Printer Friendly Version - Avoid Missing Out on Unexpected Opportunities

This sunset-drenched evening was further enhanced by a fortunate turn of events. Photo courtesy of Captain Morgan

It was early evening when the fisheries meeting ended. A bit of chatting went on afterwards, before we gathered files and parted ways. Backing up to the wetlands and then turning toward the shop and the way home, thoughts of the meeting were interrupted by how still the Phragmites looked. The marsh was calm and the sun was setting.

From that moment, my focus turned to the river as the road wound around, eventually meeting up with the water. It was flat calm as reflections were picked up from the surroundings. I felt that getting home could wait a bit longer as I hoped that one of my backup rods was still in the bed of the truck.

It’s rare that at least one setup isn’t an arm’s length away when traveling. This was one of those times when habit prevailed. The travel tackle bag generally carries lures that target various parts of the water column, as well as a few select, proven patterns. That was in the bed, too. The question was whether or not this particular evening would be as appealing to the fish as it was to this fisher?

The sun was setting slowly, dropping into the skyline of the western horizon. It glowed a yellow-orange, casting its colors onto the water, while silhouetting the eastern shore; not a soul was in sight. A bit offshore and not far from a few moored vessels, a slight disturbance caught the eye. The circles slowly spread out, before dissipating. Another break in the calm, quiet water occurred, and then another. It seemed as though the fish also liked the conditions.

Enough observation! Time to break out the gear and have a little fun. How could you not? One small three-quarter ounce popper led the way for what followed—cast, splash, pop, and wham! Nothing but schoolies, but who cared? They were fresh, spunky, and full of fight. The commotion of one hookup after another did not deter the action. In fact, it almost appeared as though it energized and excited the entire school.

Soon, reflections of the sun off the water faded away without hardly a notice. It was now dark and still no sign of human intervention anywhere, except for a passerby that stopped briefly to watch. A lot of time had passed since I said, “One more cast.” In this fast-paced world, there are times like these when it’s nice to take a breather and explore what you might otherwise miss. These opportunities don’t always present themselves, but when they do, embracing them can be unexpectedly rewarding.

Sunrises have been quite picturesque, while sunsets have been brilliant. Of course, being spring, sea breezes kicked up and some rain fell, but overall, inshore water temperatures have been on a jittery rise. Temps have been in the range of 53- to 55 degrees and that suits the fish just fine.

Schoolie striped bass have been stealing the show with their display of foraging antics. One minute they are slaying top water plugs. During the same tide, they suddenly like small jigs. And of course, these little aggressors cannot pass up a juicy sandworm. Although many of these fish are working both tides in the rivers, the shoreline and harbors continue to see good numbers of them. As an added bonus, flyrodders are having equal success, especially around dawn and dusk.

This past week, linesiders up to 28 inches and above were being caught more frequently. Plugs on these fish have been rendering good results, while live and chunk baits have been producing more of the larger fish. Action on many of the reefs have picked up with those like Hatchett’s, Charles, Faulkner’s North RIP, Brown’s, and The Beacon doing well on the flood. The weakfish bite continues on soft baits and keeping your eye open for some tailor blues (as they are known down under) would be a good idea. Black sea bass opens on Saturday, May 19!

Atlantic menhaden are in, but sporadic in their appearance. American shad are in the Connecticut River and the hickories have been caught in several harbors and tidal rivers on small jigs, spoons, and flies. Check out the white perch action in those upper tidal rivers. Not much more than a piece of a worm will do the trick. The Sound is shaping up as fluke and porgy are moving in and staging closer to the inshore shoals and reefs. Fishing for any doormats will require deep water, large baits, and patience. Porgy, on the other hand, will quickly jump on squid, sea worms, and scented artificials.

Trout stocking will continue through May in the rivers, lakes, ponds, and trout parks. River levels and flows have recently been quite cooperative and the catches reflect that. Live, artificial, and scent baits, as well as natural baits, are productive. Fly rodders are seeing good results with streamers, dries during the hatch, and some nymphing. Largemouth bass are liking live shiners and soft plastics, along with select spinnerbaits and jerk baits. Smallies have been taking small jigs, soft plastics, and well-bodied flies. Pickerel, perch, channel catfish, panfish, and river carp are joining in on the spring action.

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...

Determined Eve Benton, 6, of Killingworth delivered on her promise of catching a trout even after her dad Joshua suggested leaving due to the weather. Nice tiger trout, Eve! Photo courtesy of Captain Morgan