Casting Call: DEEP Fishing Report

From the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection:

Inland report

SPECIAL NOTE: DEEP will began its annual fall stockings of surplus broodstock Atlantic salmon next week. A total of approximately 400 broodstock salmon will be released next week. These fish will be stocked into portions of the Naugatuck and Shetucket rivers, Crystal Lake (Ellington) and Mount Tom Pond.

TROUT

Fall Trout Stocking Update –DEEP stocked a total of 7,150 rainbow trout into eastern CT lakes this week.

These fish were released into Black Pond (Middlefield, 400 fish), Rogers Lake (400 fish), Quonnipaug Lake

(400 fish), Wauregan Reservoir (300 fish), Long Pond (400 fish), Amos Lake (400 fish), Beach Pond (1,000

fish), Crystal Lake (1,000 fish), Black Pond (Woodstock, 200 fish), Bigelow Pond (250 fish), Gardner Lake

(1,000 fish), Cedar Lake (400 fish), Pattaconk Lake (100 fish) and Coventry Lake (900 fish).

These stockings complete DEEP’s 2011 fall trout stockings. A total of 32,800 adult trout (17,800 brown trout and 15,000 rainbow trout) were stocked from early September through this week. The brown trout were all 12 inch and larger fish and the rainbow trout were all standard size (9-10 inch fish). A total of 30,000 “yearling” (6-9 inch fish) were also stocked out this fall.

Marine Report

Surface water temperatures in Long Island Sound (LIS) are in the mid 60’s °F. Check out the following web sites for more detailed water temperatures and marine boating conditions:

http://www.mysound.uconn.edu/stationstat.html

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/

BLUEFISH fishing remains excellent. There are “Gator-sized Blues” to 16 pounds being reported every day. The usual fishing spots include the Race, Sluiceway, Plum Gut, the reefs off Watch Hill, Ram Island Reef in Fishers Island Sound, Millstone outflow, Bartlett Reef, Black Point, Pigeon Rip (area north of Plum Island), Hatchett Reef, Long Sand Shoal, Southwest Reef, Sixmile Reef, Falkner Island area, the reefs off Guilford and Branford, New Haven Harbor (Sandy Point), Charles Island area to Milford Point, Buoy 20 off Stratford, Stratford Shoal/Middle Ground, Penfield Reef, around the Norwalk Islands, and the reefs off Stamford. Please note: there are schools of adult Bunker in the western sound.

STRIPED BASS fishing continues to improve on the local reefs and tidal rips as water temperatures cool. Many large “Cow Bass” up to 57 pounds have been weighed in while fishing the “Hunters Moon”. Live lining eels, hickory shad, bunker (Atlantic menhaden) or scup is the ticket for those trophy-sized monster bass. Please use

circle hooks when fishing with live bait. Circle hooks reduce “gut hooking” and most of the time the hook lodges just in the corner of the fish’s mouth for an easy release and years of great fishing.

SCUP fishing is also excellent for these “Reef Slammers” on any local reef and or rock pile throughout Long Island Sound. The time to go is now! Fish in excess of 18 inches in length and three pounds have been caught. A great fish to introduce children to some exciting”Deep Sea” fishing and family fun! Squid, sand worms,

conch and small crabs are the bait of choice.

TAUTOG fishing season is now open. Green crabs, hermit crabs, and Asian shore crabs are preferred baits for hooking these hard fighting “Reef Bullies”. Any rock pile/gnarly hard bottom or wreck is perfect tog habitat. Smaller rock piles or structure in shallow water (10-15 feet) produce larger-sized fish early in the fall fishing season. One must be willing to move from reef to reef and be patient while fishing for these wonderful fish. Please be considerate of other anglers and their boats…so everyone can enjoy this great fishery resource.

LITTLE TUNNY fishing has been awesome for ”Albies”, or “Hard Tails”, as they feed heavily on Atlantic silversides before migrating south. Fishing spots include Montauk Point, Bluff Point, Pine Island area, the Race (Race Rock to Little Gull Island), Bartlett Reef, Millstone Point, Black Point area, and the Stratford Shoal/Middle Ground area.

BLUE CRAB continues to be good in the lower Connecticut River, especially for “Jimmies” up to 8 inches spike to spike. Try the DEEP Marine Headquarters in Old Lyme for some fun in the sun and good crab fishing.

Regulations reminders:

SCUP - The scup fishing season has been extended through to the end of the year. The daily creel and length limit remains the same (10 fish per angler and 10 ½ inches). Note that the party/charter boat creel limit is now 10 fish per day (the length limit remains unchanged at 11 inches).

BLACK SEA BASS – The black sea bass season is now closed (will re-open November 1st).

http://marine.rutgers.edu/mrs/sat_data/?nothumbs=1

http://www.wunderground.com/MAR/AN/330.html