TheDay, 9/23/05

1. We're seeing more false albacore and bonito in our waters from Black Point to Montauk to Watch Hill and back to Black Point. Unfortunately these fish are proving hard to hook at times. I watched four boats working over a school on top off Watch Hill on Tuesday morning, casting away but in a half hour none of the people hooked a single fish despite some hectic feeding.
2. Jack at the Fish Connection said his customers had the best luck with these two species using a 3-inch Zoom Super Fluke, pearl-colored Swedish Pimple or epoxy fly rigged as a teaser ahead of a Deadly Dick. Try those the next time and see if your hookup ratio doesn't improve.
3. In other news, a school of big bunkers were off Millstone Point yesterday with blues and some bass chasing them. Small blues and schoolie bass can be caught at daybreak and off and on during the day between Harkness and Groton Long Point. Porgy catches remain very good. Shore fishermen along the Thames River landed small blues, porgies, a few fluke and too many sea robins. Those in small boats found bass to 35 inches and some blues in Norwich Harbor and the lower Shetucket River before daybreak and then later in the day between Lehigh Oil and Trading Cove.
4. Al Golinski of Misquamicut fished in an American Striper Association Tournament over the weekend with Captain Ben DeMario. Using live bait between the Watch Hill Reefs and Race Rock they landed 36 bass in two days with the two biggest 38 and 46 pounds, the latter caught by Al was good enough to come in second, that prize $1,600 cash. A 48-pounder took the top spot.
5. Capt. Don's in Charlestown said he's seeing more and more people arrive for the start of the fall surf season. Some of these are coming from as far away as New Jersey. Yo-Zuri darters are working at times along the Quonnie beaches and well as white pencil poppers. People are also seeing more bonito, prompting them to come in to buy green Deadly Dicks, a lure great for the inshore speedsters as well as bluefish. Frank from Patty's Restaurant had a couple good trips to the Mud Hole on the east side of Block Island for blue sharks and school bluefin. Fluke are just about done for the year but porgy fishing is still very good.
6. Bill at King Cove said they fluke are harder to find, the last seem to be larger fish coming from ever-deeper water. There's been lots of bait dropping out of the Pawcatuck River, drawing both bass and blues around Sandy and Stonington Points. Blackfish season has started with mainly shorts and small keepers the norm right now. Some of the live bait boats had good trips within the last week or so along the south side of Fishers Island.
7. Allen at Shaffers called it a quiet week but not because of lack of fish, mainly lack of people, perhaps to due with the high price of gas? John Paradis of Mystic got out to the Middle Clump on Wednesday, casting for schoolie stripers and bluefish. Kids are catching snappers around the Mason Island Bridge and at spot along the Mystic River. Blue fishing is still red hot in The Race and bass coming from Valiant Shoal on drifted eels after dark.
8. Capt. Brad Glas of the Hel-Cat sent in his regular e-mail about more good catches of blues from the day trips to The Race. They only slow day was last Monday. The night trip to Alligator Ledge was also a winner thanks to the passage of Ophelia being a “non-event.” Big fish of the week was a 12.8-pound blue by Sury Seijas of Meriden.
9. Stephanie Cramer is back in her usual slot, saying in her e-mail she had a close call wading along the upper Thames in water up to her waist in a strong moon tide. She tripped over a rock and ended up with waders full of water, carried down river. At first she tried to use her hands to get back to shore then realized she needed to get her feet down current after which she was able to stand and wade safely ashore. People who fish in rivers or wade parts of Quonny Breachway should take heed and watch where they wade.
10. Matt over at Hillyers Tackle called this one of the better bluefish years in the last five seasons. The blues are so numerous they bother bottom dunkers looking for porgies and the last of the fluke. If you want bass, the best time in The Race is from dusk to daybreak when the blue are not as strong. Interest in black fishing is growing, especially since all the large porgies still around will not grab a green crab. If you want scup, try the rocks on the south side of Fishers. Matt said you should get some over 2 pounds if you hit the right spot. He closed by saying the boat launch behind the store was half-full yesterday, probably some playing hooky from work on such a nice, fall day.
11. J&B Tackle reported their charter boat is getting lots of blues and some bass in The Race on drifted bucktails. Big porgies are around most of the rockpiles and the last of the big fluke being caught in deep water.
12. Pat down at River's End in Old Saybrook said some of the bass sharpies were getting live bunker in Clinton Harbor and then running it to Valiant Shoal for stripers, apparently able to keep the prize baits away from blues long enough for a bass to find it. They also landed some bass at Southwest Reef but not as many as from The Race. Surf casters caught schoolies after dark on the Old Lyme beaches on worms on the bottom and small boaters found sporadic schools of blues on top around the mouth of the Connecticut River. [org pub The Day, by Tim Coleman]