good start to the week with some mixed sizes of fluke bot no doormats reported. Montauk has had a mixture with shorts dominating the catch. Greenport has a bigger size mix than Montauk. It appears that the doormat migration has passed Mattituck and Fishers Island. The best strategy seems to stay on the front edge of the migration.
6. PORGIES- Season opens in Connecticut on June 1st. We had a few reports of jumbo porgies being caught in Peconic Bay and RI on fluke rigs. The NY season opens on July 1st.
7. BLACKFISH- Season is closed until June 15th.
8. BLUE CRABS- Its still too early but theres some optimism for a good season. Chesapeake Bay is having an early and good start to the crab season. One of the best runs in a few years. Give it a few weeks.
9. Rivers End Tackle, 440 Boston Post Rd, Old Saybrok. This week we'll be open Monday through Friday from 6am to 7pm. Weekends from 5am to 5pm. Memorial Day we'll be open from 5am to 3pm.

On The Water 5/25/06

Best Bets for Connecticut and Rhode Island: This weekend will be a great time to do some drifting for fluke along the south shore beaches of Rhode Island, along the south side of Fishers Island or in the usual spots as far west into Long Island Sound as Niantic Bay. Stripers are all over the place. Look for bigger fish in the depths of The Race, off Block Island and sprinkled along the coast. It’s that time when any of the area’s reefs will be holding some “squid bite” bass. Go after them with Slug-Gos, plastic squid, bucktails, rigged squid, and down deep with eels after dark.

1. Reports this week indicated that since last week’s monsoons, the high winds have still kept a high percentage of sport fishermen off the water. But those who got wet and bumped around have done well.
2. Bill at King Cove Outfitters in Stonington said there’s lots of activity around the “corner”, where he’s located. The wind has kept many people at home, but again, those who got out fishing did well during the recent bout of miserable conditions. It appeared to Bill that this week a few more of the fluke in anglers’ catches were keepers. Top end fish he saw over the past few days were up into the 5- to 6-pound range. Still no “doormats” reported at this point in the 2006 fluke run.
3. Cheryl Fee of Shaffer’s Marina in Mystic said that there are many short fluke around, which has been the story pretty much across the board this week. She said one group of anglers out of the marina caught three keepers out of about ten or twelve fish total they caught from the waters off Misquamicut Beach.
   
4. There were also three keeper fluke reported being caught from the waters on the south side of Fishers Island along with a dozen shorts. That’s been the story lately, a ratio of about one keeper to three to five shorts throughout the region.This is bothersome to me, because having a population with so many small fish and a few really big fish, like we saw last summer, is an out of balance population structure. This can arise from a situation called “growth overfishing” by biologists, where fish are harvested before they have the opportunity to grow to larger sizes.
5. Cheryl said that Shaffer’s will be bringing in eels for the weekend. This means there will be some more big fish being brought in to the scales by the next report. Two of their regulars caught a 7-pound bluefish and a 14-pound striper while casting bucktails off the Stonington breakwalls over the weekend. There was also a 40-inch, 28-pound bass caught off the Napatree Bell Buoy from a boat on a diving Rapala. The angler reported that this bass had a belly full of squid, which is further evidence that the “squid bite” is on.
6. Captain John Planeta, owner of Franks Tackle in Marlborough, said nothing much has changed on the Connecticut River this week due to extremely high, dirty water. There had been some bigger fish in the river before the flood, but nothing has been caught since the floodwaters have apparently flushed these fish downstream.
7. Joe Balint of The Fish Connection in Preston on the Thames has been hearing about continued good catches of short stripers all over the river, as has been the case since late March. The bigger fish are a little harder to come by, but there were some keeper-class bass chasing shad around below the Greenville Dam late last week.
   
8. There are also good numbers of schoolie stripers along the coast and up inside all the coves and river mouths. Offshore, some larger striped bass are being caught down deep in The Race, which has been giving up stripers between 38 and 44 inches for over a week now. Joe also mentioned that there have been occasional 1- to 2-pound bluefish being caught in the lower Thames, which is typical for this point in the season. The same thing is taking place out around The Race and vicinity. The small immature blues are moving inshore to feed for the summer, while the adults are moving into their offshore spawning grounds about this time.
9. Squid are not as universally abundant inshore as they were for the past couple weeks, but there were reportedly still good numbers of squid being caught on squid jigs off the Jamestown bridge, which has been hot for squid recently. The Rhody Beaches have “so-so” to good fluke fishing. Peconic Bay and Montauk are apparently holding more and larger flatfish at this point in the season.
10. Inland, the local rivers, Indian Town Brook, the Yantic River, Mohegan Park Pond, Shonnock Brook, and Hewitt Pond were all stocked this past week, which means improved trout fishing for those who pursue this species. Calico bass are just beginning to hit well in Avery Pond, Glasgo Pond and in the back side of Long Pond in the shallows. Good numbers of fish up to a foot in length are being caught from these and probably other lakes throughout the area.
11. Lou at Hillyer’s Bait and Tackle, Waterford said that due to the wind and rain there hasn’t been much action from their regular customers to report lately. One guy said that he was catching stripers from 38- to 42-inches from The Race over the weekend, which jives with other reports we’ve heard from this area which always turns on within five days of May 20 every year.
12. Another angler is tubing successfully at Bartlett Reef and taking some keepers in the mix. The Connecticut River has been producing some schoolies at the railroad bridge, even since the rains according to one of their regulars. The same person said that he caught some recently off the mouth of the Lieutenant River, but his catch per hour numbers are well below what they had been prior to the floods. White Sand’s beach has been producing a few bass lately as well. A couple of “kids” have been taking some good numbers of stripers on into the minimum keeper range on chunk baits off Griswold Point.
13. Another angler said that he caught some fluke off Black Point, while others have not done very well locally or during “road trips.” Greenport and Montauk Long Island are reportedly the hot spots for fluke in the region at this point in the season. The winter flounder catches that were so impressive two to three weeks back from the Niantic River have slowed down to a trickle over the past week. Matt Hillyer said he believed that the winter flounder have moved out into the bay and will be tougher to catch from here on out. The Millstone Point Outflow is producing some bluefish and schoolie bass as usual about this point in the year. Lou, like everyone else I talked to this week, said that all hell will break loose in the ocean as soon as the weather stabilizes and the sun has a chance to kick the water temps back up a few degrees.
14. Pat Abate of River’s End Tackle in Saybrook told me that the fishing should change for the better by the weekend based on the long-range forecasts. The Connecticut River has been dirty all week, but once it slows and clears, which should occur by the weekend, he expects the water should clean up and the fish will be biting. Across the Sound in The Gut and Sluiceway, customers are taking fish up to 35 pounds, but most of the decent fish are in the low 20-pound range.
15. Fluke were caught earlier in the week off Black Point, but the best fishing in the area is inside Peconic Bay. Montauk has slowed a bit, but that is probably due more to high winds than a lack of fish. Fishers Island was like other areas this week, mostly smaller fish at a five to one “short to keeper” ratio, which when you have to run a boat across the Sound is barely or maybe even not worth the price of fuel.
16. Captain Jerry Morgan of Captain Morgan’s Tackle, Madison reports that there are good numbers of “fat, fat, fat bass” as he puts it the Madison area. He’s a weigh station for the Northeast Angler, slot-limit-style striper tournament that’s being held this weekend. Only fish between 30 and 34 inches can be entered in this event. He’s seeing some small bluefish, “but they are not a pain in the butt” yet as he put it, but they are around and hitting anything that’s cast in front of them. There are some adult bunker and big hickory shad around the area to draw and hold the big stripers that are moving in, but no specifics on catches this week. A few fluke are being caught in the Madison area. Here, like the rest of the region, the fluke being brought abroad are mostly smaller fish, “on either side of 18 inches.” All the people coming into his shop are reporting “tons of skate” getting in the way, which is bad news for the area’s fluke meisters.
17. Chris Fulton owner of Stratford Bait and Tackle Stratford said they weighed in stripers of 18 and 21 pounds from Bridgeport Harbor that were caught on mackerel chunks over the weekend, but otherwise the bass action has been slow since the Housey began to flood with the recent rains. Derby dam is producing a few fish up to 23 pounds. The weather’s been keeping people home so he didn’t have much more to report. Two parties of anglers did make the run across the Sound to Mattituck, Long Island for fluke over the weekend. They both limited out on fish to 5 pounds but they got beat up on the trip. Brown water kept anglers at home. No weakfish have been reported since two weeks back. Chris said that it looks like a good weekend, weather-wise, for the first time in four weeks.
18. Nick at Fisherman’s World, Norwalk said that Jim Kristensen caught a dozen bass, with four over 25 pounds and topped off by a 27-pounder on Friday in Hempstead Harbor, New York using fresh-cut chunks of bunker. Rick Mola, co-owner of the shop, went down there on Saturday and caught a few fish to 25 pounds using the same method. No fluke in the Norwalk area yet, but the small bluefish have showed up with some of these fish even being caught off the Calf Pasture Point Pier.

Danbury Times 5/20/06

While trout fishing — especially in streams — and fishing for stripers in the tidal rivers took a nosedive with the heavy rains over the past week, fresh-water bass-fishing in lakes and ponds remained good, and walleye-fishing picked up considerably, in both the Saugatuck Reservoir and Squantz Pond.
Dawn and dusk fishing with live bait — preferably with live alewives at Squantz — fished on or close to the bottom in 6-to-10 feet of water seems to be the productive strategy for walleye at this time, as the fish have recently finished recuperating from the rigors of the spawn, and are now in “re-energize mode,” feeding heavily when bait fish are available in relatively shallow water under low-light conditions.
After dark, it should be possible to catch a few of those same walleye up in water three-feet-deep or shallower, tossing a slender plug capable of a passable imitation of an alewife. Jerkbaits like the Husky Jerk, X-Rap or Pointer Minnow are ideal, but don’t get carried away with the jerking and pausing. A slow, fairly constant retrieve will usually prove better with walleye after dark.

As far as the bass are concerned, quite a few smallies are still on the beds in Candlewood, and experience suggests that there’s another wave of brown bass that hasn’t yet spawned and is due to hit the gravely areas in three-to-eight feet of water sometime over the next week or so. Largemouth in ponds are about done spawning, but in the bigger waters like Candlewood, as well as small but deep lakes like Twin, Wononscopomuc, etc., the majority of them are staged and ready, but have yet to get serious about nesting. Expect to find them hanging around boulders in 3-to-15 feet of water, near the mouths of spawning coves.

Norwich Bulletin 5/20/06

1. The recent rains served to keep many fishermen at home last week. It appears that any anglers who ventured out to fish did pretty well.
2. Trout fishingin lakes has been excellent, but nearly impossible in swollen, flooding rivers and streams.
3. The big newsis the omnipresence of squid. There are more squid throughout the region than many I've talked to can remember in a long time.
4. Coming off a relatively mild winter, water temperatures are well ahead of the past few springs, despite the recent cool streak and heavy rains. As a result, bait in the form of squid and adult menhaden have moved into the area two or three weeks earlier than the past couple of springs.
5. The first reportsof 40-inch class stripers being caught in the Race came in this week. The Rhode Island beaches and salt ponds are all producing increased numbers of keeper-class (28 inches) striped bass. However, schoolies, with some ranging up to 30 inches, are everywhere.
6. Worm spawnswere shut off by the rains, but should be revved back up after a sunny afternoon or two, so expect places like Quonny Pond and Ninigret Salt Pond to be red hot this weekend or next week.
7. Fluke were reportedlybeing caught in abundance from Montauk Point to Shelter Island, along the south shore beaches of Rhode Island and in the Sound to Niantic Bay. The story is the same everywhere, lots of shorts for each keeper (18 inches). No one is reporting any doormats yet.
8. Right now the ocean is ready to explode with action from all the stripers and fluke that are now migrating into and through this area. Find the squid, which is not difficult, and there will probably be something predatory feeding on them. [orginally published Norwich Bulletin by Bob Sampson Jr]

Rivers End Tackle Fishing Report

1. STRIPED BASS- Its been a slow week on the River. Heavy rains from last week have made the the River pretty muddy. Prior to the mud some bigger bass had taken up feeding stations in the lower River, I think these bass will be back on the feed when the water clears a bit. For the next few days open waters will be a lot easier to fish if you can dodge the logs and debris.
2. When they've been able to sail we had some good reports from the Race with diamond jigs and crippled herring producing best. Plum Gut and Southwest Reef have also been good with drifted bucktails scoring best. Theres been bunker around Clinton and Branford Harbors, they've been harder to find in the Connecticut River.
3. We have had some reports of schoolies at Harkness and Hammonassett Beaches. Napatree has had schoolies with a few larger bass thrown in.
4. BLUEFISH- Peconic Bay has a lot of them and they have moved into the Race and Gut but not overtaking the bass there.
5. FLOUNDER- Few reports this week.
6. FLUKE- They're spreading out this week, we had reports of some activity all along the Sound and Rhode Island Coasts. A few fluke have been caught at Black Point, by the time this report gets out they should be along the local shoreline. Fishers Island has had mostly smaller fluke, the Rhode Island South Shore reported a mixture of sizes but few doormats. Montauk also has mixed sizes but some double digit doormats have been caught there. The Greenport area has mixed sizes with some doormats.
7. PORGIES- Season opens in Connecticut on June 1st. We had a few reports of jumbo porgies being caught in Peconic Bay on fluke rigs.
8. BLACKFISH- Season is closed until June 15th.
9. BLUE CRABS- Its still too early but theres some optimism for a good season. Chesapeake Bay is having an early and good start to the crab season. One of the best runs in a few years.
10. CAUTION------- There is a lot of debris in the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound -- BE CAREFUL.

This report is from Rivers End Tackle, 440 Boston Post Road, Old Saybrook, 860-388-2283. Support your local tackle shop!

CT DEP Weekly 5/17/06

1. TROUT:RIVERS & STREAMS - Prior to the rains, trout fishing was rated good to excellent with reports from the West Branch Farmington, Housatonic, Wepawaug, Mianus, Salmon, Mill, Hammonassett, Blackledge, Saugatuck, Norwalk, and Aspetuck Rivers, Salmon Brook and Deep Brook. Worms and corn/mealworm combinations have been working for bait anglers.
2. Farmington River water temperatures are in the low 50’s °F. with high (but somewhat fishable), clear flows of 560 CFS above the Still River in Riverton. Downstream of Riverton, the river is close to unfishable. The Still River is adding another 680 CFS (as of Thursday morning, 5/18), and farther downstream, the East Branch Farmington is adding an additional 700-1000 cfs. Although Still River flows should continue to drop over the weekend, elevated releases from West Branch Reservoir (Hogback) and Lake McDonough (into the East Branch) may continue through the weekend for management of water levels at Colebrook and Barkhamsted Reservoirs. Hatches included: Blue Winged Olive, Green Caddis & Brown/Tan Caddis. The Hendrickson (#12-14) hatch wasrapidly fading and is mainly above Riverton. Successful fly anglers used Blue Winged Olives (#18-20), Winter/Summer Caddis (#18-22), Rusty Spinners (#16-18), Midges (#22-32), Blue Quill (#16-18), Pheasant Tails (#14-18) and Mahogany Duns (#16-18) last week.
3. Housatonic River- Water temperatures are in the upper 50’s °F and flows are high (currently 3,050 cfs at Falls Village and 4,550 at Gaylordsville) but slowly declining (call NGS at 1-888-417-4837 for updated flow information). Current hatches included: Blue Winged Olive, Green Caddis, Brown/Tan Caddis and Midges. March Brown hatch is coming soon. Caddis (#14-18, green, olive & tan), Henryville, March Brown (#10-12)were producing. Some Blue Wing Olives were on the water with Green Caddis starting to show up. Streamers fished around 6:30 pm on sinking-tip line had been very effective.
4. Anglers Can Expect Good Fishing in western CT at the Bantam, East Aspetuck, Mill (Fairfield), Pomperaug, Shepaug and Wepawaug Rivers, Butternut, Macedonia and Salmon (East Branch) Brooks, and the Sleeping Giant (Mill river-Hamden) and Kent Falls Trout Parks.
5. In eastern CT, good fishing can be expected at the Blackledge, Fenton, Hammonasset, Hop, Little (Canterbury), Middle, Mount Hope, Natchaug, Scantic, Skungamaug, Ten Mile (Lebanon), and Willimantic Rivers, Roaring Brook (Glastonbury), Roaring Brook (Stafford) and Furnace Brook (Stafford).
6. LAKES & PONDS – Due to the rain trout fishing was slow in many lakes and ponds throughout Connecticut. Adventurous anglers that did fish found some success with catches reported from Colebrook Reservoir, Saugatuck Reservoir, Great Hollow, Squantz, Upper Fulton Park, Branford Supply, West Hill and Baummer’s Ponds, andCandlewood, Coventry, Highland and East Twin Lakes.
7. Anglers can expect good fishing in western CT at Mohegan Lake, Hop Brook Impoundment, West Branch Reservoir, West Hill Pond, and the Black Rock, WolfePark (Great Hollow Pond), Southford Falls, and Wharton Brook Trout Parks.
8. In Eastern CT, good fishing should be expected at: Cedar Lake, Rogers Lake, Gay City Park Pond, Angus Park Pond and the Horse Pond Trout park.
9. LARGEMOUTH BASS fishing is picking up with reports from Lake Saltonstall (good), Candlewood (fair), Beseck, Bantam, East Twin, Quonnipaug and Bashan Lakes, and Glasgo, Pachaug and Long Ponds.
10. SMALLMOUTH BASS action reported from: Saugatuck Reservoir, Candlewood Lake (continues to be excellent, with many fish in the 3-4 lb range), Highland Lake, Gardner Lake, and Squantz Pond.
11. WALLEYE are being reported from Lake Saltonstall (plenty of catches including a 5.9 lb walleye), Coventry Lake and Squantz Pond (a 7 lb walleye among the catches).
12. CONNECTICUT RIVER – High flows make make boating/fishing difficult. STRIPED BASS are now up to Windsor. Mostly schoolie size (16-25”) fish with many keepers mixed in. A 48”striper was caught Tuesday (5/17/06). River herring started to show up in the upper part of the river. Fish are responding to tube & worm, bait and soft plastics, and have started to spread out as they target the bait schools. A reminder to anglers that an Inland fishing license is required to fish in the CT River north of the I-95 bridge in Old Lyme/Old Saybrook.
13. SHAD fishing is reported as poor to slow in the mainstem with some catches being reported at the confluence of the Farmington River last week before the flooding.
14. MARINE: With all the rain over this past week STRIPED BASS fishing for schoolies in the tidal rivers and harbors has dropped off. After the deluge resides, striper spots worth trying include the Pawcatuck River, Napatree Point to Sandy Point, lower Mystic River, Thames River, Niantic River, Connecticut River by Calves Island, Great Island and North and South Cove, Sandy Point area in New Haven Harbor, Milford Harbor, Housatonic River from the Devon power plant to the Derby Dam, and around the Norwalk Islands. Cow bass in the 40+ inch range are in the Race, Sluiceway, and Plum Gut.
15. SUMMER FLOUNDER fishing is good off Montauk Point, Fishers Island on the south side, Black Point, Horton Point to Mattituck Inlet, and Port Jefferson.
16. BLUEFISH fishing is more consistent in the Race, Plum Gut and off Millstone Point.

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]

Conn Post 5/12/06

1. Rain and flooding has plagued anglers for two weeks. The run-off deluge is also having a profound impact on both the freshwater and saltwater fisheries. Anglers donning raingear and adjusting their fishing tactics to contend with the rain were able to catch trout, striped bass, pike and walleye this week.
2. Trout fishing in the rivers is very difficult as nearly every trout stream in the state has high, muddy water. Because of the high water flows, anglers need to fish in river spots where the current is ob-structed by solid objects, such as bridge abutments or old mill dams. The trout congregate behind these objects as they seek refuge from the current.
3. Brightly colored lures help at-tract the trout in the muddy water. For example, paint your split shot bright yellow or attach colored beads to your bait hooks. Yellow and red colored Mickey Finn streamer flies can be highly produc-tive right now. Spoons with reflec-tive prism tape are great trout lures too.
4. In spite of the tough fishing conditions, the state Department of Environmental Protection did con-tinue with its stocking program. This week, trout were released into the West Branch of the Farmington River, the entire mainstem of the Farmington River, Pomperaug River, Lake Mohegan, the Mill River Trout Management Area in Fairfield, the open sections of the Mill River, Wepawaug River, Shepaug River, East Aspetuck River, the Bantam River Fly Fishing Only Section, the open sections of the Bantam River, Butternut Brook, Macedonia Brook, the Hop Brook Flood Control Impoundment, the East Branch of Salmon Brook, West Hill Pond and Hogsback Reservoir.
5. Also, this week the DEP stocked its special "Trout Parks" for the last time this spring. Fish were delivered to Black Rock State Park Pond, Stratton Brook State Park Pond, Southford Falls State Park Pond, Wharton Brook State Park Pond, Kent Falls State Park, Mill River Trout Park in Sleeping Giant State Park and Great Hollow Pond.
6. Elsewhere, sweetwater anglers found largemouth bass biting well at Moodus Reservoir, Lake Salton-stall, Bantam Lake, Billings Pond, Tyler Pond, Highland Lake, Gard-ner Lake, Ball Pond and Mudge Pond. Smallmouth bass action is excellent in Candlewood Lake and Squantz Pond. Northern pike fish-ing is fair at Pachaug Pond and Bantam Lake. Walleye continue to cooperate at Lake Saltonstall and Squantz Pond.
7. Kyle Benjamin, age 6 of New Haven, caught a 5.3 pound large-mouth bass this week at Lake Sal-tonstall. Derek Halliwell of Milford landed a 5.8-pound walleye and Robert Vasilescu of Shelton had a 5.9 walleye. Both walleye came from Lake Saltonstall.
8. Vast amounts of freshwater are flowing down the Housatonic River. This surge has pushed the striped bass and other marine fish out of the river. Until the river flows subside, the better striped bass action will be found off the beaches and points located far away from the tidal river mouths. Some noteworthy bass spots are the West Haven sandbar, Bradley Point, Pond Point, Walnut Beach, Gulf Beach, Seaside Park, Penfield Reef, Compo Beach and Calf Pasture Beach.
9. Summer flounder season is open, but anglers are finding very few 18-inch keeper fluke along the Connecticut shoreline. Your best option is to cross over to New York as Kevin Korchman of Fairfield did last week. While fishing off Port Jefferson, Korchman caught a 4.5 pound fluke. — FRANK MCKANE JR.

Capt Morgan 5/18/06

1. Intermittent midweek downpours and wind kept many anglers off of the Sound but, during the breaks, they found all of the schoolie bass they could handle. Fortunately, the weather held during much of the weekend in spite of chatter predicting a washout. Most shoreline stretches and tidal rivers held these feisty linesiders and we were able to hook them with a variety of baits, hard/soft plastics, and jigs. Those boaters catching a break were able to troll up larger bass from inshore reefs and shoals while anglers venturing to the Six found 'brellas and bucktails working.
2. Striped bass action continues to heat up as water temperatures rise above the 55-degree mark and more fish enter the pond. Stripers in the 30- to 36-inch range are cruising the shallows and are providing challenges to fishermen/women using light gear. Ten- to 12-pound test class outfits are proving to be a good match and a skill-tester for the heftier fish however, improperly set drags, weakened line, and bad knots are spoiling an otherwise good fight.
3. T/W action could spice up your trip. Try trolling along troughs and dropoffs as well as casting to structures surrounding passages. Shallow runs are proving to provide multiple catches of bass, especially evidenced by the passing of this recent full moon phase. Just prior to the front, catches were up astoundingly but as the east wind blew, the scene changed. The bites subsided but increased again as the winds eased and changed direction.
4. Much to the dismay of striper fishermen, many anglers are welcoming more sightings and catches of bluefish. Not quite enough yet to start rummaging through the tackle box for last year's shredded and chewed up wire leaders, however, consider bringing along some heavier mono or a couple of new wire ones the next time out since schools of toothy fish are on their way.
5. It's getting close to when fluke or summer flounder migrate into our waters for the season. The open season began on April 30 and a few have already shown up. It's also getting close to the end of winter flounder season, which closes on May 30. Fluke now need to be 18 inches (six fish daily limit) and winter flounder need to be 12 inches with a 10 fish daily limit. Know the difference between the two, particularly when fishing the tidal channels or you could unknowingly be in violation of fishing regulations. FFL-fluke face left. WFFR-winter flounder face right.
6. More trout for freshwater anglers as stocking continues in the trout parks, rivers, and lakes. The rains brought high and fast water in the rivers and streams, requiring anglers to pay more attention to exactly where the lures, flies, and baits were. It's the time of the year for various hatches and where naturals come into play. Spring encourages new life and forage fish just love it. Bring on the light weights!

On The Water 5/18/06

Best Bet for Connecticut and Rhode Island: This weekend, look for bass to be slurping squid where ever this bait is concentrated. In the salt ponds, expect the worms to come out and draw the attention of all the mid-sized and small bass that are moving through the region. Big stripers will be in The Race and deep waters throughout the region feeding on those squid. Along the beaches from Point Judith to Milford its time to start drifting for fluke, but don’t be surprised if a small bluefish cuts off your bait, especially across the Sound on the New York side of the pond.

1. The story this week has been flooding rains throughout the region. All the rivers and estuaries are dealing with huge water flows that have pushed some fish out into the saltwater. Most shop owners reported that those anglers who have braved the weather to fish are catching the stripers and fluke they are seeking.
2. Some larger bass are moving into the region in good numbers since the last report, with small schoolies still abundant everywhere. The story on fluke appears to be good numbers of mostly smaller fish. Keeper to short ratios have ranged from 2 out of 6 to 6 out of 30. At least there appears to be a fair number of fluke moving into the region at the present time.
3. Bill at King Cove Outfitters in Stonington said the fluke action has been picking up a bit this week. On Wednesday one angler caught 8 keepers out of 20 total fish caught. Another angler went out on Tuesday and caught 3 big ones out of 4. Both boats were fishing south of Fishers Island. There’s a tremendous amount of squid around this year in the Stonington area, just like every place else. One other angler said he and a friend had been doing well in The Race on some larger stripers. Evidently they limited out on keeper bass in the 40-inch range during a trip or two over the past week. Most years The Race turns on with big bass around May 20, so it’s happening a tad early this year, probably because of the mild winter, higher water temperatures and all the squid in the area. The Pawcatuck River is still alive with schoolies, despite all the runoff.
4. Cheryl Fee of Shaffer’s Marina in Mystic said that they weighed in a 4½-pound black sea bass caught by Larry Strickland and Sean Ross, both of Mystic, that they caught along with a keeper winter flounder and tons of skate. One group who ventured to the Rhody beaches over the weekend caught three keeper fluke out of about 30 fish total on Sunday. Another group fished from a boat in the same area on Monday and didn’t do anything. Everyone is having loads of fun in the Mystic River on the schoolies that are whacking soft plastics all over the place.
5. Captain John Planeta, owner of Franks Tackle in Marlborough, said the Connecticut River is flooding big time and everything has slowed until it settles back down. Not much to report this week because no one is hitting the river due to high water and junk floating downriver.
6. Joe Balint of The Fish Connection in Preston on the Thames has been seeing lots of little fish lately coming out of the river. Not much in the way of larger fish, until the weekend. There were some big fish, up into the 20- and 30-pound range, chasing shad and alewives up at the Greenville Dam over the weekend. The water was running two feet over the dam making it tough and dangerous to land the fish that were hooked. These big bass are hitting some of the larger saltwater lures such as Gibbs swimmers and reverse Atom Poppers. There were some menhaden in the river earlier in the week. Anglers were snagging them in the upper river to Norwich and using them for bait. There were also a few little bluefish caught in the lower Thames over the weekend as well. It seems these small blues, probably from that huge batch of fish that were around last year, are back again but slightly larger.
7. Misquamicut and the other south shore beaches have been producing some fluke, mostly smaller fish. Shelter Island, New York, in the area way up inside towards Peconic Bay, has been producing some larger fluke. One customer reported that there’s tons of bluefish and some very big searobins on every rip line up inside Peconic Bay at the present time. The Sunbeam is making daily fluke fishing runs to this area at the present time at a price of $64 per day.
8. Amos Lake and Long Pond have had some nice catches of trout taken from them lately, due to the cool, favorable water temperatures. Joe figures that the big calicos should be moving pretty soon. The fish are there, but the people haven’t been fishing much lately due to the weather. However, those who are getting out on the water, for pretty much everything, are catching fish. The exception would be perhaps trout fishing in flooding rivers.
9. Matt, owner of Hillyer’s Bait and Tackle in Waterford, said there are some bass in The Race, off Bartlett's Reef, as well as up in the rivers. Basically, they are all over the place at the present time. Problem has been few anglers are out after them, due to the weather. Top end fish in The Race are in the 40-inch range. The numbers are good, but the real big fish are not here quite yet. The first fluke were taken from Niantic Bay this week. A couple of Hillyer’s hard core “fluke meisters” fished the tide and caught a bunch of shorts and 8 keepers in the bay. There have also been a few fluke caught off Isabella on the south side of Fishers Island.
10. Matt said there are more squid around in Niantic Bay than he has seen in perhaps fifteen years or more. He noted that the bass and fluke are here (in the bay) a couple weeks earlier this year, due to warm water temps and loads of bait, primarily in the form of squid, but there are some menhaden around as well. Montauk Point has, as always this time of year, been producing good numbers of fluke. Many are shorts, but fishing is good out there, which bodes well for this side of the Sound as the season progresses and gas prices increase. The winter flounder are not up inside the Niantic River any more but they are still near by, out in the Sound and bay off the local beaches. Matt said it has been the best winter flounder season they’ve had in more than a decade. Matt figures the fishing will break loose any time now. All we need are a few nice days to get the anglers out.
11. ”Q” of River’s End Tackle in Saybrook said the Connecticut River has been difficult to fish due to high flows. It will take a few days to a week for it to settle back down. Remember, this river is draining the waters that fell all the way up to Northern Vermont. “Q” also heard about anglers catching fish up to 20 pounds in The Race. There have been a few caught off Hatchet Reef, but he speculated that these may be fish that have been pushed out of the lower Connecticut River from the floods. There are fish along the Old Lyme Beaches, but watch out for the logs flowing out of the river if you are running around in a boat, especially under low light conditions.
12. Rivers End also weighed in a 4½-pound seabass. Being this is an unusual catch for this time of year he and I were speculating as to whether or not this was the same fish that Shaffer’s weighed in. However, he said this one was caught over in Greenport, Long Island during a fluking trip. There were a few bluefish showing in the lower river before the floods. He heard of blues harassing fluke fishermen across the Sound, which means it will be like last year in a week or two with bluefish, small ones, just about everywhere. They heard of some fluke off the south side of Fishers, mostly shorts but a few keepers. Montauk Point is the same deal – many shorts. Greenport appears to hold fewer fluke but they are on average a larger size. They haven’t seen any local fluke yet.
13. We missed Captain Jerry Morgan of Captain Morgan’s Tackle in Madison this week.
14. Stratford Bait and Tackle, located in Stratford on the Housatonic River, reported that angler levels have been very low lately. A few fishermen went out on Wednesday but no returns yet. The only decent catches they have heard of since the monsoons began have been (like in the Thames River) a few big 25- to 30-pound bass being caught at the base of the Derby Dam on big jointed plugs and large Soft Plastics. In freshwater, the water has been so high the rivers are slow and not many lake fishermen have been going out lately. Even the reports from the Saugatuck Reservoir, which was red hot before the storms, has slowed to nothing over the last few days. A few anglers caught two keeper fluke out of about a half dozen total that they caught out around at Charles Island on Wednesday. The biggest fish was about 3 pounds. There’s also tons of bait, much of it squid, around to attract and hold the predators, so things are looking good in the Stratford/Milford area of the Sound once the fishermen get back out to play.
15. Nick at Fisherman’s World of Norwalk said there’s been a little angler activity down his way, despite the rains and miserable weather lately. On May 10, Dixon Downey caught a 33-inch bass off Westport on a tube and worm. Tom Nestico was fishing from shore at Burial Hill Beach, near Sherwood Island, and said he caught bass steadily for two hours on small shad swim jigs on Tuesday. Tom said the fish were passing by in waves. Captain Blake Smith reported catching 35 schoolies to 26 inches at the mouth of the Saugatuck River over the weekend. Jessie Hammerman caught three stripers 33 to 36 inches and a bunch of bluefish to six pounds, on chunks in Manhassett Bay on Wednesday.
16. Nick noted that the live menhaden and chunk fishery that had been developing nicely prior to the storms to the west in New York waters has slowed due to the rain. The schools of bunker that the bass were pushing up against the harbors and shorelines moved out into the Sound as the salinity has dropped from all the freshwater. He expects things to pick back up shortly as things stabilize after all the inflowing fresh water has a chance to dissipate.

[Bob Sampson]

Danbury Post 5/12/06

1. Heavy rains will affect fishing.
2. Trout fishing is holding up well in moving water at least until the next round of heavy rains that will likely muddy things up a lot. The best reports have come from the Norwalk, Farmington, Mianus and Housatonic Rivers, and the best results have come to those anglers willing to use bait in the form of night crawlers or mealworms.
3. Farmington River water temperatures are in the low 50s, while the Housy is nearly 10 degrees warmer. Expect flows to increase this weekend due to the predicted heavy rains arriving today.
4. As of last night, Lake Lillinonah was scheduled to be drawn down 6-8 feet below the normal operating range as a flood control measure, and it's likely that the water level will stay down until late next week. That doesn't bode well for the bass in that waterbody, which have just gotten serious about spawning. Nests fanned out this week will likely be high and dry by tonight.
5. Largemouth bass fishing is picking up, though, especially in the smaller waters, as temperatures are beginning to reach the low 60s. Springtime shore fishing at small ponds like the one at the old Kazan property off Rte 34 in Newtown, which is now part of the Paugusett State Forest, is a great way to experience some of the best fishing of the year. The largemouth are close to the shoreline and within reach of everyone. And they are willing to bite whatever artificial you enjoy throwing.
6. Fishing for smallmouth bass is hot right now in the bigger waters, with Candlewood and Squantz Pond leading the way for both size and numbers. For smallies, the action�s been best on pearl white soft jerkbaits and on dull colored (smoke or olive green) plastic grubs fished on lead head jigs. Largemouth in the bigger waters have been hitting best on soft plastic. [Danbury Post by Rich Zaleski]

Norwich Bulletin 5/13/06

• Early fluke-fishing trip to Long Island Sound proves fruitless: Right now, fishing conditions are shaping up very nicely. Despite a week of rain and too many days of strong winds, water temperatures are well ahead of last year and the previous two or three seasons.
• Fish are moving, bait is present and everything is poised to break loose in the ocean any time now. Last weekend, I made an exploratory fluke-fishing trip across Long Island Sound to the waters of Shelter Harbor in search of some early-season fluke. We were probably a week too early to have made a really successful trip. To start with, our timing was off when we arrived at Shelter Island, where Joe Balint had said there had been a good early run of fluke going on.
• The tide was nearly dead slack low, so we were drifting much too slowly to be effective for the fluke we were targeting. Right off the bat, we drifted over thick schools of those small stripers that are literally everywhere along the coast. There were about 15 or 20 boats doing the same thing, but no one was catching much when we arrived. We caught a half dozen short fluke to 17.75 inches, a couple stripers, three slammer sea robins, a pair of skate and finally a spider crab, which was about the time we gave up and headed east. When you're drifting so slow that the crabs are a factor, it's time to quit fluking and do something else.
• We ran out and did some totally fruitless prospecting out around Orient Point and near the Ruins before deciding to run the gap to fish the south shore of Rhode Island, specifically Misquamicut Beach. We'd heard there were some fluke caught recently off Weekapaug and the state beach, so we decided to give it a try.
• Again the incoming tide -- not my favorite -- was very slow and near its height, so fishing conditions were far from ideal. Here we saw some striped bass around the boat, caught skate, and another six or seven fluke, this time with one 19-inch keeper before we decided to toss in the towel.
• Despite a far-from-stellar day, the good news is, as reports indicate, there are squid literally everywhere. We had squid chasing our baits everywhere we set our lines, from Shelter Island, N.Y., to Misquamicut Beach. It was great, because where there's fluke this time of year, guaranteed there's stripers eating the squid on top and fluke chowing down from below. Eric even caught a squid -- a big one -- on a Salt Shaker. We had the sense that we simply hit poor drift conditions more than a lack of fish. Everything looks and feels like it's ready to break open the next time we have two or three warm sunny days in a row.
• The fishing this weekend should be excellent with choices ranging from schoolie bass to fluke, a possibility for winter flounder in the Niantic River, shad in the Thames or Connecticut rivers and, of course, schoolie stripers up and down the Thames and every other river mouth and inlet in the region.
• Worm spawns will be kicking off after the next hot sunny day. There were reports of some fast worm-spawn striper-fishing action last weekend at Quonny and Ninigret salt ponds. [BOB SAMPSON JR. For the Norwich Bulletin]

Conn Post 5/12/06

1. State anglers are enjoying one of the better spring fishing seasons. To date, rain has only been an occasional nuisance and temperatures have been mild. This week anglers found trout, walleye, largemouth bass, winter flounder and striped bass responding nicely to both live bait and artificial lures.
2. The state Department of Environmental Protection did its part to advance the spring trout season by stocking the Naugatuck River between Litchfield and Beacon Falls, the Farmington River both downstream and upstream of the Trout Management Area, Muddy River, Quinnipiac River, Picketts Pond in Osbornedale State Park, Far Mill River, Nells Rock Reservoir, Pequonnock River in Beardsley Park, the Trumbull Valley section of the Pequonnock River, Lake Winfield, Upper Fulton Park Pond, Hop Brook Flood Control Impoundment, Prospect Town Park Pond, Colebrook Reservoir, Lake McDonough, Hall Meadow Brook, the east and west branches of the Naugatuck River, Stillwater Pond, the Farmington River between Route 177 and Route 4, the Mill River in Hamden, Norwalk River, Mad River, the Mad River Flood Control Impoundment, Sandy Brook and Still River.
3. Also, as part of the DEP's "No Child Left Inside" program, hatchery workers stocked all the state trout parks earlier this week. Good trout fishing is now available at Black Rock State Park Pond, Stratton Brook State Park Pond, Southford Falls State Park Pond, Wharton Brook State Park Pond, Kent Falls State Park, Mill River Trout Park in Sleeping Giant State Park and Great Hollow Pond. Remember, trout parks have a two-fish daily creel limit to help conserve fish so more people can enjoy them.
4. Last week, 84-year old Robert Frigo of Milford caught a tagged 19-inch rainbow trout at Maltby Lake #2. He used Berkeley Power Bait. Jordan Buturla of Fairfield landed a 4.92 pound Seeforellen brown trout at the Saugatuck Reservoir. Buturla opted for a live minnow as bait.
5. Over the past few weeks, walleye have been making fishing memories at Squantz Pond, Gardner Lake and Lake Saltonstall. Fishing buddies Barry Gallo of West Haven and Glen Brown of Milford had walleye brags this week from Lake Saltonstall. The pair caught four walleyes ranging in size from 25 to 22 inches. Their heaviest fish tipped the scales at 6.3 pounds. Bruno Pelsis of New Haven caught three walleyes, including a 4.9 pound beauty.
6. Long Island Sound is providing good angling with winter flounder and striped bass. Anglers are reminded that blackfish and porgy seasons are closed. Flounder season closes at the end of this month. Fluke season opened last weekend, but very few fish are being caught right now.
7. Striped bass action in the tidal rivers and harbors is good to excellent. These fish range in length from about 14 to 20 inches with the occasional 30 incher thrown in for good measure. The better reports are coming from the Pawcatuck River, Mystic River, Thames River, Niantic River, Connecticut River, the Quinnipiac River, the west side of New Haven Harbor, the entire Housatonic River from the Derby Dam to the Stratford Shoal, Southport Harbor and throughout the Norwalk Island chain.
8. Winter flounder fishing is fair at Bluff Point, around Pine Island, in Niantic Bay and Norwalk Harbor. The Hel Cat II reported a good week with nice catches of cod, hake, pout and mackerel.
9. Tom Wilson of Milford reeled in a huge 13.88 pound weakfish last week. He caught the fish off the Walnut Beach fishing pier on a piece of squid. Stratford Bait & Tackle verified the catch. Shawn Lariccia of Milford also visited Walnut Beach where his mackerel chunk fooled a 33 inch, 15.60 pound bluefish. [Frank McKane, Jr.]

The Day, 5/12/06

1. While it may seem early for tuna news, we nonetheless have the first confirmed catch of yellowfin out in Block Canyon to write about, that information from Roger at J&B Tackle.
2. Last week a group found a 21-degree temperature break around The Fishtails (slang for Block Canyon) and trolled up four yellows to 45 pounds on Jet Heads and Green Machines. Nobody got out since that one trip due to the prolonged nor'easter but other boats are geared up and ready to go once the weather settles.
3. On the inshore front, the local charter boat fleet will be going in the water with first trips soon thereafter. There are loads of small bass in the rivers and along the shoreline plus the first catches of single numbers of larger bass from The Race and Gut.
4. As of this report there was no consistency to the fishing in the latter spots. Two boats that ran to Montauk for fluke on different days had six keepers one trip and a large numbers the next but very few keeper-sized fish. A third boat tried off the southwest corner of Block for 40 fluke, culling a limit for the day.
5. Al Golinski of Misquamicut said some of his friends put in their time but caught a couple 4-pound fluke from outside the Pink House since last report. Shore anglers are jigging up loads of squid from the Rhode Island salt ponds west to Stonington Harbor.
6. Capt. Don's Tackle in Charlestown said they never sold so many squid jigs as this week, those literally being bought in lots of four to six to people eager to fill a bucket with squid for the table or to freeze for use later on as strip bait for fluke. Quonny Pond is a hot spot but you might be able to jig them up from any dock in the evening or after dark from Point Judith to Stonington.
7. Two locals had some keeper fluke in 35-40 feet of water off Quonny on Thursday before misty rain and increasing winds drove them back in. Another bagged a 20-pound bass from shore at the Quonny launch ramp on a plug from Gag's Grabbers. Tautog are moving into the Quonny Breachway on the flood tide and fly rodders are on the lookout for more worm hatches in the ponds.
8. Don at King Cove was busy even on a rainy weekday as people get their boats ready for launching. The Pawcatuck River has schoolies for the shore and boat fishermen, some of those just shy of 10 pounds caught during the day in Cemetery Cove in between rain showers. Fluke catches are just fair at this point said Don. His customers worked very hard for some keepers in 40 feet of water off the Rhode Island beaches.
9. Moving along to Mystic, Allen Fee at Shaffers reported a lot of variety in the catches over this past week. Pete Simlick and his daughter Kate along with her friend Sara Kormier landed a small catch of winter flounder at the mouth of the Mystic River while two others caught sea-run trout, one from West Mystic the other mixed in with some school stripers off the Mystic Shipyard.
10. Bill Bixby visited a friend in our area long enough to head out to the river for a 24-inch school bass and two weakfish on a white grub. Mike Page and Bob Hughes of Ledyard fished around the Gwenmor Marina for about 10 small stripers apiece.
11. Jigging for squid must be hot someplace, said Allen, because he can't keep squid jigs in stock. The fluke catch so far for the few boats out trying was some shorts off Rhode Island. The last piece of news concerned the first bluefish of the season caught by Michelle McIntier of Mystic from the dock along Cottrell Street.
12. Capt. Brad Glas of the Hel-Cat sent in his first e-mail of the season saying the cod fishing last weekend saw some very nice weather for a change along with a mixed bag of cod, hake, out, mackerel and the first bluefish of the year. All this was from an area roughly 30 minutes short of where they normally fish, an area that “has not produced in years.”
13. The winner of last month's big fish award goes to Brian Miller of Wolcott with a 36-pound cod. The boat will said on Saturday the 13th but not Mother's Day, reserved for taking mom out to dinner.
14. Capt. Jack Balint at the Fish Connection observed Norwich Harbor and the section of the Thames River to the south was full of large bunker, the first time they've seen such in many years. Fluking right now is better at Peconic or Montauk than Rhode Island. You can still catch some winter flounder in the Niantic River or off the airport runway lights in Groton. Schoolie bass are up and down the length of the Thames along with some small blues now opposite Dow Chemical. The first scattered bass have started to come from both Valiant and The Gut but the fishery lacks numbers at this time. You might also catch a bass or two from the shore at Eastern Point Beach.
15. Stephanie Cramer spent her fishing week catching very small stripers wading from the shores of the upper Thames and on Saturday joined a group at Quonny Pond, fishing with author Ken Abrams, catching a 25-inch bass at the edge of the channel. A co-worker at the Mystic Aquarium landed his first keeper striper of the season, casting from shore along a Rhode Island salt pond.
16. Hillyers Tackle in Waterford has news about lots of schoolies for the shore anglers including a 42-inch bass caught around the bridges the week before. The small boat flounder fleet was kept at the dock or on their trailers with all the wind and rain. Overall the waterfront is still on the quiet side thanks to lots of cool weather.
17. Sherwood Lincoln will have his boat in the water along the Niantic River this week. He heard about some schools of menhaden in Niantic Bay and a few fluke from inside Fishers Island Sound but much better results at Greenport. He predicts numbers of bass in The Gut by May 18th.
18. Mark down at River's End said the schoolies in the lower Connecticut River are now sharing space with the first of the bluefish that arrived about mid-week, cold wind or not. You might land some flounder along the sandy beaches off Westbrook but catches to date at the Spindle on the flood tide are very, very poor. [Tim Coleman is The Day's saltwater fishing columnist]

On The Water 5/11/06

1. Last year we had “weird conditions” in a bad way; this year is shaping up to be the opposite – “weird good.”
2. Even though we have had some retrograding of water temperatures for the past week, it hasn’t been as severe as in 2005. The winter of 2006 was mild enough that things were off to an early start and seem to be shaping up very well so far this spring. Last weekend water temperatures ranged from 55.6 over at Shelter Island, New York, to 50.8 in the Race, 49.9 mid-Sound off Stonington, to 51 or 52 off Misquamicut and the beaches south of there. Not bad compared to the past three springs, and the positive effect of heat is already showing.
3. Bait in the form of squid is abundant throughout the region. Squid are being reported everywhere from the mid-sound region of Connecticut up the coast to Rhode Island and probably beyond. When the squid are around, the bass, fluke and everything else is not far behind – in fact they are already here and in the “building” mode. My guess is the next time we have a break in the weather and the sun gets to cook the waters for a day or two everything is poised to break loose for the spring squid bites and worm spawns.
4. Mid-week rains have probably put a damper on worm spawn activity temporarily, but count on them coming out in force the next time we have two sunny, hot days back to back. They were reportedly getting revved up last weekend in Rhody’s salt ponds.
5. Kevin at King Cove Outfitters, Stonington said there’s been a pretty good amount of bass around. Like every where else, there’s nothing big to speak of, occasional keepers and loads of schoolies between 12 and 20 inches. Squid are all over the place. Earlier this week a few larger stripers showed up in Quonny Pond feeding on the worms that came out to play during one of the few sunny days we had over the weekend. Fluke have been reported on the outside of Fishers Island – mostly shorts, a few keepers, but no doormats at this point in time. There was a school of big bunker in one of the coves near the shop earlier in the week. Which is the third report of adult menhaden in the eastern end of Long Island Sound this week. This is great news, because adult bunker have been very rare any where east of New Haven for the past decade or more, since the bunker boats (the commercial purse seine fishery) essentially wiped them out in this region during the 1970s and 80s.
6. Al Fee of Shaffer’s Marina, Mystic said that there has been “all kinds of crazy stuff going on” in his area this week. There are a few fluke being caught over at the Rhody beaches, but most are shorts. One group of local anglers said they caught three fish on Sunday off Misquamicut Beach, but none were keepers. Many people came in for fluke bait, but no one came back with talks of 18-inch long legal summer flounder yet. With squid all over the place in abundance the fluke are around and will be building up in numbers. I suspect that this weekend could bring some of the first good solid reports of decent fluke catches for the 2006 season. One customer caught one legal winter flounder in the Mystic River and Sunday returned to take two keepers out of three fish in the lower river. Schoolie stripers are all over the place, and everyone who is trying is hooking up and having fun with them from all the area bridges and about any where they drift a boat in the Mystic River.
7. Another oddball catch was two weakfish that one customer caught on a grub intended for school stripers from a dock up inside the Mystic River The fish were 21 and 24 inches long. Nothing major in size, but an indication that temps are not too cold and things are moving into this area. There are no “over-wintering weakfish” in this region. My guess is that all the squid in the area are the primary reason weakfish are here, it’s one of their primary foods besides the shrimp they dine on when they are living in the waters to the south.
8. Al was most surprised by a flurry of reports of anglers catching sea-run brown trout from spots like the park, the I-95 bridge and some of the spots in the downtown area. They are small, a foot or less, but this is a good sign for next year because they will be in the high teens or better in length, if there is any number of this species around from the sea-run brown fingerling stocking program the DEP initiated back in 2001 or 2002. These are not genetic strain sea-runs like the old days, but simply excess hatchery browns. Maine and Massachusetts have had success in establishing and increasing sea-run populations via regular stockings of fingerling browns so Connecticut decided to get on board with this method a few years ago, and the fact that people are reporting brown trout from “flounder spots” indicates it may be working.
9. Captain John Planeta, owner of Franks Tackle of Marlborough, said it has been quiet this week due to the weather. Over the weekend a few anglers were out, mostly freshwater fishing and doing very well on trout. The trout have been quality in the Salmon River, with lots of great breeders stocked lately according to a conversation he had with a conservation officer earlier this week. Scuttlebutt in the store has been about the fluke coming in. He has a few customers gearing up for this weekend, which in my opinion should be the first really productive fluke-fishing weekend of the season. No big bass at Enfield Dam yet. The best striper he has heard of was one fish at Enfield that was a big one, some where in the high 40-inch range – but just that one. In Middletown there have been fish up to 38 inches caught by tube-and-worm trolling.
10. Rennie at the Fish Connection in Preston said it has been quiet this week due to the rains. No big bass and even the schoolies have slowed in the Thames this week. Tides have been running weak, winds have been up, which may be the reason for such a slow down in reports from the Thames River, which is usually pretty hot this time of year. The Yantic River has been active, particularly in the lower stretch of the fly-fishing only section, which has been heavily stocked, reportedly due to the fact a land owner shut down the upper portion of this great run of water due to a conflict with an inconsiderate angler. Rennie also heard about the Salmon River being red hot with big fish lately due to the stocking of some quality excess breeders earlier in the week. Shad are running at Greenville Dam. One customer brought a 6-pounder in to the scales late last week. But this week it has been slow due to low angler participation because of the winds and or rains buffeting the region lately.
11. Lou at Hillyer’s Bait and Tackle in Waterford said they heard of yellowfin tuna at the Fishtails because of a 70 degree plus warm-water eddy, or eddies that are offshore at the present time. Winter flounder is still good in the Niantic River, the best Lou has seen since he was a kid. The key is heavy chumming. A 3-pounder came in last week, but there were a bunch of 2-pounders reported as well. He said that one little girl caught a few beauties off the Boats Inc. dock over the weekend, a once common event that he hasn’t observed in a long, long time.
12. One angler was prospecting in the Race over the weekend and said he caught stripers of 41 and 39 inches on Sunday evening. Generally, the Race lights up with big bass some time a few days either side of May 20, this year it appears the invasion is going to be a tad earlier, if its not underway already. Another Hillyer's customer hit a bunch of schoolies at Rocky Neck over the weekend, while others have reported good small bass catches from the Niantic River and off the Millstone Outlet. Other than that catch from the Race there have not been any bigger fish reported from this area at this point in time.
13. Pat Abate of River’s End Tackle in Saybrook said there was a slow down in schoolies in the River lately, a factor that could be due to angler slow down as much as the fish themselves. I had a poor evening Tuesday in the Thames River under pretty much ideal conditions, but I may not have stayed late enough. Pat said there were a few fish off Napatree Point and he heard of the first bluefish of the season coming in from the New Haven area over the weekend. Fluke fishing at Montauk over the weekend produced lots of short fish, with bigger stuff off Greenport.
14. I made a long probing run with a friend on Saturday that encompassed primarily fluke fishing from Shelter Island to Misquamicut Beach. Three of us hit slow drift conditions every place we stopped to fish. From the beginning of the day, our timing was off. We had squid bites and marked squid in super abundance literally every place we stopped the boat and pretty much caught fluke, but we worked for them every place we set our lines. Between the three of us only one 19-inch keeper was caught along with a dozen or so shorts, with four of those fish 17 inches but less than the Connecticut 18-inch minimum size limit.
15. Fluke grow so fast that those 17s and probably some of the 16-inch-class fish we are tossing back now will reach keeper size by the end of the season, but that doesn’t make the expenditure of fuel justified at the present time. Its too early to make any sort of read as to how good or bad the fluking will be once it fully develops for this year. Last year was not so hot, but it was a weird year weather-wise so at this point all we can do is set our lines and drift for a few more weeks before any realistic assessment of this fishery can be made.
16. Captain Jerry Morgan of Captain Morgan’s Tackle in Madison said there are more bass around this week than last. Tons of schoolies are in all the tidal rivers, with the best catches being made during the ebb tide. Bass in the 20- to 25-pound range moved in off the Southwest Reef, Six Mile Reef, Falkner Island and adjacent areas. Bunker are around but not really easy to find and there’s tons of squid in the Madison area, like every place to the east. The Captain said “Its a nice mix of stuff” and he expects things to break loose any time now.
17. Chris Fulton, owner of Stratford Bait and Tackle of Stratford, said they weighed in a 13.88-pound, 34¾-inch long weakfish Tom Wilson brought in that took a piece of squid off Milford on Tuesday. There are also some weakfish being caught off Branford as well which means these fish are definitely moving into the area, especially with the reports of this species in oddball places such as the Mystic River, thirty miles to the east. Shawn Lariccia of Stratford or Milford caught a 15½-pound bluefish off Woodmont in Milford on a mackerel chunk earlier this week. Another notable catch was a beautiful, 4.9-pound, seeforellen brown trout that Jordan Dutrula caught at the Saugatuck Reservoir on Sunday. Seeforellen browns are a species the DEP has been stocking in prime Connecticut waters due to their potential and ability to survive long enough to reach trophy proportions. Bunker are all over the place. One local commercial fisherman who catches bunker to supply the shop said he caught some weakfish in his gill nets recently, which jives with the monster tiderunner they weighed in this week. This means it is probably time to do some casting for weakfish off the West Haven sandbars.
18. Rick Mola, owner of Fisherman’s World of Norwalk, tells me that a good friend Jason Vorhicki and his nephew Michael caught some larger striped bass that tipped the scales to 30, 29, and 21 pounds along with some mid- to high teen sized fish over the weekend from Hempstead Harbor. All these fish were released except the big one. They were using bunker chunks on the incoming tide on the barren mud flats that these fish travel past on their way east out of the Hudson River. Its that time of year. Rick said when he fished with Jason last weekend it was an odd sight, with party boats anchored up in a shallow, inshore harbor along with the small boat fleet, with everyone catching some big bass. He said the spring run has started with anglers fishing in 25 to 30 feet of water. It’s not red hot but rather a slow pick, but there are some top end fish up to and over 30 pounds being caught. Rick said that “On the moon and when the weather straightens out things will break loose.”
19. Bunker numbers are improving, which bodes well for the near future when it comes to the invasion of jumbo striped bass into the western end of the Sound. Schoolies are thick at Cockenoe Island in numbers that Rick has never seen before this early in the season. He said it is like the fall bite. Winter flounder fishing has been good in the Norwalk River and Islands lately, with a hot spot being the waters north of Cockenoe Island, which is where the same friend, Jason Vorhicki caught 14 keeper flounder while using lots of chum. No monster flatties yet but fish to two pounds are common. Huntington Beach Long Island had some weakfish in commercial gill nets last week which is a further indication that there may be a few more weakfish around the region to catch at least over the next few weeks, hopefully for the remainder of the year.
20. Best Bets for Connecticut and Rhode Island:
21. This week there are lots of choices. It is probably worth prospecting for fluke anywhere along the eastern end of the Sound, off Long Island and up along the Rhode Island Coast, with Rhody being the best bet. Winter flounder will disappear as things warm, but after a cool, rainy week look for them in the Niantic River, the Harbor Refuge, in Rhode Island and around the Norwalk Islands. There will be some bigger stripers in the Connecticut River, in western Long Island Sound and Hempstead Harbor, New York, with a possibly of some very good “squid bite fishing” taking place off the reefs anywhere east of New Haven. While we were fluking off the south shore of Rhode Island last Saturday, my buddy Eric Covino saw a break near the boat, cast a Salt Shaker shad body lure to it and caught a squid that weighed in at over a pound! Its only a matter of time before things go ballistic with all the squid around, with bass clobbering them on top and fluke feeding on them from below. The shad fishing in both the Thames and Connecticut Rivers will be improving this weekend and schoolie striped bass are everywhere for those who simply want to have some fun catching fish.

CT DEP Weekly 5/10/06

1. TROUT: RIVERS & STREAMS - Trout fishing is rated good to excellent with reports from the Norwalk, Farmington (20”brown), Salmon, Blackledge (7 lb, 26” brown), Rippowaum, Mianus, Naugatuck, Wepawaug, Housatonic (22” brown),Scantic, Shetucket, Willimantic, Tankerhousen, Mill and Branford Rivers, Sandy Brook and Salmon Brook. Anglers are finding success using worms, and corn/mealworm combinations. Farmington River water temperatures are in the low 50’s °F, with clear flows of 150 CFS (Riverton) and an additional 90 CFS from the Still River (as of 5/11). Successful fly anglers are using Rusty Spinners (#16-18), Mahogany Duns/Blue Quills (#18-20), Tan Caddis (#14-18) and Winter Caddis (#18-22). Good evening spinner falls of Hendricksons (#12-14) can still be found. Nymphs (#18-22) are always a good go-to fly. Try Bead Head, Midge Pupa, Brassie, Zebra Midge or Copper John patterns. Streamers are also producing. Use White Zonkers and Buggers (#4-12) as well as Muddlers, Micky Finn, Grey or Black Ghost.
2. Housatonic River morning water temperature is 59°F with 770 CFS of slightly off color flows at Falls Village and 2,050 cfs at Gaylordsville. Expect flows to increase this weekend due to the predicted heavy rains. Adams (#12-14) in the evening are producing. Some Blue Wing Olives (#20) are on the water with Green Caddis (#14-16) starting to show up. Anglers using Pheasant Tail (#12-26), Copper John (#12-18) and American Pheasant Tail (#12-18) are finding nymphing to be very productive. Try streamers (Yellow/White Zuddlers or Gray Ghost) around 6:30 pm.
3. Anglers Can Expect Good Fishing in western CT at the Farmill, West Branch Farmington, Farmington, Mad, Mill (Hamden), Naugatuck, East Branch Naugatuck, West Branch Naugatuck, Norwalk, Pequonnock, Quinnipiac, Still (Colebrook) and Muddy Rivers, and Hall Meadow, Kent Falls and Sandy Brooks. In eastern CT, good fishing can be expected at: Branford, Coginchaug, Farm, Fenton, Five Mile, French, Jeremy, Moosup, Mount Hope, Natchaug, Pachaug, Quinebaug, Salmon Rivers and Chatfield Hollow, Hunts, Latimer and Whitfords Brooks.
4. LAKES & PONDS – Good reports for trout from Colebrook Reservoir (20” brown), Saugatuck Reservoir (4 lb brown), Mashapaug, Crystal (6.5 lb trout), Candlewood (2.5 and 3 lb browns among the catches), East Twin (15 fish for one angler), Quinebaug, Gardner and Amos Lakes, and Squantz, West Hill, Great Hollow, Christensen’s and Peck Ponds. Beach Pond reported to be slow.
5. Anglers can expect good fishing in western CT at Upper Fulton Park Pond, Stillwater
6. Pond, Nells Rock Reservoir, Colebrook Reservoir, Lake McDonough, Hop Brook Impoundment, Mad River Impoundment, Lake Winfield, and the Black Rock, Wolfe Park (Great Hollow Pond), Southford Falls, Stratton Brook and Wharton Brook Trout Parks.
7. In Eastern CT, good fishing should be expected at: Lake Saltonstall, Crystal,
8. Mashapaug, Quonnipaug, Shenipsit, Wangumbaug (Coventry) and Uncas Lakes, and Bigelow, Black (Meriden/Middlefield), Dodge, Hewitt Fly, Lantern Hill, Long, Millers, and Moosup Ponds, and the Chatfield Hollow and Horse Pond Trout Parks.
9. LARGEMOUTH BASS fishing is picking up. Areas to try include Moodus Reservoir, Lake McDonough (5.99 lb bass), Lake Saltonstall (good), Amos, Bantam, Cedar, Uncas, Billings, Bolton (fair), Tyler, Rogers (fair), Columbia, Pattagansett (fair), Candlewood (slow, some in the 4-5 lb range), Highland and Gardner Lakes (good), Ball, Morey, Glasgo, Gorton (mixed results), Mudge, Hopeville (spotty), Batterson Park and Pachaug Ponds.
10. SMALLMOUTH BASS action reported from Lake Housatonic, Colebrook Reservoir, Mashapaug Lake (mixed results), Candlewood Lake (EXCELLENT, many smallies in the 3-4 lb range) and Gardner Lake (slow).
11. Some KOKANEE SALMON are being caught at West Hill Pond.
12. NORTHERN PIKE catches reported from Pachaug Pond and Bantam Lake.
13. WALLEYE are being reported from Lake Saltonstall (good, but a bit spotty, a 6.3 lb walleye among the catches), Coventry Lake (23” walleye) and Squantz Pond.
14. CHAIN PICKEREL are being caught at Lake Wonoscopomuc, Billings Lake, Gardner Lake, Gorton Pond and Messerschmidt Pond.
15. CONNECTICUT RIVER – STRIPED BASS are in the river from Haddam to Windsor Locks. Mostly school size (16- 25”) fish. Adults up to 48” are showing up. Sand and blood worms are working. A reminder to anglers that an Inland fishing license is required to fish in the CT River north of the interstate route 95 bridge in Old Lyme/Old Saybrook.
16. SHAD are reported in increasing numbers in the river up to the confluence of the Farmington River.
17. NORTHERN PIKE action reported in Wethersfield and Crow Point Coves. LARGEMOUTH BASS Long Pond (6.33 lbs, Lois Ercoli of Middlebury).
18. STRIPED BASS fishing in the tidal rivers and harbors remain good to excellent for schoolies. The usual spots for school stripers include the Pawcatuck River, Mystic River, Thames River, Niantic River, Connecticut River by Great Island, Sandy Point area in New Haven Harbor, Housatonic River from the Devon power plant to the Derby Dam, and around the Norwalk Islands. Larger legal size (28 inches and greater) stripers can be found out on the local reefs and rip areas of LIS.
19. SUMMER FLOUNDER have arrived in eastern LIS. However, Montauk Point, New York is the hot spot. Other locations worth a shot are the south side of Fishers Island, the Ruins, Gardiners Bay, Peconic Bays, and the Bloody Grounds off Black Point.
20. BLUEFISH have been reported in the Race, Plum Gut and off Millstone Point.
21. There are rumors of WEAKFISH being caught in New Haven Harbor and the Milford area.
22. WINTER FLOUNDER fishing is fair in the Niantic Bay area, and Norwalk Harbor.