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05/04/2017 12:00 AMHere it was, the last of April, and Long Island Sound and its estuaries were exploding with finfish. Competition within the food chain is heating up as waters become more crowded and are dotted with more fishers and, certainly, more fish. After a series of springtime bouts with the weather, it was a change of pace to be out in the calm, even though visibility was less than optimum on this day.
A good portion of the holdover striped bass have made their way down river. The bigger gals seemed to have spread out and been replaced by a strong schoolie class sweeping through the shoreline. Similar to a trout stream that’s been awakened by a thick hatch, these junior linesiders were slurping up whatever was within reach, namely silversides, river herring, and shad.
There was a bit of chill in the air, but that soon dissipated as the action heated up with the help of obliging bass. The fish were not everywhere, but when a school was located, hookups were rather consistent. We were using light spinning gear, swapping off between soft swim baits and top-water poppers. Without question, an eight-weight fly setup together with a Clouser or deceiver would have worked just fine.
Admittedly, with the spring blackfish (tautog) season coming to a close, the majority of the recreational fleet’s focus was on pulling ‘togs from the rocks. That left more room on the water for bass fishers, like us, and a smattering of flounder hunters. Nevertheless, with the exception of a few other vessels trolling or drifting the bass reefs, one could see more activity being generated on the nearby walls as boats began vying for position.
One could not say there was a flurry of catching; spotty was more like it. However, since the season was coming to a close, any ‘tog-puller worth his or her salt was out. Some put their faith in crabs, while others were onto soft baits like clams and worms. All in all, ‘tog season ended as expected, while others opened. Given all of the recent activity on the Sound and seasonal schools of fish appearing, April closed with quite a bit of optimism toward the coming season.
On the Water
New moon tides brought minor flooding to the immediate low-lying shoreline areas, but also brought good fishing. Coastal water temperatures remained in the low 50s, fluctuating as wind and rain had a cool-down effect, while warmer days caused just the opposite. Spring has definitely captured the environment with the wetlands taking on more of a green tinge as waterfowl interactions are becoming more common with schools of silversides.
Blackfish is now closed until Saturday, July 1, but not before some double-digit ‘togs were caught. The cold and windy start pushed the bite into April’s third week before any real action materialized. Once temps rose to 52 degrees and above, catching improved on the inshore walls and reefs. However, May 1 did mark the opening of the porgy (scup) and black sea bass seasons. It will take a little more time before a real porgy bite takes over the shoreline, although the deep water reefs had some sea bass action.
The limit on black seas bass will remain the same as in 2016: five fish at a 15-inch minimum length. However, as noted earlier, that may change since Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey are grouped together in the regional management plan that incurred a New York and New Jersey over-harvest. That ultimately may have to be repaid, thereby negatively affecting the Connecticut regulation. Winter flounder spots have seen more action of late, but are hardly on fire. However, white perch have providing plenty of action in many of the tidal rivers. Keep an eye open for runs of weakfish and bluefish.
It seems as though striped bass catches increase with each passing day. More areas throughout the shoreline are experiencing similar results, both with conventional and fly fishing gear. Fishing the tidal flow has varied, with the flood favoring the beaches and inshore reefs, while the ebb has been better in some rivers. Live bait has tipped the scales in the fishers favor, although artificials are making their mark, whether it’s soft plastics, jigs, or plugs. Much of the action consists of schoolies, but fish in the 40-inch class are being caught.
Trout fishing was mixed due to the varying rain patterns affecting the flows and clarity. Once that subsided, fishing in the rivers improved, along with several lakes and ponds. More stocking occurred with about 100,000 fish remaining in the spring program. Flies, lures, and bait all had their moments, although live shiners and worms had the edge.
The largemouth bite improved. Go for jerk baits, spinnerbaits, and jigs. Same with the smallie bite, but in both cases, water temps are important since they are gradually nudging up. Walleyes are waking up to trolled lures—live shiners where permitted! Look for some river carp action, as well as cats, although focusing on Connecticut River American shad could encourage you to fire up the smoker.
Sad Note
The shoreline recently lost a familiar face to fishers and an advocate of shell fishing. Alison Varian of Guilford, wife of Garth, could readily be found navigating her vessel around the nooks and crannies of Long Island Sound, more often than not fighting a fish, or working closely with the shellfish commission in different capacities—most recently as chair. Her smile, easy way, and uncanny fishing ability will be missed. God bless and may she always rest in peace.
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 fly fishing, 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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