Norwich Bulletin, 9/3/05

1. Labor Day weekend has historically been a very active fishing weekend, especially for off-shore enthusiasts.
2. This is the time of year when those who are into off-shore fishing have the highest odds of hooking into billfish. This type includes white marlin (which get up to 100 pounds), blue marlin (running from 200 to 500 pounds or more), and swordfish ( at 100 to 500 pounds or more). But, at best, these fish are scarce and hard to hook.
3. More realistically an off-shore run to the continental shelf or canyons is likely to yield albacore, yellowfin, bluefin, or big-eye tuna along with mahi-mahi, wahoo and even king mackerel.
4. Closer to the mainland, sharks are all over the place and usually easy to chum up to a hook bait. Blue sharks are most common, but occasionally mako, porbeagle, thresher, and even the occasional great white sharks are drawn to chum slicks while sharking.
5. Mako's are the most prized of the shark species. Large, extremely fast swimming, powerful and totally nuts, these fish are above all unpredictable, with a reputation for jumping like a trained dolphin at the Mystic Marine Life Aquarium when hooked.
6. Southern migrants such as mahi-mahi, wahoo, king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, even cobia may be encountered along with the tunas in the warm water hot spots that break off from the Gulf Stream and blow in shore along the continental shelf.
7. This is how all the odd ball stuff we catch along the beaches here every summer get into our near shore waters.
8. This time of year the inshore fishing will begin building to a climax that will occur some time next month when bluefish, striped bass, bonito, Spanish mackerel and false albacore move into the Long Island Sound and find all the bait being offered.
9. Two requirements for great fall fishing is water temperatures remaining high as long as possible, the presence of bait and weather conditions that allow us to get out on the water to enjoy whatever Mother Nature provides in the way of runs.
10. This is not unusual, it happens every summer in the waters from Newport to Point Judith and Nebraska Shoal, with occasional sightings and accidental catches made from Watch Hill to the Race. What was unusual is the fact they stuck around for five weeks.
11. During this time, many anglers in this area caught them both accidentally and by intent. They are gone for now, but may come back through, later in the fall.
12. Stripers are at their seasonal low but can be caught after dark along rocky shorelines, off the Watch Hill Reef Complex, or out in the Race on live eels, live scup, hickory shad or small bluefish.
13. Fluke action is a slow pick, as its been all season. Last week, Cheryl Fee said her customers did as well in the waters of Mystic and Stonington as they did when they burned all the gas to get to Fishers Island or Rhode Island waters.
14. If fluke or other species can't be caught, find a reef, rock pile, jetty, or channel marker and odds are there will be some scup down there to catch. [org pub Norwich Bulletin, Bob Sampson, Jr.]