It may be Fall but the fishing and fishing tournament season is not over.
On Saturday October 9, Westport Outfitters will be sponsoring the 2nd Annual Saugatuck Cup supporting the Children's Tumor Foundation and Pediatric Cancer Research.
Established in 2009, the 9th Floor Foundation develops initiatives that engage in educational outreach and public awareness of neurofibromatosis (NF) and pediatric cancers. Through its charitable efforts and events, the Foundation works to support scientific research and the development of programs to support the courageous families who battle these childhood diseases every day of their lives. The 9th Floor Foundation is a 501 c 3 not-for-profit foundation.
This tournament has some unusual twists. The focus in not on just one species but on three -- bluefish, striped bass and false albacore. The tournament will also be using a point system based on what species you enter (Blues, 1 point, Bass 2, False Albacore 4).
Awards will be provided for 1st, 2nd and 3rd in both spin and fly divisions. Awards will also be provided for largest Bluefish and Striped Bass, and a special recognition of the smallest catch. Tie-breaker: In the event of a tie, the fisherman with the most inches of fish wins.
Another twist that anglers can use artificial lures only! No fisherman/woman will be allowed to use any sort of live, fresh, dead, or frozen bait. Users will be disqualified from the tournament. All fish must be caught by legal means using a rod, reel and line.
The tournament will have an honor system start beginning at 8 a.m. The tourney will end at 3:30 p.m.
Fishermen must provide at least one photo of their catch that shows the whole fish and the fish up against the measuring tape. The fish's tail must be square on zero and flat against the measuring tape. If any photo is questionable, the catch will not count. All entered fish must be caught within Long Island Sound during posted Tournament hours.
All fish must be caught in the Long Island Sound in compliance with CT's DEP regulations. Boats can from launch anywhere along the CT side of Long Island Sound. This is a Catch and Release only event. Check in with judges by 5 p.m. Notification of awards and raffle immediately after. A catered dinner and after party will follow the weigh-in.
The entry fee is $200 per person. Each participant must fill out entry form and send in, along with check payable to The 9th Floor Foundation, to Westport Outfitters, 609 Riverside Ave, Westport, CT, 06880. A tax detectable receipt will be provided. The tournament will be closed after the first 40 boats are entered.
For more information or to enter contact Tournament Director Matt Spengler at matt@saugatuckcup.com or Eric Johnson at ejohnson@westportoutfitters.com. You can also call Eric at Westport Outfitters at 203-341-9490. To get a downloadable entry forms go to www.saugatuckcup.com.
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Wow, what a week! The winds kept a lot of anglers off the water but there were some really terrific catches. In deep water, giant bluefin tuna was king. Locally, bonito offered some great action. And on the freshwater scene, a nice largemouth bass was taken locally.
Last Thursday, Chris Sommers stopped by Pete's Place Bait and Tackle to tell about a big largemouth that she caught while fishing at a private Stamford pond. Chris said that the fish was so big it wouldn't fit into her pail. She described the whopper as long and fat and by far the biggest fish she ever caught. The bass was taken on a nightcrawler. Did I mention that on Christmas Chris will be celebrating her 83rd birthday?
Talking about big fish how about a 1,200-pounder? Dan Butler, and three of his friends, fished about 130 miles northeast of Cape Cod for four days last week. They caught a total of 33 giant bluefin tuna including a 1,200-pounder while trolling.
Bob Grenader only spent one day fishing off Cape Cod but what a day it was. He caught a 500, a 600 and a 900-pound giant bluefin tuna.
Todd Riechelm and Joe Van Arc also fished off Cape Cod last week. Together they caught five giant bluefins including a 500, a 600 and an 800-pounder. They were trolling and chumming with herring.
Lucas Salem, 13, caught an 8-foot, 200-pound tiger shark while fishing off Pt. Judith RI. The fish was tagged and released.
Locally, Jason Bernstein is leaving the area and his post behind the counter at Fisherman's World to become a cop in Washington State. On the day before his final day of work Jason spent 13 hours fishing off Norwalk. He and his companion, Capt. Ian Devlin, spotted several schools of false albacore and bonito but were unable to land any until their day was almost over. They spotted a school of bonito feeding on spearing off Cockenee. Using a silver and brown Sluggo, Jason boated a 10-pound bonito. Manning a fly rod with a silver hard body epoxy lure tied on, Ian caught an 11-pounder. Jason said that an angler on a nearby boat landed a bonito that he estimated at 12.5-pounds.
E.J. Kominski caught a limit of striped bass while fishing off 28C. His fish weighed between 15 and 20-pounds and were taken using fresh bunker.
Fish Tales Bait and Tackle reported that Alexander Henry caught a nice 25-inch linesider while fishing from Cummings Beach. The striper was taken on a chunk of bunker.
Jason Lewonuk is new to the area and new to saltwater angling. Last week he caught his first ever bluefish while being guided by Ryan Gillespe and Tom DiDena. The bluefish measured 34-inches and weighed 9.50-pounds and was caught near the Stamford Lighthouse on frozen bunker.
Bob Sibley reeled in eight bluefish while drifting off 11B. His largest chopper weighed 12-pounds and was taken on a chunk of bunker.
Frank at Rudy's Tackle Barn reported that Steve Mazzei landed a 12-pound chopper while trolling off the Weather Buoy. Steve was trolling spoons.
Morgan Steinbeck had a good day bottom fishing at Tod's Point. Morgan boated lots of porgies including a 15-incher. The fish were taken on spearing.
Last week the DEP stocked over 2,700 trophy-size brown trout (all 12 inch and bigger fish into a number of water bodies in eastern CT. These trout were released into the Hockanum River TMA (400 fish), Black Pond (Middlefield, 500 fish), Amos Lake (150 fish), Beach Pond (200 fish), Bigelow Pond (350 fish), Crystal Lake (150 fish), Gardner Lake (150 fish), Long Pond (150 fish), Pattaconk Lake (250 fish), Day Pond Trout Park (160 fish), Mohegan Park Pond Trout Park (100 fish), and Chatfield Hollow Trout Park (160 fish, stocked into Schreeder Pond only).
Martin Armstrong is a member of the Fisheries Advisory Council, a lifetime member in Trout Unlimited and a member of the Outdoors Writers Association.
On Saturday October 9, Westport Outfitters will be sponsoring the 2nd Annual Saugatuck Cup supporting the Children's Tumor Foundation and Pediatric Cancer Research.
Established in 2009, the 9th Floor Foundation develops initiatives that engage in educational outreach and public awareness of neurofibromatosis (NF) and pediatric cancers. Through its charitable efforts and events, the Foundation works to support scientific research and the development of programs to support the courageous families who battle these childhood diseases every day of their lives. The 9th Floor Foundation is a 501 c 3 not-for-profit foundation.
This tournament has some unusual twists. The focus in not on just one species but on three -- bluefish, striped bass and false albacore. The tournament will also be using a point system based on what species you enter (Blues, 1 point, Bass 2, False Albacore 4).
Awards will be provided for 1st, 2nd and 3rd in both spin and fly divisions. Awards will also be provided for largest Bluefish and Striped Bass, and a special recognition of the smallest catch. Tie-breaker: In the event of a tie, the fisherman with the most inches of fish wins.
Another twist that anglers can use artificial lures only! No fisherman/woman will be allowed to use any sort of live, fresh, dead, or frozen bait. Users will be disqualified from the tournament. All fish must be caught by legal means using a rod, reel and line.
The tournament will have an honor system start beginning at 8 a.m. The tourney will end at 3:30 p.m.
Fishermen must provide at least one photo of their catch that shows the whole fish and the fish up against the measuring tape. The fish's tail must be square on zero and flat against the measuring tape. If any photo is questionable, the catch will not count. All entered fish must be caught within Long Island Sound during posted Tournament hours.
All fish must be caught in the Long Island Sound in compliance with CT's DEP regulations. Boats can from launch anywhere along the CT side of Long Island Sound. This is a Catch and Release only event. Check in with judges by 5 p.m. Notification of awards and raffle immediately after. A catered dinner and after party will follow the weigh-in.
The entry fee is $200 per person. Each participant must fill out entry form and send in, along with check payable to The 9th Floor Foundation, to Westport Outfitters, 609 Riverside Ave, Westport, CT, 06880. A tax detectable receipt will be provided. The tournament will be closed after the first 40 boats are entered.
For more information or to enter contact Tournament Director Matt Spengler at matt@saugatuckcup.com or Eric Johnson at ejohnson@westportoutfitters.com. You can also call Eric at Westport Outfitters at 203-341-9490. To get a downloadable entry forms go to www.saugatuckcup.com.
q
Wow, what a week! The winds kept a lot of anglers off the water but there were some really terrific catches. In deep water, giant bluefin tuna was king. Locally, bonito offered some great action. And on the freshwater scene, a nice largemouth bass was taken locally.
Last Thursday, Chris Sommers stopped by Pete's Place Bait and Tackle to tell about a big largemouth that she caught while fishing at a private Stamford pond. Chris said that the fish was so big it wouldn't fit into her pail. She described the whopper as long and fat and by far the biggest fish she ever caught. The bass was taken on a nightcrawler. Did I mention that on Christmas Chris will be celebrating her 83rd birthday?
Talking about big fish how about a 1,200-pounder? Dan Butler, and three of his friends, fished about 130 miles northeast of Cape Cod for four days last week. They caught a total of 33 giant bluefin tuna including a 1,200-pounder while trolling.
Bob Grenader only spent one day fishing off Cape Cod but what a day it was. He caught a 500, a 600 and a 900-pound giant bluefin tuna.
Todd Riechelm and Joe Van Arc also fished off Cape Cod last week. Together they caught five giant bluefins including a 500, a 600 and an 800-pounder. They were trolling and chumming with herring.
Lucas Salem, 13, caught an 8-foot, 200-pound tiger shark while fishing off Pt. Judith RI. The fish was tagged and released.
Locally, Jason Bernstein is leaving the area and his post behind the counter at Fisherman's World to become a cop in Washington State. On the day before his final day of work Jason spent 13 hours fishing off Norwalk. He and his companion, Capt. Ian Devlin, spotted several schools of false albacore and bonito but were unable to land any until their day was almost over. They spotted a school of bonito feeding on spearing off Cockenee. Using a silver and brown Sluggo, Jason boated a 10-pound bonito. Manning a fly rod with a silver hard body epoxy lure tied on, Ian caught an 11-pounder. Jason said that an angler on a nearby boat landed a bonito that he estimated at 12.5-pounds.
E.J. Kominski caught a limit of striped bass while fishing off 28C. His fish weighed between 15 and 20-pounds and were taken using fresh bunker.
Fish Tales Bait and Tackle reported that Alexander Henry caught a nice 25-inch linesider while fishing from Cummings Beach. The striper was taken on a chunk of bunker.
Jason Lewonuk is new to the area and new to saltwater angling. Last week he caught his first ever bluefish while being guided by Ryan Gillespe and Tom DiDena. The bluefish measured 34-inches and weighed 9.50-pounds and was caught near the Stamford Lighthouse on frozen bunker.
Bob Sibley reeled in eight bluefish while drifting off 11B. His largest chopper weighed 12-pounds and was taken on a chunk of bunker.
Frank at Rudy's Tackle Barn reported that Steve Mazzei landed a 12-pound chopper while trolling off the Weather Buoy. Steve was trolling spoons.
Morgan Steinbeck had a good day bottom fishing at Tod's Point. Morgan boated lots of porgies including a 15-incher. The fish were taken on spearing.
Last week the DEP stocked over 2,700 trophy-size brown trout (all 12 inch and bigger fish into a number of water bodies in eastern CT. These trout were released into the Hockanum River TMA (400 fish), Black Pond (Middlefield, 500 fish), Amos Lake (150 fish), Beach Pond (200 fish), Bigelow Pond (350 fish), Crystal Lake (150 fish), Gardner Lake (150 fish), Long Pond (150 fish), Pattaconk Lake (250 fish), Day Pond Trout Park (160 fish), Mohegan Park Pond Trout Park (100 fish), and Chatfield Hollow Trout Park (160 fish, stocked into Schreeder Pond only).
Martin Armstrong is a member of the Fisheries Advisory Council, a lifetime member in Trout Unlimited and a member of the Outdoors Writers Association.