Printer Friendly Version - Fishers’ Body Clocks Adjust to the Time Change

Fall trout fishing is into a banner season as angler Lee Greenwood of Madison hooked into his Connecticut best, a 21-inch rainbow, and then quipped, “Not bad compared to some of my Utah catches.” Photo courtesy of Captain Morgan

Good-weather days that are considered bonus ones for this time of year have been well used. From folks who have been overworked to those whose free time is limited, these wondrous occurrences were hard to pass up. Air seemed to be fresher following each blow that had previously caused the Sound to erupt. Even breaking waves contributed to the mood by littering the surf line with scattered treasures carried up from the deep and then displayed along beaches with an artistic flair.

During this time, emotions can run high. This is the time to rein in the big one! There’s more than enough casting room and, except for the blackfish (tautog) bite, vessels typically have all the space that’s needed. The solitude can be a blessing. However, on the chance that a fisher hooks into a good fish and discovers there’s no one in sight with which to share the interaction, it can then be less than perfect. What is perhaps a greater letdown may be the inability to capture the photo op.

Fewer fishers on the water means that the odds increase in your favor to land the season’s prize. What contributes to making fall such a great season is the procession of fish bulking up to sustain the run to their winter grounds or settle in to their existing habitat. Unless startled, their guard is compromised since most sensors are directed toward foraging and, therefore, more easily enticed than if it were summer.

Be it a four- to six-inch swim shad, a dressed-up bucktail, a diamond jig, plug, fly, or chunk of bait to attract a striper, put it within reach at the appropriate tide while giving it a realistic presentation and be prepared for a strike. Depending on sustained or tanking water temperatures, the hookup you have been looking for may be with your next cast. And if it’s table fare that has piqued your interest, like tautog, which can be served in so many different delicious ways, then the same logic holds, but crabs will be the way to go. May your next few trips be memorable as we adjust to clocks being turned back an hour.

Heading toward our first real frost of the season, air temperatures dipped below 40 degrees and into the 30s as cold and warm fronts battled the seasonal change. Daylight Saving Time ended at 2 a.m. on Nov. 7, pushing the clocks back an hour as Long Island Sound water temps dropped to the low 60s. Winds and sea conditions varied with the weather fronts, as well as high and low pressures causing intermittent warnings to mariners, even though this week produced a few warmer 60-degree days as high pressure dominated.

Another typical fall week passed us by with another to follow as our fisheries react favorably. Although water temps are dropping and some vessels are being hauled, the bite throughout the Sound continues. The morning bite for striped bass along the shoreline and in many of the lower tidal rivers has been good. Slot limit fish were being caught, plenty of those that needed more growth time were returned, and linesiders that needed to be released have been putting fishers to the test.

Playing these weather fronts and judging sea conditions has been more of a challenge for fishers than actually hooking up. North winds helped shore casters by smoothing waters seaward. Southerly winds may have hindered casts, but the easterly ones generally proved problematic. At any rate, chunkers, drifters, and trollers did connect with fish when working the reefs, while small bucktails, soft plastics, and scented baits did well inshore.

Dropping water temps got the ‘togs moving better with schools being found on the walls and nearshore reefs, as well as around Goose Island and various harbors spotted with small islands and rocky structure. Coastal storms and windy conditions that interfered with harvesting crabs created some shortages. However, resourceful ‘toggers successfully substituted baits that are part of a ‘tog’s diet. Additionally, chumming the immediate waters did provide a noticeable edge. When sea and wind conditions improved, catch ratios remained fairly consistent as shorts outpaced keepers, numbers of legal fish improved, and catches of white chins slightly edged upward. Not surprising, those ‘togging from shore managed some nice catches, but dealing with landings over rocks presented unfriendly obstacles.

Fall conditions are keeping bluefish and sea trout (weakfish) in the Sound as they proceed to chow down on available forage. Reefs and rip lines are their key hunting spots, but as water temps drop to below the 60s, their end game is nearing. Chunk baits, spoons, and jigs are the go-tos. However, eyeballing a school will give fishers cause to reach for the a top-water plug that might also interest a striper earlier in the morning. Albies have been popping up and down in and around Faulkner’s, Hammonasset, Cranes, and mid-Sound. Best action in the east.

Look for the bottom fishery to hang around, namely black sea bass and porgy (scup). Others like sea robins, northern kingfish, and triggerfish are still taking baits, but even these finfish realize it is getting closer to the time to finally head out. And of course, there will be an unfamiliar fish or two, like a drum, that will pass through our waters, testing the habitat after they rode up the Gulf Stream.

Election Day saw schools closed, giving many youngsters and adults another bonus day to bond while wetting a line. Anglers headed inland to the trout rivers and streams, where good-sized fish were rumored to have been caught with plenty of photos to prove it. Although many parts of the state saw their first real frost, this did not dampen the bite in lakes, ponds, and upper tidal rivers, where bass, perch, and catfish were caught. Broodstock Atlantic salmon, too!

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. Masks required inside. Until next time from your Connecticut shoreline’s full-service fishing outfitter, where we don’t make the fisherman, we make the fisherman better.

It’s another good year for triggerfish, who made they made their seasonal run up the coast, as fishers like Bill Gazda (left) and Dave Guerra (bottom right), both of Guilford, and Paul Kilbourne (top right) of Madison, found out. Photo illustration courtesy of Captain Morgan