A STRANGE NEW SEASON
by
DICK ALLEY
Another beautiful day!. Plentiful sunshine, a light breeze and the thermometer edging into the mid-sixties. April is not yet a week old. Water temperatures in the rivers and streams are in the 50's already and they are pushing that number in Long Island Sound. Winter flounder are out of the mud and stripers are on the move. Trout season saw an early opening a week ago and anglers can be found in spots all over the county. On its' surface, this early season is something I've argued and waited for, for decades. There has to be a catch and in this case, the problem is COVID-19.
Though the weather is great and there is reason to believe fishing should be good, going fishing can be problematic---especially in Long Island Sound.
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| Trout like this one are available across the State and two weeks earlier than normal. |
Only a few boats are in the water. Some launch ramps are open, but others are located within areas closed to the public. Right now, all beach areas in my home town of Westport are closed to the public. Entrance gates are blocked and in some cases even temporary parking areas are roped off. All because "some" people were walking and talking or standing ---- "too close to one another" in violation of safe spacing recommendations. Meantime geezers like me can't even drive into the beach area to look for breaking bass or enjoy a beautiful sunset.
What happens as the season progresses and fishing opportunities improve? Will beaches and parking areas remain closed? Will boat owners be allowed access to their boats?
The best fishing spots are the same from year to year. Best times to fish, the best fishing conditions, are reliable factors that seldom vary. Getting to those spots might be a problem this year. Hopefully this whole Coronavirus plague will quickly go away. If not, the "cure" may become a bigger problem than the virus itself. Many people who obey the rules will be perfectly capable of leading normal lives. Likewise for the many people who have recovered from the virus. Their idea of "normal" does not include blanket rules for a few that impact the vast majority.
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| A catch and release schoolie bass caught at Compo Beach. Even under crowded fishing conditions, anglers are rarely closer than 15 or 20 feet. Not being allowed access to the beach is unfair.. |
Government should not make rules that penalize those who obey along with those who violate those rules. Don't prevent the angler who maintains safe space while fishing from getting to his or her fishing spot, because half a dozen people who ignore the rules get together for a picnic. If a group of anglers gather after fishing then penalize them, but don't penalize those who are following the Guidelines.
Government has once again taken the easy way out in closing the beaches. Right now, it matters little. In another few weeks it will matter a lot. Hopefully by then, we will once again be able to enjoy a sunset at the beach.
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