What’s Up with the Sound’s Summer Striper Bite?
Posted by Shore Publishing on Jun 29 2009, 03:07 PM
It was foggy and humid with air quality like the tropics. There was no wind and the only relief, if any, was from a saltwater breeze created by the forward motion of our vessel. We’ve all just about had it with the constantly changing weather and uncertainty it brought to plans. The spring season was odd and summer started off in the same vein. But what else is expected in New England?
Yet hopes were high that the striped bass bite would be on and rods would bend once a big ol’ linesider engulfed the fresh live bait. After all, earlier in the week, both stripers and blues were feeding heavily on an influx of bait. Those hopes held on for most of the tide before dwindling. Changing reefs and shoals several times was to no avail and looking for a school of big bass turned out to be a challenge, especially since the Sound has so many stripers schooled up.
On the surface, the Sound was noticeably void of activity. Gulls were placid and no swirls of bait were evident even though earlier in the week pods of sand eels and herring were “balling.” From time to time, distant scenes of some form of surface-breaking activity popped into view. Overall, the scene was eerie!
Still no bass! In fact, not one bite from any fish species. Something flipped a switch very reminiscent of when a dominant predator enters the area. Speculation continued but still no answers and no fish. Then word came.
A pod of hundred or so bottlenose dolphins had entered the Sound, an occurrence that happened a few seasons ago and was covered in this column. They were following their food source, herring. Whenever dolphins or seals are feeding around your favorite fishing spot, or any spot for that matter, you can bet that the bite will stop. Could this event be the cause of such a quiet morning? My guess is yes!
On the Water
Summer temperatures arrived along with high humidity and little wind driving mid-Sound water temperatures to 66 degrees. During the early morning hours, fog hung just above the waterline, creating dense banks. Perhaps, to some anglers, these were ideal conditions to fish in tight. Unfortunately, with buckets of rainfall over a short period of time, much of the baitfish departed from the tidal rivers. In fact, only a few pockets of menhaden could be seen at any given time throughout Long Island Sound. Just in the western part of the Sound in and around Norwalk did schools of this bait seem to hold.
Of late, our weather patterns were unpredictably predictable at best. Late-day thunderstorms precluded opportunities to fish the evening tide. Filling gill nets posed an issue for live baiters and short fluke catches disappointed many anglers. Sure, there were catches on any given day of fish in excess of the 19 ½-inch size limit, but many drifts resulted in fish just short.
Schools of fluke bounced from Long Sand Shoal, Six Mile Reef, and at times, south of Faulkner’s in about 60 to 70 feet. Striped bass in the 30- to 40-pound range ran through Six Mile, some settling for a short time at the edges of Southwest Reef and the Ledge before they developed lockjaw—still plenty of schoolie action in the lower tidals. Black sea bass might have been the exception. There was a bite in about 90 feet of “humpback” territory where flagship catches were produced.
A few energized bluefish schools did manage to stir some boaters around the Faulkner Island haunts and by Kimberly Reef on the ebb. And overgrown scup/porgies in excess of 15 inches were caught not only on local inshore reefs but also from shore wharves and jetties. The summer-like weather rejuvenated anglers of all ages along shoreline communities and beyond.
Rainfall and low pressure again negatively affected trout fishing in the rivers and streams. The largemouth bass and panfish bite continues to be good, but smallie catches have only been fair and catfish better than that. Northern pike action has been on and off again in rivers and lakes while pickerel are chasing baits.
The rains also affected shell fishing with many bed closures. Those few that remained open did so because they weren’t in close proximity to runoff from adjacent land. And speaking of shellfish, could there be a rebound in blue crabbing this year? Sporadic sightings of young crabs have occurred in the Madison/Guilford tributaries. Hopefully, they will survive both the elements and the hungry jaws of predators.
Note: Having a hard time finding or obtaining a sportsman license? Captain Morgan’s has “all” 2009 fishing, hunting, trapping licenses/permits (rifle, shotgun, archery, muzzle loader, HIP, CT duck stamps, etc.) available including shellfish licenses for Guilford and Madison.
Whenever and wherever fishing, think Captain Morgan’s for all things fishy including the latest gear, bait, flies/flyfishing, rod/reel repair, clam/crabbing supplies, and licenses/permits. Swing by the shop (203-245-8665) open seven days located at 21 Boston Post Road, Madison. Until next time from your Connecticut shoreline’s full-service fishing outfitter where we don't make the fisherman, we make the fisherman better...
Tight Lines,
Captain Morgan
Posted by Shore Publishing on Jun 29 2009, 03:07 PM
It was foggy and humid with air quality like the tropics. There was no wind and the only relief, if any, was from a saltwater breeze created by the forward motion of our vessel. We’ve all just about had it with the constantly changing weather and uncertainty it brought to plans. The spring season was odd and summer started off in the same vein. But what else is expected in New England?
Yet hopes were high that the striped bass bite would be on and rods would bend once a big ol’ linesider engulfed the fresh live bait. After all, earlier in the week, both stripers and blues were feeding heavily on an influx of bait. Those hopes held on for most of the tide before dwindling. Changing reefs and shoals several times was to no avail and looking for a school of big bass turned out to be a challenge, especially since the Sound has so many stripers schooled up.
On the surface, the Sound was noticeably void of activity. Gulls were placid and no swirls of bait were evident even though earlier in the week pods of sand eels and herring were “balling.” From time to time, distant scenes of some form of surface-breaking activity popped into view. Overall, the scene was eerie!
Still no bass! In fact, not one bite from any fish species. Something flipped a switch very reminiscent of when a dominant predator enters the area. Speculation continued but still no answers and no fish. Then word came.
A pod of hundred or so bottlenose dolphins had entered the Sound, an occurrence that happened a few seasons ago and was covered in this column. They were following their food source, herring. Whenever dolphins or seals are feeding around your favorite fishing spot, or any spot for that matter, you can bet that the bite will stop. Could this event be the cause of such a quiet morning? My guess is yes!
On the Water
Summer temperatures arrived along with high humidity and little wind driving mid-Sound water temperatures to 66 degrees. During the early morning hours, fog hung just above the waterline, creating dense banks. Perhaps, to some anglers, these were ideal conditions to fish in tight. Unfortunately, with buckets of rainfall over a short period of time, much of the baitfish departed from the tidal rivers. In fact, only a few pockets of menhaden could be seen at any given time throughout Long Island Sound. Just in the western part of the Sound in and around Norwalk did schools of this bait seem to hold.
Of late, our weather patterns were unpredictably predictable at best. Late-day thunderstorms precluded opportunities to fish the evening tide. Filling gill nets posed an issue for live baiters and short fluke catches disappointed many anglers. Sure, there were catches on any given day of fish in excess of the 19 ½-inch size limit, but many drifts resulted in fish just short.
Schools of fluke bounced from Long Sand Shoal, Six Mile Reef, and at times, south of Faulkner’s in about 60 to 70 feet. Striped bass in the 30- to 40-pound range ran through Six Mile, some settling for a short time at the edges of Southwest Reef and the Ledge before they developed lockjaw—still plenty of schoolie action in the lower tidals. Black sea bass might have been the exception. There was a bite in about 90 feet of “humpback” territory where flagship catches were produced.
A few energized bluefish schools did manage to stir some boaters around the Faulkner Island haunts and by Kimberly Reef on the ebb. And overgrown scup/porgies in excess of 15 inches were caught not only on local inshore reefs but also from shore wharves and jetties. The summer-like weather rejuvenated anglers of all ages along shoreline communities and beyond.
Rainfall and low pressure again negatively affected trout fishing in the rivers and streams. The largemouth bass and panfish bite continues to be good, but smallie catches have only been fair and catfish better than that. Northern pike action has been on and off again in rivers and lakes while pickerel are chasing baits.
The rains also affected shell fishing with many bed closures. Those few that remained open did so because they weren’t in close proximity to runoff from adjacent land. And speaking of shellfish, could there be a rebound in blue crabbing this year? Sporadic sightings of young crabs have occurred in the Madison/Guilford tributaries. Hopefully, they will survive both the elements and the hungry jaws of predators.
Note: Having a hard time finding or obtaining a sportsman license? Captain Morgan’s has “all” 2009 fishing, hunting, trapping licenses/permits (rifle, shotgun, archery, muzzle loader, HIP, CT duck stamps, etc.) available including shellfish licenses for Guilford and Madison.
Whenever and wherever fishing, think Captain Morgan’s for all things fishy including the latest gear, bait, flies/flyfishing, rod/reel repair, clam/crabbing supplies, and licenses/permits. Swing by the shop (203-245-8665) open seven days located at 21 Boston Post Road, Madison. Until next time from your Connecticut shoreline’s full-service fishing outfitter where we don't make the fisherman, we make the fisherman better...
Tight Lines,
Captain Morgan