Captain Morgan, 6/10/09

An east/northeast blow greeted anglers as the fishing weekend approached but eased off just in time. Stiff winds and choppy seas hindered bait gathering and just about drained the tidal rivers as tides affected by the full moon peaked. A new hatch of sealife, however, was flushed downriver where mainly striped bass staged to feed.

As seas calmed and winds reduced to breezes shifting more westerly, anglers hit the reefs and shoals. Offshore structure creating rip lines produced linesiders in excess of 40 pounds while certain harbors acted as magnets for similarly heavy “cows.” Many anglers that fished from shore scored on plugs and soft plastics while on the reefs it was mainly eels and menhaden. Talk seemed to center more around Connecticut’s new marine fishing license than on the catch of the day.

There was steady action throughout with many light tackle and fly rodders enjoying multiple catches. Bluefish in the low- to mid-teens with broad shoulders and substantial girths began shearing lines and offering good mid-day fishing. Along with stripers, the blues worked Six Mile, Inner/Outer Southwest, Kimberly, Faulkner’s Island, Goose, and into the Beacon and New Haven Harbor.

Scup turned on briefly with catches of small- to medium-size fish around Kimberly, Faulkner’s, and Charles. In deeper water, several anglers ran into thick schools of spiny dogfish interrupting their deep-water reef fishing.

Although more anglers are shifting gears from fresh to saltwater, rivers, lakes, and ponds are being fished hard. Largemouth/smallmouth bass are biting, pike are easing but still being caught, panfish are plentiful, and trout are being trolled for in the deeper water—dries and small streamers in the streams. Try the early morning and late evening for a good topwater bass bite!