Western Connecticut Albie

Got into a lot of albies in the western long island sound this morning. Game on! 

What to imitate 

20 lb plus stripers are here...find the bunks and get your night fish on!

Western Sound : Albies are here!

The sound has just begun to blow up with predators. The bait has been here long enough and finally the water temps are calling in the fish of the east. Tomorrow's north wind forecast should be prime for false albacore. Hour before high tide is the ticket. With last weeks storm the peanuts have arrived. A magical sight to see with the decline in mature menhaden stock. Last fall these beauties never came. These fish I feel are the most important baitfish for the striper migration. For the albies it is the vast amounts of spearing that has been sitting offshore. As to where to look for fat albert I cannot say. These bullets that sneak through the sound every year have a very specific line of travel following various contours. With the schools being from 10-25 fish I cannot help but keep this clockwork route to my self. If your lucky enough to stumble upon fat albert be sure to kill the switch asap! Albies have no swim bladder. It is for this reason one should tread lightly around the tunny. Stalk them from a far and find their rythm. Remember these bullets are swimming in 100 to 500 yard circles.  Try and get ahead of where the eye of the tornado might lie. Waiting in silence only to have your hull being slapped by a school is an accomplishment of its own. 

"The Albert" Two hooks with stinger. 

Stripers are moving in full force

And getting bigger by the day 

Eat me

Some footage from this past year! 

Do not forget about the tailing golden bones on offer! 

Long Island Sound Report

With the cooler weather the fishing is about to get red hot in the coming weeks. The sound is still quiet however there is bait stacked as far as the eye can see. It is only a matter of time before the bones and albies find their way west. The little tunny has been popping up around the Watch Hill Reefs. As long as we do not have an IRENE repeat then these stiff tailed devils should funnel through. Remember it is still early in the season. September is a time of transition! 

On a different note mature menhaden are locked in the western sound. A rare sight for this time of year. Bluefish in the upper teens are there for the taking. Focus on the smaller bait balls and work the edges or down below with a sinking line. Long story short this fall is shaping up to be a hell of a lot better then last years bust. 

On the freshwater scene the rivers in the area are incredible warm. Farmington River would be the best bet for trout. In the mean time carp fishing is going off. Nothing like feeding a finicky carp. A far from easy feat. 

Freshwater bonefish/permit 

Green Drakes are popping in Carpville

A secret night time spot. Yes these are schoolie stripers! 

Kings of the Jungle

 Camped deep into the unknown the past two days. Water temps were in the low 50s with 95 degree weather. Dry fly action was red hot! With the sun setting behind the mountains it was time for El Matador!

Cutthroat Imitation

Dubbed El Matador 

The end result!

Shadow Casting at its finest!

Bull Trout in Decline

The causes of this decline of the bull trout are many and varied. These impacts are often categorized into three groups. 

1. problems with land management

2. problems with water management 

3.problems with fisheries management 

The influence of poorly executed land management practices including grazing, logging, mining, and roads along stream are well documented. Poor management impacts the immediate area and a considerable distance downstream from increased sediment loads in the stream. Only 18 percent of the bull populations and stream segments range wide are not threatened by degraded conditions.(Isaacson 1994) 

The Bull trout is an incredible important indicator of overall riverine ecosystem health. Among the salmon family, the bull, is one of the most stringent for requiring clean cold water for successful reproduction and survival. With little tolerance to water warmer then 64 deg. F and is very sensitive to sedimentation of streams. A bull cannot exceed their tolerance limits for any of these factors. Water management problems can impact bulls by fragmenting populations, degrading water quality, and changing water flow patterns. Most importantly is the use of river water for irrigation. As much as 80% of stream flow has been removed from rivers. Second, irrigation return water is frequently warmer then 64 deg. F creating a thermal barrier from upriver spawning habitat. Irrigation return is also full of unhealthy sediments and chemicals. 

Fisheries management problems is another issue face by Bulls in the past. The brook trout was introduced at the turn of the century creating competition and hybridization. Since brook trout spawn at a younger age they will numerically swamp the bulls' reproductive potential. From 1913 to 1914 a large scale commercial net fishing was permitted in an attempt to eradicate the species. (Brown, 1971) At the time the view of bulls as a pest species may have originated due to their extremely predatory habits on eggs and juveniles of other introduced salmonid fish species. The introduction of alien species also brought forth disease such as Whirling. The fact that state fish and wildlife agencies permitted a game fish species to decline to the point of being extinct does not speak highly of their concern for native fish species. Luckily in the past 10 years or so this has taken a turn for the better. 

Bull Trout Populations in the US declined in the 1980s and 90s. With recent regulations the once Dolly Varden is back on the feed! Targeting bull trout in Idaho is completely legal on a catch and release basis. In Montana the Hungry Horse Reservoir, Swan Lake, and South Fork Flathead River is open to catch and release. 

Wet Wading: A New Meaning

Hooked this hen not long ago. She was sitting in a heavy slot below a water fall. Being barefoot the beaut pulled me out into a shallow and swift current. I became unstuck with the slippery rocks below, and backflopped into a dead mans float for 35 yards or so until I regained footing in the deeper water. We ended up netting her way down river. I can't help but laugh at the irony of fighting a fish in this manner in downtown Missoula. Those of you that have seen a River Runs Through It know what I mean.  Amazing to see how much harder a female can pull over a male at times.

Soaking wet and stoked!

Landing big fish head first in a small net can be the way to go