BLUES IN JUNE

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BLUES IN JUNE ARE BUSTING OUT ALL OVER!
BY DICK ALLEY
June 1998

JUNE & BLUES ARE BUSTING OUT ALL OVER!

by Dick Alley

Author's note: This story was first published in 1998 in the New England Fisherman magazine. It has been updated and modified for my blog. -DWA

     It's that time again anglers. Every year around the third week in May, enormous schools of bluefish invade Long Island  Sound's east end. They first show up off Wading River and on the Connecticut side, the West Haven sand bar but that's a little bit later on. From Wading River, followed by a short blitz off Port Jefferson on the Long Island side, they move into the mid-Sound waters, settling in over the mid-Sound trench where water depths top 100 feet and lobster pots dot the surface.

My first experience with Long Island Sound bluefish occurred more years ago than I care to remember. Ed Stalling and I had just met, and he invited me to ride across the Sound in his 16-foot lapstrake Lyman to fish for striped bass,

          We left before dawn traveling across the Sound to Crane's Neck, where we cast big swimming plugs to good-sized stripers rolling among the rocks close to shore. We hooked a couple and lost them just as fast, and managed to boat a couple of smaller fish in the five-to-eight pound class. Too soon, it was time to head back to Westport.
      It was mid-June and a warm cloudy, windless day, so Ed's little runabout skimmed the surface as we cruised  towards the Connecticut shoreline.

Ed Boland with a typical mid-Sound blue.

Visibility was down in the haze, so when the engine suddenly went from a roar to an idle, I asked what was wrong.
     "Nothing's wrong",  replied Ed. "Look at those fish." He pointed to a small group of diving gulls and as my eyes adjusted to the haze, I could see the fish  rolling beneath them. We were still rigged for bass, with no wire leaders. Ed quickly flipped out a bucktail and began a jerky retrieve, causing the little lure to dance a couple of feet below the surface. I still hadn't made a cast when Ed whooped as his one-handed rod arced and the reel screamed. I dropped my own bucktail a few feet short of the rolling fish, and it immediately bent double and then went slack as a blue grabbed hold, slammed my bucktail and sliced the monofilament in less time than it took for my heart to skip a beat.
     The bluefish were small in those days, averaging a couple of pounds -----of nitroglycerine! Having recently made the conversion from fresh water to salt water fishing, I really wasn't prepared for the stamina,  strength and downright spectacular fighting ability of even small bluefish.
     I struggled to tie on another bucktail and made another cast. By this time, I was so excited I forgot to open the bail on the reel . Somehow I finally managed to drop my bucktail next to another  swirling fish, and that critter turned around, clamped down and headed for Montauk. I was doing better  until I let the line go slack for a second as those sharp teeth found the monofilament again.   
     It took a while to lose most of our lures. In the process, I landed a fish of about four pounds, and Ed did better, boating a couple. We were into the fish for at least a couple of hours, and came back to the dock long after we'd planned.
     It was our first-ever encounter with the early-summer top-water bluefish experience, and while that day was decades ago, there's never been a summer since that I've failed to find choppers in the mid-Sound trench. Sometimes the blues are bigger in numbers and sometimes smaller, but generally, the size of these fish has increased dramatically over the years.
     It appears they've become more sophisticated and difficult to catch  as the years have passed. They're spawning and are often finicky, sometimes downright stubborn, almost always  frustrating us to the Nnnth degree, but they can be caught.
 
     WHERE TO LOOK ? - From Westport, it's about a ten minute cruise from Buoy 24 to the bluefish grounds. A compass heading of 150 degree's out of Westport, brings you to the middle of the Sound, where water depths approach 100 feet and lobster pots dot the surface every few feet. God Bless GPS units. Plug in the numbers when they're first located, and you'll enjoy good fishing for weeks.  Usually, prevailing weather conditions at this time of year are as good as they get, with little or no wind, few storms and lots of sunshine.
      The simplest way to find the fish first time out is to keep a sharp eye ahead of the boat as you cruise toward the mid-Sound trench.  Small pods of blues cruise on the surface and will usually swirl away just ahead of the boat as you approach. Spot the swirls and begin casting.  On the really calm days, they can be seen splashing from a couple of hundred feet away. Sometimes diving gulls will mark a large pod of fish.  Pin-point casting is one key to catching fish.. Hit them on the head with a lure and they'll turn and attack by instinct. Miss them by a yard and they'll ignore it.

WHAT TO USE:
   
  Small poppers in the 1/2 ounce to 3/4 ounce sizes work well. I favor  poppers like the 1/2 ounce Pencil Popper, and the little Creek Chub poppers up to about 3/4 ounces. Bucktails will often draw hits when poppers won't, but be prepared to lose a few. Wire leaders kill the action on a bucktail. Be willing to sacrifice a couple of lures and you could have a bunch of fun and a fish or two   Metal spoons like the Fiord, the Hopkins and the Kastmaster will catch fish too.

This blue hit a trolled bucktail in the eastern Sound

Some  days  you can throw everything, hit them on the head, tickle their snouts and think you're doing everything right. They'll be rolling and swirling in every direction, and they won't hit anything you throw. That's the  time to troll. No, don't break out the wire line. Simply tie on a Redfin, Rebel, Bomber Lure, Gag's Grabber, or just about any of the swimming minnows, and troll it about a hundred feet behind the boat. Using light lures, you can troll with spinning or conventional gear. The plug only has to run a foot or two beneath the surface.  Bet on catching fish within a very few minutes. Once again, forget the wire leader. No, I'm not trying to sell more lures for the manufacturers. These fish are very finicky, and eliminating the wire leader can be the difference between catching and cursing.
   Blues attack a bait from the rear, and will clamp down on the bottom half of the lure. Every so often, a blue will climb up the lure and cut the mono, but you'll land more fish than you'll lose lures. Poppers by their very action bouncing on the surface, cause the blues to grab the lure wherever they can, and so they must be fished with a wire leader.    Be lucky enough to find the blues just after the spawn ends, and they can be especially aggressive, striking anything and everything for one of those days you'll remember all year. Eventually, these blues will quit their mid-Sound shenanigans, school up and head for the shallower waters to seek out sand eels along the beaches and bunker in the bays and rivers, and when they do, it will be time for another story, utilizing different and only a little bit less exciting methods. Then again, they may choose to remain in the deep water,  feeding the depths through the summer months and if they do, we'll have to break out the wire line outfits and talk about that favorite old method.
     Bluefish cover the big picture. From fly-fishing to bait fishing, casting, trolling, no matter how we do it, catching blues will bring something special to the season ahead. Enjoy!
                                       

And as the season winds down ?- This trolled bluefish hit in OCTOBER.

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FISHING AND COVID 19

FISHING & COVID 19

by Dick Alley

             Compo Beach in Westport opened this past weekend. Burying Hill Beach remained closed and locked and restrictions remain in effect for those of us anglers, citizens and taxpayers at Old Mill Beach, where I was denied permission to enter and park. Not sure if it's temporary because of the pandemic or a giveaway to old Mill residents by the politicians. Time will tell, but for the present, surf fishing is pretty much restricted to Compo Beach. For Geezers like me, that presents a problem, but for everyone else, fishing stands out as one of the best games available.

            Social Distancing is not a problem as anglers need at least the minimum distance to cast and while fishing, don't do much talking anyhow. Anglers always enjoy the  fresh air and can choose whether to stand, sit or wade, be it a river, a lake, a pond or Long Island Sound. 

            The months of May and June are prime time for fishing in Fairfield County. Trout season is in full gear. Trout waters are fully stocked with the springtime season's trout allocations. Other offerings include largemouth and smallmouth bass, pickerel, perch, crappie, bluegills and more. Spots like Squantz Pond and the Saugatuck Reservoir have healthy walleye populations. Northern pike are available in several designated lakes across the State.

This little schoolie hit a bucktail at Compo Beach

            Long Island Sound is due to really bust loose in the weeks ahead. Schoolie stripers are everywhere and have already showed up off the coast of Maine. Bigger fish are now pouring out of the Hudson River with even more of the Chesapeake Bay strain entering Long Island Sound from the eastern end. The early blackfish season just closed and won't reopen until July 1. Winter flounder are available as are summer flounder (fluke). Porgy season is open year round and black sea bass season opened today, May 19th. Look for the occasional weakfish to pop up off Bridgeport or Stratford and of course bluefish are also due to show up off Wading River any day now. First spot they normally show in Connecticut waters is the West Haven sand bar.

           There are some changes in regulations for stripers and bluefish this year.  Striped bass are back under a slot limit. Keeper stripers must be between 28-inches and 35 inches in length, measured from the snout to the tip of the tail. Angler's are entitled to keep 1 fish per day. The bonus striped bass program of prior years has been discontinued.
         

A small northern pike on a fun day at Mansfield Hollow

         Bluefish now have a daily creel limit of 3 fish per day with no size restrictions. That's right folks - you can only keep 3 snappers per day. Doc Skerlick and Mary Eliason are probably rolling over in their graves.

            I can recall days when 200 people lined the Post Road Bridge in the center of town. Mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, having the time of their lives catching snappers to take home and cook for dinner. Doc Skerlick used to fill a bucket a day. He usually persuaded a friend to freeze his daily catch and would then host a big cook-out at seasons end for one of the many conservation organizations he belonged to. Mary just kept her cats healthy but enjoyed catching snappers in the creek at Burying Hill well into her 80's. Snappers are bait fish for many predators like fluke and stripers and the numbers caught by recreational anglers are insignificant in comparison to those eaten by predators. They are family fun fish, delicious on the dinner table and could be very valuable in this coronavirus-plagued season. A 3 fish limit on these fish is ridiculous. Bigger blues that are breeders should be limited but not snappers. Just an opinion, folks.

This big blue was caught off the Post Road Bridge

 
          And that brings us to fishing. Fishing is a low-cost game at today's prices. Basic tackle is not expensive. It can be done alone or as a family with plenty of time and space to social-distance. In an emergency, it can provide nourishment, but on an everyday basis, it offers challenges,  entertainment and rewards.

                                                                   dwa

Lighten Up! ---For More Fun Fshing!!!

LIGHTEN UP FOR MORE FUN FISHING

by

Dick Alley

           Eddie Boland was a great fisherman and a good friend--and also an excellent business man.

Capt Bill Herold plays a fall bluefish on light tackle

       He had many friends. In fact every customer was his friend  and as a result his sources as to where the fish were and what they were hitting was always excellent. In my own case, he introduced me to striped bass fishing, not by telling me where to go and what to use, but by taking me out in his boat and catching my first striped bass, hence hooking me for life. A couple of days later, I was back in the store purchasing my first surf casting outfit.

    Later in the season when big cow bass moved into our waters, he was happy to sell me a more sturdy rig capable of casting the big Atoms, poppers and metal lures attractive to these bigger  fish. When  smaller stripers and blues became commonplace in a day's fishing, Ed always came up with an idea to keep everybody fishing. One of his best ideas came when Ed purchased a bunch of one-handed, lighter action rods designed by famed rod-designer Joe Ciaglia and suddenly ultra-light salt water fishing became the new fad. There was an exciting new challenge  whether for foot-long stripers and Taylor blues or fish of 5 or 7 pounds that were as much a memory on the ultra-light rod as a 40-pound fish on heavy surf gear.

           Our old Westport Tackle group were a fun bunch of guys. Almost any day of the week, it was a place where we could go to swap fishing stories, gather information and on Saturdays, share a beer or two. When the Alou Eel or the Kastmaster became the hottest striper lure, everybody was casting  one in a matter of hours.

Bob Byers loved playing  2 to 4 pound blues on a one-handed rod.

Likewise a new rod or method became part of everybody's arsenal as fast as word of mouth could work. Before we knew it, we were participating in weekly contests for biggest fish on ultra-light tackle. Lures couldn't be heavier than 3/4 of an ounce. Line couldn't test out at more than 10 pounds. It made for lots of fun and some sizable fish showed up in the process.
            Ultra-light tackle  isn't restricted to salt water. Sweet water anglers  whether spinning or fly fishing can find more fun in downsizing their tackle.  Down -sizing also offers distinct advantages. Bored on a slow trout day? Bring out the  U-L spinning rod or the 3-Weight, fly rod, find a bunch of bluegills on their spawning beds.  Flatten the barbs on your hooks and release bluegills on every cast---or keep a few for a delicious meal.
           Common sense has to prevail when choosing tackle. Ultra-light doesn't work when hauling big-mouth bass out of the lily pads. It's  not preferable for bottom fishing whether in salt or fresh water.  It does however provide a challenging alternative when needed.
                                                                              dwa

The Hornberg, Win & Me

WIN CYRUS, ME & THE HORNBERG

by DickAlley

       Authors Note: I first published this story back in 2007. Over the many years I have learned that the Hornberg Special is a streamer fly especially attractive to big trout in the early season. Win was an outstanding fisherman and friend who I think of often/

A few of my favorite flies for early season trout fishing

          Often an object, a phrase or a place in time bring back memories of friends, gone but not forgotten. Win Cyrus was a good fishing buddy with whom I shared many a great day on the water. A big handsome, happy guy with a great gift of gab, he sold insurance for a living. He was a decorated veteran of WW-II but never talked about it much. Win loved fishing, whether for trout in Connecticut or exotic big-game fish in Florida. He captured several fly-rodding records over the years. He fished all over the country. I once saw him reach into the water and tickle a bluegillright into the palm of his hand as it guarded its spawning bed. Win was the hit of every party. He could tell jokes incessantly and loved to tease the ladies (and they reciprocated in turn). I never knew him to have an enemy.

Besides selling insurance, Win had an outstanding radio career, operating his boat on weekends for WICC Radio station in Bridgeport, making timely fishing reports, often while he was actually playing a fish. He wrote well too, and was boating editor for Tidings magazine and in fact recommended me for my first magazine writing job with the same publication.

Win never knew a fish that disappointed him. On the salt water, he was expert at every method there was, but had a special love for the fly rod. In fresh water, trout were his favorites. He introduced me to the Hornberg Special and taught me how to fish it  one opening day in the Yantic River in Bozrah, CT.

We were fishing a good-sized pool that was fairly crowded. Almost everyone was spinning, including yours truly. The weather was a typical cold April day in the high 40's and the water had ice along the edges only days earlier. Win waded in far enough to manipulate his favorite old Shakespeare fly rod and while the rest of us worked our lures and caught nothing, he proceeded to catch four nice trout in as many casts with the fly. It got my attention and when we took a break from the cold, he showed me the fly. It was the Hornberg Special and he handed me one from his fly box. I went back to the car, rigged up the fly rod, tied on the Hornberg and waded in close to where he was fishing. He caught a fifth fish and released it, then another, noticed my frustration and laughing came over to tell me exactly how to work the fly. Two casts later, I hooked up. It's been my favorite fly ever since. I can't look at a Hornberg without remembering Win.

Over the years, Win developed diabetes and heart problems. It slowed him down but didn't stop him from fishing all of his favorite trout streams. One day it would be the Mianus in Greenwich and the next time he might be fishing the Natchaug in Chaplin or the Wood River in Rhode Island. When it was time for his insulin shot, he'd simply take out the syringe, pop it through his trousers and into his thigh and say--let's go fishing. He always carried a picnic basket in the car where he stored ingredients for his end-of-the-day Martini and when tackle was safely stored, would always treat his friends to a drink.

Win was an active conservationist. He served as President of the Westport Striped Bass Club at a time when that organization was a leader in leading the fight for preserving striped bass. He was also active in Trout Unlimited and other angling organizations.

Win lived the good life right up until his death a few years back. I am only one of a large group of friends who miss him and tell the good Win Cyrus stories whenever we chance to meet. - Dick Alley

SPRINGTIME STRIPER SPOTS

 SPRINGTIME STRIPER SPOTS

      by Dick Alley - April 2020

SPRING TIME STRIPER SPOTS!

Striped bass fishing hardly even slowed down. The Housatonic River was productive throughout this mild winter. Warm-water spots up and down the coast held bass throughout the  winter months. 

Bass are on the move again. The spring migration is well underway. Enormous schools of striped bass work their way up the coast from  Chesapeake Bay while many additional fish are moving out of the Hudson River into western Long Island Sound.  Toss in some small resident populations like the Thames River contingent, the Connecticut River group, and smaller populations that wintered over in power plant outflows in Bridgeport, Devon, and the Lilco plant in Northport, and the outlook for the coming season  gets pretty exciting.

 

As Westport boasts the only state launch ramp between Milford and the New York line it is a prime kickoff point. The CT State boat ramp is located directly under I-95 on the Saugatuck River  in Westport.

At this writing the State ramp remains  open. Town owned launch ramps at Compo Beach are currently closed as are the beaches due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Situated only a mile from downtown Westport,  at half tide or higher, it’s less than 15-minutes from the launch to good bass fishing. Often in spring and fall, schoolies will be swirling  up inside the harbor  around Hendrick’s Point, Kits Island, Gray’s Creek and the inside tip off Cedar Point YC. As the river  widens into the harbor, Seymour’s Rock makes for a great place to begin.

SEYMOUR'S ROCK - Located between Cockenoe Island and Compo Beach, this table-like bare rock, picks up the river currents as they enter and exit the Saugatuck River on every  tide, providing  a natural feeding spot for stripers and later blues. It is best fished at the change of tide and for a couple of hours on the drop. A small bar protrudes northward towards Compo Beach and another to the south and west. The Sound side of the rock should not be approached closely in any boat due to many rocks,  but the back side, facing Cedar Point allows access right up next to the big boulder. It's not necessarily a big fish spot by reputation, but the early spring is not a time for trophy fish. No matter the tide, Seymour's is a spot worth a shot whether heading out or coming back in. It can best be described as a hangout for spring bass.

ISLAND HOPPING  - The mouth of the Saugatuck River borders the east end of the Norwalk Island chain, and depending on the tide and size of your boat, can provide quick access to  dozens of good fishing spots. The closest and certainly one of the best  of the Norwalk Islands for striped bass, is Cockenoe Island. This island alone sports enough specific bass areas for an afternoon of fishing..

Jankowski's Corner - A two-minute charge from Seymour's Rock finds the northeast corner of Cockenoe, fondly known by most of the locals as Jankowski's Corner. Suffice to say that John Jankowski took more big fish from this spot than anyone else in the area. John worked an Atom swimmer better than most plug casters, and was no small talent jigging a bucktail either. He often found  bass pushing the bait against the small patches of grass at his spot, and would tally vast numbers of fish at these times, mostly on the bucktail. This area can be excellent at most any tide,  as the corner itself is the starting point marking a long sandbar that stretches a couple of hundred yards to the "rock pile", and then beyond all the way out to buoy 24. As May pushes into June, this entire bar can sometimes be shrouded by flocks of feeding gulls, diving into the shallow waves for bait pushed up by the stripers feeding underneath them.

Schoolies like these are all over the Norwalk Islands in the early season

The bar is narrow, but too shallow to motor across at low tide. It is however right for fishing the downtide side at most any tide. Whenever the tide is running, the south side of the bar where the water drops off quickly, can be a productive area. A trip around the Island often finds fish off the flagpole on the back side, and along the entire south shore. The southwest corner boasts a strong rip that starts with the change of tide, and is fishable for three hours on the drop. It is the spot of memorable fish for me and many of my friends,

WEST OF COCKENOE - On an all-day fishing jaunt, running west to other islands in the Norwalk Island chain is always a good bet. Taking the inside track between Cockenoe and Saugatuck Shores is not always possible when the tide is low, so any trip west should include a good knowledge of the tidal situation, and the surrounding structure as the run around the outside of Cockenoe to or from  the entrance channel to the Saugatuck River can mean an extra half hour if there's not enough water to make the cut. If time allows, start at Goose Island and work west to Copp's Island, then down the outside to Shea/McGrath and on to Sheffield. The inside channel coming back allows for stops at Chimmonís, Grassy and Sprite.

MORE ON WESTPORT WATERS:

Boating anglers also have the option of heading east out of the Saugatuck River. Day trips in good weather can include a 20 to 30 minute run as far east as Stratford and the mouth of the Housatonic. There are many spots in-between. That spare couple of hours allows for fishing several productive areas within the boundaries of Westport waters. 

COMPO CANNONS - Don't skip the Compo

Anglers line area beaches casting for bass during the sand eel run.

Cannons, marking the north side of the Saugatuck River entrance. Some tremendous rips develop here and as a result, spring bass tend to swing in close to feed among a combination of mussel-laden rocks and grass. 

SCHLAIT'S POINT - At the east end of Compo Beach, a fairly large breakwater points toward a pair of small islands, only one of which is barely visible at high tide. Surrounded by boulders but separated by a sandbar, these islands provide a natural feeding ground for spring stripers. It's a favorite hang-out of surf-wading flyrodders throughout the year, so boaters should anchor a bit to the outside to allow them fishing room. It doesn't matter, as the average dawn or dusk fishing period offers plenty of action.

Separating Schlait's from Sherwood Island is Compo Mill Cove, another popular wading area marked by the exit to Compo Mill Pond. The cove is normally without water at low tide, but offers excellent fishing as it empties and fills twice a day.

SHERWOOD ISLAND - This popular state park offers good fishing for boaters just outside Billy's Rock, which fronts the main pavilion at the park.

 The current is strongest here at the point, and Billy's Rock itself is closely guarded by other smaller boulders, making it a place for    bait to gather, and where there is bait, bigger fish will come. There's fishing along the beach areas themselves during the off-season, but during the swimming year, swim buoys prohibit fishing in close on the sand. New Creek divides Sherwood Island State Park and Westport's Burying Hill Beach at the east end of the park. The creek empties vast numbers of baitfish and other food from the Mill Pond into Long Island Sound with every drop of the tide. The stripers are not stupid, and especially in the spring of the year, often gather at the mouth of the creek to feast on this bait supply. A great spot on the falling tide.

FROST POINT (BEDFORD'S) AS SEEN FROM BURYING HILL BEACH

BEDFORD'S (FROST) POINT - From the mouth of New Creek, the current swings to the east, and passes in close to Bedford's Point. Bedford's is a big bass spot, and while the big fish don't usually show up until late May, this is an area where that first big bass of the year is likely to smash an oversized  plug or large baitfish. The rocks here extend more than 100 yards into the Sound, and navigating the area calls for caution. I recommend a first visit here when the tide is low, as the rocks are covered when the tide is full. A couple of hours before or after high tide leaves many boulders barely covered, a timely trap for unawares boaters. The fishing can be worth the extra time and caution. Be prepared to lose sinking lures and jigs among the rocks, as well as the bigger fish that will pull line from the reel and break off among those same barnacle-covered boulders. Shock tippets make especially good sense here.

If we had the space, we could go on and on, covering the many more good fishing spots between here and the Housatonic River, but that will wait for another day.  

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