The Frozen Few and Heater Huggers

Back from Pulaski with all my digits intact. I'm proud to say that I fished over 8 hrs. in the water Saturday without resorting to heater hugging at all. My brother fell in (didn't get too wet thank God or his day would have been screwed) before we even started, and despite half of the trip hugging the heater, managed 2 nice steelhead while I lost 4. We fished with Scott Glazer, owner of Tinker Tavern Lodge and Guide Service. He will be featured in an upcoming On The Water show. Don Kingsley, longtime Salmon River guide from Tightlines Guide Service,was our other guide. Both of these guys were awesome. The trip absolutely rocked! We are already planning to hit the steelhead spawn in late March and another trip for October/November.




Fishing the Salmon River in wnter is OK given the right gear. I wore Cabela's Big Man Ultimate™ Hunting Waders with Cabela's 400-Weight Fleece Wader Liners, UnderArmor cold gear top and bottoms, a Woolrich wool plaid shirt, light fleece and a Herter's RTO 3-in-1 Parka. For the feet I just wore a pair of silk liners and Cabelas heavy boot socks. As I said, I spent almost 8 hours in water that was actually in the upper 20s, and was comfortable all day. I actually ditched my gloves early on, choosing to keep a couple of warmers in each pocket. The proper clothing will make one of these winter trips really enjoyable, but skimp and you will be a heater hugger.
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Some more vids from my brother Doug, AKA DBKStrongman on Youtube.

More vid from my brother Doug.

"Jacked Up" in Islamorada

Veteran's Day Wrap Up

Montauk Madness

While there are some bass and chopper blues lurking the north side of the LIS, Montauk is still lit up if you can get there. Wind has kept most CT/RI boats away, but as you can see, the fishing is still red hot! Though it was a balmy 32 degrees leaving Stonington, the wind was down and the water temps were near 60 and the air temp reached 50+ once across. Caught some nice stripers early before the massive schools of blues took over. As you can see, the blitzes covered acres.

CT River Report 10/30

The cold front seemed to give the fish in the Salmon Cove/Haddam area lockjaw. Had one pike go for a big (10") shiner, but lost it as I never got a good hookset. Other than that, nada. Windy as hell and cold. Hoping the pike action will pick up as the temps cool. Water was down to the low 50s.

CT River/Haddam Meadows Report 10/24/2010

Overcast w/ 15 mph wind from the SSE. Water temp at 49 degrees. Fished the meadows and Salmon Cove with live shiners for pike but got nada. Did catch a 13-14 inch white perch! Otherwise, resorted to fishing perch to avoid a shutout. Still a fun day w/ Meatloaf. Who can complain about a day on the water!

Hanover Pond Report 10/23/2010

Decent day fishing, with temps in the low 60's and water temps down to 49-53 degrees. Mixed bag of perch and bass, with a 3lber topping the scales.

Fishin w/ Danny

The next "Blue Steel"???

Quinnipiac River Report

September 30, 2010 - Out early today so I thought I'd fish. Huge front is moving up the coast and it is windy as hell, so I figured I'd fish a nice sheltered local area. Wish I were striper fishing the front side of the system, but oh well. A quick stop to a local hole is all I'll get. Goal was to fish for the cycle (4 species) on one lure on the Quinnipiac. Check out the nice rainbow.

2010 Hybrid Anglers Bluefish Bash

This year's BFB was another success. Special thanks to Meatloaf for all his work. Thanks to the captain and crew of the Sunbeam V for putting us on the fish and bringing us ALL back!

Niantic Fishing Report 9/18

Nice but choppy day out today. The water temp is down to about 67 throughout most of the Niantic shore areas. Was hoping to see the albies today, but they weren't this far west on the shores yet. Some reports to Hillyers of a few schools in Plum Gut. Caught some stripers early on tube and worm. Only 1 keeper at 28". However, I did see a kayaker catch a 40"+ on Goshen beach, so the bigger fish are starting to more back closer to shore to feed. Mixed bag today with stripers, porgies, blues and a whopping 7" black seas bass. He struck a tin almost as big as he/she was.

Take a Vet Fishing Report from 9/11

More to come!

Quick Report from Stonington/Fishers Island 9/6/10

Just a quick report. No vids. Fishe Stonington/Fisher's Island Sound Monday, Labor Day from 5:30am-noon. Lots of snapper blues, some reports of a few stripers, mostly schooolies. I did not see any bones or albies anywhere inside Watch Hill/Fishers Island, and I didn't get first hand claims of catching any on Watch Hill or Sugar reefs. May go again Thursday.

"Hurricane" Earl

Well, Earl didn't really pan out up here. I was hoping for a good blow to turn things over in the LIS, but it looks like all that Earl did was scare away tourists from the Cape beaches. Heading to Watch Hill in the morning, hoping the albies will show. Be reporting tomorrow evening.

Take a Vet Fishing

On September 9th, I will be going to down Branford to help out with the TAVF program. The program works with the VA to help veterans enjoy an activity that many would otherwise not have an opportunity to, or in many cases, would not have thought themselves able to. This will be my first time helping out, and the program has grown from a dozen a few summers ago to over 80 participating now. There are only 7-8 other guys who help with the actual fishing. Many of the vets need assistance due to injuries suffered while serving our country. I got involved through an appeal from Pat at Rivers End, who has been generous in supporting the group with gear and hands on assistance. Trout Unlimited has come on board, and hopefully some major support from Cabelas and other groups will be forthcoming, as the desire to participate is outstripping the resources available. If anyone is interestedin helping or donating gear, lmk or check out the link below.

Take A Vet Fishing Article

TAVF Website

Volunteers don't have to be members of the First Congregational Church of Branford. There are lots of guys like me who just want to give something back to the vets by sharing something we love to do.

Dates remaining this year: 9/11, 10/9

See you at the BfB!!!!! :D

Niantic Report 8/19 and a new outboard on the Gemma Rose

Decent day, but really a chance to run the new engine for the first time. Also caught my first blues on a fly rod (I'm pretty much a newb), and not sure what I think. My initial impression of using the fly rod is kind of like fishing with a rubber band. I'm not sure I'm that thrilled about it, but it does have a place in the arsenal, so becoming more proficient is a goal. I imagine it would be cool on some monsters, but I felt as though I was missing some of the contact with the fish and thus the fight. Not sold, but certainly not ready to abandon this aspect of fishing. Anyway, watch the report!

Better than a skunk

Quick Report - 8/6/10 out of Niantic. Incoming tide to 7:30am.
Water temp 71-72 degrees
80 @ outflow
Blues after dawn on tube and worm and Deadly Dicks. No big schools, just picking up strays at the outflow, Black Point and Wigwam Rock.
Legit report of solid schoolie fly action on Barlets.

Hitting for the Cycle

Today I hit for the cycle; porgy, fluke, blues and bass. There is the way you think it will fish on a given day, and the way it fishes. Went out at 3:30 to hit the incoming tide, and as expected, picked up some schoolies and a fluke at Harkness. Started on slack tide about 7:30, so I started working back towards Niantic to get the end of the outgoing tide on the way back. Stopped by the outflow (cheating, I know), and was blanked. West wind really began to pick up, so I threw in the towel on Black Point. I always finish with a pass or two past Wigwam Rock/Beach on the way in, not expecting much as it hasn't produced the past two weeks. Since I didn't want to be scupped to death, I trolled a tube and worm with a stinger (see video). Wham! Thirty inch blue. A few scup (lucky for them I wasn't heading back to TwoTree). Another blue? Nope. Keeper striper at about 11:00. Another blue and I had to call it a day. The trip home was not uneventful, as I had a flat on the trailer going through a construction zone. At least it was on the way back. Good Day!

Niantic Report for 7/14

Went out of Niantic w/ Meatloaf this morning. We were on the water by 4:00 and had outgoing tide until about 7:30. ML hooked up early with a striper near the restricted zone of the power plant on a 3" green/translucent sluggo, but lost it around a crab pot. I should have done a better job of maneuvering. Ran out to Goshen Beach/Harkness, where these was little activity. A few stray blues (lost a sluggo), but no real action. The birds that had been in the last week on big bait schools were nowhere to be seen. On the way back towards the outflow, we caught a scup to drop down in Twotree, but had no real luck there either. Caught a couple of blues on the smaller side back at the outflow. Finished up trolling near Wigwam rock, but got nothing and so we headed in. A slow day fishing, but enjoyable none the less.

Slow Fishin'

Went out Tuesday 7/6 and again today (7/9). Left from Niantic at 3:30 am both days headed towards Harkness. Tuesday provided a really brief window at dawn with about 15 minutes of breaking stripers by the sanatorium, but the slack tide almost coincided with sunrise, so it shut down quickly. A couple of blues at the outflow, and then I baked in the 100 degree heat until about 11:00. Would have gone in earlier, but saw some schools hanging around Wigwam Rock area. Wasted an hour trying to get a bite and getting chewed up by scup. Figured today would be better, with a tide change a few hours after first light. Had to creep along by GPS to Harkness, but by first light, birds were diving on really small bait along Goshen Beach. I tied on a 3" sluggo and had 2 hits, but lost both. No big numbers of fish despite the bait. The fog actually got worse as the sun rose, limiting visibility to 100' at best. As I began picking my way back around the jetties using GPS and crab pots, I notices a big school of blues moving through and birds working just about at the edge of my visibility. The first blue flattened out the smaller hook I had on, and by the time I grabbed a big plug they were gone in the mist. So was any visual reference. While I had a GPS, I wasn't wild about chasing schools in Twotree Channel where I might get run over in the fog. Finally skirted my way back to the outflow, where nothing was happening. On some days, I would have fished harder until I got something, anything, but today I just said screw it and went in by 7:30 am. Monday I will be out fishing with Jack Balint, so I'm hoping for better luck. For those fishing the night ebb tides in the Race and other rips, I did see a 40+ fish brought in as I was going out.

Fishing on the BlackHawk, Niantic CT, 6/30/10

Went out with Capt. Greg Dubrule and crew on the Blackhawk as I had a pass I won in their raffle and a day to fish. I knew it would be hit or miss as the night bite was on for the bass, but the blues had yet to show in size and numbers in the LIS. On this particularly beautiful Wednesday we only had a small showing, not the post 4th numbers once the blues are in and the summer really begins. Most boats would have said sorry, have to try another day. However, Captain Dubrule and his crew took us out, knowing it wasn't going to amount to a payday for them. All of those who fished were rewarded with the first arrival of big blues this summer! I've been on lots of party boats from the Carolinas up to New England, and I have to say, the Blackhawk is one of the most fun. Where most captains sit in the wheelhouse and let the crews run the decks, Capt. Dubrule takes a hands on approach to make sure everyone has the best opportunity to catch fish. In his words, "I'm not yelling at you, I'm instructing loudly!" Whether they are words of encouragement, congratulations, whoops of excitement or to let you know you are screwing something up and better correct it to catch fish, there is no doubt that he is out there having fun and working to ensure a great day for all. We caught big blues at Plum Gut and then on the rips between Plum I. and Black Point. The birds were working big schools of bait. All of us caught fish, but the big winners were the two kids on the boat. Hunter out fished us all landing half a dozen big chopper blues and another kid reeled in a nice mid-30s keeper bass. These kids are on their way to being fishermen for life. BIG THANKS to Captain Dubrule and the crew of the Blackhawk.

Bass fishin' is Good

Local bassin' has been good. Most of the shallow ponds are covered with snot, which is OK because it scares some potential anglers away. This time of year, the banks are fished to death in the easily accessable areas. No worries, just take anything that will float out of casting range and target those bass that are hanging in the grass beds. I could fish most of the shallow ponds around here all year Dean Rojas style. Give me a pumpkin frog and I'm good to go.

Fishing Harkness

Some fishing from around Harkeness, including a few tips. Sorry for the vid bouncing, first time with the I-Kam.

Store Rigs, Save a Few $$$

Cabelas and other shops sell devices to store hooks with long leaders, 3-way rigs etc. Here's the RNA answer. Your kid won't even know his/her float tube is a foot shorter!

First Day of Summer!!!!

I've finished the school year, and Tuesday was my first day of summer. I decided to kick off my season with an early am trip down to Niantic. I put in at about 3:00 on a tide coming in until 7:30. The plan was to fish eels off of Harkness pre-dawn, but Things got a bit sidetracked as I caught two keepers on a few trolling runs (tube and worm) right in Niantic Bay. The second was 37", 20+ lbs. Still determined to fish Harkness, I began the trip over about 4:45. Watched a cool sunrise passing by the power plant, and began working my way up Seaside, along the jetties by the sanatorium, and eventually to Harkness/Goshen Point. By the time I reached Harkness it was about and I had not caught any more fish. Finally caught a schoolie, but I was on the slack tide. I was getting picked apart by scup. Should have stayed where the fish were biting!

I tried out my new I-Kam Extreme glasses, and learned a few things. They don't work at night without a lot of artificial light. I also didn't realize how much I am constantly scanning around while fishing. I'm always on the lookout for indications of fish, be it birds, bait schools, rips, etc. This kind of gets annoying when watching the I-Kam footage. The wind also gets picked up a lot in the audio. However, the quality is on par with a Flip video, and the first person perspective is pretty cool. I hope to wear them while fighting some bigger fish in daylight hours.

Anyway, a decent start to what I hope will be a productive summer of fishing!



I-Kam Video

Milford and LIS (Sugar Reef to Fisher's Island)

Started out on the Housie Friday evening for a low tide scouting trip. First the area for the first time last Monday, and wanted to get a better idea of the layout. Put in at Stratford. Didn't realize the launch was not state owned and picked up a nice $100 fine for not having a town permit. Won't be putting in down there any more this year. Better for wading than using my little boat anyway. Not worth the hassle of trailering down there. Went out Sunday from Stonington with Jack Balint who runs The Fish Connection in Preston. We fished the reefs from Sugar in to Fishers. No winches and broomsticks, all light tackle. G. Loomis and Shimano 8-17lb., 7'ish rods, 12-16lb. mono. Makes a 15lb. bass seem like a lot of fight. Kept 2 nice bass in the low 30's for fillets. Had a total of six, and about as many broke off or spit the hook. Jeff had a handful as well, so it was a pretty fun day.

Milford CT Report 6/7/10

Went to the mouth of the Housie last night. Fished a few locations, but found bass out the ass in one marsh area that I shall remain unusually cryptic about due to restricted access. There wer 30+ inch bass breaking the surface all around us just after sunset. Tons of bait. Problem was getting the bass to hit anything. A flyfisherman might have had a chance, but these were BIG bass ignoring all of our Gag's Poppers, sluggos, swim baits and everything else we threw. I had a school of bait swim right past me with a large striper's wake following behind. I was so frustrated I literally smacked at the back of the striper with my 7 ft. pole. It was that close. In the end I got skunked with probably 100 keepers within casting distance. Of course I left the eels and sandworms at home as we were planning to wade. Still made for an exciting evening.

Niantic Memorial Day Report

Went out this morning to see if any stripers have taken up on the near shore points and rocks. Hadn't heard any reports, but somebody has to be first. Left the public dock in Niantic (by Hillyer's) at 2:30 am, and had an ebb tide until 7:30 am. Seas were dead calm and water temp around 60 degrees. Marked tons of fish right outside the mouth of the river, but caught nothing after trying for an hour an a half. Ran over to the power plant where I quickly worked the rocks with a bucktail and then ran over to the outflow. Almost immediately hooked into a striper on a 6" pink sluggo/jig that eventually straightened out the hook. Caught a couple of blues. Worked up to Harkness but got nada. Marked lots of fish in Twotree Channel, probably fluke, but I'm not into that. Ran back to the outflow at about 8:30, which was full of idiots coming close to running into each other and one guy casting over everyone (including me). Finished up with a run to Black Point, were I lost another fish trolling tube and worm(blue/striper??) Wind really picked up (weather man sucks) and I got soaked the whole way back. Overall, a fun morning.

LIS Fishing Report for 5/26: A wild night on the Blackhawk

Went out on the Blackhawk last night looking forward to a good night of striper fishing. The last few days have seen lots of big fish landed, and the full moon was promising. Captain Dubrule was fired up and the night looked promising. Forecast were for a few widely scattered storms and light winds with a big ebb tide for most of the trip. We left at 10:00 pm. So much for the CT forecast. The first hour was slow as the slack tide finally started to turn, but we could also see the weather coming in and the temperature was plummeting. Lightning was flashing to the west, south over Montauk, and north over CT. By midnight, the tide was running out fast, but the storm was bearing down. A few fish were being landed. By 1:30, the wind was howling, rain was horizontal and lightning was striking all over. The rips in the race were becoming almost unfishable. We ran around trying to get on a bite. A few good fish were landed, including 2 in the 40lb. range, but I think a total of about 10 ended up in the boat, on a night most of us thought we would limit out. We heard reports of gusts 50-60 mph in Niantic. We kept at it until nearly 4:00am, and tried just about everything. I felt sorry for the few who did not bring foul weather gear. Despite the skunking I received (and loss of 4 rigs), it was pretty cool being out in the storm. Safety was never an issue and it was a hell of a show. This being my first trip on the Blackhawk, I was impressed with Captain Dubrule's enthusiasm and desire to interact with the customers. Most party boat skippers spend the trips isolated in the wheelhouse leaving all of the interaction to the mates. The trip was fun, and I will definitely give them a few more tries this season. As the saying goes, there's a reason it's called fishing and not catching. Sorry, no video (would have been way cool, but it was too dark and wet).

Glastonbury Ferry

Tried out the Glastonbury Ferry Friday 5/14, hoping for some stripers or catfish. Stopped by Hanover as I wouldn't meet John 'til 6:00ish. Fished mostly sandworms on the CTR, but other than constant harassment by perch, weren't hit by anything. Weather had been cool, and the tide was incoming, so conditions were far from ideal. Can't say that it was a productive night, as you will see. In the end, a storm chased us home.

Eventful Weekend

Well, this weekend wasn't boring, and cost me a down payment on a boat. Windstorm took out my truck, my ability to tow my boat, and will limit my fishing for the next few weeks, just as things heat up.

Hanover 5-7

I'm picking up some nice fish just after sunset, but some guys just don't get it. Fellow I've seen the past 2 nights down hasn't caught a thing. Keeps chucking his Rapala out into the middle of the pond, while I pulled 3-4 good keepers from either side of him within 5-10 feet of the bank. I don't want to be too intrusive, but have mentioned in passing that some real nice fish are holding right up near the shore. Even offered him a Storm King frog as he seems nice enough. Now granted, I'm no KVD, but if some dude catching a lot of fish offered some advice, I'd give it a try. There's this old guy down in Norwich who is a magician catching stripers when nobody else gets squat. If he told me to stand on my head while I retrieve, I'd give it a try!

5/4 Local Report

If my local is any indication, time to get out and fish. Lots of action, and I've fished primarily spinners and especially the Bass Pro Humpin Toad or the Strike King rage toads in pumpkin. Haven't really pulled out the tubes or Senkos in my back yard as I'm fishing real shallow in lots of grass and the place is crawlin' with frogs.

Hanover Pond

Bass are really starting to hit. Missed one big female 3 times this evening. Lots of smaller active bass. Fished a spinner and a plastic frog. Frogs are my favorite nightime go-to. Be throwin a lot of salmanders as well the next few weeks.

CT River Report May 2, 2010

The Haddam bite slowed a bit this morning, but we still had schools of keeper size stripers breaking the surface and hitting sluggos early. Nothing like the past 2 days, an no gulls to mark the bait schools.

CT River Striper Run in Full Swing!!

The video report pretty much sums it up!

Early Bass in CT

Early Bass
by RedneckAngler on Wed Mar 10, 2010 11:14 pm

3-4 days of warming weather and today I started crushing bass! As I mentioned earlier, went out Sunday and caught nada. Went out arounf 3:45 this afternoon to fish my local spots. Shallows near a spring spawn hotspot. Hoping that several days of warming might get 'em a bit hungry. Started with stick baits and crankbaits with only 1 tap. After seeing one big bass come up and several wakes from schools of smaller fish, switched over to a Storm Minnow and boom, second cast had a fish on. Just over 12". Missed a much bigger fish as I went a bit too much terrible fishing club with too many rules on it for a short strike. Small schools of juveniles were up really shallow and some larger fish were lurking. Caught 4-5 more fish right around 12" and several shorties. They were definately starting to turn on to feeding mode. Had a 5:00 appointment that I was late for as I hated leaving biting fish. No lunkers, biggest coming close to 14", but it was good to see an abundance of healthy fish starting to feed.

by RedneckAngler on Fri Mar 12, 2010 12:01 am

Went again today. Targeting fish in 1-2 ft. of water. Caught 2 on a Heddon Zara Puppy surface lure, 2 on spinners, and another 7-8 on an assortment of Panther Martin Vivif swimbaits, Matzuo Prism Grubs, and Storm Wild Eye Curl Tail Minnows. Again, only a couple over 12". Had a 4-5 lb. short strike. Think it was the same fish as yestrday. Big and pretty fat. I'm going to get her in the next week or so. I was fishing a really light trout setup since the bass have been small and had another on that stripped a bunch of line before breaking off in a tree. Over the 2 hrs. several fish broke on the surface, which is why a started throwing the topwater and spinner, but the soft plastic minnows were by far the go-to. As soon as I get my boat back, I'm going to hit a few of the other shallow water lakes. Next week is supposed to warm again after the rain. Two old guys approached and I could hear them laughing that it was too early for fish, until I pulled one out for them. If you've got s small pond or lake nearby, time to start dropping a line. I plan to hit Weathersfield Cove net weekend if the weather cooperates.

Some pics from Islamorada

Islamorada in February

Fishin' in the Keys - February 2010

Well, the trip to the Keys and the kick-off of my season is in the books. Kirby's Law meant that it was the coldest February in decades and followed a massive fish kill in the backcountry the previous month. Needless to say, this would have a major effect on the bite and the options available to us. Sam and I were joined in Islamorada by my brother Doug and his girlfriend Claudia. While Doug and I had plans for fishing, they were mapping out the shopping in Key West and a trip to the Everglades!

Day one was cool (highs in the mid-60's) with winds in the 20 mph range. Doug and I were chartered offshore on the Motherload with Capt. Kevin Kelly. Our predawn conference centered on options; 1) stay in near the reefs fishing some sails, kings, black fin tuna and other reef fish, or 2) run 12 miles to The Hump in rougher water to fish the big pre-spawn amber jacks. The sails had been real hit or miss, so we went with option B. Kevin promised the jacks would be plentiful, but the seas about 4-6 feet and really choppy. After a slow start just looking for bait, we were finally off to The Hump. As advertised, we hooked a jack on every blue runner we sent 300+ feet to the bottom. The jacks were slammin' and Doug was turning green to the point I took 4 of the first five hookups. Haulin' these things up from 300'-400' gives the arms a workout. Doug wasn't recovering at all, so after I had a fish that took 3-4 big runs and giving nothing back broke off, we decided to run back into the reef. Kevin wasn't thrilled to be leaving a sure thing behind, particularly as we had put our eggs in the amberjack basket. Doug, however, regained some color as we returned to the relatively smooth reef waters, and we finished off the afternoon catching some 'cudas, black fin tuna, bonito and other reef dwellers.

Day two was scheduled to be a backcountry half-day with Capt. Ted Wilson out of the famous Bud-n-Mary's Marina. Northwest winds and cool temps meant that we shifted to a near-shore wreck fishing approach on the front side of the islands. Turns out that Ted and Doug had mutual friends, and we ended up with a great morning of light tackle fishing for snapper, grouper, Spanish mackerel and a ton of other reef and wreck dwellers. I think one of the most exciting aspects of this type of fishing is that you never know what you will pull up. I felt like I was fishing in a tropical aquarium. Doug and I had a blast fishing and shootin' the s*#t with Ted. I'm definitely looking forward to fishing with him again in some warmer weather!

Day three was the blow-out reserve day, so we picked up a last minute charter with Captain Jeff Beeler, a good friend of Ted's who has been fishing this area his entire life. With a full day, I really wanted to see the back country despite the cold weather and the limited options, so we decided to run all the way up into the Everglades past Flamingo. The water was ten degrees colder than average, and this definitely turned the fish that remained off. We fished hard to catch a handful of trout, black drum, and sheepshead. Doug absolutely killed me, as I couldn't hook anything to save my life! We fished numerous locations, but the bite just wasn't there. Despite this, the Everglades were incredible, and we were treated to rare treats such as an American crocodile and a bald eagle that took off about 50' away from us, among other exotic wildlife. I can't wait to get back down there to fish these waters in some warm weather!

All told, the trip was a ton of fun, with great people, some decent fishing, and a strong feeling of wanting to get back for more!