This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
06/22/2017 12:00 AM‘Hey, that’s my spot!’ a voice bellowed from a few boat lengths away. “Where’s the sign?” retorted the mate from across the way. This sort of exchange has happened and is occurring more often as word gets out about big striped bass being caught. As competition heats up to gain access to those honey holes, prized spots are becoming magnets for other fishers.
These types of exchanges may not actually take place on a regular basis, but you can take it to the bank that those thoughts are there. It may take years to learn and develop a highly productive area and then how to fish it. To learn when the fish show up and what will turn them on is important to success. Remember, spots are not necessarily the secret, but where the bass are certainly is.
Perhaps, it’s not so much that someone else will hook into one of the big fish, but rather, is crowding another out. Most of the time, an experienced fisher can lead someone else to a spot and even tell him or her what to use, but chances are they will still strike out. Remember, if you don’t know what to do with that knowledge, then catching one of those elusive stripers becomes just an exercise in futility.
That’s only part of it. When too many vessels put an array of hook and line combinations into a given area (and that includes anchors), it just becomes an out-of-control circus. The few exceptions might be a blitzing bluefish frenzy or a reef stacked with scup or sea bass, but even then, it could get out of control. So, even though no one fisher owns the water or a given part of it, a wide berth and little courtesy to a fellow fisher goes a long way.
Striped bass will move about with the tides and hunker down in a narrow feeding zone. There, they will take advantage of their surroundings in order to surprise prey. Sometimes they will rise to the surface to feed, but more often, they will seek a comfort level below. Knowing where and how a bass will feed on a given tide, what might be their food preference at the time, and what will be the best presentation, all come into play.
So, it you are unceremoniously rushing to a spot thinking you will catch a fish because other boats are grouped together, then you might just be thinking a little too aggressively. It could happen, but more than likely, one will be caught by an experienced fisher who decided to ride out the onslaught and is now quietly chuckling. After all, it was only luck anyway, right? The moral: Learn your fish, its habits, and habitat.
On the Water
We survived the second heat spell during which inshore Long Island Sound water temperatures rose to the mid-60s. Aside from a cool down in air temps and passing showers, the entire marine fishery during that transition period responded in a positive way. The recent full moon bite only added to the boon that many fishers experienced.
Striped bass catches are up to the point of 50-plus pounds linesiders being caught relatively close to shore and during the oddest of tides. Some of these cows have been lurking in the shallows under the cover of rocky structure that would give them the best element of surprise. Others have been feeding from the cover of offshore reefs in somewhat deeper water. There seems to be an uptick in catches of 35- to 40-pounders, as well as numerous smaller fish. Catches using live bait are up, chunk fishing has been productive, while drifting bucktails and trolling bunker spoons have been go-to methods of putting fish on the hook.
There are more schools of Atlantic menhaden materializing, some of which are showing little evidence of being pursued. However, others haven been displaying that nervous appearance generally associated with schools being picked at from below. Bluefish are moving throughout the Sound, but not with enough aggression to drive these bunker schools into a frenzy. There has been some topwater action, although most blues caught have been down under, taking chunk and whole baits, spoons, umbrellas, and swimmers. Check out the rip lines, where fishing for these choppers has been good.
Even though the recent heat spell put down some of the daytime fishing activity, black sea bass remained reasonably active. Reefs and rock piles in and around 65 feet produced humpbacks in the four-plus pound range. Be prepared to work through smaller fish, including scup, which are now piling up. Fish below the schools for dinner-plate size porgies. Fluke fishing has improved to where mini-doormats are being caught at both ends of the Sound and in between. Shorts continue to outweigh keepers. Squid strips, whole squid, sand eels, and spearing are the simple baits on simpler rigs that are bringing in the larger fish. All avenues passing by reefs and shoals like Six Mile, Long Sand Shoal, and Faulkner’s are heading to harbors are likely to hold fish. Chunk bait on the shore bottom is attracting sand sharks approaching four feet in length. Normally, August is prime time, but these smooth dogfish have moved in, and are sharing the grounds with sea robins and skates.
Blue crabbing is starting to take hold as several tidal rivers are filling up with good-size jimmies. Scooping, trapping, and hand-lining are being used successfully, but with fluctuating water temps, be wary of your crabbing depths.
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 crabbing supplies, 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
captainmorgan.fish@sbcglobal.net
captainmorgan-fish.blogspot.com
twitter @captmorgan_usa