SUMMERTIME BLUES

1999

 

BLUES SETTLE IN FOR SUMMER!

by

Dick  Alley

           Blues arrived in Long Island Sound in late May. They alternately frustrate and thrill us on the surface for several weeks while spawning, but by July, they've either moved into the cool deep waters of the western Sound, or if there is an abundance of bunker, will follow them into the estuaries and harbor shallows to feed.
          Bluefish are a puzzle at best. While scientist's rush to implement fish management plans, no one really knows if the problem is a shortage of fish or a change in the cycle. As far as Long Island Sound is concerned, we know that fishing ranges from fair to good from one year to the next but doesn't begin to compare with the super seasons of the late sixties and early seventies. Those were summers when we measured the success of a good fishing day by aching muscles and fatigue, rather than by numbers of fish caught.
        When I became hooked on Long Island Sound fishing, back in the late fifties, we couldn't buy a bluefish on the Connecticut side of the Sound. Fishing was spelled striped bass, unless we were willing to drive to the east and the Race, the bluefish capital of the area. On a rare occasion, we would lose a favorite bass plug to a blue because we never used wire leaders. To catch even a three-or-four-pound blue on the Connecticut side would draw a table of listeners at the VFW. The ripping tides found in The Race always hosted blues.
My first bluefish trip was to Smithtown Bay on the Long Island side. Our tackle consisted of stiff jigging rods; 40-pound line, a conventional reel, and a Scotty Gray Rig consisting of several feathers strung above a diamond jig weighing 3 or 4 ounces. Fishing was no more difficult than dropping the jig to the bottom, lifting and lowering the rod tip a time or two, when one-two-three and sometimes a full rig of battling blues would be battled back to the boat.
In the late fifties, the blues suddenly showed up off the Connecticut shore in mid-summer. IIt was probably the dense schools of sand eels almost thick enough to walk on, that first drew the smaller 3 and 4-pounders. That was followed by the influx of menhaden (bunker) schools that suddenly brought in bluefish of a size we had never seen before.
I can remember driving the 30 miles to New Haven when I received a call that a pair of 10-pound bluefish had been weighed in at Dee's Bait & Tackle. They were the biggest blues ever seen in that area and they had come from the Race, and the photos I took were featured in area newspapers the following week and even made the cove of The Fisherman.
The explosion that occurred in the late sixties was phenomenal.
Suddenly, everyone was catching fish topping ten pounds. Some ran into the high teens. Tackle and methods changed, with everyone suddenly fishing live or chunked bunker baits on heavy-duty tackle.
Bluefishing today welcomes any and all fishing methods. Tackle can run from ultra-light to conventional, to fly-fishing and to wire-line trolling. And that brings us to mid-summer fishing alternatives.
       Wire-line trolling is one of the most effective methods of midsummer fishing in western Long Island Sound. When the hot days arrive, fish go deep. Sure, fishing the early-morning and late-evening tides can bring some surface action in the shallows, but for anglers who want to sleep late and head out mid-morning and return with a limit catch in mid-afternoon, wire-line trolling is the way to go.
         The method requires special equipment. Rods should be sturdy and designed for wire line trolling with special guides and a roller tip to bear the pressure of the wire. The reel should be a fast-retrieve, large capacity reel, capable of holding 100 yards of 50-pound test backing, plus 100 yards of solid steel or braided wire line. I prefer wire testing 40-pounds for the solid wire and 60-pound test for the braided wire. They have about the same density, and will under most conditions, take a lure to a depth of 30 feet when 95 yards of wire is behind the boat.
Fishing in the Race or at Montauk is different, and sometimes requires more wire and sometimes less. Most skippers rig 200 yards of wire and mark it with colored tape so they can pick and choose the desired depth to run their lures. In the shallower, quieter waters of the western Sound, fish seem to hang at that depth of approximately 30-feet, making it a simple matter to find the fish each time out.
I like to rig a monofilament leader, 10 to 15 feet in length between the end of the wire and the lure. It allows the lure to ride a few inches above the end of the wire, and provides more action than when the lure is close to the end of the wire.
         Choosing lures is relatively simple. BIG LURE, BIG FISH! It's fact, not rhetoric. If there are big fish about, large swimming plugs such as the Atom, Reverse Atom, the Danny, or Rapala Magnums, will undeniably bring that bigger fish out of the crowd. With creel limits on bluefish, it's the way to go. Face it, an umbrella rig sporting four or five hooks, will bring fish in four or five at a time. They'll be smaller and your fishing day will be shortened considerably. Eel imitations are equally good lures, and large lures employing a single hook can allow for more releases if you want to release your fish.
         Where to go? We've already mentioned the Race, which provides summer-long fishing and also hosts a large party and charter boat fleet on a daily basis. Further west, charter boats are fewer, and the action is spread out. Eaton's Neck and waters between it and Buoy 11B are favorite summertime trolling spots. The waters outside Port Jefferson Harbor hold good summertime bluefish populations. Mid-Sound waters can also host large schools of bluefish in the depths throughout the summer.
        Come September, blues become restless and are on the move, seeking bait schools all along the Connecticut and Long Island shores. Large schools of small baitfish lead to dynamite surface action, and if baitfish and blues are bigger, live and chunked bunker can bring many a trophy into boat and shore. JULY is the start of steady bluefish action, but it will last well into November. When nothing else works this summer, rig the wire and try some trolling.

dwa

NORTHERN PIKE at MANSFIELD HOLLOW

MANSFIELD HOLLOW NORTHERN'S

by Dick Alley

Upper end of lake to left of launch area. This section is shallow and weedy.

       It was way back in 1992 that the Ct State DEP introduced northern pike into Mansfield Hollow Lake, only a couple of miles from UCONN's main campus. The Connecticut River has always

provided some pike fishing, and Bantam Lake is the site of an

extremely successful pike program. Pike weighing as much as 29 pounds, measuring up to 45 inches in length have been captured there.In recent years, northern pike have been stocked in even more lakes including Winchester Lake, Bantam Lake, Pachaug Pond and the Connecticut River.

Fingerling pike like these are stocked every year

 Northern pike must measure at least 26 inches to be legal, and the limit is 2 fish per day. They compete with carp and catfish for biggest fresh water fish to be found in Connecticut waters.

     While some pike were caught in that first season,by the winter of 1994-1995 significant numbers of large pike were being taken at Mansfield Hollow.


     In the year 2000, we moved from Westport to Manchester CT. I sold my Boston Whaler and purchased instead an 11-foot baby bass boat, ideal for fishing the small lakes and ponds scattered across northern Connecticut. My good friend and fishing buddy Bob Byers had also moved from his home in Rhode Island to the nearby community of Stafford Springs, so we teamed up to explore new fishing ares. Mansfield Hollow was one of the first on our list.

One of a few pike we caught that day. Swimming lures did the trick

     Mansfield Hollow reservoir contains more than 435 acres of fishable waters. A boat launch and large parking lot provides room for cars and trailers. It is a popular spot for canoes and kayaks as well as motor bats. There is a posted speed limit of 6 mph and no water skiing allowed.
     Fish species highlight northern pike (especially in winter) along with bass, pickerel, perch, panfish, crappie and bullheads. The lake is fed by the Natchaug, Fenton and Mount Hope Rivers. All are stocked with trout. It is primarily a shallow lake and weeds become a problem for fishermen in mid-summer. This is also perfect cover for big northern's.

Through the tunnel to the even bigger lake, deeper water and fewer weeds

      Bob and I decided to troll large swimming lures on our first trip to the Hollow. Large Rebel, Rapala and Yozuri minnow imitations were among first picks. Five minutes out of the launch area just past the small island, I had my first hit, a pickerel measuring 18 inches. We skirted the outside edges, making a complete circle around the lake. At various spots, we saw action and a couple were respectable pike, approaching 5 to 7 pounds. These are hard-fighting fish, have very sharp teeth and should be handled with care. While the flavor is OK, they are very bony and for me at least a fun fish to be returned to the water.
      The nice part about a lake like Mansfield Hollow is the large variety of fish. Tired of trolling? Try casting big plugs or even smaller ones and you might catch a nice bass or a big holdover trout relocated from one of the rivers. On one trip, I watched a fisherman wading the shoreline, casting small poppers to spawning bluegills with a light fly rod. Every cast brought a hit. I doubt he cared one bit about the northern pike roaming the lake, at least not on that day.
       Mansfield Hollow is located a few miles from UCONN, but water skiing is prohibited. It has a nice launch ramp and large parking area for boats and trailers. It is primarily a fishing lake but is also enjoyed by kayakers, canoeists and other small boat enthusiasts.

       Anglers who prefer fresh water fishing or those who simply want to give it a try will do well to include Mansfield Hollow on their to-do list.

                  dwa

 

Fishing From Shore - Almost A Memory

FISHING FROM SHORE - ALMOST A MEMORY

by 

Dick Alley

    Twenty years is a long time. On my return to my home town after two decades, I expected to find many changes but was still surprised to find most of my favorite fishing spots from shore, no more than a memory.

     The first shock came when I was denied entrance to Old Mill Beach, even with a beach emblem. I didn't quite believe the sign which said admittance was for Old Mill residents and guests. I stopped to talk to the security guard and she confirmed it.

I was always under the impression that Old Mill Beach was for town residents and that our beach emblem allowed us to park in the lot adjacent to that beach.

Prior to moving out of town, I spent forty years fishing from the walkway to Compo Cove for snappers and from the stone wall into the raceway for bigger fish. I remember the day Bob Skinner caught a 35 pound striper there while on his lunch break when he worked at Gristede's.   

   

 

Add cap

 Old Mill is also one of Westport's better fishing spots. Whether fishing from the bridges over the tidal gates controlling the water  flow in and out of Sherwood Mill Pond, in the tidal race itself or wading the surf onto the tidal flats of Compo Cove, these areas were always  open to anglers for snapper fishing, crabbing, or surf fishing for bass and blues throughout the season. Apparently, private homeowners and guests now have priority, not only for their own use, but for any leftover empty spaces that were formerly allowed for beach-goers and fishermen. 

Old Mill is a favorite spot for fly-fishermen.

    Burying Hill Beach was another surprise. NO FISHING IN THE CREEK OR FROM THE FRONT BEACH, signs are posted all along the entrance road. Burying Hill at New Creek just happens to be one of the best spots for catching snappers, anywhere from New York City to New Haven.  The late fishing legend, William "Doc" Skerlick caught enough snappers there every season to produce an annual "fish fry" for a different conservation organization every season. Our own Westport PAL teamed up with the Westport Striped Bass Club every year in the old days to host a special fishing day for area special kids and the ideal spot was Burying Hill. 

    Fall fishing beginning in late August and early September can be truly spectacular from the front beach. Years back, there was one Bluefish Friday, when migrating schools of fall bluefish showed up at dawn and fed along the beaches and up into the creek and were still there at sundown. Anglers were in and out all day long, stocking their  freezers with fresh fish for the winter.

Burgers for the PAL kids fishing derby held at Burying Hill in years past,

    And then there is the old parking spot at the corner of New Creek Road and Beachside Ave. It only had room for two or three cars, but was ideal to shorten the long walk up to Bedford's Point. Dedicated bass fishermen took that walk often,  never violating the signs posted much closer along Beachside Avenue itself. The gate closest to the Bedford estate was used regularly. We were always under the impression that it was a right-of-way. At any rate it was always used and with no complaints. Bedford's Point was and likely still is, the best big bass spot in Westport and ranked among the top 10 opportunities to catch large stripers from shore along the Connecticut coastline.

Bedford's Point as viewed from Burying Hill Beach. Plays host to trophy stripers for those willing to 
take the walk.

Today, a No Trespassing sign decorates the gate and it is overgrown with brush from lack of use.The parking spot is also now posted No Parking. 

    Twenty years also makes a big difference in the life of a senior citizen. I don't fish much any more. I'm 84 and my sense of balance has deteriorated. A cane helps and when I do fish, I look for places like the Old Mill and Burying Hill, where I can easily cast my lures without danger of falling. Maybe the fish will blitz Compo Beach if the sand eels show up. For the younger guys, Compo Cannons, the jetty, and wading out to Schlait's are all worth a try.

    Westport has grown. Much of the public access has been lost in the process. We can't blame the homeowners for cherishing their own property, but we can blame the politicians for not preserving the rights of the public and for failing to preserve public access. I'm kind of happy that I won't be around to see what  it will be 20 years from now.

                                       dwa

BLUES IN JUNE

v
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.

30



1

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