05-22-2009, 10:46 AM
Bass arrive for holiday weekend ![[Image: nothing.gif]](http://media.theday.com/gbl/media/dynamic/lrgimages/nothing.gif)
By Tim Coleman Published on 5/22/2009
With the first big weekend of the summer just about on us, it's nice to have some better fishing to report. Bass have arrived in our waters, both in the reefs along the Connecticut shoreline and out in The Race.
Allen Fee at Shaffers Marina said Rick Heroux of Griswold and his friend Jim fished in the deep water between Valiant and Little Gull on Tuesday, catching bass (and also a few bluefish) on diamond jigs. Another bass of 46 inches was caught from under a bunker school in the Mystic River by Mystic River Park.
A ramp customer trolled up some small stripers and bluefish on a tube and worm off the Millstone outflow and yet a fourth source said he caught some winter flounder fishing some place on the west side of the lower Thames. Junk Island used to be a good bet for flounder fishing years back about this time.
Bob's Rod & Tackle also had reports of stripers, these caught in the Thames River from under the bunker schools that move around day to day. This Tuesday the bunkers were especially thick in Norwich Harbor, said Red. Flounder catches improved a bit mostly from off the outside beaches from Noank over to Niantic.
King Cove in Stonington reported bunkers in Watch Hill Harbor with small bass chasing them around from time to time. As of this report the much anticipated push on stripers on to the Watch Hill Reefs has yet to take place. Don did have confirmed reports of the first few scattered fluke from Isabella Beach and report of a catch of a few flounder to 1.98 pounds at the mouth of the Pawcatuck River on Wednesday.
Diamond jigs are working well in The Race, said Capt. Jack Balint at the Fish Connection, the bass and a few blues chasing around a mix of small herring, sand eels and some squid, the latter bait showing up this week in Stonington Harbor. Take a spinning rod with you for the bass also show up on the surface, usually at slack water or when current is slackening.
Best bets for bass in the Thames are from Gales Ferry to Montville and a few in Norwich. You might also catch bass of various sizes if you're lucky enough to be on the Mystic River when a worm hatch takes place.
Hillyers Tackle reported on winter flounder caught from Rocky Neck to Harkness. Don't expect numbers of years past but if you use chum and give each spot at least 45 minutes you stand a chance at enough for supper. The Black Point Rip is now holding some bass for either drift boats or those that troll parachute jigs on 225 feet of wire.
Capt. Kyle Douton at J&B Tackle said their charter boat is catching bass on both tides at Inner Bartletts trolling wire with jigs or umbrella rigs. Boats off to the west are landing medium bass on diamond jigs in the deeper water from the Sand Shoal to Six Mile. If you want to make the run to Montauk for two fluke per man, the latest reports indicate no trouble catching keepers.
Mark down at River's End said he picked up a 27-inch bass from shore at Hatchetts Point on Wednesday on light spin rod and small jig. Last week was pretty good for casting for stripers in the lower Connecticut River thanks to the outgoing tide in both morning and evening. This week though the tides switched around and numbers of fish went down noticeably from the week before.
One local fished all day around the breakwater at the river mouth for four hours for six flounder, the “biggest” catch of that species all week. We end with an e-mail from Capt. Joey Devine of the Mijoy. They started their season with slow results out in The Race but by the Sunday afternoon trip some fares were catching their limits along with a few blues. Most pool winners were 36 inches long with the biggest around 30 pounds. Tim Coleman is The Day's saltwater fishing columnist. He can be reached at thewreckhunter@aol.com
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By Tim Coleman Published on 5/22/2009 With the first big weekend of the summer just about on us, it's nice to have some better fishing to report. Bass have arrived in our waters, both in the reefs along the Connecticut shoreline and out in The Race.
Allen Fee at Shaffers Marina said Rick Heroux of Griswold and his friend Jim fished in the deep water between Valiant and Little Gull on Tuesday, catching bass (and also a few bluefish) on diamond jigs. Another bass of 46 inches was caught from under a bunker school in the Mystic River by Mystic River Park.
A ramp customer trolled up some small stripers and bluefish on a tube and worm off the Millstone outflow and yet a fourth source said he caught some winter flounder fishing some place on the west side of the lower Thames. Junk Island used to be a good bet for flounder fishing years back about this time.
Bob's Rod & Tackle also had reports of stripers, these caught in the Thames River from under the bunker schools that move around day to day. This Tuesday the bunkers were especially thick in Norwich Harbor, said Red. Flounder catches improved a bit mostly from off the outside beaches from Noank over to Niantic.
King Cove in Stonington reported bunkers in Watch Hill Harbor with small bass chasing them around from time to time. As of this report the much anticipated push on stripers on to the Watch Hill Reefs has yet to take place. Don did have confirmed reports of the first few scattered fluke from Isabella Beach and report of a catch of a few flounder to 1.98 pounds at the mouth of the Pawcatuck River on Wednesday.
Diamond jigs are working well in The Race, said Capt. Jack Balint at the Fish Connection, the bass and a few blues chasing around a mix of small herring, sand eels and some squid, the latter bait showing up this week in Stonington Harbor. Take a spinning rod with you for the bass also show up on the surface, usually at slack water or when current is slackening.
Best bets for bass in the Thames are from Gales Ferry to Montville and a few in Norwich. You might also catch bass of various sizes if you're lucky enough to be on the Mystic River when a worm hatch takes place.
Hillyers Tackle reported on winter flounder caught from Rocky Neck to Harkness. Don't expect numbers of years past but if you use chum and give each spot at least 45 minutes you stand a chance at enough for supper. The Black Point Rip is now holding some bass for either drift boats or those that troll parachute jigs on 225 feet of wire.
Capt. Kyle Douton at J&B Tackle said their charter boat is catching bass on both tides at Inner Bartletts trolling wire with jigs or umbrella rigs. Boats off to the west are landing medium bass on diamond jigs in the deeper water from the Sand Shoal to Six Mile. If you want to make the run to Montauk for two fluke per man, the latest reports indicate no trouble catching keepers.
Mark down at River's End said he picked up a 27-inch bass from shore at Hatchetts Point on Wednesday on light spin rod and small jig. Last week was pretty good for casting for stripers in the lower Connecticut River thanks to the outgoing tide in both morning and evening. This week though the tides switched around and numbers of fish went down noticeably from the week before.
One local fished all day around the breakwater at the river mouth for four hours for six flounder, the “biggest” catch of that species all week. We end with an e-mail from Capt. Joey Devine of the Mijoy. They started their season with slow results out in The Race but by the Sunday afternoon trip some fares were catching their limits along with a few blues. Most pool winners were 36 inches long with the biggest around 30 pounds. Tim Coleman is The Day's saltwater fishing columnist. He can be reached at thewreckhunter@aol.com
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