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11/23/2016 11:00 PMIt’s long been believed that Thanksgiving dates back to 1621, when the Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians came together in Plymouth, Massachusetts to celebrate the fall harvest. It was the Pilgrims’ first. That harvest eventually morphed into today’s somewhat traditional meal. The holiday wasn’t celebrated nationally until it was proclaimed by George Washington in 1789 and federally since 1863, when Abraham Lincoln proclaimed “a day of Thanksgiving” to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November.
Since then, families, friends, and sometimes strangers have gathered at the table and expressed thanks in various ways for various things before delving into what often turns out to be a delicious, but overfilling meal, and maybe a little too much to drink. Nearly everyone who attended grammar school has some recollection of the Thanksgiving play and, perhaps, the part they desperately tried to avoid playing. Didn’t work out for you, did it? Debuting as a tree, pumpkin, or even a turkey wasn’t that bad, but having to look into the eyes of a real person and speak out loud, well, that was much different.
There was chatter about the year’s events as the main room gradually dwindled down. Remaining guests had to speak up a bit as the sound of football games on the big screen permeated through the halls. Sportsters with their belts loosened a few notches grappled with the scores and eventually got around to talking about fishing and how the hunting season was shaping up. A little racing and some golf crept in, but not too much.
Certainly, this year we have much to pray for and a lot of thanks to go around. The bounty marine waters yielded was the best in many years. Estuaries were full, bays caught their overflow, and Long Island Sound had more than its share of sea mammals and finfish. For this, fishers were thankful and, for the first time in a long time, it almost felt like years past. Not quite the 1600s, but good nevertheless. Thanksgiving marks the beginning of our highly anticipated holiday season. May this be one of your most cherished and one that opens the gates for great things ahead. Happy Thanksgiving all!
On the Water
Typical for this time of year, October showed its true colors. There were cold and windy days, although those were interrupted by unusually warm and calm ones. Water temperatures in central Long Island Sound dropped to the mid-50s, while the tidal rivers were more susceptible to weather conditions and fluctuated more readily. Obviously, the large, bright, Full Beaver Moon (the closest since 1948) influenced the tidal flow by causing tides to rise much higher than normal and currents to rip.
Prior to and shortly thereafter, fishing activity spiked. Inshore striped bass action was electrifying as gulls and even bald eagles badgered schools of bunker that were picked apart by feeding linesiders. From Old Saybrook to New Haven and especially in the Madison and Guilford area, stripers dodged in and out of their inshore rocky cover in order to satisfy their insatiable appetites. Fishers casting plugs, spoons, and even flies rarely came up empty-handed during these forays.
Although there were also bluefish eager to feed, their pattern was different. The harbor blues chimed in with the smaller bass, however, the ones larger than 14 pounds held to a different standard. They fed deeper and singularly or in small groups and, when they grabbed a chunk or a live bunker, line was peeled off with blinding speed. They, too, fed inshore. Nevertheless, they were also found on offshore reefs from Westbrook to Faulkner’s, along with some mighty hefty stripers.
Blackfish (tautog) continue to pile up on Southwest, Madison, and Kimberly Reefs, as well as Goose Island. They seem to be more comfortable in 40-foot depths now that the water is cooling down and are still loving their crabs on simple rigs. A few more whitechins were brought to the gunwales this past week, but were way outnumbered by the three- to four-pounders. Most humpback black sea bass catches are still spread out and coming from deep water, while undersized ones are in tighter schools and shallower.
Recent rainfall helped our rivers and streams, but did little to arrest the state’s drought conditions. Flows increased a bit and the cooler water made for better fishing, especially in key rivers that have been receiving trout and salmon stockings. Fall fishing isn’t done yet if the pike, crappie, walleye, and assorted bottom fish have anything to say about it.
Note: Email us pics of your catches to share with our USA and international fishing friends who keep up with the latest fishing news and frequent social media.
For all things fishy including permits, swing by the shop (203-245-8665) open seven days located at 21 Boston Post Road, Madison. Until next time from your Connecticut shoreline’s full-service fishing outfitter, where we don’t make the fisherman, we make the fisherman better...
Tight Lines,
Captain Morgan
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