TheDay 11/4/05

1. Black fishing is still king with fish caught from Weekapaug through Black Point; the only limiting factor was the wind. When it lays down, look for a small boat flotilla to gather on some of the popular spots. Bass are still on most of the reefs between Watch Hill and Long Sand Shoal and shore fishing along the Rhode Island beaches is much better than previous reports.
2. Al Golinski of Misquamicut counted seven boats on the Stone Pile off Weekapaug when he went by early in the day on Sunday. He turned around, went to the west and found a limit of tautog to 8 pounds on green crabs. They next day he and his friend couldn't locate any live baits for stripers then they returned to the same spot for about the same results. A couple of 40-pound bass were pulled from the Watch Hill Reefs on live hickory shad caught around Niantic.
3. Capt. Al Anderson will be putting his big boat away soon and in the meantime is fishing his smaller boat in the Thames. On a windy Thursday morning they landed 30 small stripers from 16-22 inches in a cove around EB along with a few blues. By 11 a.m., the southwest wind got to the point they had to head back to the ramp.
4. Capt. Don's in Charlestown said some Connecticut surf fishermen caught schoolies and blues after dark last Saturday night in awful conditions of wind and rain. Freddy Tercic and Carmello Meli made a run to Block Island for four bass from 15-32 pounds drifting eels. Toward the end of this week, the daytime surf action was better than the night with blues and schoolies caught on bait on the bottom and a variety of lures. This writer landed seven blues from 5-14 pounds on a topwater plug at the Fire District Beach from 1:30-5 p.m. on Wednesday. Large bunker are moving past on some of the days. They sometimes become stranded on shore where they are promptly captured and used for fresh chunk baits.
5. King Cove Outfitters said the shore fishing took a turn for the better from about last weekend through yesterday. People out at daybreak had blues and schoolies on poppers and plastics on at least five of seven mornings. Frozen or fresh chunks of bunker or mackerel fished on the bottom accounted for numbers of large blues during the day from Misquamicut to East Beach near Charlestown Breachway. Black fishing is very good if you get a window in the wind from Weekapaug through Seaside.
6. Allen at Shaffers Marina weighed in a limit catch of blackfish to 9.8 pounds from Red Reef for Cora Trimble of Mystic and two friends. People are buying eels consistently so the striper fishing is still alive and well. Their last day will be Nov. 12. Another season on the waters of the Sounds is coming to a close.
7. Jack Balint at the Fish Connection observed all his customers are getting blackfish at Frank's Ledge, the reef southwest of Seaflower and Race Rock on the days they can get out. Look for schoolies in the morning between Pine Island and Groton Long Point and maybe some blues to 14 pounds at Millstone. The best bet for catching bass in the Thames seems from the I-95 Bridge to the mouth.
8. Stephanie Cramer sent in her regular e-mail saying she didn't have much luck casting in the evening from the banks of the upper Thames. However some of her fellow fishing club members caught lots of schoolies on Wednesday just north of I-95 and others also found them in the early morning the same day around Bushy Point.
9. Over at Hillyers Tackle, I found Capt. Howard Beers minding the store. He reported good black fishing with several fish from 9-13 pounds weighed in. Lots of big blues are in the area, taking diamond jigs, bucktails or showing on top. A school of small to medium bass were also showing on the surface at times between the mouth of the Thames and Ocean Beach, sometimes coming within range of those on shore.
10. Roger at J&B Tackle said the black fishing is very good right now at various spots like Ram Island Reef and the Weakfish Hump. False albacore put in a quick flurry off New London one day but disappeared after that. Their charter boat is still getting large blues and some bass in The Race. They have another eight trips on the books then will call it a year.
11. Sherwood Lincoln of East Lyme tried black fishing off Black Point one windy morning but the weather got so bad they had to turn around and come back in. Since then the boat sat in at stack rack waiting for a calm day.
12. River's End Tackle had news about some good numbers of stripers to 30 pounds and large blues caught on three-wayed eels at Long Sand Shoal. The lower Connecticut River had been very poor for those looking for casting opportunities for school bass. The river is full of floating logs and debris that unfortunately some boaters located the hard way. Along the local shorelines, there's a mix of large hickory shad, bass to 24 inches and a few very fat bluefish, best at daybreak and again at sunset. [by Tim Coleman]

Conn Post 11/4/05

1. Anglers finally had a stable week of weather. Afternoon winds foiled some saltwater fishing trips on Long Island Sound, but freshwater anglers got to enjoy the sunny, seasonably warm climate. Adding to the inland pleasures was the addition of Atlantic salmon to the Naugatuck River fishery.
2. Salmon anglers should find at least 400 surplus Atlantic salmon broodstock in the Naugatuck River this weekend. The state Department of Environmental Protection also plans to stock another helping of salmon into the river early next week. These salmon typically weigh between five to six pounds, with an occasional 10-pounder mixed in.
3. The salmon are stocked into two specific sections of the Naugatuck River. In the north, the fish are put into the "Campville Section" of the Naugatuck River between Bogue Road in Litchfield and the Thomaston flood control dam in Thomaston. This river section has many deep pools to hold the salmon during these high water periods. The lower stocked section runs from Prospect Street in Naugatuck downstream to Pines Bridge Road in Beacon Falls. Salmon in this section tend to hide in the small pocket water downstream of large boulders and in the deep cuts near bridges, highway riprap and river bends.
4. Anglers must remember the salmon fishery is strictly for sport. All hooked salmon must be released immediately until the end of the month. Anglers will be allowed to keep one salmon per day Dec. 1-March 31. You must also adhere to special tackle restrictions. Fly fishermen may only use one single-hook fly without weights added to the line. Spincasters can only use artificial lures that have a single free-swinging hook. Bait is prohibited.
5. Trout fishing is generally good in the rivers with subdued flows. Some of the better reports have come from the Mill River trout management area, the West Branch of the Farmington River, the Saugatuck River fly fishing area, Pomperaug River, Pootatuck River, the Trumbull section of the Pequonnock River and Salmon Brook. The main Farmington River and Housatonic River are still high and muddy making fishing very difficult.
6. Largemouth bass action is hit or miss. The "misses" should lessen as the stable weather continues through the weekend. Your best bet would be to avoid the larger temperamental lakes, such as Lake Zoar and Candlewood Lake. Instead visit the smaller ponds like Lake Saltonstall, Ball Pond, Pataganset Lake, Mamanasco Lake, Lake Kenosia, Pierrepont Pond, Beseck Lake, Black Pond, Dooley Pond, Lake Wintergreen, North Farms Reservoir, Dog Pond, Hatch Pond and Stillwater Pond. Live minnows have been very popular with the live bait crowd, while small soft plastic baits are scoring for artificial lure enthusiasts.
7. Those who got out on the Sound reported plenty of bluefish and striped bass. You need to work a bit to locate the schools, but once found the action can be furious. Good places to start are Buoy 28C, Sunken Island, Penfield Lighthouse, Buoy 20, outside the Housatonic River and along the New Haven Harbor channels.
8. Elsewhere, porgy season is now closed. Blackfish are around in good supply on most of the larger reefs. Hickory shad are catchable in the Mystic River, Niantic River, Clinton Harbor and the East River. Sporadic reports of little tunny and Atlantic bonito have come from the reefs east of the Connecticut River. [by FRANK MCKANE JR. ]

Capt Morgan, Madison 11/03/05

• The air was brittle-ly cold and the developing northwest wind made an otherwise unseasonably warm saltwater spray feel cold to the touch. Drifts were hard to maintain, although in some areas, protected by a low shoreline horizon, the effects of the elements were toned down. There certainly was no problem keeping the bait cool but the cold made it uncomfortable to the almost numb fingertips.
• Searching for bass in these conditions requires a little foresight, a fair amount of homework and more than just a little experience fishing the big pond. Outsmarting stripers is one thing, trying to out-muscle Mother Nature is quite another. Jigging diamonds and trolling tubes produced very stubborn over-sized blues which, no doubt, grew to be that size by feeding in the big and tall strips of real estate.
• Pointing the bow toward shore and an ebbing tidal river seemed to be the smart move, both for our comfort and the success of the trip. It was the time of year when juvenile fish seeking refuge in the upper rivers now begin to move down river and into the Sound. We didn't need much time to determine whether or not this move would produce, for within minutes we could see fish working the cut seemingly to pick and choose their way through a congested school of bunker.
• It became an exercise of snag, hookup, and release. All fish caught had the telltale signs of stripes. Tails were breaking the surface and fish were seen gorging—almost picking and choosing their meal—so much to choose from and not enough girth to hold it all. The only signs of bluefish were the occasional bunker heads that were retrieved surgically-cut to the gill covers. Most bass caught and released were all in the 18- to 22-pound range, but the sheer numbers of them made up for the lack of cows.
• Listening to all of the reports about how hot striper fishing has been would not lead one to believe that a day on the water could be just the opposite. Yet to some, that's exactly what a few anglers are finding out. They are discovering that loading up on bait and gear and heading to their favorite spot has been yielding unexpected results.
• Some fishermen/women are putting in hard hours and coming up short, yet others are casually setting up, expecting maybe a hit or two, and having a day or night to remember. Some call it luck. Others call it putting in your time. Me, I call it reading nature's signals and understanding how, when, and where fish feed.
• Remember, this is the time of year when bait begins to flush from the tidal rivers and when extreme tides thin out their upper reaches. As some of these popular rivers begin to drain, fish start heading out and into the jaws of bass and blues waiting below. Bucking the odds searching for stripers in the deep when signs point to the shallow more protected waters could make for a long trying day. Explore your options and fish accordingly.

FISHING REPORT:

1. Thanks to the cold spell and a few of those frosty evenings, anglers fishing for striped bass from shore got to put some serious wear and tear on their gear. As tidal rivers were flushed, bait was swept toward the Sound and into the mouths of hungry linesiders, poised to ambush from skinny water. Fishermen were pumped as word spread that shore fishing picked up and fish were on the move.
2. There was a mix of bait and lures used in order to tempt these feeding bass. However, that only led to confusion amongst some anglers who tried to duplicate the success of others without rhyme or reason. At times, small poppers imitating peanut bunker were the key and during other tides, it was the attention-getting rattlers. Soft baits got gobbled up while live/fresh-frozen offerings were attacked with a vengeance. Often during these forays, bluefish were absent, but as light broke through the darkness, stripers eased off and blues began to feed their incessant appetites.
3. As the action picked up along the shore, many reefs became more noticeably stacked with fish. From Fisher's Island right on to Faulkner's Island, striper fishing continued to be strong. Getting through the blues did pose a problem to many anglers especially when those choppers in the low to mid-teens took a liking to your bait. But those die-hard striper fishermen had no difficulty connecting with live eels, menhaden, chutes, and jigs. There were times, though that deep water fishing for stripers was dampened when monster blues took over the limelight.
4. Tautog (blackfish) continues to draw tog-pullers to the rock piles for one reason and one reason only. The fish are turned on. Now that we can expect a break in the weather, the limited days on the water should prove fantastic. Most shoreline reefs and some inshore feeding grounds have become gathering points.
5. Notwithstanding our New England weather, November is going to be one hot fishing month! [org pub Shore Publishing, by Captain Morgan at 21 Boston Post Rd]

Conn Post 10/28/05

1. The recent storms have raised havoc on the state's freshwater fisheries. Rivers remain swollen and very difficult to fish. Many of the lakes and ponds are also flooded, making boat launching and shore fishing somewhat difficult. Conversely, fishing in Long Island Sound is generally good.
2. Bluefish have been cooperating in most of the larger harbors and off the area beaches. Anglers casting poppers, swimming plugs and metal lures are picking up plenty of three-to-six-pound bluefish. On light tackle, these smaller bluefish can be quite a challenge. Calf Pasture Beach, the mouth of the Saugatuck River, Compo Beach, Frost Point, inside Penfield Reef, Black Rock Harbor, Bridgeport Harbor, Short Beach, Gulf Beach and the West Haven sandbar are worth visiting this weekend.
3. Blackfish are showing up in increasing numbers as the water cools. Hermit crab bellies, split green crabs or Japanese crabs are the preferred blackfish baits. Another key to catching blackfish is to use a low-stretch fishing line. Many skilled tog hunters prefer braided nylon lines or the new fluorocarbon lines. When a blackfish takes the bait, it often dives into rock crevices. Stretchable monofilament lines allow the fish to pull off this maneuver and escape. Low stretch lines give you better control over the hooked blackfish.
4. Black sea bass and porgy are also mixed in with the blackfish. They will take the same baits, as well as sandworms. Remember, porgy season closes at the end of the month. Look for all three fish off Copps Rocks, Greens Ledge, Pecks Ledge, the Norwalk Oyster beds, Cockenoe Reef, Penfield Light, Middleground, the breakwater at the mouth of the Housatonic River, Charles Island, the New Haven Harbor breakwaters, Townsend Ledge and the Branford Beacon.
5. Flooding has caused several problems around the state. Those affecting anglers are: The state park road to the Mashapaug Lake boat launch ramp is closed until storm damage can be repaired. Due to flood control emergencies, the scheduled drawdowns of Lake Lillinonah and Lake Zoar were postponed one week. Lake Lillinonah is now scheduled to be drawn down five feet this week. The drawdown of Lake Zoar should begin today with refilling scheduled to begin on November 6. Another three-foot drawdown of Highland Lake is scheduled to begin on Tuesday. Winter drawdowns of Gardner Lake, Pachaug Pond, Lower Bolton Lake, Glasgo Pond and Bashan Lake are scheduled to begin this weekend.
6. Because of the rain and cold, largemouth bass fishing around the state is slow. Anglers are finding that trout, crappie and yellow perch are making up for the bass lethargy. The better trout reports have been coming from Highland Lake, Candlewood Lake, East Twin Lake, Mt Tom Pond, West Hill Pond, Tyler Pond, Black Pond, Squantz Pond and Colebrook Reservoir.
7. Crappie and yellow perch are very cooperative in Lake Lillinonah, Lake Zoar, West Twin Lake, Highland Lake, Pachaug Pond and Mamanasco Lake. Both fish are easy to catch because they school up during the fall season. Tiny tube lures, marabou jigs, live pinhead minnows and tiny jigging spoons are hot lures for these fish. Look for the crappie schools near hard structures like boat docks, bridge abutments, stonewalls and fallen trees. Yellow perch would rather hide near weed beds, riprap banks and long tapered points. [by FRANK McKANE JR. ]

On The Water 10/28/05

1. This past week was broken up by rains Saturday and by Hurricane Wilma earlier in the week. Those who have been fishing in-between all the miserable weather have been catching some fish. Blackfish have turned on across the board, with the main problem simply being able to get out in the boat to set up off a reef or ledge. Bass and bluefish are still around in good numbers, with bass beginning to dominate catches in most areas as water temperatures finally cool. The big fish seem to be around Narragansett, with a few beginning to filter on down the south shore beaches. There are scattered reports of false albacore around the mouth of the Sound, but no one has seen large concentrations, other than perhaps across the way at Montauk Point.
2. The hurricane remnants kicked up a super high tide, and the high winds battered the shoreline pretty hard, so things may be mixed up for a few days. It’s impossible to predict exactly what this storm has done to the bait and movement of striped bass and bluefish.
3. Richard at Hillyer’s Bait and Tackle in Waterford told us there have been a good number of bluefish moving in and out of the bay lately. Many are being caught on chunk bait from the beach along the tracks. A few albies are still around in small schools that have been popping up in the Millstone outflow and Pleasure Beach area, but they are in small schools and typically hard to catch.
4. Blackfishing has been great lately. They have seen fish of 13.5 pounds and 10 pounds, plus numerous other 8- and 7-pounders over the past couple of weeks. Local skin divers are seeing very high numbers of tautog around the rocks, more than usual.
5. The area between the bridges has been producing bass on live hickory shad on balloons. Anglers are still catching striped bass off Black Point and Bartlett Reef when the weather allows. The report from the Fishers Island area is that The Race is good if you can get through the bluefish. Ocean Beach was hot with bass and bluefish all last week. But no word on what’s happened since the hurricane came through. Even inside the Sound, Rich noted that the tide was higher at dead low today than it normally is at high tide between the bridges.
6. “Q” of River’s End, Saybrook said there were small bass and bluefish in the lower Connecticut River that are probably gone after this most recent flooding. He added that he was surprised they were there after the “nine days of rain last week,” but they were, in fair numbers. No telling what the recent storm has done to the river, but you can bet it’s high, flowing hard and very dirty.
7. Blackfish action has been good at Hatchett Reef, off the Thames and in Niantic but no specific reports on big-fish catches, just that those who are fishing these areas are satisfied. One of my friends caught a limit of blackfish from New London Harbor Saturday morning. “Q” said that at least now the weather is beginning to feel like it’s blackfish season.
8. Captain Jerry Morgan of Captain Morgan’s Tackle, Madison said that blackfish turned on hot and heavy off all the local reefs, with Charles Reef, Madison Reef and Kimberly Reef all holding decent fish. Some big bass have moved into the rocks and shorelines throughout the Madison area, along with the bluefish, which have been present for months. The captain said that “the three Bs – blackfish, bass and blues” are all in hot and heavy, and waiting for someone to get out and catch them this weekend.
9. Chris Fulton, owner of Stratford Bait and Tackle in Stratford, was on the phone all afternoon, probably reordering all the tackle the bluefish have eaten up this season.
10. Scott from Fisherman’s World, Norwalk said not much has been happening in his neck of the woods, due to the poor fishing weather. He said they have the impression that some bass movement is starting, based on the fact that anglers fishing in deep waters outside the Norwalk Islands, around Buoy 28-C and 11-B, are jigging up bigger fish but no monsters lately. Friday, Dixon Downey caught a limit of blackfish, with the largest tipping the scales at seven pounds, along with a 4.25-pound sea bass, all from 15 to 20 feet of water off Cockenoe Reef. That same day Jim Zottoli and his son caught four blackfish over five pounds off Budds Reef, so it looks like with all the dropping water temps and storms the blackfish are finally beginning to move around in the shallower, warmer waters of western Long Island Sound. They have been turned on in the east for two or three weeks now.
11. Local shore fishing has been up and down with the weather. It is expected that the catching of bass and blackfish will do nothing but improve from now through nearly Christmastime, depending on temperatures. It’s a matter of staying out in the cold.
12. This week, it looks like a double-dip trip, starting with blackfish and ending with striped bass, might be a wise choice.

Madison, Captain Morgan 10/28/05

1. More fishing days came to light this past week than led to believe by many a predictors. Typically for this time of year, wind is a factor and at times Mother Nature did not disappoint us. However, major storms were held at bay stalling and teasing many east coasters. This of course, opened the door for windows of opportunity and the fish, undaunted, were in the suds just waiting for their seasonal.
2. Stripers are on the move and shore fishing on Long Island Sound has become more productive now that water temperatures are dropping. Yep, shorter days and chilly mornings are starting to have a greater effect on our bass fishery and anglers are noticing a difference in hook ups. If you haven't been out in a few, then get going.
3. Soon bait will also be on the move but for now, there is plenty of it. Bunker schools have begun to scatter, however select mid-shore harbors and tidal rivers are corralling points for large bass and blues. Riverbanks and bridge abutments are getting a workout as bait is being driven to them before being consumed in familiar fall fashion. Casting plugs are finding their marks as well as tin squids and bucktails. Live bait, certainly, is scoring with high marks both from shore and boat.
4. Determining hot spots is wind, current, tide, and bait dependent. Often, both bait and game fish will seek cover to improve their feeding prospects and protection against the elements. At times, for example, the reefs of Southwest were out-produced by Six Mile simply because it was calmer and more conducive to feeding. Up to now, Faulkner Island has been fairly consistent with pre-fall migration bass as was Charles, Kimberly, Sachem's, Brown's, and The Beacon. This is about to change with more bass in the 30- to 40-pound plus range on the move.
5. Live bait, such as eels and menhaden or fresh iced bait, has been drawing hard hits. Tin squidding offers a good alternative in areas where fish are schooled while T/W is a good option for slow-trolling close to shore, along shallow shoals as well as deep reefs and passages.
6. Bluefish fans are in their glory as choppers feed throughout our reading area. Bird activity has become more noticeable especially in and around harbor entrances, rips, and rock formations that trap/hold bait during tidal changes. Small baitfish, as well as adult and juvenile bunker, are attracting large schools of blues and, in turn, gatherings of anglers. Looking for albies? Hit the Race but don't rule out quick-moving schools that ventured well into the Sound.
7. Blackfish (Tautog) fishing has turned on with most popular reefs and rock piles holding fish. From the breakwalls in New Haven to the productive rock formations around Faulkner Island, from Madison and Kimberly Reefs to Southwest and onto Hatchett's and Black Point, togs are the talk. Appetites are changing as quickly as the days and tides change. Togs on one reef may gobble up greenies while those on another jump on hermits and on yet still another, sandworms or clams may be the answer. Go back to the same spot the next day and don't be surprised if the best bait of yesterday is ignored.
8. Water's up and trout are down in the newly formed pools, thanks to the recent rain. Fall fishing for them has begun and there has been some good activity in the recently stocked rivers and lakes. The same goes for largemouth bass but not so for most northern pike fishermen who have tried the Connecticut River probably due to the confusing combinations of barometric pressure and weather fronts. Once things settle down, look for good sweet water fishing ahead. [org pub TheDay.com by Captain Morgan Route 1, 21 Boston Post Road, on the Madison side of the Madison/Guilford town line.
   

TheDay 10/28/05

1. In between storms, black fishing is quite good on most of the local rockpiles. Within the last week, Richard at Hillyers Tackle in Waterford weighed in a 13.7-pounder along with one a little over 10 pounds and a couple of eights.
2. Two customers came back to say they culled their limits from a catch of 40 fish and two more had the same tale from a total of 26 fish. They were caught from a variety of spots like the Bartlett's Spindle, Goshen Reefs and the ledge on the east side of Millstone outflow.
3. Dave Motherway of Stonington said he dropped his daughter's boat off for servicing at Boats Inc. on a day they had a blackfish tournament going on. He saw lots of large fish on the scales, a couple of them over 12 pounds.
4. Al Golinski got out on Monday before the wind started blowing for some large porgies on the rocks off Charlestown then some jumbo blues on the Watch Hill reefs. He marked some stripers in his bass holes but they didn't seem interested even in live bait dangled in front of their noses. He saw four boats all the way from Montauk anchored just off the beach at Weekapaug on his way east in the morning, presumably catching tautog.
5. Capt. Don's in Charlestown reported the surf fishing is still very slow with a small number of blues and bass caught between here and Watch Hill. Lou Blanchard had a 21-pounder on a pencil popper Monday evening along the west part of Weekapaug Beach, the same spot where Del Barber of Westerly had some blues and schoolies at sunrise the same day. Black fishing is shaping up very well on the days the wind lays down enough for small boats to get out.
6. Capt. Al Anderson of Snug Harbor got out last weekend for a total of 80 bass and blues on both Saturday and Sunday trolling wire line with jigs or tubes on the shallow part of the North Rip. The bass ranged from shorts to keepers and blues from 3 to 7 pounds, all on the early morning ebb tide in water that's dropped to 61 degrees since last report. Later on Saturday they towed three stranded people in a 17-foot ski boat off Clay Head, motor dead, winds blowing 15 to 20 from the northeast. On the tow back to Point Judith the seas were so bad the three had to continually bail the small boat to keep it from filling with water.
7. Shaffers in Mystic weighed a 59-pound striper caught last Friday early in the morning on a live eel on the backside of Fishers Island. On the nicer days people are buying lots of eels to catch bass at various spots around Fishers. Black fishing was good last weekend and on Wednesday the cove by the marina was full of hickory shad, the second time this fall that happened after heavy rain stopped and front passed through.
8. Joe Balint was handling the duties at the Fish Connection when I called. He said you can get schoolies from shore along the Thames River. The runoff from the last storm chased a school of blues to about 7 pounds down river from their former positions around Lehigh Oil and Trading Cove. Look for schoolie bass and a couple blues early in the day from Ocean Beach to Avery Point. A school of false albacore pushed inside Pine Island one day then departed just as quick. Dennis from the shop caught only short blackfish at Latimers on his last day off but observed other boats nearby with keepers.
9. Stephanie Cramer had another tag returned from a striper she tagged in the Thames River on April 28. It was recovered on May 25 from the Westport River in Massachusetts — in an osprey nest. How I wonder did that tag get there? Did the osprey eat a small bass and leave the tag?
10. Capt. Brad Glas of the Hel-Cat said they fished five of seven days last week and found the blue fishing in The Race “phenomenal.” Blues were going nuts chasing both butterfish and anchovies, all in constant frenzy.
11. The slower bass hit just around the change of the tide about the only time the blues seemed to ease off. They even caught a false albacore on a bluefish rig. Tops for the week was a 17-pound striper by Brian Patterson of Norwich, a man who spends considerable time on the boat. Their last trip of the season will be Sunday, Oct. 30.
12. Capt. Kyle Dotton of J&B Tackle saw their charter boat unload a large catch of blues from The Race. He also said the bass fishing during the day is pretty good and night trips also good when they had a bright moon. With water temps what they are he predicted some good scores on the upcoming November full moon. There hasn't seen any top water casting for blues and bass in Niantic Bay, normally good at this time of year. Blackfish reports were good to outstanding, weather permitting, from Black Point to the Weakfish Ridge to Race Rock.
13. Sherwood Lincoln of East Lyme made a trip for sea bass on Oct. 21. Leaving from Niantic he fished Block Island for fair results. Stops on the way back on some of the lesser-know wrecks off the Rhode Island shore produced a bumper load of sea bass, large porgies, jumbo cunners and some bluefish that took the small strips of squid meant for sea bass.
14. Black fishing is worth your time on the rockpiles outside the mouth of Niantic Bay if a storm isn't howling around us.
15. River's End in Old Saybrook said it was a slower week due to wind keeping many people on shore. Those that did get out had good results with blackfish from Black Point to Seaside and big numbers of blues and some bass drifting bucktails in the Middle Race and Valiant Shoal during the day.

CT DEP: 10/24/05 - Weekly Fishing Report

• ATLANTIC SALMON:This weeks planned stocking of the Naugatuck and Shetucket Rivers with 400 Atlantic salmon from the federal hatchery in Vermont was postponed due to poor weather. DEP now plans to stock these fish early next week. There is also a possibility that an additional 400 salmon from the federal hatchery may also be stocked later next week. These salmon will typically weigh 5-6 pounds each. DEP currently expects to stock the first group of spawned salmon from its Kensington Hatchery during the week of November 7th.
• Reminder - Anglers are reminded that catch-and- release fishing is in effect through November 30, 2005. From December 1, 2005 to March 31, 2006, anglers may keep one fish per day. Fishing for Atlantic salmon is limited to use of single-fly or lure with a single free-swinging hook.
• TROUT :LAKES & PONDS Trout fishing is variable, with reports from Wonoscopomuc Lake (fair, reminder: lake closes October 31st), Amos Lake (slow), Highland Lake (slow), East Twin Lake (mixed reports), Beach Pond (good), West Hill Pond and Great Hollow Pond (fair).
• RIVERS & STREAMS - Fluctuating flows during the past several weeks have led to highly variable trout fishing, with anglers reporting some periods of good fishing in a number of rivers and streams including the Mill (TMA, 25 trout for one angler), West Branch Farmington (TMA), Saugatuck, Pomperaug, Farmill, Salmon, Pootatuck, Norwalk and� Pequonock Rivers and Salmon Brook (36 brook trout). Thanks to Tuesday�s rains, flows are again high (but currently dropping) in many rivers and streams. As flows again recede anglers using streamers or nymphing should have success (especially during the early morning and late evening). For streamers try white, yellow and brown colors. Patterns to try include White Wooly Buggers, Muddlers, Micky Finn, Grey or Black Ghosts (#4-10). Nymphs include Caddis pupa (#14-16), Serendipity (#14-16), Pheasant Tail (#12-20), Prince (#6-18) and Hare�s ear (#8-20).
• Farmington River - West Branch flows are stained and currently high, with about 410 cfs from Hogback to Riverton and about 1,100 cfs below the confluence of the Still River. Inflows from the Still should continue to decrease, making the river more fishable by this weekend. Patterns that had been working include Blue Wing Olives and Caddis (tan #14-18, all day; green #22-26, evening; summer pupa #18-20 morning).
• Housatonic River - The river is currently unfishable due to very high flows, about 5,300 cfs at Falls Village and about 8,800 cfs at Gaylordsville (flows are beginning to drop, and the river may be somewhat fishable by late this weekend or early next week). The water temperature is about 46�F at Falls Village.
• LARGEMOUTH AND SMALLMOUTH BASS fishing continues to be variable, ranging from slow to good, with reports for largemouth from Lake Zoar (slow), Candlewood (fair, but still tough for some anglers, a 6.7 lb bass among the catches), Maltby Lakes (good), Highland Lake (very mixed reports, mostly slow but a 7.9 lb bass among the catches), East Twin Lake (slow), Rogers Lake (mixed reports), Bantam Lake (good), and Batterson Park, Long, Hatch (slow), Mudge (4.3 lb bass), Bigelow (slow although one nice 4 lb bass) and Pachaug Ponds. Limited action for smallmouth bass reported from Candlewood Lake, Squantz Pond and Highland Lake.
• WALLEYE action reported from Saugatuck Reservoir (6 fish up for one angler including a 7-pounder), Lake Saltonstall (7 fish up including a 7.75 lb beauty), Beach Pond and Squantz Pond (5 fish up to 25.5").
• YELLOW PERCH action reported from Beach Pond, Maltby Lakes and Tyler Lake.
• A nice 16 BLACK CRAPPIE was caught by Steve Craig (Plainfield) at Beach Pond.
• In the lull between rain and high flow events, fishing for NORTHERN PIKE was reported to be good in the Haddam Meadows area of the Connecticut River.
• MARINE REPORT The water temperature in Long Island Sound (LIS) ranges from the high 50s to low 60s
• Still a lot of BLUEFISH throughout LIS making it tough for anglers seeking STRIPERS. Bluefish fishing will remain good untilwater temperatures drop into the lower 50s F. Schoolie striper action can be found in the Thames, Niantic, Connecticut, and Housatonic Rivers. Other spots include the Watch Hill reefs, Ram Island Reef, the Race, Plum Gut, Millstone Point, Bartlett Reef, Black Point, the humps south of Hatchett Reef, Long Sand Shoal, Connecticut River breakwater to White Sands Beach, Cornfield Point, Southwest Reef, Sixmile Reef, the reefs off Madison and Branford, New Haven Harbor, Milford Harbor breakwaters to Charles Island and Milford Point area, Penfield Reef, the Norwalk Islands, and Stamford Harbor.
• SCUP (porgies) fishing is good but time is dwindling down as the fishery closes November 1.
• BLACKFISH (tautog) fishing continues to heat up on the major reefs and should continue until water temperatures chill to the mid to upper 40s
• HICKORY SHAD fishing remains good in the Mystic River (Noank), Niantic River, Connecticut River, Clinton Harbor and the East River (Guilford).
• LITTLE TUNNY and ATLANTIC BONITO fishing is hit or miss. Plum Gut, the Sluiceway, the Race, Pine Island area off the Thames River, Millstone Point and Pleasure Beach in Waterford, Hatchett Reef, and Long Sand Shoal are spots worth trying.

On The Water 10/21/05

1. Obviously, when the massive storm system settled off the coast last week, no one had any idea we’d be in for nine days of near constant rain, variable winds and generally miserable but fishy conditions. During most of the storm few boat anglers ventured out, despite the fact there were some windows of lower winds in which it would have been possible to make a run out to wet a line. Being an avid barometer watcher, I noticed that there were two or three periods during that storm when, despite cloudy skies and even light rain in the air, the barometric pressure actually rose. I’ve seen this happen only a few times in the two seasons I have owned my Bushnell DNS Handheld Barometer. In fact, until I saw it happen a second time, I thought my machine was on the blink, but it wasn’t. This is a well-made, durable and accurate little piece of equipment that also provides temperature, a compass and even altitude, as well as a graph with a total of 13 barometric points prior to the current reading, all in a package the size of a small cell phone. My buddies call it the oracle, which I have found to be accurate in predicting the best times to be on the water.
2. In essence, under dropping barometric pressure, go fishing. When the pressure rises (usually after a storm passes through) mow the lawn or, now, rake leaves. It turns out, as I watched the effects of this entire system and correlated it with the fishing successes and failures of a couple of friends, the above conclusions were for the most part verified yet one more time. Even under apparently excellent conditions, during those periods of high pressure, which came through like pulses in-between the rains of the long-term storm system, the fishing for pike was spotty and slow. The highs were pockets of high-pressure air blowing from the northwest, in-between the low-pressure areas that brought the downpours and winds mostly from the northeast. During these latter periods is when we caught our fish. Weird conditions that you might be able to blame for an off trip, especially if you did any freshwater fishing during those times.
3. The anglers who braved the rain, winds and big surf pretty much anywhere along the coast caught fish. There were quality striped bass to be caught, especially in the Cape Cod Canal, which was reportedly turned on during most of the storm, according to reports from the easternmost shops I talk to for this report. Decent stripers to 30 pounds were also landed along the south shore beaches of Rhode Island and west to Madison. Bluefish dominated the scene the rest of the way to the Norwalk Islands.
4. Cheryl Fee of Shaffer’s Marina, Mystic said there weren’t many anglers out to generate reports. One guy went out early, fished close to home and caught four keeper blackfish Wednesday morning. Another customer went out during a break in the winds earlier in the week and ran into some small bass off Wicopesset. She said that on Sunday morning she saw a bunch of shad busting on top inside the Mystic River near the marina. Word has it that there have been decent bass up inside the river. To me it looks like the storm drove the bait up into protected areas like the Mystic River and Rhody’s salt ponds, based on where most of the recent catches have been coming from.
5. Rennie at The Fish Connection, Preston on the Thames River said the floods took care of the river for awhile, but things were already bouncing back. Just after the floods he was out, and the water was dirty and flowing hard, but by midweek there was a ton of bass up inside Poquetanuck Cove and around the drawbridge at its mouth. Jack Balint added that as of Wednesday there were adult bunker in the river that showed up since the storm.
6. Captain Jack Balint, who fished Wednesday morning before the winds picked up, told me that they caught a bunch of blues and bass pretty much all over the place between Plum Gut and Race Point. They found albies along the way, probably in the Sluiceway, too, but they were not hitting very well.
7. Blackfishing has been all right since the season opened. One guy at his dock caught and culled through 52 blackfish on Wednesday that were all pretty good-size fish. A good omen for things to come in this department.
8. The Shetucket River was stocked with the first excess adult broodstock salmon for the fall, with many more to come between now and early December.
9. Hillyer’s was backed up when we called, so we unfortunately didn’t get their take on conditions.
10. Mark Lewchik of River’s End, Saybrook said that store owner Pat Abate went out to The Gut and caught bass and blues on Tuesday, with the bass reaching 17 pounds, and blues average size. There are lots of bluefish out there, but most are small. Mark hit bass on Friday in the slop that ranged from 24 to 30 inches off Hatchett Point. A couple of anglers who fished Niantic earlier in the week didn’t do much. The river has been tough due to the high water and dirty conditions. Mark said customers have reported picking up pumpkins floating down the Connecticut River, evidently swept out of riverside plantings – that’s a first in about 35 years of doing this sort of reporting!
11. Captain Jerry Morgan of Captain Morgan’s Tackle, Madison said that Tuesday evening there was a real good run of bass along the shore from Clinton and Guilford harbors to Branford. The fish were taking bunker chunks, and bluefish were mixed in. Lots of bluefish are in the area and are often seen busting on top. One customer caught bass to about 45 inches from a spot off or near the mouth of the Connecticut River on live bunker he managed to snag somewhere. There are good numbers of bunker of various sizes in Guilford Harbor. The water temperature cooled but is still fairly warm considering all the rain.
12. There were a few small windows for blackfishing, but few anglers took advantage.
13. Snappers and porgies are still around. Draggers have brought in fluke from the middle of the Sound, but no one with a hook and line is fishing for them at the moment.
14. Chris Fulton, owner of Stratford Bait and Tackle in Stratford, said there wasn’t too much of anything happening, due to the wind and rains. The tremendous influx of fresh water blew the bluefish and bass out of the Housatonic River for the present. In the middle of it all, before waters became too high, a bunch of local anglers were killing the stripers off Gun Club Point. During the worst of the rains these guys caught bass like crazy on anything they tossed in the water. That was midweek at the height of the rains and before the runoff from it pushed everything from the lower river. Things have slowed since, due to the extreme freshet of sweetwater that flowed out of the river. There were hickory shad at Bond’s dock and bluefish off Bridgeport Harbor.
15. Rick Mola from Fisherman’s World, Norwalk said there have been lots of birds and bluefish breaking, tons of them bringing the water to a froth like in the old days. Cockenoe Island and south of the island are loaded with fish. Greens Ledge area has also been loaded with blues ranging from two to nine pounds. Anglers are taking fish on about every cast when they get into the major surface action, which may involve acres of bluefish. A few bass are being caught around the edges, but it’s primarily a super good bluefish bite. Bass are being caught in closer to the rocks and islands, and also out around the deep reefs by diamond-jigging. The best action is at 11-B on the outgoing tide, west of the can, north of the can, the south part of the reef and west of the reef. The better fishing for bass is during the moon tides. Chunking in the same area and 28-C has been producing nonstop bluefish action, with a few bass mixed in around the edges.
16. Surprisingly, he said there are still schools of false albacore around Westport. The big porgies are also still plentiful off the same reefs holding the stripers, around 28-C and shallow waters around Copps Island. Remember the scup (porgy) season closes October 31. Lots of green crabs are being sold for blackfish, but they are smaller fish for the moment, no big ones yet.
17. Basically, everyone is waiting for the winds to die. With another hurricane possibly moving our way, all we can do is run out and cast like hell in-between the blows. The fish are out there and on the move, with bass and blues the top choice for surf-fishermen. Boat anglers may want to spend a little time fishing for blackfish, then head out for the big stuff after they take their limits.

Capt Morgan, The Day 10/21/05

1. Remember how the season started? Rain and lots of it, especially during the weekends when anglers were anxious to ready their crafts for the already-touted good fishing. "What goes around, comes around," said many of the elders as I was growing up. Need I say more?
2. Now that the downpours are hopefully behind us—at least for now—perhaps, our fishing windows will broaden. Air temperatures cranked down as the winds and cold front passed and with them the briny dropped a bit more. Certainly the tidal rivers received a good flushing (au natural), forcing much of the bait to temporarily seek other refuge, but as things settle, they'll be driven back in by the bigger predators, namely the bass and blues. There are blitzes in our near future, don't you worry!
3. The few opportunities anglers had to brave the elements did afford them some good fishing. Some of the inlets from the Sound managed to hold pods of bait and those fishermen loading their rods with lures capable of reaching such schools were into fish. However, the opportunities throughout most of the shoreline were limited and short-lived. Just prior to the deluge, stripers in the 20-pound range were in the rivers up to the Route 1/I-95 corridor with larger fish farther up the major tidals.
4. Linesiders are thick and blues are even thicker. Mid-shore boat launches have been getting a workout as anglers attempt to pinpoint the best action. However, since the fish have been weather-driven, they've been on the move and planning too far ahead usually results in a change of plans. This week, shore fishing ought to pick up and certainly the popular shoals and reefs will settle down.
5. Trollers, jiggers, drifters, and chunk/chummers will also see an increase in activity as the two B's spread out and intensify their hunts for food. Fresh bait is a given, but as finesse becomes less of an issue, time and timing become more of a key to a successful fishing trip.
6. Find a rip and fish will be close at hand. Find a hump, like a wreck or irregular bottom structure with limited escape routes, and your rods will bend.
7. In a little more than a week's time, porgy/scup fishing will close for the year on Oct. 31. There is still time left for good porgy fishing before it ends considering most reefs in the vicinity of Faulkner's Island and the shoreline from Old Saybrook to Branford continue to hold fish in water that, in places, is approaching the high 60s.
8. Fall fishing for freshwater trout and bass has been ignited by the drop in temperature. Largemouths have been inhaling live bait and seasonal artificial lures. Trout are onto worms and spinners as well as small spoons. The recently stocked rivers and trout parks are drawing anglers who are experiencing good action. Walleyes are getting the nod, as are some smallmouths in the cooler waters. With the winds subsiding, look for northern pike activity to increase especially prior to any impending fronts. by Captain Morgan

TheDay 10/21/05

1. Many residents of eastern Connecticut who travel to the Rhode Island beaches for what is usually good surf fishing this time of year has been very disappointed with results to date. A friend of mine who fishes the Weekapaug beaches every morning said this time last year he caught 10 fish per trip, combination blues and bass. This week he fished Monday through Wednesday at sunrise for two small blues. On Monday he didn't even have a bite.
2. Others who have been scouting around from Watch Hill to Charlestown said there's been a small number of fish caught at sunrise off some of the other beaches but not the expected blitzes of October. Del Barber of Westerly landed a 15-pound blue on a homemade popper on Monday between the blue roof and Watch Hill. He watched a husband and wife team in nearby buggy land three small stripers, one of them just about a keeper, also on poppers. Friends of his that fished Watch Hill Light at night caught a few tiny bass or spent three hours there without a hit on Tuesday evening, enjoying the bright full moon but not much else.
3. Al Golinski of Misquamicut didn't get out due to all the wind but said his friend Capt. Ben DeMario made it out to the Watch Hill Reefs on Tuesday afternoon for some large blues on poppers and bass to 30 inches on bucktails.
4. Capt. Al Anderson of Snug Harbor made it to the North Rip of Block Island on Wednesday morning, using flies and bucktails on wire line in very dirty water for a dozen bass and blues, biggest about 35 inches. Later in the day they scouted the beaches from Charlestown to Matunuck without seeing a single bird or having a single bite.
5. Moving over to King Cove in Stonington, Don said his slip customers did well with blackfish, weather permitting, at Latimer Light, White Rock and Red Reef. Shore fishermen around Stonington Harbor also caught blackfish though much smaller ones. Bass fishing on the reefs has been sporadic, limited to times people found a window in the stiff westerly winds.
6. Shaffers Marina didn't have any news about boat fishing but it's coming up on the time of year when you might get some bass after dark on an ebb tide along the bridges along Route One. People using light rods and plastic shads are expecting schoolies but every once in a while they are surprised by a fish over 38 inches grabbing the small lures.
7. Beach fishermen coming in for eels said the catches along the Rhode Island beaches were pretty poor. The water cleared some after the week-long northeaster then dirtied right back with it blew hard from the west for a couple days.
8. Capt. Jack Balint at the Fish Connection reported he got out on a charter — finally — on Wednesday, catching 5 to 6-pound blues in stiff tide in Plum Gut. They checked out the Sluiceway but found it barren, moved over to Race Point for school bass, smaller blues and four false albacore, all caught casting lures. Saturday's weather doesn't look good for boating so he cancelled yet another trip, opting instead to go to a football game.
9. The water is around 63 degrees, down a degree or so from the long northeaster of last week. Small boaters had blackfish at times at Horseshoe Reef. Jack also heard about schoolies caught one day off Drawbridge Road in the Thames and some schools of large bunker off Junk Island that drew in some larger bluefish.
10. Stephanie Cramer fished the upper Thames one evening for a couple tiny bass on her fly rod amidst lots of junk floating down in very dirty water. She and friend Bull Kreuger got out with Capt. Anderson on Wednesday, landing a dozen bass and blues, mostly on a boat rod with wire line and jigs.
11. Richard at Hillyers Tackle said they were busy on Wednesday morning with people taking off from work, coming in for green crabs before going black fishing. They weighed them in to 10 pounds during times the wind let up a bit. Those were caught at Hatchetts, Black Point, the ledge on the east side of the Millstone Outflow and north and east of Race Rock. The latter spot has very large porgies caught best on the slack tide. False albacore put in another appearance in Jordan Cove and there was a blitz of some type of fish, blues or bass, off Ocean Beach on Wednesday.
12. Sherwood Lincoln of East Lyme was ready to go black fishing on the next nice day but his boat sat in a stack rack for all last week. The only news about fishing was some bass to 40 inches caught from the docks in the Niantic River on live-lined hickory shad.
13. River's End Tackle in Old Saybrook said Pat Abate took the ferry over to Orient Point where he fished from shore there for a nice catch of bass to 17 pounds and smaller blues on plugs. The next day he fished Montauk Point from the beach, landing some bass but all were very small.
14. Two locals fished Outer Hatchetts Reef on Wednesday looking for bass but didn't manage strike number one. by Tim Coleman

Conn Post 10/21/05

1. Anglers renewed their interest in the water this week, but the rivers are still high and swift. Saltwater anglers must watch for floating trees and other debris as they motor their boats in the riverine harbors and tidal rivers. Sweetwater fishers looking for trout in the smaller streams should use wading staffs and cleats to fight the swift water. It is best to stay clear of the Connecticut, Housatonic, Thames and Shetucket rivers for another week as the water levels slowly recede.
2. The state Department of Environmental Protection stocked both the Naugatuck and Shetucket rivers with surplus Atlantic salmon broodstock last week. Although the heavy river flows make fishing difficult, the DEP was forced to release the fish to clear the salmon hatchery. Holding these fish in the hatchery for better stocking conditions would have interfered with the ongoing breeding operations.
3. The broodstock Atlantic salmon are three to four years old and weigh between two and 15 pounds. Salmon hunters braving the high water are reminded that angling for Atlantic salmon is restricted to catch and release until Dec. 1. All Atlantic salmon must be immediately returned to the water.
4. New for this year, anglers may pursue other fish species in the designated Atlantic salmon broodstock areas. In the past, fishing for trout and smallmouth bass was prohibited during the salmon season. The Naugatuck River salmon stocking areas are between the Route 118 Bridge and the Thomaston Dam and between the Prospect Street Bridge in Naugatuck and the Pines Road Bridge in Beacon Falls.
5. Most saltwater anglers were forced to stay near port because of the wind. Wednesday, when the wind finally subsided, striped bass and bluefish enthusiasts quickly resumed their hunt finding decent action off Southwest Reef, Branford Harbor, Lighthouse Point, the SP Buoy area, the south side of Charles Island, along the bottom breakline about a mile south of the Housatonic River mouth, in the gut between Fayerweather Island and the Penfield Lighthouse, and within the "Norwalk Triangle" between Buoy 28C, Buoy 11B and the Obstruction Buoy.
6. Bottom fishing for blackfish and porgy remained good in spite of the weather on all the reefs between Norwalk and Madison with Cockenoe Reef, Greens Ledge, Middleground, Townshend Ledge and Kimberley Reef consistently producing fish. Saltwater anglers need to review two new fishing regulations. Blackfish seekers may no longer "cull" their catch. In the past, anglers would catch their four-fish limit. They would then keep the fish alive in a livewell and continue fishing. When a fifth blackfish was caught, the angler would "cull" out the smallest fish. Now, when you catch and keep four blackfish in a livewell, your limit is reached and you must stop fishing for them. Porgy fishing season closes Nov.1. You only have two more weeks to enjoy these fish.
7. Trout fishing in the stocked lakes and ponds has not been adversely affected by the rainy weather. Some good reports have come from Beach Pond, Crystal Lake, Coventry Lake, Highland Lake, West Hill Pond, Black Pond and Black Rock State Park Pond. by FRANK MCKANE JR.

On The Water 10/13/05

1. I thought this week’s report would be a short one due to lack of angler participation. There hasn’t been much activity along a good portion of the Connecticut coast. However, the surf-fishing clan along Rhode Island’s south shore has been fishing in-between the high winds or in protected spots when it was howling, and they are for the most part being rewarded for their efforts. It’s pretty obvious that the huge storm system that has stalled off the coast was a major influence on the fishing this week. It was a positive influence in that it has the fish moving but a negative one in that many anglers have not been out due to high, intermittent winds and heavy rains.
2. Rennie of The Fish Connection, Preston on the Thames, said the rains have slowed fishing in the river due to high flows and the amount of debris the river is carrying. There have been a few stripers, small schoolies, caught in the upper river by a few of the hard-core river rats, but otherwise the river has been slow since the rains started.
3. Shane at Hillyer’s Bait and Tackle, Waterford said not many people have been going out due to the weather. Said he went out on Sunday afternoon from shore in the Niantic area and did well on bluefish. Blackfish have been hot between the bridges, with anglers catching them on green crabs and sand worms.
4. Captain “Q” at River’s End, Saybrook said that pretty near everyone down this way is waiting for the storm to blow over. Q went blackfishing Monday under fairly calm wind conditions and caught two fish of five and six pounds, plus four shorts. After the tide let out, they targeted scup and had no trouble catching a few slammers to add to the fillet material they had collected. Blues are abundant and cruising all along shore and are fairly easy to catch. Monday he saw bunches of them busting on top all the way from Seaside and Harkness Park west to Black Point.
5. Captain Jerry Morgan of Captain Morgan’s Tackle, Madison said that a few customers have been fishing the shoreline from places such as East and West Wharf and Hammonasset Beach and are taking bluefish, but action has been spotty. Blues, blackfish, porgies and hickory shad were around in good numbers prior to the storm and should still be around after it passes.
6. The Hammonasset was scheduled to be stocked with trout on Wednesday, but the captain wasn’t sure if they did it or not. Chatfield Hollows pond was stocked earlier in the week, but the brook wasn’t, due to the low flows and warm temperatures prior to the recent rains. The captain, who always has a humorous comment, said the ospreys are doing better now than most of the fishermen he’s talked to lately.
7. Chris Fulton, owner of Stratford Bait and Tackle, Stratford said there has been a good number of small- to moderate-size striped bass and bluefish caught about every evening up inside the Housatonic River. On Tuesday, fish to 32 inches were caught in good numbers, along with a fair number of small stuff. The wooden, handmade, 1-ounce, 5-inch-long Tattoo Swimmer has been the hot lure in this area for the past couple of weeks. Chris said the fish have been creaming them.
8. Basically anyone getting out to Seaside Beach in Bridgeport has been doing well along the beach on bluefish during the days. Unfortunately, the place has been closed after dark, so it has been difficult to get out for serious nighttime striper fishing.
9. Blackfishing was great prior to the storm and will probably be great again once things have had a chance to settle down.
10. Nick Mola of Fisherman’s World, Norwalk told us that no one was doing much fishing down his way due to the weather. Before the rain, buoys 28C and 11B were wild with bluefish and anglers targeting them with diamond jigs. Tube-and-worming in the island was hot for schoolie bass to 15 pounds, with some fish even being caught on plugs.
11. Blackfishing was just getting going when the storm hit.
12. There were tons of albacore to Cockenoe and around the Obstruction Buoy, but Nick wasn’t sure if they would still be around after this huge system blows out.
13. This weekend is still up in the air, according to the weatherman. However, based on the fact that the bass and bluefish appear to be active and feeding heavily, any break in the winds should be taken advantage of over the coming weekend and the next week or so.

Conn Post 10/13/05

1. Those anglers willing to endure the rains and winds this week had to alter their fishing tactics in order to have any success. About the only fish not affected by the weather were largemouth bass, the foul weather-loving walleye and the bluefish living in the middle of Long Island Sound.
2. Some gamefish species are sun-shy and prefer to feed on night or under very dark skies. The walleye is one such fish. This week's ever-cloudy, wet atmosphere sparked the walleye into activity. Several walleye anglers reported taking giant eyes, often weighing over six pounds. Lake Housatonic, Lake Saltonstall, Coventry Lake, Gardner Lake, and Saugatuck Reservoir offer the best walleye opportunities right now.
3. The best bait for walleye is live alewife, especially in Squantz Pond. Tackle shops in that area sell live alewife or you can trap them yourself. But before you start casting alewife, review the state Angler's Guide. Alewife usage is prohibited in the Saugatuck Reservoir and Lake Saltonstall. In these two lakes, large nightcrawlers threaded onto spinner jigs or curly-tailed soft plastic grubs are popular.
4. Reports from the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority showed walleye sharpie Bob Vasileu did some trophy collecting at Lake Saltonstall. Last week he caught two walleyes weighing 6-pounds, 8-ounces and 6-pounds, 6-ounces. Steve Yee also visited the lake for a 7-pound, 14-ounce beauty. Joe Kochis caught a 4-pound, 7-ounce walleye.
5. Anglers should remember the state Department of Environmental Protection changed the walleye size and creel minimums earlier this year. The current size minimum is 18 inches and the daily creel limit is a conservative two fish.
6. Largemouth bass are still biting in spite of the weather. Avoid fishing in reservoir-style lakes, such as Lake Lillinonah, Lake Zoar and Hop Brook Flood Control Impoundment. Instead, you should have good luck in natural ponds or isolated impoundments, such as Highland Lake, East Twin Lake, Pataganset Lake, Ball Pond, Lake Kenosia, Mamanasco Lake, Nells Rock Reservoir, Pierrepont Pond, Saugatuck Reservoir, Beseck Lake, Black Pond, Dooley Pond, Lake Saltonstall, Lake Wintergreen, North Farms Reservoir and Silver Lake.
7. Slow moving baits, like fat-bodied crankbaits, live minnows, "super-size" tube lures and short-armed spinnerbaits, have been the bass lures of choice. Mix your lure colors between very dark and very bright. Black, black with red flake, chartreuse, bubblegum and white are five hot colors.
8. The rain and flooding freshwater has pushed the bluefish and striped bass out of the tidal rivers and harbors. In order to catch either fish, you will need to visit the reefs and breaklines at least a half-mile away from the shore. Should you decide to go boating, exercise caution because of the wind and heavy seas. Those few braving the elements found fair fishing off Millstone Point, Bartlett Reef, Black Point, Hatchett Reef, Southwest Reef, Faulkner Island, the Middleground, Buoy 11B and the Obstruction Buoy.
9. Foul weather is hindering the DEP's fall trout stocking efforts. But Great Hollow Pond, Pequonnock River, Black Pond, Mohawk Pond, Stillwater Pond, Tyler Pond, West Hill Pond and West Side Pond have been stocked and are ready to receive anglers. Also, some decent trout reports have come from Crystal Lake, Highland Lake, East Twin Lake, Mashapaug Lake and Black Rock State Park Pond. by FRANK MCKANE JR.

TheDay 10/14/05

1. As you might expect, news about boat fishing was almost nil this past week due to all the wind and rain. Even many of the larger six-man charter boats stayed tied to the dock with winds gusting over 30 mph for three straight days.
2. The surf set was out and about but the steady northeast/east winds dirtied the waters like a cup of coffee by late Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday. Here's what we could dig up on a day with many of the tackle shops closed, waiting for the sun to come back out:
3. Capt. Don's in Charlestown is seeing people from all over the northeast stop by, hoping for a bit of news about surf casting between Watch Hill and Point Judith. Overall, catches have been sporadic in big, dirty surf. People out early on Wednesday at Misquamicut Beach landed a few bass from 20 to 39 pounds on poppers, darters and large Spooks. The shop also weighed in a 20-pound striper caught right in Charlestown Breachway on a day with wild, windy weather. A few large blues mixed in the catch, those caught with plugs for the water was just too weedy for bait fishing. Prior to the lengthy storm, there were blackfish in 25 to 40 feet of water taking green crabs and soft baits if a porgy didn't get there first.
4. This writer got out on Monday and Tuesday afternoons before the water got really roiled up for 11 bass from 21 to 31 inches on 7-inch plastic shads by Stanley Jigs and had the usual couple lures chopped up by bluefish. This was at various spots along the Rhode Island shoreline.
5. Al Golinski went from the Pawcatuck River to Charlestown on Monday afternoon, maybe the “best” day of the week, looking for sea bass but found the water roiled and dirty and had very few fish for his efforts. He lasted until the early afternoon they gave up the idea as a very bad job.
6. Capt. Al Anderson of Snug Harbor said his mate and friend drove from Wakefield (R.I.) up to the Cape Cod Canal on Monday, landing over 50 stripers at both ends of the canal Krocodile and Crippled Herring lures. The trick was to let the lure sink a bit before starting a retrieve. Some of the charter boats and smaller center consoles found schoolies and bluefish off Green Hill on Tuesday morning early but were chased back home as the wind cranked up. His last trip out was prior to the weekend, catching a few blue sharks to 300 pounds and some bluefin to 42 inches thanks to very heavy chumming in great looking water at the south end of the Dump.
7. Don at King Cove didn't have much to talk about. A few of the locals braved the wind one day to fish in the lee of one of the Stonington breakwaters for small blackfish. Others got in some fishing time by staying inside Sandy Point, casting to schoolie stripers with both fly and spin tackle. Others went to Watch Hill, fishing in crowded conditions for schoolies and blues in high, booming surf by week's end.
8. Joe at the Fish Connection reported all the fresh water runoff from the rain pushed bass and blues out of Norwich Harbor, much further down river. Some of his surf crew landed blues along the Rhode Island beaches on plugs but others came home saying the beaches were too dirty for their tastes. His son Jack cancelled charter after charter as the weather went from bad to worse on Tuesday through Thursday. Shore anglers landed hickory shad around the Niantic Bridges and others caught white perch at Poquetanuck Cove.
9. Stephanie Cramer wished the weather would turn but in the meantime she got out along the banks of the upper Thames, catching snapper blues and schoolies stripers on spinning tackle
10. Capt. Brad Glas of the Hel-Cat said they lost two days to weather even with a large party boat. The rest of the time the blue fishing in The Race remained good to excellent plus the blues are getting larger as time goes on. Biggest chopper of the week weighed 16.8 pounds; the biggest fish of the week was an 18.8-pound striper landed by Roland Trailor of Norwich.
11. Capt. Howard Beers was minding the store at Hillyers Tackle when I called, saying business was at about a dead stop thanks to all the wind and rain.
12. On Tuesday, beach anglers enjoyed a bluefish blitz at Pleasure Beach but all boats, even larger charter boats, stayed home. We should see some good black fishing when the weather pattern finally breaks but be ready for westerly winds when it changes.
13. Mark at River's End fished from the beach at Hatchetts Point on Tuesday for 14 bass on fly and spin tackle. He also heard a report about bluefish from shore locations around Niantic Bay but couldn't pin it down any more than that. Blues were also caught from the beach at Old Lyme, one day right in the teeth of the worst of the storm. Harkness Park provided some schoolies for casters out at sunrise on both Monday and Tuesday. [org pub The Day, Tim Coleman]

Conn Post 10/7/05

1. Along with the pleasantly changing foliage and comfortable temperatures, both fresh and saltwater fishers have excellent opportunities to catch trophy-size fish in autumn. On Long Island Sound, look for large bluefish and striped bass to come migrating down from the north. Hefty largemouth bass and walleye also should produce some memorable moments.
2. For added fishing incentive, the state Department of Environmental Protection began its annual fall stocking last week. About 45,000 rainbow trout will get distributed around the state between now and next weekend. This weekend, anglers should be able to catch trout at Great Hollow Pond, Southford Falls State Park Pond, Black Rock State Park Pond, West Hill Pond, Highland Lake, East Twin Lake, Wauregan Reservoir, Beach Pond, Amos Lake, Quonnipaug Lake, Rogers Lake, Cedar Lake, Tyler Pond, West Side Pond, Mohawk Pond, Wharton Brook State Park Pond, the Farmington River Trout Management Areas, the Housatonic River between the Falls Village dam and Bulls Bridge, Pootatuck River and the Mill River within Sleeping Giant State Park.
3. Largemouth and smallmouth bass fishing is generally good throughout the state. Bass hunters returning from Moodus Reservoir, Winchester Lake, Lake Lillinonah, Congamond Lake, Lake Housatonic, Bantam Lake, Silver Lake, Gardner Lake, Pierrepont Pond, Park Pond, Black Pond, Lake Saltonstall, the Saugatuck Reservoir and Lake Zoar have reported limits of largemouth bass. Smallmouth bass are not as widely distributed as their big-mouthed cousin, but sufficient numbers of these fish have been caught in the Connecticut River, Lake Lillinonah, Squantz Pond, Candlewood Lake, the Saugatuck Reservoir and the Housatonic River between Bulls Bridge and the headwaters of Lake Lillinonah.
4. Striped bass fishing was improving, but a recent influx of bluefish has made the striped bass harder to catch. This situation is not due to a lack of striped bass, but rather that the bluefish are more aggressive feeders and take your bait quicker. If you want to target stripers without interference from the bluefish, wait until dark to go fishing. The best baits for striped bass have been tube-and-worms, Snakes, live porgy, bunker or eels. Bluefish are less fussy and will take any fish chunk, spoon, popper or swimming plug.
5. You can find both stripers and bluefish at Calf Pasture Beach, Compo Beach, the mouth of Southport Harbor, Sunken Island, Penfield lighthouse, Seabright Beach, the Seaside Park fishing pier, the Bonds Dock fishing pier, Milford Harbor, Charles Island, the West Haven sandbar, the Fort Hale fishing pier, Lighthouse Point, Southwest Reef, Cornfield Point and the Connecticut River between the DEP Marine Headquarters fishing pier and the river's mouth out to Long Sand Shoal.
6. Elsewhere in the state's fishing world, look for northern pike in Mansfield Hollow Reservoir, Bantam Lake and Winchester Lake. The fall walleye action is red hot at Lake Saltonstall and Squantz Pond. Yellow perch angling is excellent in Gardner Lake, Highland Lake and Tyler Pond.
7. Snapper blues are still in the local harbors. Porgy fishing is excellent on all the major reefs and rock piles between Norwalk and Branford. And schools of little tunny and Atlantic bonito have been swimming in Plum Gut, the Sluiceway, the Race, around Pine Island off New London, and around Millstone Point.

TheDay 10/7/05

• As good as the surf fishing was last week, this time around it's almost the opposite. Summer-like weather and high pressure produced flat calm seas that produced little or nothing during the day and about the same at dusk. Many Connecticut fishermen I spoke didn't even get a hit after driving to the Rhode Island beaches to fish at few hours as the sun went down. About the brightest spots were some blues and schoolies caught at daybreak on the sand beaches and some larger bass one night from the rocks east of Quonny Breachway.
• Todd Brown of Groton Long Point sent an e-mail about a surf trip to Block Island with friends Fred DeGrooth, Mike Burns and Mike Hardesty. They landed a few fish on live eels to 40 inches but Todd wrote, “the weather was too perfect — no wind or waves.” That's usually a recipe for poor surf casting.
• Al Golinski of Misquamicut took his boat out on Sunday to the Watch Hill Reefs for a decent catch of bass to 32 pounds on live porgies. The next day he and his wife Emme landed 20 sea bass off Charlestown then stopped on the reefs once more for a pair of 25-pound stripers.
• Capt. Don's in Charlestown said a couple locals had what might be the last catch of fluke for the year. They fished in 30 feet off Quonny for both shorts and keepers. You can find sea bass and large porgies on the ledges off the same town in 70 to 80 feet of water and blackfish on the inshore rock piles and some smaller ones from the shore along the Quonny Breachway rip-rap.
• Don at King Cove in Stonington weighed in bass to 39 pounds last week, caught mostly on the reefs trolling the tube and worm or drifting live eels. Blues are part of the catch on most days. Black fishing is on the increase at Ragged Reef, Latimer Light and the rock piles off Napatree Point. You might also land a keeper striper trolling the red tube and sandworm combo off the East Breakwater of Stonington.
• Shaffers in Mystic weighed in a 9-pound blackfish over the weekend. During the week John Medvec of Newington took 45 minutes on Wednesday to land a limit. Larry Strickland and Sean Ross landed a mess of blues on Wednesday then saw some albacore off Napatree but overall catches of the popular albies has been way off from a week ago. Cora Trimble of Mystic caught a 38-inch striper on a plastic shad around Wicopesset and the rental boats continue to limit out with large porgies and a few accidental fluke that grabbed porgy hooks.
• Jack over at the Fish Connection reported people landing some 8-10-pound bluefish and a few better stripers in Norwich Harbor. He surmised there might be some large bunker there holding those fish in that spot. He also had reports of stripers as small as 11 inches caught from the river as well as porgies and a few fluke. Albies are few and far between. His son Jack's charters are looking hard and long for what fish they are seeing. You should be able to find blues most mornings some place between Seaside and Groton Long Point.
• Stephanie Cramer sent in her regular report about landing a little tunny on her fly rod in the Mud Hole on trip with Capt. Al Anderson and having a ball with lighter tackle and larger snapper blues right in her backyard along the upper Thames River.
• Blue fishing in The Race was good on all but two days last week said Capt. Brad Glas of the Hel-Cat. He called the blues voracious and stripers around on the right part of the tide — for anglers with the right feel to catch them. Big fish of the week was a 17-pound bass caught by Xavier Mills of Groton, a young man given the fishing trip for a birthday present. Xavier lives right up the street from the dock.
• Capt. Howard Beers at Hillyers Tackle observed that the blackfish season started with lots of smaller fish as it usually does, along with some catches of keepers, all within short running time of the mouth of the Niantic River. Blue fishing in The Race is still good overall but maybe not terrific seven days per week. Bass are best at dawn, dusk and after dark. Rob, the albie expert who works in the shop, said that fishery has been very disappointing of late.
• Capt. Kyle Douton at J&B Tackle said their charter boats had a decent week with bass, fishing after dark with eels on the slower tides and bucktails on the faster ones. Roger, a store employee, had a 13-pound blackfish at Latimer, that fishing better to the east than the rock piles right around the bay. Offshore there is still a troll bite for albies and yellowfins on the flats north of Block Canyon or on the way over to The Dip to set up for the night chunking bite.
• Jeff Frechette sent in an e-mail about his last offshore trip on Oct. 1 and 2 on the “Maggie B” out to The Dip. They trolled a 55-pound yellowfin before dark then around 10 p.m. they landed a legal swordfish and another 55-pound tuna then two more yellowfin and some missed strikes for the next hour or so. This was all with bait, both butterfish and squid and thanks to a new Hydroglow fish light to attract both squid and tuna. Things died down after that but around 5:30 a.m. they caught two more yellows to 70 pounds on diamond jigs and lost four fish on bait on 30-pound mono. On the way home they broke out the troll gear for four long-fin albacore on green/yellow tuna clones.
• Sherwood Lincoln and Craig Andrews took a trip Wednesday from Port Niantic to the Rhode Island shore for about 50 sea bass to 4.8 pounds on various wrecks and rock piles from Watch Hill to Charlestown. On one wreck they hooked a legal codfish then had a bluefish bit the tail off it as it was being reeled up. Earlier in the week Sherwood fished his deepwater lumps off Black Point with live porgies. The blues kept biting the baits in half so he left the heads in the place and caught four bass on them.

On The Water, 10/6/05

1. If fishing were a movie, it would have had mixed reviews ranging from glowing to “raked over the coals” this past weekend into the middle part of this week. More shops reported a slow-down or sporadic action from bass, false albies and even bluefish due to the weak tides, calm bright conditions and the super-high pressure system that has dominated the region for the past five or six days. However, blackfish and scup action remain excellent pretty much across the board. The weather has been too warm, sunny and “bluebirdish,” it’s like the fish are on strike when it gets like this for too long.
2. Bill of King Cove Marina, Stonington sung a different story from most of the other places we talked to this week. He told us that they had a fair amount of blackfish coming in to the shop over the weekend. On Wednesday, two customers limited out in a short while on fish to about six pounds.
3. Over the weekend, primarily on Saturday, some bonito and albies were caught off Montauk Point and the Sluiceway. Kevin from the shop was over at Montauk Point on Tuesday and said there were tons of albies busting around but too many boats that kept getting in the way and spooking the fish.
4. Pretty steady reports of decent catches of bass, blues, albies and blackfish, both over and since the weekend. Many of the bass are schoolies, with the best one they saw tipping the scales to 38 pounds.
5. Cheryl Fee of Shaffer’s Marina, Mystic also echoed the fact that there are lots of happy anglers, many of whom are coming in with limits or near-limits of blackfish. They weighed in a 9-pounder on Saturday. Ellis Reef, North Hill, White Rock and Latimer Reef have all been producing. One customer limited out in 45 minutes on Sunday. The oddball catch this week was a 3-pound triggerfish, caught by a surprised porgy fisherman. The porgies have been big but not quite so many this week.
6. The only complaint has been that there are too many blues and that they are getting in the way of the striped bass. Eels don’t stand a chance unless they are fished well after dark, and even then many are being chopped. Cora Trimble caught a 38-inch bass Tuesday at Wicopesset on a storm shad in the middle of the day. Larry Strickland and Shawn Ross of Mystic said they ran into an acre of bluefish off the reefs and saw albies leaping from the water off Napatree Point earlier in the week. Snappers are still around and in abundance. Overall, Cheryl said that everyone who wets a line has been catching something lately.
7. Captain Jack Balint of The Fish Connection, Preston on the Thames said the slow tides, heat and bluebird conditions and extremely high-pressure weather have been making the fishing spotty, at best. He’s been chasing albacore, and they have been running hot and cold. He boated 18 albies on Saturday but only one on Sunday, which has been a typical scenario. He noted that all of the local light-tackle charter guys he is in contact with have been having the same difficulty.
8. Because the tides have been so slow lately, there have been acres of bait south of The Gut and Sluiceway at the top of the tide because it wasn’t running strong enough to pull them all the way into the Sound, a situation that creates the usually productive fishing in these prime areas along the mouth of the Sound. Temps are still up to 67 in The Gut and Sluice, which Jack says is a tad too warm for these fish. He noted that at about 60 degrees the albies go nuts until it drops to about 52, then they are gone, almost overnight.
9. Race Point has had sporadic showings of blues, bass and albies but nothing you can rely on. The false albacore are also showing up top anywhere along the coast from Pleasure Beach to the Quonny Breachway but not on any predictable basis. Jack recommends blind-casting in the right spots because the fish are not necessarily up top and visible, and for some reason, even the birds have been shy for the past few days.
10. The Thames River has also been a slow pick lately, with bluefish dominating the action.
11. Matt at Hillyer’s Bait and Tackle, Waterford told us that bluefishing is really good all over the place. Really big ones (10 pounds or better) have been caught on a regular basis in The Race, Pigeon Rip, Race Rock, Plum Gut and Bartlett Reef. Diamond jigs, bucktails, Kastmasters, poppers and chunks are all working well.
12. At sunset and sunrise big bass have been taken after dark in the Sluiceway and Bartlett Reef. Even Harkness Park has been hot. The lower Thames and Niantic River are also producing stripers, with the bass feeding on hickory shad between the bridges in Niantic. Live eels are the best bait. Shad bodies, Zoom Super Flukes, and tube and worms are taking most of the bass they see and hear about at the shop.
13. Blackfish have started and appear to be shaping up nicely. They weighed a 13-pounder just after opening day last week. Big humpback porgies have been taken at the Bell Buoy 6 and White Rock in the bay and also off Black Point.
14. False albacore are spotty at Pleasure Beach and the Sluiceway, with Deadly Dicks and Crippled Herring being the lures of choice among most anglers. At Pleasure Beach the albies have been around most days but often are out of range of the crew who are fishing from shore and difficult to catch for those outside chasing them around in boats.
15. Pat Abate of River’s End, Saybrook said their weekend was busy with many anglers in the shop, but the talk of fish wasn’t as active as it might have been. Pat noted that the fish are concentrated but not easy to find, but when you do, the fishing can be excellent.
16. The albacore were around, but hard to catch over the weekend and nearly non-existent since the weekend.
17. The bluefish have been running strong in the river and around the mouth of the river all week and over the weekend. The Saybrook Town Beach has been producing blues and school bass pretty much every evening. There are smaller fish in the river and slightly larger bass up to 10 pounds along the Lyme Shores. Blackfish reports have been good, as have been the porgies, which seem to be thick around every rock pile in the region.
18. Captain Jerry Morgan of Captain Morgan’s Tackle, Madison summed it up in a word – bluefish. He said they are all over the place and acting like they haven’t eaten for a year. From Hammonassett Beach from shore, out around Six Mile Reef, Kimberly Reef and the other rock piles in the area to Falkner Island, the action has been incredible. They are of all sizes, with some real tackle busters up to 15 pounds tearing up rods, reels, gear and people for the past week.
19. Blackfish action picked up since the season opener, and the scup are still hitting well just about anywhere an angler might want to drop a baited line. A few more bass are moving into the area, but they are not the real big stuff that should be showing up shortly.
20. Chris Fulton, owner of Stratford Bait and Tackle in Stratford, said they were catching nice bass to about 35 inches up in the Housatonic River every night all last week, but it died out when the high pressure settled in over the weekend. Now there are smaller bass and mostly bluefish.
21. Two false albacore in the 8-pound range were caught Monday night off Bridgeport Harbor on a Super Strike. These speedsters have been seen from the mouth of the Housey to Charles Island, but no one is catching them.
22. Blackfish have been on and off, with fish up to 7 pounds being brought in to the scales since the weekend. Water temperatures are 72 to 73 degrees off the river, still a tad warm for blackfish. Notice how the reports to the east, where temperatures are in the high 60s, are better than in the west where they are torrid. This situation will do a turn about some time next month.
23. A few anglers are taking walleyes in the two- to three-pound range from the Saugatuck Reservoir on shiners. Like everyone else, Chris believes that the cooler weather this weekend should turn things on even more in these parts.
24. Burt from Fisherman’s World, Norwalk said they are seeing bonito and false albacore ripping around the islands, along with bluefish and a smattering of small schoolie bass. These fish are feeding pretty much exclusively on peanut bunker. He said that school of adult bunker that had been holding fish earlier in the season was now up inside the Norwalk River, but nothing much was chasing them, probably because temperatures are too hot for any major marine predatory fish.
25. Once in awhile the bass that anglers are catching range up to 32 inches, but most are small schoolies. They have been catching keepers at Calf Pasture Point Beach on chunks of bunker intended for blues. Boat anglers are still catching bluefish out at Buoys 28C and 11B on chunks. The three-way worm bite on bigger bass has slowed due to the warm water temperatures.
26. There are a few blackfish at George’s Rock and Copps Rocks that range on up to 6 pounds, surprisingly in some very shallow water despite the heat.
27. It looks like at least some of the false albacore that had been providing angling opportunities in the eastern end of Long Island Sound are now ripping around in the bathtub-warm waters of the west for the time being. There is no single spot, other than perhaps Montauk Point, where you can go and expect to find albies busting on top. Everywhere else is a hit and miss deal. Bluefish are the best bet right now, but if a storm blows through the region as predicted by the weatherman, we could see everything light back up like it did two weeks ago when the remnants of Hurricane Ophelia passed by us off the coast.

Madison, Captain Morgan

1. Without warning the wavelets erupted into a froth—whole and less than whole--menhaden multi-directed and propelled by the force of crushing jaws. Fish were jumping and gulls diving, drawn to bits of fresh food there for the taking. A mile long at least, this scene was not the only one being played out on the Sound. It was a day that bluefish anglers wait for and hope they become part of—this unfolding adventure.
2. Fishermen are drawn to this scene that has been described over and over again as a compulsion to catch fish. Blues are drawn in because of their need to feed. The fish they are most notably consuming are menhaden or bunker, a stock that over the years has been depleted and continues to be drained but that is not where this is going.
3. Instead, we are focused on the rush that comes from an angler patiently waiting for the right time to hit their favorite point or rip or boulder field. Those first few chill-filled nights that seem to reach out beckoning for the frost to come. The faint tint of color that suddenly appears one morning when the fog lifts to unveil the horizon.
4. Up a tidal river, schools of bunker stealthily invade, causing hardly a ripple to the naked eye. It is quiet as they forge inward toward the shallows, those adults looking to spawn. There is no commotion from following bluefish or bass. As the tide transforms from slack to ebb, a lonely angler in a bare bones boat casts his net coaxing it until it begins to gradually swell and then pull. His reward is a small number of live fish, firm from the cold and somewhat oily to the touch.
5. On any other given day, this same river can be swollen with boats, nets, and anglers trying to catch their bait and avoid the unavoidable—gunwale banging and tangled monofilament. On this day however, to the relief of this angler, the river was void of that type of activity. Now, all that was left was to haul the fish-laden net and keep his catch—now bait—alive until reaching one of his favorite flood tide spots before sunrise.
6. There have been plenty of bass caught this season and this was to be a bluefish blast. And a bluefish blast it was! Put live or really fresh bait in front of feeding bluefish and one thing is for certain. Not only will there be a hook up—but a ferocious one. Blues hit hard before the bait hardly had time to gain its bearings. A few feet below the surface, smacking jaws pursued the lively baits up the water column and across the surface—often two or more in pursuit. Repeatedly, this was how it was, a win-win situation—except for the few fish meant for that evening's dinner table or the smoker. A few fish for a few fish—that's how it ought to be.
7. Striped bass over the low to mid 30-pound range are moving into the Sound with cows more than 40 pounds right behind. Although the water temperatures are still quite warm for this time of year, the recent few brisk mornings, cloudy skies and shorter days helped the migration along. Action has been red-hot at the Race and that trend continues westward to Six Mile, Southwest, and Faulkner's Island.
8. Live bait such as eels and menhaden are scoring well for anglers as is freshly caught bunker—fished whole, sliced/diced, or chunked. Shore catches have improved however in certain areas, like sluiceways, seaworms and swimming plugs continue to be strong baits to use. Many tidal rivers are attracting striper anglers who are looking to hook up on a fly rod or light spinning outfits. Soon the colorful fall foliage will enhance the already picturesque scenery.
9. Runs of baitfish, such as mullet, have been bringing in the bass notwithstanding the schools of silversides and bunker. Competition from these baits can, at times, make the fishing challenging but persistence usually pays off. The recent new moon phase and flood tides fell just right for many working anglers who took advantage of every castable hour. Typically, the results reflected the efforts with many good catches made.
10. Tautog (blackfish) also turned on with fish in the 6 to 10 pound range being caught not only from many local reefs but also from jetties and rock piles close to shore. Mieg's Point, Madison Reef, and Kimberly Reef were good spots to hook up. In most cases, the action was steady once togs were located. They took crabs, sandworms, clams and mussels with the former out-producing the others. There ought to be plenty of good blackfishing days ahead until the season closes down on Dec. 14.
11. A normally freshwater bass angler hurriedly returned to the shop looking to replace a rod and reel that he had just lost to a blue—his first encounter with a bluefish ever. Apparently, he was catching good size porgies off Madison when a pair of blues took an interest and proceeded to dine on his a freshly hooked scup. Amazed at the size and its chopping jaws, Jeremy was unable to recover his gear but did learn, in part, what bluefishing is all about. Those scup were indicative of what's been happening on the porgy scene. Big fish, with even bigger appetites.
12. As far as blues, they are here in force! Snappers are big. Harbors are almost everywhere. And choppers moved into casting range. These fish are hungry and full of fight—the kind anglers hope for this time of year. Whether chunk/chumming, hurling lures, or using any other hook attracting method, given the right set of circumstances, you will be into these fish if you hit the Sound. [org pub Shore Publishing, by Captain Morgan]

Conn Post, 9/30/05

• Early autumn often provides some of the best fishing of the year on Long Island Sound. Striped bass and bluefish are bending rods along the entire coast. Porgy and blackfish are staging on all the rocky reefs waiting to get caught. Most importantly, snapper blues are still in the harbors. But time is quickly running out on these baby bluefish as they will soon migrate out of the harbors to their wintering waters.
• Snappers, which are pushing eight inches, are biting very well, making this fish an excellent choice for children and shorebound fishers. Older anglers and mature children can catch the snappers on small Kastmaster spoons and tiny crankbaits. Hang your lure off a "popping bobber." The bobber, which looks like a miniature traffic cone, splashes wildly as you retrieve the lure/bobber assembly rapidly along the surface. This splash attracts the snappers to your waiting lure. Younger fishers can entice the snappers with small pieces of frozen minnow. Try to keep the minnow cold as it stays on the hook better than a thawed shiner. Again suspend the minnow bait below a popping bobber, but work the baited bobber at a much slower retrieval speed.
• Striped bass are starting to come out of their summer night feeding mode. With the right approach, you can catch stripers all day long. During the day, live or chunked bait will produce the desired results. Look for the daylight bass along points, reefs and harbor mouths. Frost Point, Penfield Reef, Fayerweather Island, the Stratford Shoal, Pond Point and Lighthouse Point are great day fishing spots. As evening approaches, move into Norwalk Harbor, Southport Harbor, Black Rock Harbor, Bridgeport Harbor, the Housatonic River and the Quinnipiac River. Swimming plugs, poppers and surgical tube/sandworm combinations are great evening bass lures.
• Bluefish continue to hang in all the usual places, most anglers are waiting for the autumn run of large fish. Between now and November, saltwater anglers have a good chance of catching a trophy-size bluefish. You can apply for special trophy saltwater fish awards from the state Department of Environmental Projection. To find out more on the awards program, refer to page 49 and 50 of the state Anglers' Guide. If you are looking for that lunker bluefish, visit Buoy 28C, Sunken Island, Middleground, the Housatonic River between the state boat ramp and the river's breakwater, Morris Cove and Browns Reef.
• Walleye and northern pike fisheries are getting better and better with each passing day. The cooler nights early this week really sparked life into both fish species. You should find walleye at Lake Saltonstall, Lake Housatonic, Squantz Pond, Coventry Lake, Batterson Park Pond, Gardner Lake and the Saugatuck Reservoir. Nightcrawlers and live minnows are the preferred walleye baits. If you plan to fish Lake Saltonstall, leave the live minnows home as the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority prohibits the use of live minnows on that reservoir. Pike are grabbing large spoons, weedless spoons, spinnerbaits, Slug-go lures and live minnows at Pachaug Pond, Bantam Lake, Winchester Lake and the Connecticut River between the Middletown Bend and Salmon River Cove.