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