What's Up with Fly-Fishing Tackle?

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Light Fly Rods? Ask Lefty! ” “Q:I’ve noticed that there has been a recent influx of lightweight fly rods on the market. What exactly are the advantages to these lightweight rods?” Fly Fishing in Salt Waters

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G. Loomis: Best Fly Rod at Trade Show "’We took a page from our NRX blank technology to develop a new series of fly rods that anglers of all casting skill levels will really enjoy fishing.’ says Steve Rajeff, global chief rod design specialist for G.Loomis. ‘Expert anglers will wonder how we packed this much performance into such an affordable rod, and they'll quickly notice the incredibly sound actions, all very forgiving and delightful to cast.’" WorldFishingNetwork.com

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Daiwa: Best Saltwater Reel at Trade Show ”Because one of the points most susceptible to saltwater intrusion on spinning reels is at the rotor bearing, Daiwa borrowed a trick from NASA fuel delivery technology. Magnetic oil, one of a new generation of Nano Fluids, can change its shape when a magnetic field is applied. Controlled by magnets in the reel's rotor bearing area, it forms a seal between the reel body and the rotor to prevent saltwater, dust and grit from intruding into the rotor bearing and body. The result is a water-tight seal called Mag Seal with much lower friction than common rubber type seals.” WorldFishingNetwork.com

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Connecticut, Long Island Sound, Housatonic River Saltwater Fishing Report: 29 July

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It was looking pretty gruesome down at the marina at 0600 on Friday. But, the forecast was for "occasional showers" during the morning...and we all know how reliable those forecasts are! So Mal Y. and I lit out for the mouth of the Housatonic. We knew for sure that we weren't going to be running to Bridgeport, New Haven, or Middleground this day, but perhaps there were fish nearby.

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Stops at two locations proved fruitless, but we finally got into bluefish...and they were spectacularly active...feeding like mad. I broke out the box of junk plastics, baits that would never get used under normal conditions as they'd already proven themselves to be non-catchers, and we threw those at the bluefish. They ate and/or destroyed everything we threw. Then it started to sprinkle. No big deal, right? Occasional showers! Then it started to rain.

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Looking up-river we could see the rain moving down toward us. The weather wasn't supposed to get really nasty until the afternoon. But I'd forgotten Capt. Skip's first rule of weather forecasting: Bad weather always arrives earlier than forecast. It was not going to get any better. We landed a few more fish and finally decided that discretion was the better part. During the last few minutes I handed Mal the 7-weight [I'd been catching blues on it using a white deceiver]. He's had some experience with a fly rod so he was soon stripping the fly back in foot-long strips. Nothing! I said, "OK, they're not going to hit...reel up and let's get out of here." A fish hit while Mal was reeling in the line. Funny the way that happens: The fish just didn't pick up on the action of the fly until it was moving along without hesitation...without the jerky stripping action. Shows how important it is to change-up one's retrieving techniques. We got a little wet...but it was almost eighty degrees out there...so who cares. Another great day on the water!

Fishing Reports Fishing Reports Fishing Reports Fishing Reports !

We will add to this list of reports as more come available....

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Charles Walsh’s Fishing Report ”You know it is August when the weather report starts sounding like an echo. Sunny and hot. Sunny and hot and humid. Sunny and hot and humid with a chance of afternoon thunder showers. If we are bored of it think how the fish feel. They can't even turn on the AC and watch ‘America's Got Talent.’” CTPost.com

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Connecticut DEEP Fishing Report STRIPED BASS & BLUEFISH – Striper fishing is pretty much a dusk to dawn thing. Bluefish ranging in size from 2 to 12+ pounds are throughout LIS. Harbor blues are in the lower Connecticut River on a regular basis. Snapper blues are about 3 to 5 inches in length now. Striper and bluefish spots include the reefs off Watch Hill, Wilderness Point off Fishers Island, the Race, Millstone outflow, Bartlett Reef, Black Point, Plum Gut, Pigeon Rip (area north of Plum Island), Hatchett Reef, Long Sand Shoal, Southwest Reef, Sixmile Reef, Falkner Island area, the reefs off Guilford and Branford, New Haven Harbor (Sandy Point), Charles Island area to Milford Point, Buoy 20 off Stratford, Stratford Shoal/Middle Ground, Penfield Reef, around the Norwalk Islands, and the reefs off Stamford (Smith Reef and the “Cows”). Some real good SCUP (porgy) fishing action can be found on the local reefs with fish measuring 14 to 15 inches the norm. Blackfish (tautog) are also in the same rocky areas but in deeper water. Summer Flounder (fluke) fishing remains fair because of all of the “throwbacks”. Summer flounder spots include the usual: South shore of Fishers Island (Isabella Beach and off Wilderness Point), Stonington area to the mouth of the Mystic River, north shore beaches of Long Island, lower Thames River to the Dumping Grounds, Twotree Island Channel off Waterford, Niantic Bay/ Black Point area, Hatchett Reef area, Long Sand Shoal, Falkner Island area, south off the New Haven breakwaters, and Stratford Shoal/Middle Ground area and Cable and Anchor Reef. Hickory shad are mixed with snapper blues in the lower Connecticut River from the Baldwin Bridge down to the breakwaters. Blue crabbing is good but not even close as compared to last year which was phenomenal! However, there have been reports of some nice “jimmies” in the 7 to 9 inch range taken out of the Westbrook area. CTDEEP

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Fishing Report: New London Area ”Fluke reports from the eastern part of the Sound remain about the same: if you fish large baits in deeper water you have a chance at some keepers or a doormat. If you fish in shallow water along the beach, you'll likely catch a lot of fish but most will be too small to keep.” Tim Coleman in TheDay.com

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Fishing Report: Stamford Area ”Porgies and bluefish seem to be abundant across the Long Island Sound, with some bass mixed in. Reports from anglers say they are doing very well off Norwalk, catching blues and bass. Bunker seems to be more abundant to the East….” TheStamfordTimes.com

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Fishing Report: Thames River Area ”Bluefish action is picking up in the waters from the Race to Plum Gut as hordes of these aggressive fish move inshore to feed after spawning offshore last month. Joe Balint, another friend and I have gone fluke fishing at least once a week since these….” Bob Sampson in NorwichBulletin.com

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Striper Fishing Hot in New Hampshire ”Size and quantity: And what's making it more pleasurable is the presence of plenty of bait-sized mackerel to bring in the stripers. THIS YEAR'S striper fishing has been something to behold, producing not just a lot of fish but fish that are averaging….” NewHampshire.com

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Of Sea Monsters, Skeeters, and Stuck Bridges...

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Sea Monsters May Actually Exist ”…science writer and palaeontologist Dr Darren Naish, said: "The huge number of 'sea monster' sightings now on record can't all be explained away as mistakes, sightings of known animals or hoaxes. "At least some of the better ones, some of them made by trained naturalists and such, probably are descriptions of encounters with real, unknown animals….” Independent.ie

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You Know It’s Hot When… …you have to hose down the bridge to get it to close: “City officials say the swing bridge's truss has expanded in the heat. That causes it to stick when it swings open to allow boat traffic on the Quinnipiac River to pass underneath. Crews have had to call the fire department hose down the bridge to get it closed again.” Courant.com

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Bridgeport, Orange: WNV Mosquitos Back in Town “In 2011, WNV-positive mosquitoes have been trapped in 2 municipalities; the first were trapped in Bridgeport on June 21st and the second in Orange on June 29th. No Connecticut residents have been identified with illnesses related to WNV infections this year.” Source: CTDPH

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Fisherman Gets Show on Cooking Channel ”Ben Sargent, an avid urban fisherman who is known among friends to make a “mean chowder,” stars in a new Cooking Channel show about seafood.” NYTimes.com

Connecticut, Long Island Sound, Housatonic River Saltwater Fishing Report: 26 July

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click on any photo to enlarge 0600 on Tuesday.

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Small ducks...maybe teal? Hard to tell as they don't seem to have their new plumage yet.

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Clouds were spectacular all morning.

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Charlie W. and I were into small bluefish to 4.5 lbs. Also caught two schoolie striped bass. No picture fish today.

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Even small bluefish can be a lot of fun on the fly rod. This jumper was larger than it appears as lens on the camera was at wide angle [18mm]. Was interesting trying to keep the fish on the line while taking a photo that caught the fish in mid-air.

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American Oystercatcher.

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Another great day on the water.

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"Coping with the Reality of Depleted Fish Stocks"

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Sportfishing: Economic Impact vs. Overfishing [interesting article] ”NOAA estimates anglers caught about 173 million pounds of fish in 2009. Commercial fishermen? Slightly more: 7.9 billion pounds. “But impacts on individual species are sometimes far greater as a result of sportfishing. Again according to NOAA’s landings data, recreational fishermen, for example, landed an estimated 13.3 million pounds of red drum in 2009 while their commercial counterparts caught just 200,000 pounds. That same year in the south Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, sportfishermen hauled in over 60 percent of the total catch of red snapper, a species classified as overfished and subject to overfishing by NOAA. As a result of these rec and commercial pressures the snapper fishery has undergone multiple closures in recent years.” AmericanProgress.org

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”Coping with the Reality of Depleted Fishing Stocks” ”A pod of small bluefish gorge themselves on the massive shoal of sand eels that darkens the waters under the boat….” Charles Walsh in CTPost.com

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”Status Reports Indicate Many Species Aren't Being Overfished” ”Last Sunday's column commented on an article in Time magazine on whether fish farming can fill the void created by what many environmental scientists see as the approaching decimation of saltwater wild fish stocks due to overfishing...." Charles Walsh in CTPost.com

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Fish Stocks? NOAA Says Everything’s Just Dandy! ” Three fisheries stocks from the Northeast (Georges Bank haddock, Atlantic pollock and spiny dogfish) have now been rebuilt to healthy levels, bringing to 21 the number that have been rebuilt nationwide since 2000, according to a report to Congress from NOAA’s Fisheries Service issued Thursday.” NOAA

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NOAA: 40 Fish Stocks Overfished ” Forty stocks of fish populations are subject to overfishing in U.S. waters, but progress….” Boston.com

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New Federal Policy Aims To Expand U.S. Fish Farming ”The federal government is moving to open large swaths of coastal waters to fish farming for the first time, in an effort to decrease Americans' dependence on imports and satisfy their growing appetite for seafood.” Rep-Am.com

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Long Island Sound Collision, Rescue...and Deaths at Boston

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Coast Guard Rescues 5 Off New Haven ” The Coast Guard rescued five people from their sinking vessel 7 miles south of New Haven Harbor, Conn., at approximately 10 p.m., Wednesday, July 13, 2011.” CoastGuardNews.com

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When Will They Ever Learn…When Will They EVER Learn? ”At approximately 6:15 p.m. Saturday, two boaters were ejected from their boat after it flipped in the vicinity of Boston Light. A good Samaritan was able to assist the boat’s operator until a Coast Guard Station Point Allerton boat crew, along with partner agencies, arrived on-scene and delivered both passengers to Pemberton Pier where they were transferred to EMS. One of the boaters was pronounced dead and the other was reported to be in critical condition. "Neither boater was wearing a life jacket.  “At approximately 8:30 p.m. Saturday, multiple Coast Guard and local agencies searched for two men who were ejected from a moving vessel near Beetle Rock in the vicinity of Marshfield, Mass. One man was located, but Coast Guard crews searched 593 square miles in addition to searches conducted by partner agencies, with no sign of the other boater. The search was suspended Sunday night. "He was not wearing a life jacket.” CoastGuardNews.com

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Long Island Sound Collision ”Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound received a mayday call via VHF channel 16 reporting the collision between two recreational vessels, in the vicinity of Captree Island.” CoastGuardNews.com

Connecticut, Long Island Sound, Housatonic River Saltwater Fishing Report: 22 July

Note: This report is from July 2011; for the latest information, please go to:
http://www.connecticutsaltwaterfishing.com/

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It's hard to see, but the small black panel on the lower right is already registering 78° and it's not even 0530 yet.

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Not much of a breeze moving either.

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Jim W. and I had a tough time finding any photo-worthy fish, but still had fun with small bluefish on both spinning and fly gear. Jim took three of them home for dinner.

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It was very warm on the water, but nowhere near what it was like back at the dock or up in the parking lot...which we eventually had to come back to.  Meanwhile...

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...the birds all had the right idea:  Cool off by wading in the water.

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Fishing Reports Fishing Reports Fishing Reports Fishing Reports !

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Charles Walsh’s Fishing Report ”In July and August, the stripers start to swim when darkness drops in. In other, less poetic words, here's what you do if you are hoping to hook a keeper bass: hold your hand directly in front of your face. If you can see your hand, you are probably either too early or too late.” CTPost.com

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Connecticut DEEP Fishing Report STRIPED BASS & BLUEFISH - Striper fishing has dropped off but “cow” bass are still being taken especially by anglers using live bunker (Atlantic menhaden) or eels on three way rigs or trolling the tube and worm. Big bruiser bluefish (10+ lbs) are roaming around the local rip areas and reefs. Vertical speed squidding diamond jigs, crippled herring jigs, and other similar lures have been working well. Striper and bluefish fishing spots include the reefs off Watch Hill, Wilderness Point off Fishers Island, the Race, Millstone outflow, Bartlett Reef, Black Point, Plum Gut, Pigeon Rip (area north of Plum Island), Hatchett Reef, Long Sand Shoal, Southwest Reef, Sixmile Reef, Falkner Island area, the reefs off Guilford and Branford, New Haven Harbor (Sandy Point), Charles Island area to Milford Point, Buoy 20 off Stratford, Stratford Shoal/Middle Ground, Penfield Reef, and around the Norwalk Islands. Don’t forget about snapper blue fishing in the tidal creeks! Snappers are still very small – about 3 to 4 inches in length. Slammer SCUP (porgy) can be caught on the major reefs and rock piles throughout LIS. Fishing for scup is rated good to excellent with fish 17 inches in length being reported. Also, don’t over look BLACKFISH (tautog) which can be found cruising around the same area! Some nice size “white chins” weighing in the double digits have been reported over this past week! BLACK SEA BASS are the other “reefers” that are attracted to gnarly hard bottom areas. Besides being fun to catch, sea bass are great eating! Look for monster sea bass lurking in deeper water (60+ feet) around wrecks and submerged boulders. SUMMER FLOUNDER (fluke) fishing is just fair for keeper fish although there are a ton of smaller sublegal flatties around. Fluke spots include the south side of Fishers Island (Isabella Beach and off Wilderness Point), Stonington area to the mouth of the Mystic River, north shore beaches of Long Island, lower Thames River to the Dumping Grounds, Twotree Island Channel off Waterford, Niantic Bay/ Black Point area, Hatchett Reef area, Long Sand Shoal, Duck Island Roads, Falkner Island area, off the New Haven breakwaters, and Stratford Shoal/Middle Ground area and Cable and Anchor Reef. HICKORY SHAD are in the lower Connecticut River from the Baldwin Bridge down to the breakwaters. Some decent BLUE CRABBING can be found in the tidal creeks. Source: Connecticut DEEP

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Fishing Report: Eastern Long Island Sound ” Striper fishing is much better after dark, drifting an eel on a three-way rig at Outer Barletts or Valiant Rock. The nice summer weather is bringing out lots of people who are catching bigger porgies just outside Niantic Bay or over around the Bartlett's Spindle. On the other hand, black fishing is very poor, our hot summer weather not usually the best conditions for a fish normally caught in the cooler fall.” Tim Coleman in TheDay.com

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Fishing Report: Long Island ” According to Capt. George Grosselfinger of the Second Chance, the doldrums seem to have arrived early this season. While June was a great month with plenty of 40-pound-class stripers and a few 50s, you were fortunate to see 30s now during this July moon, which is usually very good. It takes a long night’s tide to score at all on some nights, even in the Race. There’s always the fear that last winter’s slaughter of striped bass in the Carolinas cut heavily into the body of migratory Chesapeake fish this year.” SuffolkTimes.TimesReview.com

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Fishing Report: Rhode Island ” Greenwich Bay fishing is good in the spring, with great school striped bass fishing and blue fishing throughout the summer months. Fishing here slows down in the summer but bluefish tend to feed at the top of the water column and are not as affected as much by low oxygen levels.” EastBayRI.com

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Fishing Report: Thames River Area ” As a sort of barometer, a couple friends who make lazy man, mid-day tube and worm fishing trips every weekend didn't even hook a striper last week and caught single low-30-inch class fish the two previous weekends.” Bob Sampson in NorwichBulletin.com

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Fishing Report: Cape Cod ” It’s commercial striper season. This means that permitted fishermen can take multiple fish on the prescribed days, and earn a part of their year’s income from the striper catch.” CapeCodOnline.com

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Fishing Report: Stamford Area ” The Fish of the Week goes to to Steve P. from Greenwich Harbor (he still doesn't want me to put in his last name or picture), who just as always fishes after the full moon and was rewarded with a 32-pound striper.” StamfordTimes.com

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Uncomplicated Striped Bass Fishing

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”Now Doc never saw any need to work with rod and reel when he set out to work his piscatorial magic. Nossir, his style was simple in the extreme when it came to equipment but it was subtle and deadly effective as to technique. Doc fished from an old lapstrake skiff….” CapeCodToday.com

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Charles Island Drowning Widow Blames Lifeguards ”Anna Daddio said that, after she saw her husband, Rocco Daddio Jr., 34, and her best friend's 9-year-old son “disappear” off the sandbar leading to Charles Island Monday afternoon, she immediately ran to a lifeguard station. She said she frantically ...” CTBulletin.com

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Fishing in Gaza Isn’t What It Used to Be "Farmed fish are now better than sea fish in Gaza. They shouldn't be, but because of the sewage in Gaza's sea and the Israeli fishing restrictions, farmed fish are cleaner and healthier than sea fish." IPSNews.net

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Keep Cool to Find Fish

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”Striped bass are very sensitive to water temperature, and as inshore waters heat up beyond their comfort zone, they'll start to change their behavior. When stripers transition into their summer patterns, fishermen will have to adjust their behavior as….” BostonHerald.com

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Rare Orange Lobster Rescued from the Pot "A one-in-a-million orange lobster has been saved from becoming a seafood lover's dinner and is destined for a nature centre. "The rare lobster, named Youppi, has become a celebrity among shoppers at a Trois-Rivieres, Que., grocery store since it was delivered in a routine shipment three weeks ago." Toronto.Sun.com

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Long Island Commercial Captain Charged with Falsifying Reports ”According to the officers the commercial value of this underreported haul could have net the fishing boat captain approximately $10,000 if they had been sold at market on the day of the catch.” LongIslandPress.com

Connecticut, Long Island Sound, Housatonic River Saltwater Fishing Report: 19 July

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The sun warned us that it was going to be a hot morning.

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Not much wind...good for fly-casting.

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Sun eventually broke above the clouds and began to chase the fog from the water.

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Almost like being back in the Keys.

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Mal Y. had the hot reel this day...quickly hooked up on smallish blues.

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But we had to chase to Middleground to find this almost-keeper striper [26"].

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Black-Crowned Night Heron. [click on any pic to enlarge]

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Cormorants with wet wings need a running start to get airborne.

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Mal hooked into a nice blue at Middleground.

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This one pulled the Boga down to 8 lbs.

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Shoo-Fly had its first rescue of the year [in Connecticut, that is; we pulled a 38-foot sailboat off a sandbar when we were in the Keys this winter]. These gentlemen had an engine failure...not getting spark. We towed them back to the landing at Birdseye Street.

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Gluttony, Aquaculture, and Eating Invasive Species

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Fishing: The Result of Gluttony [good article] ”A strong case can be made that fishing is America’s oldest profession. Europeans were using parts of what is now Atlantic Canada as seasonal fish camps as far back as the early 15th century—even before Columbus confused the Caribbean for the shores of India. “Many fisheries scientists were sure there was no way humans could make a dent in the seemingly endless abundance of fish in the ocean as late as the middle of the 20th century. But our fishing industries were already well on their way to proving them wrong.” AmericanProgress.org

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Ivasive Species: Can’t Beat ‘Em? Eat ‘Em! ”With its dark red and black stripes, spotted fins and long venomous black spikes, the lionfish seems better suited for horror films than consumption. But lionfish fritters and filets may be on American tables soon.” NYTImes.com

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”…the Aquaculture Dilemma” [good read] ”As world population and prosperity increases, so too will the demand for fish, and we won’t be able to meet this demand solely with fish caught in the wild. Aquaculture will have to continue to play a role. “Raise your hand if you’ve ever eaten a wild cow or chicken.” AmericanProgress.org

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Recipe: Fish with Coconut Sauce ”This is the best time of year to buy fresh salt water fish. You can also go fishing and catch them yourself. The fun part is cooking up what you caught or bought at the supermarket.” Princeton.Patch.com

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Fishing Reports Fishing Reports Fishing Reports Fishing Reports !

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Charles Walsh’s Fishing Report ”The mini-heat wave kept the fish down and the anglers at home, but the spate of cooler weather could cause the action to pick up again.” CTPost.com

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Connecticut DEEP Fishing Report STRIPED BASS fishing remains good although BLUEFISH will make it tough during daylight hours. Dusk through dawn is the best time for stripers during the “dog days” of summer. Both striper and bluefish fishing spots include the reefs off Watch Hill, Wilderness point off Fishers Island, the Race, Millstone outflow, Bartlett Reef, Black Point, Plum Gut, Pigeon Rip (area north of Plum Island), Long Sand Shoal, Southwest Reef, Sixmile Reef, Falkner Island area, the reefs off Guilford and Branford, New Haven Harbor (Sandy Point), Charles Island area to Milford Point, Buoy 20 off Stratford, Stratford Shoal/Middle Ground, Penfield Reef, and around the Norwalk Islands. It is “snapper” time in the tidal rivers and creeks. Snapper bluefish fishing is a great way to introduce kids to saltwater fishing. Snappers are about 4 to 5 inches length. SUMMER FLOUNDER (fluke) fishing is fair to good although there are a lot of throw backs. Fluke spots include the south side of Fishers Island (Isabella Beach and Wilderness Point), Stonington area to the mouth of the Mystic River, north shore beaches of Long Island in NY waters from Horton Point over to Port Jefferson, lower Thames River to the Dumping Grounds, Twotree Island Channel off Waterford, Niantic Bay/ Black Point area, Hatchett Reef area, Long Sand Shoal, Duck Island Roads, deeper water off Hammonasset Beach, Falkner Island area, off the New Haven breakwaters, and Stratford Shoal/Middle Ground area and deeper water (50+ ft.) surrounding Cable and Anchor Reef. SCUP (porgy) fishing is picking up on the major reefs and rock piles throughout LIS. TAUTOG (blackfish) can also be found on the same rocky structure as an added bonus! It is BLUE CRABBING time in the local tidal rivers and creeks! Connecticut DEEP

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Eastern Long Island Sound Fishing Report ”Bluefish are becoming the dominant factor in the marine fishing scene. The Fish Connection reports that the Thames River continues to produce a mix of mostly harbor bluefish, with patches of bigger fish up to the mid-teens in weight occasionally….” Bob Sampson in NorwichBulletin.com

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New York Area Fishing Report ”The offshore action continues to make news, and sharks are so close to shore you do not have to considerate it offshore fishing. Anglers were taking threshers and small makos feeding on bunker schools off Long Island in just 40 feet of water….” NYPost.com

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Thames Area Fishing Report ”Striper fishing on the Watch Hill reefs was terrible one day, more productive the very next. Fluking was better toward Weekapaug and Charlestown than out front of the Pink House. Captain Peter Fisher of the charter boat Fish did well yesterday morning….” Tim Coleman in TheDay.com

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Long Island Fishing Report ”…surprises have appeared in local waters, such as triggerfish and cobia. The shark action has taken off at jet speed, especially in deed water off Montauk. This past Saturday on board the charter boat Montauk loads of blue sharks were hooked, along with some big and small makos.” SouthamptonPatch.com

Connecticut, Long Island Sound, Housatonic River Saltwater Fishing Report: 13 Jul

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Charlie W. and I were off at 0600 on Wednesday...a bright and sunny start to the day. However, we noted that there was no dew. Usually at that time of the morning everything is soaked with the stuff...but not this morning. There's an old saw about dew in the morning... When the dew is on the grass, Rain will never come to pass. When grass is dry at morning light, Look for rain before the night. ...which I couldn't recall at the time...just had this nagging idea in the back of my mind that no dew meant bad weather. But, it was bright and sunny out! Must be an old-fisherman's tale.

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Guess when you own a boat this expensive you don't have to pay any attention to no-wake zones.

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Dyslexia in aircraft design?

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We found fish pretty quickly.

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A few small stripers, no keepers, and mostly smaller bluefish.

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Looks as though the housing market is tight even for cormorants. Apparently the kids have moved in with Mom & Pop.

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A line of clouds came over us and blocked the sun as it drifted off to the east. Could there be some truth in the dew legend?

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We kept fishing...keeping an eye to the west from whence commeth the cloudy weather. Charlie and I both got fish on flies...think we were both using small white deceivers... somewhat reduced in bulk after a few blues chewed on them.

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Stratford Police exercising the new rigid-hull inflatable.

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Egrets appear to have established a crime-watch zone.

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So we caught a mess of fish...nothing of size, but a lot of fun on light spin and fly tackle. As I got in the car, the first drops of ra in began to sparkle on the windshield. The dew was more accurate than the Weather Channel this day. Another great day on the water.

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Tube ‘n’ Worm Advanced Techniques

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”It would take quite a few articles to explain the theories behind why striped bass eat tubes. So instead of diving into tube and worm philosophy, lets explore how we can all improve our tube and worm success ratio by making a few alterations to our gear and techniques.” Barnstable-Hyannis.patch.com

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New Issue of Salt Water Sportsman Online Salt Water Sportsman

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New Laws, I-95 Bridge Update Affect Boating, Fishing

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New Connecticut Law Affects Boaters, Fishing Newly signed Public Act 11-74 makes numerous changes to the boating under the influence statutes, including (1) specifying that a conviction for reckless boating results in the suspension of a person's boating rights; (2) reducing the minimum time between chemical analysis tests from 30 to 10 minutes; (3) adding to the blood and urine samples that are permissible evidence; and (4) requiring prosecutors to specify reasons for a reduced, nolled, or dismissed boating under the influence charge. It allows sworn environmental protection conservation officers to administer oaths for affidavits, statements, depositions, complaints, or reports made to or by the officers. The law requires a person to obtain a fishing license in order to take, attempt to take, or assist in taking any fish or bait species. The act exempts a first time violator from the $87 fine and requires the case to be dismissed if the person provides proof of purchasing the required license after the violation but before the fine is imposed. The act requires, instead of authorizes, the environmental protection commissioner to designate one day a year when no license is required for recreational fishing.

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Mystic River No-Wake Zones And, newly signed Public Act 11-90 prohibits people from operating vessels in excess of “slow-no-wake” on the Mystic River within the following two areas: (1) between the entrance to the Mystic Harbor and Red Navigation Marker No. 22, excluding Beebe Cove, where the entrance to Mystic Harbor is a line beginning at the southernmost tip of Mouse Island, then east to Red Navigation Buoy “4”, known as Whale Rock, then generally northeasterly to Green Navigation Buoy “9” to the northern tip of Ram Island and to the southernmost tip of Mason Point, and (2) from Red Navigation Buoy “26” northward to Green Navigation Buoy “53”. “Slow-no-wake” is defined in DEP boating safety regulations. It means that a vessel must not (1) produce more than a minimum wake and (2) attain speeds greater than six miles per hour over the ground unless a higher minimum speed is necessary to maintain steerageway when traveling with a strong current. In no case can the wake produced by the vessel be such that it creates a danger of injury to people or damage to vessels or structures.

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I-95 Bridge Changes Affect Fishing, Boat Launch ”As one can expect, the 13 new concrete piers will be considerably more robust than the old ones. They will sit in massive sockets drilled into bedrock. That drilling operation -- the so-called foundation project -- will be completed in November. “The bridge over the river isn't the only one that will be replaced. Two much smaller approach bridges on the Stratford side will be replaced, too -- the one that spans Barnum Avenue Cut-Off and the overpass for Stratford's East Main Street. “Also, the I-95 span over Milford's Naugatuck Avenue will no longer be a continuation of the Moses Wheeler, but rather will be a separate structure. “The state boat ramp on the Milford side, just south of the bridge, will be replaced, too; it will remain closed during construction.” CTPost.com

Stripers on Artificials...

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...as though this were a new idea ”A special technique is needed for casting and retrieving bucktail jigs along bottom, when drifting or at anchor or from shore. Facing into the tide or current, throw the jig into the current at a 45 degree angle. Holding your rod tip low and pointed at the lure, wait for the line to slack up to indicate you’ve hit bottom, counting to see how long it takes. If you’re lucky, that first cast won’t hang bottom and cost you a lure. “Start your next retrieves just short of your bottom-hitting count.” NewHampshire.com

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Connecticut Sinks DEP into DEEP ”DEEP brings together the state's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC) and an energy policy group that had been based at the Office of Policy and Management.” “The new agency also introduced a new website at www.ct.gov/deep and a new logo. Websites previously maintained by DEP, www.ct.gov/dep, and DPUC, www.ct.gov/dpuc, are also continuing to function. The main offices for environmental programs will continue be 79 Elm St., Hartford, which has been the home base for DEP. Utilities regulation will continue to be based at 10 Franklin Square, New Britain, which has been home to the DPUC.” WestHartfordNews.com

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Charles Island’s Lure Hard to Resist ”In 1992, treasure hunter "West Coast" Don Johnson, president of Sunken Treasure Inc. of Fort Myers, Fla., was slapped with a cease-and-desist order for selling stock in a Charles Island treasure-hunting scheme. Johnson said he would search for Captain William Kidd's rumored treasure on the island. But the DEP never granted him a permit to dig for the pirate's supposed riches.” CTPost.com

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Connecticut, Long Island Sound, Housatonic River Saltwater Fishing Report: 09 July

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O400 hours on Saturday it was misty and the roads were still wet as I was leaving Hometown, CT.

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Shoo-Fly was patiently waiting. Val S. and I had planned to fish on Friday, but an exchange of phone calls at 0430 clarified that there was rain and lightning farther west on the Connecticut coastline where Val lives. And, as anything that happens over that way soon winds up in Stratford, we decided to bag fishing that day.

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But we did get out on Saturday. As you can see, as we pulled away from the dock the tail-end of the storm clouds from the previous day and night was slinking away over the eastern horizon.

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We headed east to Milford Harbor where Shoo-Fly had had some good success several days ago.... But that was a waste of time. Althoug there were bunker [baitfish] in the water, when we got there no fish were feeding on them. We headed back to the mouth of the Housatonic River...passing by Charles Island we could see why the environmental folk have closed the Island to foot traffic: Lots of birds, mostly egrets in this pic, are breeding on the Island.

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Back at the Housy, it didn't take Val long to get into fish.

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Unfortunately, we caught no large fish this day...so we had to settle for numbers: 4 stripers, 22 bluefish. All but two fish, blues, returned to the water safely.

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Note that the second Canada Goose from the left has a yellow tag on its neck. Wonder if it's because he was misbehaving. Click on any pic to enlarge it.

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Nice striper, but not a keeper.

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I was having a hard time getting a fish on the fly rod, but Val hooked up with a fly of his own creation...

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...and after a good battle landed this 5-lb. bluefish. He took two blues home to the smoker.

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Cormorant wasn't bothered by Shoo-fly's presence, but the egret headed for new territory. Another great day on the water.