Printer Friendly Version - A Familiar Gal Returns

A Fort Lauderdale October fishing trip for local fishers Gene Calistro of Guilford, Lou Crisci, Larry Sgrignari, and Bill Cote from East Haven netted a fine catch of Mahi-mahi and Wahoo. Photo courtesy of Captain Morgan

Rocky entered Long Island Sound after a bit of an absence. She’s seen the numbers of her yearly class dwindle and, although food steadily became more abundant, it seemed wiser to lay back for a spell and let the younger bucks fight the battle. Her snout and sides certainly show the reminders of the clashes she’s had. Obviously, Rocky came out on top one way or the other, but wisdom prevailed over foolish decisions.

Even in the underwater world of fish, word travels. The message might be different depending whether one is prey or predator. In recent seasons, Atlantic menhaden sent shivering vibrations, alerting schools to tighten up and fall into battle formation. The opposite held true for those intent on reducing the size of that school. Too much of a good thing even got the best of Rocky as she once again headed to the Sound.

Here, she would find food piled so thick that the old gal would not have to spend needless energy to fill her gullet. She wouldn’t have to fight the currents or hide in ambush, while navigating colder offshore waters. It was easy to follow the migrating bunker schools, but she soon found out that it wasn’t as easy to compete. The years of this fine well-worn example of Marone saxatilis have taken their toll. Speed and sharp turns have given way to more cunning tactics.

The Sound, though, seemed noticeably fresher. There were more different fins swimming about than in the past, some of which came from her neck of the woods—the Delaware-Maryland-Virginia (DelMarVa) region. There were also more larger shadows, such as whales, dolphins, and ocean sunfish.

“Could this be my second home?” she quipped. “Not sure how many more visits I left in me, but I don’t think I’ll be staying away so long again.”

Rocky did have a good visit, ate well, and picked up a few more reminders of slightly less experienced fishers. She even had to show an albie or two who owned the rocks, while eyeballing a few more sharks than she remembered and warding off those pesky seals. After a slap of her tail, she silently slipped away to begin an all too familiar journey homeward. Be well until your next trip Rocky and safe travels!

The effort is on to squeeze as many fishing days out of November as possible. Recently, inshore water temperatures dipped to 59 degrees. That wasn’t quite cold enough to drive most fish into lockjaw mode considering the low 60s have been about par lately. If there is one culprit, it would be the combination of howling winds and challenging seas that have been erupting the surf, like what we experienced last weekend. Of course, the Arctic blast that brought the first solid freeze didn’t help matters, either.

At last check, menhaden haven been in and about the lower tidal rivers and much of the shoreline, however happenstance that might be. The periodic jumps of hickory shad also seemed to be testing November’s grip. As a matter of fact, even blue crabs have been joining in on a surprising fall season that is relentlessly refusing to give up.

It is striped bass season where they ply their keen navigational skills in order to return to their winter grounds, some of which may be the familiar northern holdover rivers. Others may be the upper portions of the DelMarVa region. These linesiders are hungry and vacuuming up whatever protein presents itself.

Along the Connecticut shoreline, stripers are feeding on schools of live fin fish. They are taking what is left of the available commercial live eel supply and other baits that are fished whole or as chunks. Soft plastics and hard jigs have also found their mark, along with other artificials, including jigs and plugs. Although quality fish have been caught in shallow water, the offshore rips have turned up some lesser fish, but not easily. This will change as more bait gets flushed out of the rivers and pushed offshore.

Bluefish have really scattered. In fact, catches in the Sound took a nose dive. Scup also eased, but deep water humpback black sea bass catches continue to hold on. The bite continues with mostly smaller keeper fish taking baits. The apparent reduced numbers of the sought-after whitechins in the Long Island Sound fishery probably has more to do with them being skewed than anything else. As coastal water temperatures continue to dip, look for the ‘togs to move into deeper water.

Fall trout stocking is now complete with the Hammonasset River and its Trout Management Area, along with the Natchaug and Yantic rivers being the last of inland waters to receive fish. Keep an eye on the Shetucket River as more broodstock Atlantic salmon are scheduled to be stocked in the near future. The rest of the rivers, lakes, and ponds are exhibiting varying degrees of activity. Trout are biting, but testing anglers’ skill both with conventional and fly gear. Keep it small and simple. Bass fishing has been mixed as local waters experienced shocking temperature drops. That held true for most species during the first hard frost, but as temps moderated to around 50 degrees, the bite improved for sub-surface and bottom feeders like pike and catfish, including yellow perch.

Time is running out for fishers to register for the upcoming webinar scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. Coordinators of the Blue Plan are reaching out to recreational fishers to render input on fishing the waters and sub-structure of Long Island Sound. If fishing and the Sound are important to you, then speaking out during these early stages of the plan’s development is paramount! To register for a free email, contact DEEP.BluePlanLIS@ct.gov and reference “Christian Fox — Webinar.”

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 fishing trips, 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...

Cow bass like a Rocky save the choice pickings for themselves, often leaving the rest for the younger, scrappier bucks. Photo courtesy of Captain Morgan