Western LIS, M. Armstrong 5/30/009

Fishing exploded last week. Striped bass, bluefish and porgies are all supplying lots of action. And, the first weakfish of the season was reported as was a black sea bass.

Reported catches:
Stamford Breakwater: stripers with Cape Cod spinners
Stratford Shoals: stripers on incoming with bunker.
Mid-Sound waters: stripers with live bunker and bunker chunks.
Mamaroneck & Rye/Playland NY: stripers
Hempstead Harbor: stripers with bunker chunks & bluefish with poppers
Stamford Cows: Porgy with calm
Buoy 21: Porgy with sandworms
Mid-Sound & 32A: Bluefish with sandworms
Port Jefferson: Fluke & Black Sea Bass with sandworms.
Port Jefferson: weakfish with sand eel fly
Private pond in North Stamford: 2.5lb largemouth bass

Rivers End, Old Saybrook, 5/29/09

STRIPED BASS-- The lower Connecticut River has been turned on the past week to some medium to large bass. The bunker have got a bit thicker at the mouth of the River and the herring are starting to drop down to waiting stripers. I've seen some eruptions of what appeared to be schools of large bass going after herring on the surface. Surface lures that imitate those herring have been effective. Low light conditions and an outgoing tide have been the better choice for times to fish.
Most of the reefs outside the River have bass including some jumbos on them. Southwest Reef, Six Mile, Long Sand Shoal, Hatchetts and Bartletts have had reports of bass this week. We keep hearing of more anglers successfully using Butterfly Jigging techniques on the reefs. The Race and Plum Gut have some smaller bass mixed in with blues although reports from early in the week were slow. I have not had any first hand reports of squid on the Watch Hill Reefs yet, however there have been some good reports coming in from inside Napatree Point.

The piers in the Connecticut are giving up a few bass of mixed sizes. This is the best time to target bass from the piers but you can't work on your tan and fish for stripers. Nights are the way to go for better shore results.

BLUEFISH-- They've been in the lower River for a couple of weeks now with sizes mixed. Casting along Great Island has been about the best concentration but they're liable to be anywhere you might throw a Slug-go in the lower River. The nearby reefs such as Southwest and Long Sand Shoal have had some choppers up to double digit range. Plum Gut has a concentration of mostly smaller ones sometimes on the surface, the Race has similar size and less volume.

FLUKE-- Still closed in Connecticut until June 15th. Anglers going over to Greenport have got some doormats but a lot of fluke under the 21.5" NY limit. You still can't bring those fish back to Connecticut waters until the season opens here.

PORGIES-- Season opened last week but no reports in yet. Its time. [Pat Abate, Rivers End, 440 Boston Post Rd, Old Saybrook]

Eastern LIS, T. Coleman 5/29/09

The cool, rainy, foggy weather of the last few days has cut down the number of boats. We do, however, have some good fishing in our waters, but not as consistent as we would like to see, especially on the east side of Fishers Island in the Watch Hill Reefs.

Capt. Jack Balint fished that spot on Tuesday, his boat the only one in sight. He reported up and down results with bass good one day and very poor the next in water that is just now reaching 51 degrees. There are lots of sand eels around Race Point with some bass to 20 pounds landed on casting tackle and also smaller bass at times caught around the mouths of the Pawcatuck and Mystic Rivers. Catches for private boats drifting in The Race was not as good as the week before said Jack.

Red at Bob's Rod & Tackle told me the last day of flounder season is Saturday. Expect to land a few flats for supper per day at locations in the lower part of the Thames and over towards Harkness Park but not in the numbers of 20 years ago. Bass are chasing bunkers around the Thames but the bait supply is much more scattered than last week. A fellow did try for porgies, that season now open, but didn't get a bite.

Bill over at King Cove in Stonington heard about some bass caught on some days on the Watch Hill Reefs and expects numbers to increase as the water warms. Snapping jigs on wire is working out there and casting lures on spinning or fly tackle is producing schoolies chasing squid around the Stonington shoreline and up in the harbor.

Fly fishermen without boats are landing school bass on the north side of the causeway to Mason's Island, said Allen at Shaffers Marina. People with boats found bass on the surface on some days chasing small squid at places like Race Rock, the south end of Mason's Island and Lords Passage. Bunkers have moved out of the Mystic River or are very scattered from the week prior. There are no reports yet of hickory shad in the river and the Connecticut fluke season is closed until the middle of next month.

Capt. Howard Beers over at Hillyers Tackle said they are selling lots of diamond jigs for drifting in The Race. To date they've seen keepers but no really large fish. Blues are mixed in with the bass but nowhere close yet to summer numbers. One local caught the first porgies of the year fishing from the rocks at Black Point.

Capt. Kerry Douton at J&B Tackle talked about some bass now along the shoreline reefs from Hatchetts over to Inner Bartletts landed on wire and lures. The water off Montauk is still too cold for offshore fishing, even for the first blue sharks. A mix of bass and a few blues in available in The Race, the local charter boats scoring better than the private boater out only on the weekends.

Down at River's End in Old Saybrook, Mark Lewchik said small boaters caught more bass in the lower Connecticut River from Essex to the mouth thanks to ebb tides at first light. Plastic shads and poppers were both working. A few blues are in the river competing with the stripers. There was also a reliable report of bass on top one day in Plum Gut, hitting small lures cast with spinning rods.

Anyone driving over to Rhode Island beaches for surf casting would be well advised to first either early in the day or in the evening as the sun is going down, the best times right now. Ray Monahan of Westerly caught a 20-pounder as well as four other chunky schoolies on Tuesday evening after a day of truck driving. He took the one biggest fish home to feed not only his family but also an elderly lady that lives nearby and doesn't get out of the house much.

Squantz & Candlewood Report 5/28/09

Squantz Pond - good walleye catches with live bait & Rapalas, especially glass Rapalas. Walleye come close to shore early morning & after sunset.

Striper fishing for shore - 2 hours before low tide. Best bait is eels or pencil poppers. Fly fisherman are using eel imitations.

Candlewood Lake - Largemouth bass is better than previous years.

Crappies -Danbury Town Park with a slip bobber & crappie tubes.

Trout: area between Squantz & Candlewood is good, otherwise trout scattered in Candlewood lake.

DEP Marine Weekly Report #6 5/28/09

Water temperatures in Long Island Sound (LIS) are in the low to mid 50’s °F.

STRIPED BASS fishing has improved dramatically, rated excellent with many large bass (40 pounds and larger) being taken in the recent week. The new moon should provide anglers with the best striper action, with many opportunities to catch a large “Cow” bass. Baits of choice for trophy size “linesiders” (40 lbs and larger) are eels, hickory shad, scup, bunker, live eel, butterfish and bait-chunks. The best times are during dawn and dusk, also nighttime and daytime periods of overcast low light conditions.

The Race and Outer Bartletts are the hot spots, loaded with Striped bass in the mid-30 inch to low 50 inch range. Other fishing locations include the Watch Hill reefs, Ram Island Reef (Fishers Island Sound), the Sluiceway, Plum Gut, inner Bartlett Reef, Hatchett Reef, Crane Reef, Connecticut River between the Baldwin Bridge and the Amtrak RR Bridge, Southwest Reef, Six Mile Reef, the reefs off Branford, Charles Island to Milford Point, the Norwalk Islands and the reefs off Stamford. Three 50 lbs plus trophy striped bass were landed this week. Please use circle hooks to avoid gut-hooked fish. With the increasing water temperatures, large “cow” bass are susceptible to hooking mortality from stress, especially when caught in deep water. See page 41 of the CT Angler’s Guide for Tips on Catch & Release Fishing.

BLUEFISH have arrived early, the best action in years. “Harbor Blues” are showing up and feeding voraciously on juvenile prey (menhaden and butterfish) fish. Fishing is more consistent in eastern LIS from the Race to Long Sand Shoal, loaded with 2-8 lb bluefish. “Alligator Blues’ will soon follow in the next few weeks. Bluefish in the mid-20’s to low 30 inch range can be caught off the major current breaks during the day. Other good fishing locations include the Sluiceway, Plum Gut, Bartlett Reef, Hatchett Reef, Connecticut River between the Baldwin Bridge and the Amtrak RR Bridge (incoming tide), New Haven Harbor, Milford Harbor, Lower Thames River, and lower Housatonic River. Bunker, jigs and fish–imitating lures are providing fast and furious action. Please practice catch and release.

HICKORY SHAD (“Connecticut Tarpon”) fishing remains fair to good in the Niantic River and fair in the Connecticut River and Clinton Harbor. Incoming tides are best. Shad approaching 20 inches have been caught on willowleafs, shad darts and leadhead jigs with plastic curly tails. Chartreuse, white, red, and copper are the colors of choice for lures or jigs. Go out and enjoy some great shore-based fishing action. Please be sure of the identification of the herring you catch. The taking of river herring (alewife and blueback herring) is prohibited.

SCUP (Porgy) - The season opener was May 24th, and action has been excellent so far. Large schools of 12-16 inch jumbo scup have arrived in the sound. Fishing is rated good to excellent for these “Reef Slammers” at any of the major rocky reefs throughout LIS. Try using conch and squid strips just off the bottom on a slip rig. Get ready for some incredible action as these spunky, greedy fish swarm all over your bait. Introduce your children to this easy and exciting nonstop fishing action. The best fishing is close to shore around reefs and wrecks with the tide moving.

BLACK SEA BASS fishing is rated fair/good at any of the major and minor (smaller) reefs and wrecks in Long Island Sound. Fish weighing 2-4 pounds are common with a few “bucket mouths” weighing in at 6 pounds have been taken this week. Popular spots include Norwalk Islands, Stratford Shoal/Middle Grounds, Charles Island, Townshend Ledge, Branford Reef, Brown’s Reef, Faulkner’s Island, Kimberly Reef, Ram Island Reef, lower Thames River, Southwest Reef and Black Point in Niantic. Hermit and green crabs, squid strips, peanut bunker and conch are your baits of choice to catch this prized gamefish. Its white flesh is excellent eating.

DEP Freshwater Weekly Report #6 5/28/09

TROUT
Rivers & streams - Anglers can expect fishing to be outstanding this weekend with fishable flows and good weather forecast. DEP’s spring stocking program is wrapping up, but with nearly 700,000 catchable-size trout stocked this spring, there will still be plenty of trout throughout CT waiting for anglers. Some success is being found using worms, & corn/mealworm combinations. A number of major insect hatches are getting started.

Good reports last week from the West Branch Farmington River, Farmington River, Housatonic River, Saugatuck River TMA, Pootatuck River, Salmon Brook, Quinebaug River, French River, Pomperaug River, Coginchaug River, Crystal Lake Brook, Mill River TMA, Willimantic River TMA, Blackberry River, Coopermine Brook, Eightmile River (Southington), Farm River, Hammonasset River, Natchaug River and Yantic River.

Farmington River - Fishing continues to be good, especially in the West Branch. Conditions remain good for fishing with flows currently clear and moderate (360 cfs at Riverton, plus an additional 80 cfs from the Still River). Water temperatures are in the low to mid 50’s°F. Hatches/patterns include Viterus [a.k.a. pale evening dun] #14, Tan Caddis (#16-18), Emerald Caddis (#14), Blue Quill [a.k.a. paralep] #18 & the Quill Gordon (#14), March Brown nymphs (#10), Gray Fox (#14, afternoon), Blue Wing Olives (#16-24, mid-late afternoon), green caddis (#22-26, evening), Midges (#22-32) and Pale Evening Duns (Epeorus vitreus #14-16, afternoon & early evenings).

Housatonic River - Trout fishing continues to be excellent and conditions for the weekend should be great for fishing. Flows are currently moderate and very fishable, 850 cfs at Falls Village and 1,350 cfs at Gaylordsville. Water temperatures are in the upper 50’s to low 60’s °F. Major insect hatches are here and will provide excellent fly fishing especially when the spinners start up. Current patterns include Sulphurs (#14-16), Isonychia (#8-10), Blue Wing Olive (#16-20, early morning; spinner fall in evening), Cahill (#12-14), Adams (#12-20, evening), March Brown (#10-12) & Gray Foxes (#10-12) and Green Caddis (#14-20, early morning & evening). Midges and early stoneflies (#6) are also being seen in the river at tributary mouths.

Lakes & Ponds – It’s big fish time! Anglers can expect many of this season’s big trout to be caught into mid June. Places to try include Mashapaug Lake, Highland Lake (fish at 25-30’), Crystal Lake (Ellington, fish at 20-22’), West Hill Pond, (fish at 20-25’), East Twin Lake (browns, at 20-30’), Saugatuck Reservoir (24” brown among the recent catches), Candlewood Lake (including a 5-lb brown), Mt. Tom Pond, Black Pond (Woodstock), Amos Lake, Beach Pond, Long Pond and Rogers Lake.

Trout Parks - These areas are designed to be easy to fish, with excellent access and amenities such as picnic areas nearby, and are stocked frequently. The Black Rock Pond, Wolfe Park (Great Hollow Pond), Southford Falls, Chatfield Hollow, Natchaug River, Day Pond, and Mohegan Park Pond Trout Parks were all stocked this week.
Areas stocked this week in western CT - The East Aspetuck River, East Branch Salmon Brook, West Branch Salmon Brook, Shepaug River, Colebrook Reservoir, West Branch Reservoir, West Hill Pond, Hop Brook Lake, Highland Lake, East Twin Lake, Lake McDonough and Wononscopomuc Lake.

Areas stocked this week in eastern CT – The Eight Mile River, East Branch Eight Mile River, Hammonasset River (including the TMA), Salmon River (including TMA), Blackledge River, Jeremy River and Natchaug River.

LARGEMOUTH BASS fishing is generally reported as good to very good. Areas to try include Amos Lake, Highland Lake, East Twin Lake, Candlewood Lake (recent catches include a 7.1 lb beauty), Lake Lillinonah, Hanover Pond, Pickerel Lake, Cedar Lake, Hatch Pond, Columbia Lake, Hopeville Pond, Winchester Lake, Lake Saltonstall, Middle Bolton Lake, Quaddick Reservoir (excellent fishing reported), Shenipsit Lake, Quonnipaug Lake, Lake Wintergreen and Mansfield Hollow Reservoir. Slower fishing reported from Pachaug Pond, Gardner Lake and Long Pond.

SMALLMOUTH BASS are reported at Highland Lake, Candlewood Lake (excellent action on 2-3 lb smallies, several more 6-lb plus fish also reported), Coventry Lake, Lake Lillinonah, Lake McDonough, Beach Pond, Mashapaug Lake, Bashan Lake, Wyassup Lake and the upper Housatonic River.

NORTHERN PIKE fishing is reported to be good in Bantam Lake and Winchester Lake.
KOKANEE - Try East Twin Lake or West Hill Pond at 3 colors of lead line.
WALLEYE are being reported from Lake Saltonstall.
PANFISH season is starting throughout the state as these tasty fish show up in big numbers. The shallows areas are the place to fish. Try a pond close to you. Use worms, grubs and any type of inexpensive fishing pole or drop line and give these easy to catch fish a go. Kids love this non-stop action and it will keep them occupied for hours.

CATFISH – DEP expects to stock approximately 5,300 adult catfish( 14-18 inch fish averaging 2 lbs apiece) and 10,000 yearling catfish (9-12 inch fish) next week. The adult catfish will be stocked into five of the Urban fishing Areas, Lakewood Lake, Bunnells Pond (Bridgeport), Keney Park Pond (Hartford), Lake Wintergreen (Hamden/New Haven) and Mohegan Park Pond (Norwich). The yearling catfish will be released into Black Pond (Middlefield), Maltby Lakes 2 & 3 (Orange/West Haven), Lower Bolton Lake (Bolton), Pattaconk Lake (Chester), Quonnipaug Lake (Guilford), Silver Lake (Meriden) and Lake Wintergreen.

CONNECTICUT RIVER – STRIPED BASS are throughout the , with anglers enjoying very good action during the holiday weekend. School-size (16-25”) fish and adults up to 48” are here. Surface poppers are providing some exciting action under clear water conditions (trolling tube & worm and casting soft plastics work best in stained water). Some anglers have started using hickory shad (very successfully) as bait, however, anglers are cautioned to ensure that they have correctly identified the fish used for bait. DEP has received reports of anglers misidentifying river herring (alewife and blueback herring) as hickory shad. There has been a full closure on the taking of river herring in place since 2002. NORTHERN PIKE can be found in the coves and in the mainstem from Hartford down to Haddam (smaller fish). CATFISH (some over 10 lbs) are being taken in the mid to lower river area on chunk bait, coves are very good places to try now.

TIPS & TRICKS
CARP – Recently caught fish came in on worm/corn combination or boilies covered in glug & oatmeal.
CATFISH - Live or freshly frozen baits like big golden shiners, bluegill, perch, eel & crawlers have been producing well. Large bait can be chunked and fished right on the bottom. Target the outside bends in the river where the water is deep.
LARGEMOUTH BASS – Successful lures include silver-blue Shad Rap, medium live minnows, Ozmo, plastic crawfish, drop shot and plastics on light jig heads. Green pumpkin, green stew, melon belly and black neon colors are working well.
SMALLMOUTH BASS - Slow rolling a spinnerbait over weedy flats, and occasionally throwing top water baits are working.
WALLEYE – Some fish have been caught on white bucktails with a curly tail grub, live herring, jerk baits & stick baits fished shallow. Work the lures slowly around the boulders.

Week Fish Column C. Walsh, ConnPost 5/28/09

The blues have arrived.

I know we have been saying that for three weeks, but the fishing clan at the Bridgeport YMCA was highly skeptical of those reports. Through an intermediary they let it be known that they believed our information was strictly from the bait and tackle merchants, who, we all know, tend to be a bit on the optimistic side.

Not until one of the "Y" guys pulled in a 13-pound chopper (location not revealed) were they willing to admit the presence of bluefish in Long Island Sound.

We can assure the Bridgeport gang that while bait & tackle shop folks are a major source for this report, we do have spies outside the shops, including our own eyes that witnessed several large bluefish landed in recent weeks.

We do try to keep these reports from being too pessimistic, however. After all, to paraphrase the bumper sticker, rotten day fishing is better than a good day at work any old time.

Meanwhile, bunker schools are reported in all the harbors. And the Derby Dam is in the middle of a terrific herring run that has kept the bass there for days. If you head for Derby, be prepared for a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd.

Stripped bass -- While the linesiders have not totally abandoned the rivers (some good reports still coming from the mouth of the Housatonic), the large cows are starting to move out to deeper water. Night fishing is becoming the best way to catch a large bass.

Bluefish -- Casting a popper off Penfield Reef when the tide is moving swiftly in either direction can produce blues up to 10 pounds. Bait casters live lining bunker have done well in the deeper holes off Bridgeport and toward St. Mary's. Inshore the bluefish are still hit and miss, but the hits are becoming more common than the misses. Schools of small to medium-sized blues have been chasing bunker in Black Rock Harbor.

Weakfish -- Still no confirmed reports, but we are betting that one of the regulars at the New Haven sandbar took at least one weakie home this week.

Porgies -- Not many positive reports yet, but try the area between Milford's Charles Island and the breakwater at the Housatonic. Clam and squid would be the baits of choice.

Winter flounder -- The season closes Saturday at midnight, but the Norwalk Islands are holding enough keepers to make a trip there worthwhile. One three-angler boat came back to Stratford with 15 fish between 1.5 and 2 pounds last weekend.

Trout -- Massive insect hatches are making the dry fly fishers happy on the upper Housatonic and Farmington rivers. In the Housatonic flows are very fishable at 850 cfs at Falls Village and 1,350 cfs at Gaylordsville. Water temperatures are in the upper 50s to low 60s. Flies such as size 14 and 16 sulphurs, size 16 to 20 blue wing olive, Cahills in sizes 12 or14, March browns and Green Caddis. Midges and early stoneflies are also being seen in the river at tributary mouths. [Charles Walsh, Conn Post]

Captain Morgan, 5/28/09

A Bermuda high swept into the area followed by another one from Canada giving us a warm weather summer tease. This short-lived spell gave way to slightly cooler air temperatures making for ideal fishing conditions. Water temps in mid-Sound are around 55 degrees while closer to shore they’re running about 52 degrees, fluctuating with freshwater tidal river flows.

Inshore action remained steady with striped bass feeding throughout the coastline, including pursuing bait into our tidal rivers. Small, artificial lures as well as seaworms were effective on light gear set-ups throughout many estuarine environments. The run of hickory shad also made for good fishing as they ran with tidal changes taking small jigs, sabikis, and darts. Fly rods in the 8wt class were a good matchup for the bass, whereas a 6wt gave the angler true sport fishing with shad.

More action is now being seen on reefs like Six Mile, Southwest, and Faulkner’s North rip. Eels and other live baits are responsible for linesiders in the 25- to 30-pound range, while jerking wire/bucktails near the bottom can be equally effective. Jigging metal is also attracting attention of some of the larger fish.

There is no lack of bluefish and, not surprisingly, the action is increasing as big-shoulder blues keep making their appearance in the Sound. Mostly taking chunks, casting lures like a Surface Tension, Grim Reefer, or Krock are keeping shore-goers as well as the boaters in the action. Look for early morning/evening flood tides to be your best producers.

No changes in the scup/porgy regs for 2009 with the open season beginning on May 24, size remaining at 10 ½ inches and the daily creel limit still at 10. The reefs already have schools of this saltwater panfish on them with several even being caught from shore. Time to get ready for little ‘scup fever.’

All sweet water anglers are enjoying a diversity of fishing opportunities. Pretty much all fisheries are now active. Trout action remains steady with good flows and clarity in most of the heavily stocked rivers and trout parks. Largemouths are on their beds, pickerel are stalking the weed line, and panfish are along the shallows. Smallmouths can be found in clear, clean-bottom waters near steep drop-offs intrigued by crawfish imitations, while walleyes can be caught using spinner rigs with shiners, deep-running lures, or worm rigs. [Captain Morgan Bait & Tackle shop (203-245-8665) open seven days located at 21 Boston Post Road, Madison.]

Westport Outfitters, 5/28/09

Just when you thought it could not get any better…well…it did. The local fishing scene remains red hot and over the past week, although a bit reluctant, since I did not want to jinx anything, I started to poll a few old salts that I know and they too confirmed my feeling, that this spring is off to an epic start. Last week we finally started to see a solid infiltration of sand eels around the county including areas such as Holly Pond, Compo Cove, Sunken Island and at the mouth of the Saugatuck River. Water temps at the time of this report are holding steady at around 56 degrees.

When attempting to match the hatch with the most recent infiltration of sand eels, try the GULP baits as well as the sand eel color 4 inch sluggos, again rigging them weightless and weed less as we described in our bonus video on www.westportoutfitters.tv last week.

Bunker remains all over the Western Sound in most of the harbors. Since they are not necessarily getting worked by the blues and bass all the time, now is an ideal time to become intimately familiar with your depth/fish finder. If you know the area you are in and you feel it should be holding bait, but yet you see no surface activity, keep a close eye on your sounder. If you know you are in 20 feet of water and all of a sudden it bumps up to a plateau shape displaying like 4-5 feet, chances are you just ran over a bunker school. As we noted last week, we have also witnessed some adult spawning silver sides, which you can match with the lighter colored sluggos or GULP Jerk Shads.

Farther to our west, the guy/gals fishing downtown had a very productive weekend fishing the larger adult bunker schools which we will get to in a minute. The weekend weather is looking pretty good after a front pushes on through so get on out there. On to the report…

The Micinilio brothers continue to have much success in and around Fairfield, trolling as well as live lining fresh bunker and emailed in a slob of a fish that was safely released earlier in the weekend that weighed in at 32 lbs and 42 inches, that fell for a live bunker (see recent catches). To this point, to increase your catches, stop in and take a look at some of our double hook rigs for live lining that we home made crimp here, you will be glad you did….

Back in shore, Penfield Reef has been hit or miss, but when it’s on it’s on…The Night Rider stopped into report a few nice 30 inch fish and an even better story from over the weekend where he was spooled, that is right folks, spooled, could not even think about stopping this TRAIN!!

John Peets focusing on fishing the Stamford area is really getting his saltwater game on after recently moving to the area and hanging up the freshwater sticks for a bit. His tactics have been drifting 9 inch Sluggos in areas such as the outflow near Holly Pond for bass and blues.

Saturday, Captain Steve armed with a charter and the long rods boated five fish up to 27 inches in and around the Norwalk Islands on sand eel imitations as well as on some of his hand tied bunny tailed clousers.

Our own Cody Lapnow has been focusing his efforts fishing the outgoing tide and has found Sunken Island in Fairfield really producing. Over the weekend he had fish on weighted sluggos with sand eels all over, with bass up to 26 inches at will. On Wednesday night with a thick fog rolling in, he fished Frost Point where blues/bass were hammering sand eels. He fished spooks for blues up to 8 lbs and bass up to 27 inches on white X-Raps.

Sunday the shop was cranking but took the time to weigh in fellow Westport Striped Bass Club member Scott Platt’s 26lb bass caught somewhere west of Stamford…Not to be outdone, fellow member Sam Bell took advantage of the holiday the next day to catch nearly a 30lb fish to put him in second place for one of the current contests under way. Nice fish guys!!

Chuck D. emailed in a report on Monday, as well as a thank you to Cody for some great guidance and insight into some top water action off of Sheffield Island. Chuck fished Monday A.M. and had tremendous top water action including three keepers up to 32 inches on plugs, X-raps and Spooks!

After stopping into the store for some intel on Monday, Jon Nowicki, who has been putting his time in to learn all there is to know about fishing Fairfield County, emailed in his share of schoolies at the Mill Pond on the dropping tide fishing with some of our hand tied JJ’s sand eel sliders. After tiring his arm out, he moved on to Penfield where he had a nice healthy 32 inch bass on the fly rod on the same pattern!

Stopping into a friend’s BBQ on Monday afternoon after a long weekend, I enjoyed an adult beverage and was told by Eric Lutz that he and crew landed four 25lb plus fish off of Bridgeport fishing Stratford shoals on chunks Monday A.M. He brought up a good point that should once again be shared. When fishing areas such as Stratford Shoals, if you are targeting the bottom of the water column, be sure your baits are actually on the bottom, at times, when the current really starts cranking; don’t hesitate to change your weight, it could be the difference between a 4 lb bluefish and a 20lb bass. Although this may seem obvious, take a look next time you are fishing close to another boat and I guarantee some of their lines that are supposed to be on the bottom, are straight out….

Throughout the weekend, our good friend Bill Beck reported in that the fishing off of Compo is improving daily, now that the sand eels are around, with his share of blues to 4lbs and mid twenty sized bass at first light!

Welcome home to Pat O’Donnell who has been hitting the local beaches at night and in the A.M. hard. With the fly rods, Pat has racked up a dozen or so fish up to 28 inches on mostly Pete V. tied closuer and sand eel patterns. Welcome home Pat!

Sgt. Colonies reported in with a report from late Wednesday night, where he fished the islands and could not get a fish to hit with so much sand eel activity around. After swithcing it up and tossing one of Eric Peterson's sand eel patterns that we carry here in the store,he was rewarded with a 30 inch fish on the long rods!

Lastly, you may have read in the local papers, that we are now the exclusive outlet, outside of the town of Westport's Conservation Department, to be able to sell clamming permits, so if clamming is your game, come on down! We have all the necessary gear to get you a full bushel! [Eric Johnson, Westport Outfitters]

On The Water 5/28/09

Best Bet: Time to consider trolling the wire line or setting up to drift some chunk bait or whole squid over offshore, deep-water structure for the push of large striped bass that continue to work their way into our waters. Western Long Island Sound is seeing the largest fish most consistently, while eastern waters are a bit more sporadic. Forget scup for the moment and consider a last shot at flounder before the Connecticut season closes. Trout waters are all still producing fish, with ideal water levels and good temperatures. The Saugatuck Reservoir continues to yield large walleye and large brown trout, but don’t expect this to last if and when a heat wave moves into the region.
Captain Jack Balint at The Fish Connection in Preston reports a preponderance of striped bass to 15 pounds throughout the area now, with the mouth of the Mystic River and Pawcatuck River being very productive, as is The Race, which has been seeing good numbers of sand eels lately.
The reef structures off Watch Hill have been sporadic for bass. The Thames River continues to produce good fishing to school bass from the area around the Mohegan Sun to the Coast Guard Academy. Eels fished at night are taking bigger bass in the Thames. Bluefish are scattered about, but 8-pound fish are being taken in The Race. Bartletts Reef has been productive for stripers and blues. Largemouth bass fishing has been O.K., with Pachaug Pond being particularly productive. All trout waters are still fishing well, with the Yantic River and Shetucket River being top spots.
For Hillyer’s Bait & Tackle in Waterford, Mark reports The Race as good and Bartletts as very good, especially on tube-and-worm or umbrella rigs. Black Point and Harkness have been productive as well. Bluefish are around, and Plum Gut has been seeing some very hot action. Seaside has been producing good catches of flounder on sand worms with clam chum, and some sea bass are being turned up by flounder fishermen. The scup season is off to a slow start, with Jordan Cove, and particularly Rocky Neck State Park, producing the best catches.
From River’s End Tackle in Old Saybrook, Pat notes that larger striped bass have now moved into the Connecticut River and anglers are doing well using tube-and-worm or umbrella rigs. The bass are widely scattered throughout the lower river, and no monster fish have been weighed in yet. Bottom structure at the East Rip has been drawing the attention of the largest stripers so far. Bluefish are scattered about, with The Race and Plum Gut being top producing waters.
Captain Jerry Morgan at Captain Morgan’s Bait & Tackle in Madison has reports of decent topwater action to school bass in the Madison region, and that bigger bass have now staked out the various reefs and submerged deep-water structure offshore. Trolling any variety of baits and plugs is producing fish. Lots of bluefish are in the area now, although most of the fish are in the small-to-medium range. Scup season has opened, but no reports have come into the shop for this species thus far. The Hammonasset River is fishing very well, and several stocked breeder trout have been landed, and more are still lurking about. Local largemouth bass ponds are seeing lots of good action.
Rick at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, reports that striped bass to 45 pounds are being taken on chunk baits, deep-diving Rapalas, and umbrella rigs in the Norwalk area. The area between Rye, NY, and Hempstead has been the most productive, coughing up the biggest bass. Bluefish are mixed in throughout the area and are providing some good topwater action. Most blues are in the 10-pound class, but a few are even bigger. Flounder fishing remains good, but is becoming more sporadic and is slowing a bit. A few more 10-pound-plus walleye have come from the Saugatuck Reservoir, as has at least one 10-pound brown trout. Local trout waters were restocked prior to the holiday, so there are still plenty of trout around for anglers to pursue.
From Westport Outfitters, Cody reports large numbers of sand eels through the area, as well as good numbers of large bunker. The combination of bait is drawing in large and small striped bass, as well as various sizes of bluefish. The Saugatuck River and Norwalk Harbor in particular have been producing impressive numbers of stripers. The area around Southport, NY is producing some larger stripers. Pennfield Reef is producing good school bass fishing, with a lot of the action on top, adding some excitement for fly-rodders and light tackle spin fishermen. Shore anglers in the Stratford and Bridgeport areas are finding larger striped bass when fishing chunk bunker or other fresh baits. Bluefish are plentiful, with most in the 8- to 10-pound range. Scup fishing is off to a very slow start in the Western Sound. [Alan Desbonnet, On The Water]

Bob Sampson -Fluke Podcast

Wanna learn how to fluke? Listen to Bob's podcast.

Western LIS, M. Armstrong 5/22/09

After a chilly start last week was a great one for local anglers. The warm days brought some terrific fishing opportunities to the area. Striped bass and bluefish action in Long Island Sound is improving daily and, on the freshwater scene, trout fishing is very good.

To demonstrate just how good fishing in the Sound is right now the folks at Rudy's Tackle Barn in Byram have been hearing complaints from one of their customers.

Sal Tardella, a die-hard striped bass fisherman, has been complaining that there are just too many bluefish around for him to enjoy his bass fishing. Not that Sal isn't catching any bass. He is. But he is catching and releasing too many bluefish. Life is full of problems.

The largest striped bass reported last week was a 38-pound, 2-ounce linesider weighed in at Pete's Bait and Tackle by Fred Bova. The fish measured 44-inches and was caught in Hempstead Harbor. Phil was using bunker chunks.

The folks at Fish Tales Bait and Tackle reported that for the second straight week Phil Vincoli boated some nice striped bass while fishing inside Hempstead Harbor. Like the week before, Phil's largest fish measured 42-inches in length and tipped the scales at 32-pounds. That's what I call consistency.

Jim Christianson also went to Hempstead Harbor where he caught a 29-pound 6-ounce striper. Jim was using bunker for bait.

Don Worthley, Sr. and Don Worthley Jr. did well fishing in 40 feet of water off Hempstead. They caught several stripers including a 20-pounder. They were also using fresh bunker.

Fishing in the mid-Sound is pretty good. Last week Mike Noyes boated a 30-pound linesider while drifting a live bunker. He also caught and released lots of bluefish.

Hank Weis of Skippy Charters has been catching lots of bluefish while trolling the mid-Sound off Greenwich. Hank was trolling an umbrella rig.

Gary Feighery caught and released 22 stripers while fishing off Darien. His largest linesider measured 38-inches and was taken on a 10-inch Finesse lure.

Striped bass were close to shore in Norwalk also. David Smith caught a 17-pounder from shore using a chunk of bunker.

Chris Miller did well fishing from the shore at the end of Shippan Point. He caught a 30 and a 41-inch striper. The larger fish weighed 22 pounds and was taken on a mackerel chunk.

Pete Miller fished from West Beach in Stamford and he caught a 37 pound striped bass and a 5-pound bluefish. Both fish were taken on fresh bunker.

Wayne Sorbo and Frank Wasco fished from Belle Haven in Greenwich last week. They caught several stripers and bluefish. Their largest bass measured 32-inches and was taken on a bunker chunk.

Zolton Horvath tried his luck off Rye last week and was rewarded with a 22-pound striped bass. He caught the fish using a bunker chunk.

Also doing well off Rye was John Rossi and his son, Adam. John caught a 30.6-pound bass and Adam caught a 32.6-pounder. Both fish were taken on bunker chunks.

Mark Hiller and Kevin Bova fished off Rye Beach last week. Together they caught three stripers including a hefty 30-pounder. The fish were taken using bunker for bait.

John Chan and Romeo Wang bottom fished in the Cummings Channel last week. They caught a pair of keeper winter flounder. The flatties were taken using clams.

Jason Vilicki caught a 13-pound fluke while fishing off Eaton's Neck. As fluke season is closed the fish was released.

Three anglers, who wished that their last names not be used, did well fishing the Norwalk River last week. Ernie, Pete and Kevin caught 25 rainbow trout measuring 12 to 14-inches. Ernie returned to the same spot the next day and caught a 5-pound, 2-ounch rainbow trout. All of the fish were taken on nightcrawlers.

Tim Mira, 10, and his brother, Dylan, 7 each caught a trout while fishing the Mianus River Trout Management Area. They were using mealworms and spinner baits.

Rusty Morales did well fishing at Kensico Reservoir last week. He caught a 7-pound, 4-ounce brown trout using a live shiner. [Martin Armstrong, Stamford Advocate]

Rivers End, Old Saybrook, 5/22/09

STRIPED BASS--- The reports from the Connecticut River were on the downslide as the week progressed. Outgoing tides at dawn and dusk disappeared in the last few days, the incoming tides produced less fish. Tides don't look too good until the end of the week. The only bright spot is that the weather forecast is for rain and clouds mid week and that might make for some good mid-day casting in the River.
Activity on the reefs has got good especially to the west around Clinton and Westbrook. The Race and Plum Gut have small to medium sized bass for drifters and casters on the NW corner are picking a few bass. No word yet of bass on the Watch Hill Reefs although there have been reports of schoolies on the inside of Napatree.
Bunker are also thicker to the west. New Haven, Branford and Guilford have catchable schools of bunker. There are some bunker in the Connecticut River but not in reliable quantities. Some hickory shad are being caught from the DEP Piers.

BLUEFISH--- There's some small to medium sized blues in the Connecticut River latching on to surface lures. Larger choppers have taken hold on Southwest Reef and mixed sizes are in the Race and Plum Gut. So far it looks like a good population of blues taking hold.

FLUKE--- Its not open in Connecticut until June 15th, I sent out a copy of the tri state regs last week with the start date listed as June 17th which is wrong.
Some anglers ventured across with fair to good catch and release days. I've attached an updated copy of the regs to this report. [Pat Abate, Rivers End Tackle]

On The Water 5/21/09

Best Bets for the Weekend: The best bet for this weekend seems to be to simply get out and go fishing. Big stripers have moved in and are on the reefs, bunker are in the rivers and harbors, and fish are on them. Bluefish are still a bit thin, but they are scattered about everywhere an angler might look. Trout waters have been restocked, and the walleye in Squantz Pond and the largemouth bass in Candlewood Lake are hungry and ready to play.

From The Fish Connection in Preston, Captain Jack Balint reports striped bass spread throughout the length of the Thames River, along with big bunker. Both species are moving about, but a concentration appears to be holding in the Montville area of the river. Squid are just showing up around Napatree Point and at Watch Hill, and the action in The Race has exploded with the arrival of squid and tons of sand eels. Flounder fishing continues to be a hit-or-miss affair in the Thames River region.

In the fresh water, Captain Balint reports continued good fishing for trout in the Yantic River particularly, and in the Shetucket River. Pachaug Pond is producing good largemouth bass action, and a good concentration of pike appear to be hanging out just below the waterfall coming from the dam on the pond.

Howard at Hillyer’s Bait & Tackle in Waterford reports big striped bass on local reefs now, with good action being found on Bartletts Reef in particular. The Race too has lit up since early in the week, and bluefish, although smaller in size, are mixed in with the striped bass. The river mouths in the region seem to be holding good numbers of school-sized striped bass, though larger fish are found under the bunker schools traveling in the Thames and Connecticut Rivers. Howard reports that the flounder have moved out of the rivers now, and are to be found along the beaches; fishing continues to be O.K.

From Rivers End in Old Saybrook, Pat reports local striped bass fishing to be very good-to-excellent. The Connecticut River is holding large numbers of stripers. Some are larger but not in the jumbo range just yet, with the average fish weighing between 8 and 10 pounds. These fish are showing some preference for Slug-Gos and other surface-worked soft-plastic baits. Local beaches are now holding striped bass as well, though mainly school bass. Bluefish have turned up in the Connecticut River now, with most in the 2- to 5- pound range.

Captain Jerry Morgan at Captain Morgan’s Bait & Tackle in Madison reports that Six Mile Reef is producing good bass on wire and trolling rigs. Southwest Reef and North Rip at Faulkner’s are also producing good numbers of fish. All three locations are producing not only fish in numbers, but also of decent size.

Bluefish are around, and some big ones at that. Most are in the 4- to 6-pound range. Anglers with patience are still taking flounder, but it is very spotty. Freshwater fishing continues to be excellent throughout the region. The final trout stocking until before next fall will occur prior to the holiday weekend.

From The Bait Shop in Rowayton, Art reports a push of very large striped bass in Western Long Island Sound, and most local anglers are heading west, leaving the local report lacking. The bite for the bigger fish to the west appears to be a phenomenon occurring at first light, although bluefish are biting by day. Those anglers not rushing westward are finding good fishing in the lower Connecticut River for school bass.

Chris at Stratford Bait & Tackle reports good numbers of bluefish in the 5- to 8-pound range scattered around the area. Bunker are in most of the harbors and river mouths, and larger bass have shown up to feed on them. Fish between 10 and 20 pounds are commonplace and fish as large as 30 pounds are being taken, though mainly at night on chunk bunker. Trout waters have just been stocked for the holiday weekend and should provide good fishing for the weekend.

From Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, Nick reports striped bass to 30 pounds feeding on bunker around Hempstead in 40 to 45 feet of water. Good numbers of bluefish are now in the mix, with most in the 6- to 8-pound range. These fish are providing fun for anglers from the shore. Some bass are being taken from shore as well, but mainly early in the day. The Housatonic River continues to produce good numbers of striped bass readily available to surfcasters and fly-rodders. Flounder fishing continues to be okay, with Can 9 best on the incoming tide, and Oyster Pier at Sprite Island best on the out going tide. The Saugatuck Reservoir continues to produce a consistent walleye bite, and both smallmouth and largemouth bass are active. The Norwalk River was very heavily stocked with trout just recently.

Cody at Westport Outfitters in Norwalk reports excellent trout fishing through out the area, and says that trout waters have just recently been restocked. The Mill River and Saugatuck Rivers in particular have been hot. Fly-anglers and spin fishermen are both doing very well. School bass are all along the shoreline and in all the harbors now, and providing good fishing to fishermen throwing topwater lures and fly-anglers alike. Bunker are in the Saugatuck River and Norwalk Harbor, as well as other harbors, and larger striped bass are feeding on them and taking chunk bunker bait. Bluefish are around now as well. The sand eels have not shown up yet, so the major baits are still bunker and silversides.

Squantz Pond continues to produce very good numbers of walleye according to John at Valley Angler in Danbury. Due to dam repair and low water in the Sodum Reservoir in nearby New York, walleye fishing is excellent in that body of water. John reports excellent largemouth bass fishing in Candlewood Lake, with fish up to 9 pounds coming to hook and 5- to 7-pound fish fairly common. Smallmouth bass are still fishing well, but anglers have to be right on them at the moment. Trout fishing in Candlewood is hit-or-miss, mainly because the fish have not yet but bunched up. However, the causeway between Squantz and Candlewood is producing some very good trout fishing. [Alan Desbonnet, On The Water]

Eastern LIS, T. Coleman The Day 5/22/09

Striped bass can be found in Connecticut shoreline & reefs.

Fishing in the deep water between Valiant & Little Gull - bass & blue were caught with Diamond Jigs. A 46 inch bass was caught in the Mystic River by the Mystic River Park.

Angler's tube & worming The Millstone outflow caught small stripers & blues.

The lower Thames gave up some winter flounder. At this time in years gone by Junk Island was good for winter flounder. Best bets for bass in the Thames are from Gales Ferry to Montville and a few in Norwich.

Bunker could be found throughout the coast and were especially think in Norwich Harbor. Anglers are catching bass & some blues under the bunker schools. The beaches from Noank to
Niantic reported better flounder fishing.

Even though the bunker in Watch Hill Harbor were seen being chased by small bass - the "much anticipated push on stripers has yet to take place". Some fluke were caught off the Isabella Beach and a few flounder at the Pawcatuck River mouth.

Out in the race, mostly bass & some blues were chowing down on small herring, sand eels & squid. Squid are finally showing up in Stonington Harbor. Best bait out in the race is diamond jigs and surface jigs if bass are on the surface -during slackening or at slack water.

Hillyers Tackle reported on winter flounder caught from Rocky Neck to Harkness. To be successful you must chum and devote atleast 45 minutes per spot . The Black Point Rip is now holding some bass for either drift boats or those that troll parachute jigs on 225 feet of wire.

Inner Bartletts trolling wire with jigs or umbrella rigs on any tide is good for bass. To the west in the deeper water of Sand Shoal to Six Mile - medium diamond jigs are working good.

A 27" bass was caught from shore by Hatchetts Point. The lower Connecticut River on the outgoing tide in the morning & evening was very good for bass. However the tides have switched this week and the numbers of fish caught are down.

One local fished all day around the breakwater at the river mouth for four hours for six flounder, the “biggest” catch of that species all week. [Tim Coelman, The Day]

Norwich Bullein Fishing Report B. Sampson 5/22/09

Weather fluctuating between hot days & freezing nights keeping shallows cool slowing down bass & worm spawns. After a few hot days without cold nights worm spawns should start.

Striped Bass: Reports of small menhaen schools in the Thames River - some keeper bass and a few bluefish. In general schoolie fishing has been good along the coast. Big stripers showing up in the Race indicating migratory stripers are in the area.

Bluefish: Still to early, but there's always a few big ones caught in May. Millstone Point is a bluefish magnet due to warm water outflow. Also good are the lower Thames & CT River.

Largemouth Bass: We are starting to see pre-spawn largemouths in lakes - in particular Amos Lake has been very good.

Calico Bass: Reports from Oxoboxo Lake, Glasgo Pond, Ashland Lake Pachaug Pond, Rogers Lake & Bog Meadows.

Trout: Cold nights have been cooling water temps leading to favorable trout fishing condition.
[read more at Bob Samspon, Norwich Bulletin]

On the Water 5/21/09

Best Bets for the Weekend: The best bet for this weekend seems to be to simply get out and go fishing. Big stripers have moved in and are on the reefs, bunker are in the rivers and harbors, and fish are on them. Bluefish are still a bit thin, but they are scattered about everywhere an angler might look. Trout waters have been restocked, and the walleye in Squantz Pond and the largemouth bass in Candlewood Lake are hungry and ready to play.

The push of jumbo-sized striped bass has finally made its way into our waters, as have large schools of bunker and a first wave of bluefish. If your gear isn’t ready, now’s the time to tune it up, and fast!

From The Fish Connection in Preston, Captain Jack Balint reports striped bass spread throughout the length of the Thames River, along with big bunker. Both species are moving about, but a concentration appears to be holding in the Montville area of the river. Squid are just showing up around Napatree Point and at Watch Hill, and the action in The Race has exploded with the arrival of squid and tons of sand eels. Flounder fishing continues to be a hit-or-miss affair in the Thames River region.

In the fresh water, Captain Balint reports continued good fishing for trout in the Yantic River particularly, and in the Shetucket River. Pachaug Pond is producing good largemouth bass action, and a good concentration of pike appear to be hanging out just below the waterfall coming from the dam on the pond.

Howard at Hillyer’s Bait & Tackle in Waterford reports big striped bass on local reefs now, with good action being found on Bartletts Reef in particular. The Race too has lit up since early in the week, and bluefish, although smaller in size, are mixed in with the striped bass. The river mouths in the region seem to be holding good numbers of school-sized striped bass, though larger fish are found under the bunker schools traveling in the Thames and Connecticut Rivers. Howard reports that the flounder have moved out of the rivers now, and are to be found along the beaches; fishing continues to be O.K.

From Rivers End in Old Saybrook, Pat reports local striped bass fishing to be very good-to-excellent. The Connecticut River is holding large numbers of stripers. Some are larger but not in the jumbo range just yet, with the average fish weighing between 8 and 10 pounds. These fish are showing some preference for Slug-Gos and other surface-worked soft-plastic baits. Local beaches are now holding striped bass as well, though mainly school bass. Bluefish have turned up in the Connecticut River now, with most in the 2- to 5- pound range.

Captain Jerry Morgan at Captain Morgan’s Bait & Tackle in Madison reports that Six Mile Reef is producing good bass on wire and trolling rigs. Southwest Reef and North Rip at Faulkner’s are also producing good numbers of fish. All three locations are producing not only fish in numbers, but also of decent size.

Bluefish are around, and some big ones at that. Most are in the 4- to 6-pound range. Anglers with patience are still taking flounder, but it is very spotty. Freshwater fishing continues to be excellent throughout the region. The final trout stocking until before next fall will occur prior to the holiday weekend.

From The Bait Shop in Rowayton, Art reports a push of very large striped bass in Western Long Island Sound, and most local anglers are heading west, leaving the local report lacking. The bite for the bigger fish to the west appears to be a phenomenon occurring at first light, although bluefish are biting by day. Those anglers not rushing westward are finding good fishing in the lower Connecticut River for school bass.

Chris at Stratford Bait & Tackle reports good numbers of bluefish in the 5- to 8-pound range scattered around the area. Bunker are in most of the harbors and river mouths, and larger bass have shown up to feed on them. Fish between 10 and 20 pounds are commonplace and fish as large as 30 pounds are being taken, though mainly at night on chunk bunker. Trout waters have just been stocked for the holiday weekend and should provide good fishing for the weekend.
From Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, Nick reports striped bass to 30 pounds feeding on bunker around Hempstead in 40 to 45 feet of water. Good numbers of bluefish are now in the mix, with most in the 6- to 8-pound range. These fish are providing fun for anglers from the shore. Some bass are being taken from shore as well, but mainly early in the day. The Housatonic River continues to produce good numbers of striped bass readily available to surfcasters and fly-rodders. Flounder fishing continues to be okay, with Can 9 best on the incoming tide, and Oyster Pier at Sprite Island best on the out going tide. The Saugatuck Reservoir continues to produce a consistent walleye bite, and both smallmouth and largemouth bass are active. The Norwalk River was very heavily stocked with trout just recently.

Cody at Westport Outfitters in Norwalk reports excellent trout fishing throughout the area, and says that trout waters have just recently been restocked. The Mill River and Saugatuck Rivers in particular have been hot. Fly-anglers and spin fishermen are both doing very well. School bass are all along the shoreline and in all the harbors now, and providing good fishing to fishermen throwing topwater lures and fly-anglers alike. Bunker are in the Saugatuck River and Norwalk Harbor, as well as other harbors, and larger striped bass are feeding on them and taking chunk bunker bait. Bluefish are around now as well. The sand eels have not shown up yet, so the major baits are still bunker and silversides.

Squantz Pond continues to produce very good numbers of walleye according to John at Valley Angler in Danbury. Due to dam repair and low water in the Sodum Reservoir in nearby New York, walleye fishing is excellent in that body of water. John reports excellent largemouth bass fishing in Candlewood Lake, with fish up to 9 pounds coming to hook and 5- to 7-pound fish fairly common. Smallmouth bass are still fishing well, but anglers have to be right on them at the moment. Trout fishing in Candlewood is hit-or-miss, mainly because the fish have not yet but bunched up. However, the causeway between Squantz and Candlewood is producing some very good trout fishing. [Alan Desbonnet]

The Fishing Line 5/21/09

Overview: Big time bass have been taken in all four sections of Connecticut . Bluefish have started to show in the west but nothing near the Long Island side. Flounder anglers have a glimmer of hope in the far east near the Thames River.

Western LIS: Mix of schoolies and keepers. Greenwich Cove & Hempstead were very productive. Above average Bluefish for the time of year.

Bridgeport to Stratford: Derby Dam is hot with mostly sub-legal bass with some mid-30 thrown in. Short Beach has reports of some bass to 40 inches. Bunker schools are steady in places like Seaside but look to rivers first for snag and drop sized bait. No weakfish. Westport reports some flounder. No sign of weakfish yet, but flounder were reported near Westport. Bluefish have been responding to tins only in the West Haven Beach area. Odds are until a big push of bunker come through its metal only for bait.

New Haven to Madison: Bigger stripers & less schoolies. Best bets for the week: Branford Reef, Thompson’s Ledge and the Quinnipiac River. Bluefish & occassional breeder weakfish spotted, no flounder. Best Baits: bunker chunks and sandworms during the day for the best results.

CT River and the Race: Reports of swirls but no bits. Anglers switching to shad bodies & diving plugs vs top-water lures for bass. Most action has been reported in the lower parts of the CT River. Try the Railroad Bridge and work your way south. Bluefish are also in the river but avoid using plastics if you spot a school.

Niantic Bay & Thames River: The CT and Thames River is producing a lot of keeper bass this week. Areas like Millstone are great with diving plugs and shad bodies. Bunker have been reported to be heavy in the Thames River near Norwich. Flounder season is still on in the east as many anglers are limiting out while drifting sandworms of the bottom.

Westport Outfitters, 5/21/09

The bait in the Western Sound continues to be everywhere including more adult silver sides that are spawning in areas like Compo Cove and other sandy flats. As the temperature rises the sand eels should appear.

In the Housatonic River the larger fish will begin to exit the river, slowing the fishing there.

The usual haunts in and around Westport have been producing a good sum of fish up to 22-23 inches all in the A.M. despite the tide using soft plastics. Here at the shop at this time of year, we always give tide precedence over time of day, although this will change as the warmer months are upon us, if you have a good moving tide, despite when it occurs during the day, get on out there and get it done!!

Fishing off Sherwood Point for several keepers on Spooks - a very slow retrieve speed is key to trigger strikes with these kinds of plugs.

Anglers fishing off of Fairfield/Black Rock by trolling T&W were rewarded with bass up to 33 inches. In between the bass bite they also noted blues to 31 inches and very hungry!

In & around Farifield on Sunday using Sluggos anglers had great action despite the fog. In the Norwalk area, sim baits caught more bass.

Fish are starting to take the Lordship Lures plugs as the water temp rises and bait starts moving into the area in and around Stratford. He recommends his agitators that are starting to raise some nice size fish and the strikes on these plugs are sure to raise your pulse rate. Rob Guzman took a nice 17 lb bass on a white agitator while fishing the Housy this week (see recent catches).

Back to our home waters, Cody has also been fishing the Lordship Lures and again this week had some fat 29-30 inch bass on the slims with a slow retrieve, fishing in less than 2 feet of water…can you say game on? These fish absolutely attack these plugs and in shallow water it’s reminiscent of catching a 25 inch trout in a spring creek!

The Western Sound crew continues to make the run to Hempstead and although the fish are getting bigger in the 26-28 lb range, honestly folks, with so much bait right here at home, you may be better off saving the gas money and staying close to home. At the end of the day, bass are nocturnal feeders, so if you want the big girls, you have to fish at night. I have been sworn to secrecy, but there was nearly a 29 lb fish caught last night a stones throw from where we all fish. Having said that, where there is a 30, I would argue there is a 40…and perhaps even a 50! Use you best judgment!

The weather report as of today for the weekend seems to be improving, although we may see a little bit of rain, overall it will be totally fishable weather.

Focus on fishing soft plastics such as sluggos and or swim baits first, although there are blues around, it’s worth sacrificing a swim bait for that chance at a bass. We just got in these sweet little bunker imitation tins as well that can be retrieved and/or lightly jigged. If you need to change to hard baits, rattle traps, slash baits and x-raps should be the ticket and get the job done.

Fly guys/gals, should be throwing the largest bunker imitations you can handle from 4-11 inches. If the sand eels show as they should any day, we have a ton of patterns to match the hatch with!

DEP Marine Weekly Report #5 5/20/09

Water temperatures in Long Island Sound (LIS) are in the low 50’s °F.

STRIPED BASS fishing remains good to excellent with fish up in the 50 inch range being reported! The western part of LIS is loaded with bunker and of course big cow bass are right behind. Local reefs have been producing with anglers using live bait and the tube and worm combo. Other striper spots include the Pawcatuck River, upper Thames River (Norwich Harbor down to Montville), lower Connecticut River from Hamburg Cove down to the breakwaters, New Haven Harbor (Sandy Point), Bridgeport Harbor by the power plant warm water discharge (Breezy Point/Seaside Park), Housatonic River, Saugatuck River and the Norwalk Islands.

BLUEFISH are in pretty thick in western LIS but are also in Plum Gut, and the Race. Most blues are in the 4-6 lbs. range.

HICKORY SHAD are also in the tidal rivers mixed in with school stripers.

DEP Weekly Fishing Report #5 5/20/09

Rivers & streams: Trout fishing has been very good, with best reports from the West Branch Farmington River, Farmington River, Housatonic River, Saugatuck River, Pootatuck River, East Aspetuck River, Pomperaug River, Mill River TMA, Hammonasset River, Natchaug River, Pattaconk Brook, Latimer Brook and Eightmile River (East Haddam/Lyme). Conditions have generally been great for trout fishing, although high flows in some areas challenged anglers earlier this week (try tributaries instead).

Farmington River - Generally good to excellent fishing reported, especially in the upper West Branch. Conditions are comfortable for fishing. Flows are currently clear and moderate (340 cfs at Riverton, plus an additional 120 cfs from the Still River). Water temperatures are in the low to mid 50’s°F. Current hatches/patterns include Hendrickson (a.k.a red quills; #14-16), Blue Winged Olive (a.k.a. baetis or vagan; #16-18), Blue Quill (a.k.a. paralep; #18), Early Stonefly (#13-16), Quill Gordon (#14), Green Caddis & Brown/Tan Caddis (#16-18), Rusty Spinners (#16-20), Midges (#22-32), Pheasant Tails (#14-18) and Mahogany Duns (#16-18). The Hendrickson hatch is rapidly fading and is mainly from Riverton up to the dam.

Housatonic River - Trout fishing was good to excellent last week. The river was unfishable due to high flows following Sunday’s rains, but conditions show again be good for the weekend, as flows continue to clear and decrease to more fishable levels. Currently the river is at 1,400 cfs at Falls Village and 2,300 cfs at Gaylordsville. Hatches include Green Caddis, Blue Winged Olive, March Brown/Gray Fox, Brown/Tan Caddis and Midges. Caddis (#14-18, green, olive & tan), Henryville Special, Adams (#12-20) and March Brown (#10-12) are patterns currently producing. Sulfurs should be starting up soon. Under current conditions, streamers and nymphs work well.

Lakes & Ponds – Connecticut lakes and ponds are fishing very well for trout. Places to try include East Twin Lake (6 lb, 23” brown among the recent catches), Wononskopomuc Lake, Highland Lake, West Hill Pond, Quonnipaug Lake, Tyler Lake, Mashapaug Lake, Crystal Lake, Mt. Tom Pond, Beach Pond and Coventry Lake.

Trout Parks - These areas are designed to be easy to fish, with excellent access and amenities such as picnic areas nearby, and are stocked frequently. The Kent Falls, Stratton Brook, Black Rock Pond, Chatfield Hollow, Natchaug River, Valley Falls Park Pond, Day Pond, and Mohegan Park Pond Trout Parks were all stocked this week.

Areas stocked this week in western CT - Bantam River (above & below Bantam Lake), Blackberry River, Butternut Brook, West Branch Farmington River (from Goodwin Dam to the TMA), Mad River, Mill River (Fairfield, includes the TMA), Naugatuck River (except the TMA), Pequonnock River, Pomperaug River, Sandy Brook, Still River (Colebrook), Wepawaug River, Whiting River, Highland Lake, Mohegan Lake (Fairfield), West Hill Pond and the Mad River Impoundment.

Areas stocked this week in eastern CT - Branford River, Dickenson Creek, Farm River, Hammonasset River (including the TMA), Hockanum River (above and below the TMA), Moosup River, Mount Hope River, Natchaug River, Quinebaug River, Salmon River (including the TMA), Scantic River, Snake Meadow Brook, West River, Beach Pond, Black Pond (Middlefield/Meriden), Cedar Lake, Crystal Lake (Ellington), Gardner Lake, Moosup Pond, Rogers Lake, Walkers Reservoir and Wauregan Reservoir.

LARGEMOUTH BASS fishing is generally good with reports from Amos Lake (very good), Saugatuck Reservoir, Rainbow Reservoir, Quaddick Reservoir, Moodus Reservoir, West Farms Reservoir, Candlewood Lake, Lake Hayward, Lake Lillinonah, Lower Bolton Lake, Lake Saltonstall, Tyler Lake, Wononskopomuc Lake, East Twin Lake, Mashapaug Lake, Crystal Lake, Bashan Lake, Highland Lake, Ball Pond, Mudge Pond, Halls Pond and Beach Pond.

SMALLMOUTH BASS are being caught at Coventry Lake, Highland Lake, Bantam Lake (fair), Candlewood Lake (daytime is very good, also some good night time action) and Crystal Lake.

WALLEYE reported from Lake Saltonstall, Batterson Park Pond, and Coventry Lake.
KOKANEE – Some catches (8-10” fish) reported from East Twin Lake.

CONNECTICUT RIVER – STRIPED BASS are now throughout the river. Good numbers of schoolie size (16-25”) fish plus many keepers up to 36” mixed in. Fish are responding to tube & worm, bait and soft plastics.
CATFISH up to 10 lbs are responding very well to dead bait, chunking & sandworms. Some SHAD action (variable) reported in the mainstem, especially from the mouth of the river upstream to Rocky Hill. Shad darts and willow leaf continue to be the most productive lures.

TIPS & TRICKS
WALLEYE - The most productive lure recently was a white Zoom Superfluke.

TROUT - Fishing minnows off a Dipsey diver produced many fish while trolling at 5-6 colors of lead line. Also, spoons, either Mooselooks in silver or a 4" flutter spoon in silver. Fishing a Flutter spoon; start by making a long cast and letting the spoon fall on slack line. Slack line is the key to flutter spoons, as it gives the bait its distinctive dying shad fluttering action. Once the bait hits bottom, reel up your slack, holding your rod at the 9 o’clock position. Raise your rod to the 12 o’clock or even 1 o’clock position, pulling the spoon way up off the bottom. Some days you want to raise the spoon very briskly, while other days a slow steady lift works better. Once you’ve lifted the spoon, leave slack in the line and let it fall back to the bottom. Repeat this process all the way to the boat, making sure to leave slack in the line each time it drops for that key fluttering action. If the fish are suspended instead of on the bottom, follow this same process, except count the bait down to the desired depth instead of letting it fall all the way to the bottom on the initial cast. Bites on the spoon will feel like a very sharp thump and your line will often jump.

LARGEMOUTH BASS - The largemouth are up shallow in rocks or just inside the weedline while the smallies were on top of the deeper weed edges. Dropshotting is working well. Most fish were shallow in less than 5 ft of water. Some fish were caught on wacky rig stick baits, and other assorted soft plastics, with a few spinnerbait fish brought to the boat. Crankbaits & spinnerbaits produced well as did Gulp 3” minnow and grub in a black to natural color.

NORTHERN PIKE - Try a white or black spinnerbait. Pike also respond well to a white or pearl Super Fluke or Houdini shad. Don't forget to throw an early morning pop-R or a topwater.

Captain Morgan, 5/20/09

Holdover striped bass, continue to migrate down from the tidal rivers and into the Sound...blues, are following the Atlantic coast northward...Hudson River as well as Chesapeake Bay ‘linesiders’ . Water temperatures fluctuating around the 52- to 55-degree mark—a low comfort range for active bass.

Catches of small- to mid-size bluefish are becoming rather common as runs of baitfish persist. Weather conditions permitting, top water action is there for the taking.

A few more catches of winter flounder are being made along the shoreline with some attempts at sea bass that have come out of their winter holes. Sea conditions made holding ground difficult, but soon that will change giving rise to more ‘humpbacks’ being caught. Unless there are any changes, porgy/scup season opens on May 24.

Trout season continues in good fashion with all major stocked rivers, trout parks, and lakes producing fish. Intermittent rainfall has affected flows and clarity, but overall fishing remains above average. Both dries and terrestrials are being used effectively—try a caddis. Lakes are producing cats, pickerel, and largemouths with heightened ‘bronzeback’ action both in the lakes and rivers. Take a shot at some northerns at the Meadows.

Captain Morgan’s will be sponsoring Trout Unlimited’s Hammonasset Chapter’s Catch & Release Trout Tournament. Plan on a date with the Farmington River and plenty of fish on June 6 at 10 a.m. whereafter, the four-member teams will enjoy a great dinner, prizes/awards, a raffle, and a whole lot of fun. Proceeds go toward TU’s youth education programs. Contact the shop at 203-245-8665 or Ted Gardziel at 203-415-2117.

Western LIS C. Walsh, 5/18/09

Striped Bass: Big stripers & cows are in: flats on Milford side of breakwater, stretch of river above the Devon power plantokay but slowing down, and Southport Harbor (beware of the mooring ropes causing snags). Best baits: swimming plugs, soft plastics (white Slug-Gos), bunker & herring chunks on the bottom. Anglers from New Jersey report biggest striper migration in years - maybe good news for Long Island Sound.

Bluefish: confirmed bluefish catch at mouth of Housatonic River. Big schools should arrive chasing sand eels & bunker. Should be hitting Charles Island sandbarin the next week. Best Bait for hungry stripers: surface poppers.

Flounder: Better than previous years, but only through hard work. Westport/Norwalk, area between Pennfield Reef & St. Mary's. Season closes May 30th.

Weakfish: No confirmed catches. West Haven sandbar or Charles Island this week. Best bait: plugs.

Shad: Connecticut river upto Windsor, confluence & upstream of Farmington River.

Trout: Moderate water flows & continued stockings have made trout fishing good. Rains could dampen fishing in rivers & streams. Rivers: Housatonic, East Aspetuck River, Farmill River, Farmington River (Route 219, New Hartford to Route 4, Farmington), Leadmine Brook, Mill River (including the TMA), Muddy River, Pond Brook, Pootatuck River and Quinnipiac River. Lakes & Ponds: Saugatuck Reservoir, Squantz Pond and Bunnells Pond in Beardsley Park.

Atlantic salmon: Shetucket River, Mashapaug Lake and Beach Pond.
[Charles Walsh, Connpost.com]

Week Fish Column C. Walsh, ConnPost 5/18/09

SALTWATER:Sporadic is the best term to use in describing the fishing situation in Long Island Sound right now. At times the blues and bass cooperate, at times they don't. But it's safe to say enough fish will spend their Memorial Day holiday in the waters between New Haven and Greenwich to make any outing worthwhile. Here's the rundown.

Stripped bass:The most consistent bass fishery at the moment is the BH buoy area outside Bridgeport Harbor where the fish have been stacked up, but the bass can show up almost anywhere at any time. Chunkers and casters throwing Rebel-style swimmer lures are taking keepers fish in the BH buoy area. One warning; bluefish are mixed in with the bass so wise angler are using heavy mono or wire leaders. The Norwalk Islands are yielding some good sized fish for a change. Dave Smith took a 17-pound bass casting from Burying Hill Beach in Westport mid-day Saturday. Al Day fought a 40 inch-plus fish for 40 minutes this week in the Milford Harbor area before it straightened his hook at boat side and swam away. Fly fishers using large herring pattern are doing well.

Bluefish As mentioned above, choppers in the 7 to 8 pound range are showing up at irregular intervals on the beaches and river mouths. It is hit and miss but the hits are a load of fun. Surface feeding schools have raided bait pods at the mouth of the Housatonic River and on most beaches. The angler that arranges to be there when a school shows up blues is in for some wild action. The spate of warmer weather could turn the blue on big time.
Black sea bass New Haven Harbor and the breakwaters outside it are holding a population of sea bass
Porgies The scup season opens Monday and if the reports coming in are any indication the fish are ready to go. At the moment the porgies seem to be feeding on small shrimp.

FRESHWATER Trout: Trout fishing has been very good, the DEP reports. Best reports are coming from the West Branch Farmington River, Farmington River, Housatonic River, Saugatuck River, East Aspetuck River, and the Mill River TMA. High flows in some areas challenged anglers earlier this week (try tributaries instead). The DEP's most recent stockings were in the Branford River, Dickenson Creek, Farm River, Hammonasset River, West River, Beach Pond, Black Pond in Middlefield/Meriden, Cedar Lake, Crystal Lake in Ellington), Gardner Lake, Rogers Lake, Walkers Reservoir and Wauregan Reservoir.
Largemouth bass Fishing is generally good in Amos Lake (top reports), the Saugatuck Reservoir, Rainbow Reservoir, Quaddick Reservoir, Candlewood Lake, Lake Hayward, Lake Lillinonah, Lower Bolton Lake, and Lake Saltonstall. [Charles Walsh, Connecticut Post]

Western LIS, M. Armstrong 5/15/009

Large schools of bluefish have entered the Sound and taken up residence around City Island and Hempstead Harbor. Striped bass fishing had improved and winter flounder is still pretty good. On the freshwater scene, trout fishing is very good.

Early in the week I received an email from Capt. Kevin Reynolds, skipper of the Snow Goose II. He reported "that on the fishing front it's been solid blues!!! They invaded the Hempstead Harbor area on Tuesday and it's been 'lock and load' ever since."

The bluefish have been holding in 30 to 40 feet of water. Mackerel, herring and bunker are all doing well as bait. And there have been a couple of keeper stripers in the mix as well.

Kevin Miller at Sportsman's Den reported that J.C. Mertz and his daughter, Sophie, age 7, caught lots of fish in Greenwich Cove last week. Sophie reeled in a 33-inch striped bass using a Rattletrap lure. The next day Mertz cruised over to Hempstead Harbor where he caught and released 40 stripers and a bunch of bluefish using bunker chunks.

Mike Noyes of Sportsman's Den and Bob Harris sailed over to Hempstead Harbor where they caught and released 21 striped bass. They also caught a lot of small bluefish in the 4 to 7-pound range.

The folks at Fish Tales Bait and Tackle reported that Phil Vincoli boated four nice striped bass while fishing inside Hempstead Harbor. His largest fish measured 42-inches and tipped the scales at 32-pounds, 10-ounces.

Fred Bova got a couple keeper bass and some bluefish while fishing in Hempstead Harbor. Bova's linesiders measured 29 and 32-inches and were taken on herring. He also caught two bluefish that weighed 4 and 6-pounds.

Nick at Fisherman's World says that Lon Epstein boated a 26-pound, 6-ounce linesider off Hempstead Harbor. The big striped bass was taken using a bunker chunk for bait.

As usual for this time of the year fishing is also terrific around Mamaroneck, New York. Ben Cohen fished there and caught and released 28 keeper bass. His largest linesider tipped the scales at 22 pounds and was taken on a bunker chunk.

Also doing well in Greenwich waters last week was Giorgio Suarez. Using a sandworm, he caught a 30-inch striped bass.

While fishing off Shippan Point, Ed Sabo caught a nice 32-inch striped bass. Sabo was using sandworms for bait.

Bill Miller used bunker chunks to catch a nice striper off Norwalk. The fish weighed 24-pounds.

Dave McKee continues to catch some fat winter flounder in Norwalk waters. Last week he reeled in 6 keeper flatties while fishing near the Oyster Stakes in Norwalk. The fish were taken using sandworms and lots of clam chum.

Peter Kitlab had a great day fishing the Mianus River last week. He caught and released 17 rainbow trout, two 14-inch brown trout and a 13-inch brook trout in the Mianus Trout management Area. All of the fish were taken using nightcrawlers.

Chris Miller fished all over last week. He fished the Mianus River, Bruce Park Pond, Kensico Reservoir and below the Derby Dam with mixed results. According to his brother, Pete Miller, Chris caught a 7-pound, 2-ounce brown trout and a couple of lake trout weighing around 5 pounds at Kensico Reservoir but was shut out at the Bruce Park Pond, the Mianus River and the Housatonic River by the Derby Dam.

Dave Krom had a good day fishing around the Kensico Reservoir. He caught a 4.5-pound brown trout and lots of smallmouth bass. The fish were taken on shiners.

Rivers End, Old Saybrook, 5/15/09

FISHING REPORT -- MAY 15th,2009
STRIPED BASS-- The Spring run in the Connecticut River is at its peak for the next few weeks. Don't wait for it to get any better. Reports in the latter part of this week have been sporadic with the last few days tapering off. There were several reports of a lot of follows and swirls on surface lures but few takers. Sinking lures while not as much fun were better producers. Average sizes are up a bit from last year with legal sizes common. We haven't seen many of the 40" fish that were here a few springs ago.
A few schoolies are being caught on the beaches adjacent to the River. Not much has been heard from the reefs outside the rivers but I think the next few days should see fresh arrivals in Plum Gut and Bartletts, followed by the Race and other reefs. Watch Hill hasn't seen any squid yet but the eastern parts of RI have them and tinker mackerel.
BLUEFISH-- They've been in the Connecticut River for a few days now feeding on Slug-go tails. They are smaller than we've seen in the past few springs. Peconic Bay and Millstone have a bunch of them.
FLUKE-- Today is opening day in NY and at least a few anglers headed over there to participate in the annual running of the doormats. Unfortunately the Connecticut regulation prohibit possession of fluke until our season opens on June 15th. We had reports this week of some preseason doormats were caught in Peconic Bay by anglers trying for blues.

Eastern LIS, T. Coleman 5/15/09

The Thames River is our hot spot of the week, drawing large bass drawn by the bunker moving around in the river from the Gold Star Bridge all the way up to Norwich. Find the bunkers and you might find the school with some big stripers underneath them.

Bob's at Red's in Uncasville said people are snagging bunkers then live-lining them for larger bass up and down the Thames River. Not every school of bait has bass underneath it so it pays to look around from spot to spot. To date no blues were reported in the river but the first ones are due pretty soon.

You still have the opportunity to catch a few flounder for supper off Harkness Park or around the mouth of the Thames. The weather looks fair to good for the big striper tournament that is taking place on the river from tomorrow night through Saturday.

The Fish Connection told me two customers landed two 40-pound bass in their small boat one day this week off the Sub Base. They located a bunker school, snagged some bait then live-lined them for their prizes.

Capt. Jack Balint reported via cell phone about small blues at Orient Point and Millstone but no real push of bass yet into The Race. We should see squid soon in Stonington Harbor and hopefully a good charge of fish on the Watch Hill Reefs by the May 20.

Don at King Cove in Stonington said two fly rodders caught 20 schoolies one day in Lambert's Cove. Watch Hill Harbor has bunkers in it but the only bass around them were shorts and small keepers.

Shaffers Marina: We are selling snag hooks for the bunkers in the Mystic River said Allen at Shaffers Marina. To date though the only bass landed were small ones, the biggest of the week a 30-incher caught around Six Penny Island on Wednesday night by Tony Lasardo on a floating Gags popper.

Allen hasn't seen any flounder at all but the local kids continue to land small schoolies from the Mason's Island Bridge. Allen has compiled a list of all current regulations for New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island, available free at the shop. The New York fluke season opens tomorrow with a two-fish limit at 21.8 inches, closing on June 15 and reopening from July 15 to Aug. 15, same size and bag limits.

Captain Howard Beers was minding the store at Hillyers. He said you can find blues over at Greenport and have a chance for a few flounder for supper in the Niantic River upriver from the road bridge. Bass are due soon in The Race, maybe this weekend.

We heard about the first sporadic fish caught in The Race this week, according to Roger at J&B, who quickly added the main body of fish as yet to show as of this report. The Mystic River has schoolie bass and another school bass was caught on Thursday morning on the north side of the golf course on Fishers Island.

Mark at River's End in Old Saybrook reported the bass fishing from Essex to the mouth of the Connecticut River was fair to good one day and very poor the next. Most people are casting plastic baits of some type, mostly shads or Slug-Gos. If you weed through a lot of skates at the breakwater at the river mouth you might catch a flounder or two for dinner.

Other fishermen got in their cars and went either west on 95 to the mouth of the Housatonic River for good striper fishing or to east to the Rhode Island breachways for lesser numbers of fish, mostly at dusk and daybreak. Overall the surf fishing in nearby Rhody is off and on, with a good trip one day and the same beach the very next evening almost barren. Most of the fish are covered with sea lice (not harmful), a sure sign the spring migration is under way. [Tim Coleman, The Day]

Captain Morgan, 5/15/09

A few springtime showers, moderating temperatures, and moon tides sparked a flurry of fishing activity in the Sound. With rising and falling tides, herring, alewives, shad, etc., continued to enter many tidal rivers, bringing plenty of small- to mid-size striped bass into those associated estuaries. Bass to 40 pounds have been caught farther up into the major tidals with several fish in the 32- to 34-inch range broadening their range along the shoreline as they journey down from their holdover habitats.

Those splashes that have been catching the attention of anglers are being generated by a mix of river herring and menhaden. Water temperatures are into the low 50s pretty much throughout the Sound, fluctuating in the shallower sections as river run-off enters from the north. There’s bunker in the rivers and schools moving intermittently between local reefs.

The seasonal influx of baitfish has brought schools of blues—first the harbors, now followed by packs of the “big” gals. So far, getting to the stripers has not been hampered in the least, as “linesiders” are happy to inhale curly tail jigs, swimmers, and bait. Clousers are the ticket along the flats and lower tidal rivers. Inshore reefs are beginning to hold schools of bass where they’re falling for fresh bait as well as bucktail jigs. Early May fishing has been outstanding and there’s plenty more fish on the way.

Although winter flounder season has a few more weeks before it runs its course and the fishing has been so-so, “flatties” continue to quietly be caught. A few fish per outing with limits caught here and there from several coves/harbors is overshadowed by a surge in bass/blue activity. Look for a few teo- to three-pound, last-minute, end-of-the-season channel “blackbacks” to be caught. Trout and large- and smallmouth bass are taking center stage on the freshwater side. With the popular Hammo, Salmon, Shetucket, Farmington, and Housey rivers receiving fresh stockings of trout along with the trout parks, there are plenty of fish being caught. Weekends bring out the crowds, so finding a quiet hot spot can be difficult, but weekdays are more relaxed. If preferred, there are less frequented rivers and streams that can easily provide relaxation and a creel limit.

Largemouth bass fishing is red hot. They’re moving into the shallows and along pads and weedlines, exploding on soft plastics like frogs or lizards. Nighttime top water is also producing good fish in the four- to six-pound range. During the day, live shiners are deadly. Look for good end-of-day smallie action using a reliable craw imitation. While on the lakes or ponds, troll for trout at about 15 to 20 inches.

Note: Having a hard time finding or obtaining a sportsman license? Captain Morgan’s has “all” 2009 fishing, hunting, trapping licenses/permits (rifle, shotgun, archery, muzzle loader, HIP, CT duck stamps, etc.) available including shellfish licenses for Guilford and Madison. Captain Morgan’s for all things fishy including the latest gear, bait, flies/flyfishing, rod/reel repair, clam/crabbing supplies and licenses/permits. Swing by the shop (203-245-8665) open seven days located at 21 Boston Post Road, Madison.

On The Water 5/14/09

Best Bets for the Weekend: Bluefish are moving into the region and providing light-tackle action, while larger stripers are making their entry and are being caught regularly on drifted chunk baits. This action will improve over the coming week as more fish move in, so be out there to greet them. Flounder continue to be hit or miss, but if weather cooperates, give it a try. Trout waters have been restocked throughout Connecticut, and the Wood River in Rhode Island was float-stocked recently as well, so trout fishing throughout the region should be excellent. The walleye in the Saugatuck Reservoir appear to be on the prowl both day and night, so consider a bucket of live shiners and a trip to that body of water. The Farmington River sounds like an interesting place to toss some flies at fish.

Captain Jack Balint at The Fish Connection in Preston reports big bunker in the Thames River, though he says they are scattered. Some keeper fish are being taken under the bunker, but no jumbo fish reported yet. A few bluefish have turned up at Bartletts Reef, and Millstone area has good numbers of blues to 6 pounds. For trout, Captain Balint reports the Shetucket River and Yantic Rivers as top producers, with Amos Lake a best bet for stillwater fishing.

The Niantic River is still producing some O.K. flounder fishing according to Howard at Hillyer’s Bait & Tackle in Waterford. Bluefish are moving into the area, though the major throng appears to be along the Long Island shore at the moment. Striped bass fishing continues to improve, with the mouth of the Connecticut River on the outgoing tide producing some fish. The upper Thames River is also worth a shot.

Pat at River’s End in Old Saybrook has reports of some bigger bass in the Connecticut River, to 25 pounds, but no enormous fish yet. The fish are in shallow water and are being taken on shad-style baitfish imitations. Pat considers the run up the river to be at its peak for the season. There have been reports of bluefish in the Millstone area, and the action is due to light up any day now. The flounder fishing continues to be slow.

Captain Jerry Morgan at Captain Morgan’s Bait & Tackle in Madison reports a big push of bluefish working their way into Long Island Sound although most are on the smaller side and are often mixed in with school bass. Striper fishing in the river mouths continues to be good, but bass are showing up on the reefs and anglers are beginning to take bigger specimens on chunk bait drifted over the reef face. A run of weakfish into the area has taken a few anglers in the West Haven area and around Falkner’s Island by surprise. Flounder fishing remains slow, particularly because of unrelenting winds. Fish are still close to shore but should be moving off soon as the water warms. Inland, the Hammonassett River and Salmon River continue to produce very good trout fishing, and that trend should continue through the weekend as restocking occurred recently.

Overall, fishing has been good in the Stratford area according to Chris at Stratford Bait & Tackle in Stratford. Striped bass up to 20 pounds are showing up on a more regular basis, and some jumbo stripers to 40-plus pounds have been taken below the Derby Dam on the Housatonic River. Anglers fishing at night, using chunk bait are doing most the damage. Bluefish are also showing up and adding to the mix of available species. The Saugatuck Reservoir is producing some large brown trout, to 9 pounds, on live shiners. Several have been taken in the past week or so. Walleye, generally elusive in the reservoir, have taken to hitting spoons by day, with several 5-pound fish taken in this manner. Most trout waters have just been restocked, so trout angling should remain excellent.

Rick at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk reports striped bass to nearly 30 pounds being taken pretty consistently between Hempstead and Rye, N.Y. on bunker chunks. This action is improving steadily, and anglers should expect a push of jumbo bass in the coming week. Small bluefish in the 4- to 5-pound class are also moving into the area and providing good light-tackle action. Rick reports flounder fishing as continuing to be O.K. Can 9, on the incoming tide, has been one of the more productive spots of late. Two 10-pound walleye have been taken recently from the Saugatuck Reservoir on live shiners at night. [Alan Desbonnet, On The Water]

Marine Weekly Fishing Report #4 5/14/09

Water temperatures in Long Island Sound (LIS) are around 50 °F.

• STRIPED BASS fishing is good to excellent. Bigger fish have arrived on the reefs and tidal rivers with stripers in the 45 inch range being reported. Striper spots include the Pawcatuck River, upper Thames River (Norwich Harbor down to Montville), lower Connecticut River from Hamburg Cove down to the breakwaters, New Haven Harbor (Sandy Point), Bridgeport Harbor by the power plant warm water discharge (Breezy Point/Seaside Park), Housatonic River, Saugatuck River and the Norwalk Islands.
• HICKORY SHAD are also in the tidal rivers mixed in with school stripers.
• BLUEFISH have made their way into LIS but it is still early yet.

DEP Weekly Fishing Report #4 5/14/09

• Rivers & streams - Generally moderate flows and weather have contributed to some good to excellent trout fishing this season. Anglers are catching plenty of fish, and are reporting some of the “…fattest fish they have ever seen.” Reports from the West Branch Farmington (excellent in the Riverton area), Farmington River, Housatonic River, Pootatuck River, Pequonnock River, Hop River, Natchaug River, Blackledge River, Saugatuck River, Salmon River, Willimantic River, Mianus River, Mill River TMA and Salmon Brook. With several passing weather fronts in the five-day forecast, anglers may expect flows to vary greatly through the weekend.
• Farmington River - Water temperatures continue in the low 50’s°F. Flows are currently clear and moderate, with the West Branch contributing 145 cfs (Riverton) and the Still River adding an additional 145 cfs. Flows, especially from the Still River may fluctuate over the next five days due to several passing weather fronts. Current hatches/patterns include Blue Winged Olive (#16-28) [a.k.a. baetis or vagans], Blue Quills (#18-20) [a.k.a. paralep], Tan Caddis (#16-18; starting) and Hendrickson (a.k.a. red quills, #14-16). The Hendrickson hatch is ending, but some are still being found in the Riverton area. Anglers may find fishing a bit more challenging as insect hatches shift.
• Housatonic River - Water temperatures are in the mid 50’s°F. Flows are again clear and moderate (1,000 CFS at Falls Village and 1,550 cfs at Gaylordsville), but may increase again dependent on rainfall amounts. Current hatches/patterns include Green Caddis & Brown/Tan Caddis (#14-18) and Blue Wing Olive (#16-20, early morning; spinner fall in evening). March Browns (#10-12) and Gray Foxes (#14-16) should be starting up shortly. Midges (#22-26) are being seen at mouths of tributaries.
• Anglers Can Expect Good Fishing in western CT on the East Aspetuck River, Farmill River, Farmington River (from Route 219, New Hartford to Route 4, Farmington), Leadmine Brook, Mill River (Hamden, includes the TMA), Muddy River, Pond Brook, Pootatuck River and Quinnipiac River.
• Anglers Can Expect Good Fishing in Eastern CT, good fishing can be expected at the Blackledge River, Jeremy River, Blackwells Brook, Coginchaug River, Furnace Brook (Stafford), Hammonasset River (including the TMA), Hop River, Hunts Brook, Indiantown Brook, Latimer Brook, Latimer Brook, Mashamoquet Brook, Mt Hope River, Fenton River, Middle River (Stafford), Moosup River, Natchaug River, Pachaug River, Quanduck Brook, Quinebaug River, Roaring Brook (Glastonbury), Roaring Brook (Stafford), Salmon River (including the TMA), Scantic River, Shetucket River, Skungamaug River, Shunock Brook, Ten Mile River (Lebanon), Willimantic River (including TMA) and Yantic River (including TMA).
• Lakes & Ponds – Excellent trout fishing was found in many lakes/ponds throughout Connecticut. Areas to try include Saugatuck Reservoir, East Twin Lake (25” brown among the catches), Coventry Lake, Crystal Lake (Ellington), Highland Lake (fish at 15’), Quonnipaug Lake, Mashapaug Lake, Wononskopomuc Lake, Stillwater Pond, Squantz Pond, Beach Pond, West Hill Pond, Black Pond (Woodstock; 4-lb brown) and Bunnells Pond (Beardsley Park).
• Anglers can expect good fishing at Angus Park Pond, Bashan Lake, Green Falls Reservoir, Dodge Pond, Gay City Park Pond, Mashapaug Lake, Black Pond (Woodstock), Millers Pond, Somersville Mill Pond, Uncas Lake in eastern CT, and at East Twin Lake, Squantz Pond, Highland Lake, Nells Rock Reservoir, Pickett's Pond, Prospect Town Park Pond, and Upper Fulton Park Pond in western CT.
• Trout Parks - These areas are designed to be easy to fish, with excellent access and amenities such as picnic areas nearby, and are stocked frequently. The Day Pond, Mohegan Park Pond, Natchaug River, Wolfe Park (Great Hollow Pond), Southford Falls, Stratton Brook, Wharton Brook and Valley Falls Park Pond Trout Parks were all stocked this week.
• ATLANTIC SALMON have been reported from the Shetucket River, Mashapaug Lake and Beach Pond
• LARGEMOUTH BASS fishing is generally reported as fair to good. Areas to try include Moodus Reservoir, Lake McDonough, Lake Saltonstall, Highland Lake, Wononscopomuc Lake, Glasgo Pond (fair), Amos Lake (good), Candlewood Lake (good, catches include several 6 lb plus bass), Gardner Lake (good), Mansfield Hollow Reservoir (fair), Quaddick Lake (good), Pattagansett Lake, Beseck Lake, Bantam Lake (fair), Rogers Lake (very good), Ball Pond, Mudge Pond, Beach Pond (good) and Mono Pond.
• SMALLMOUTH BASS are reported at Lake McDonough, Saugatuck Reservoir, Highland Lake (fair), Mashapaug Lake, Bantam Lake (some catches), Gardner Lake (slow), Lake Lillinonah (good), Candlewood Lake (excellent) and Squantz Pond.
• NORTHERN PIKE catches reported from Mansfield Hollow Reservoir, Winchester Lake, Bantam Lake and Pachaug Pond.
• WALLEYE catches reported from Coventry Lake, Lake Saltonstall and Squantz Pond.
• CONNECTICUT RIVER – STRIPED BASS are in the river from Haddam to Enfield. School size (16-25”) fish and adults up to 50” are showing up. Trolling tube and worm, eels & soft plastics are working well. SHAD are reported in the river up to Windsor area and are fishing well at the confluence and upstream of the Farmington River.
• NORTHERN PIKE are reported in the Haddam Meadows area, Wethersfield Cove and White Oaks Cove.
• TIPS & TRICKS for STRIPED BASS are surrendering to a number of techniques. They are on the prowl right now (especially at dawn, dusk and night) and when you find hungry stripers, it can get crazy. Shore anglers are finding that Black Bombers are the ticket for these marauders. For those day-timers success is found by using soft plastics or plugs. Trolling tube and worm, eels & soft plastics all work well. Some anglers are having good luck using 9” Houdini Shad in bubblegum & white colors.