Bluefish, Bass, Porgies--and Happy Fishermen....
Capt. Sal Tardella
August 18, 2008
Norwalk Islands - Saltwater Fishing Report
We had a busman's holiday on Wednesday, going out to Middle Ground with our ubiquitous "My Bonnie" scout, Dr. Steve Eliot of Weston, who was our skipper for the day. We didn't find the large stripers we'd hoped for, but we had many nice bluefish (10-12 pounds) as well as a lot of schoolies up to 27". Thanks, loyal scout, for a great trip!
Friday's weather was ideal for being out on the water. We had Ted Stenger of Rye NY, who brought along his brother, Tom, from Chestnut Hill PA, and Tom's 13-year-old son, Andrew. We worked around the Norwalk Islands and brought in blues up to 8 pounds and striped bass up to 29", after which we found blues on the surface--bringing them in on poppers and bucktails. The action was steady throughout the morning, and everyone was very satisfied with the catch. A family barbecue was planned for the evening, and there'll be plenty of fish filets for the grill.
George Phillips of Fairfield booked us on Saturday as a treat for his three children, Michael, Sara, and Abby. At the Norwalk Islands we immediately found bluefish up to 11.5 pounds, and seven striped bass up to 26". Moving eastward, we found a body of schoolie bass that we caught on tube & worm. The trip ended with some porgy action--always a treat for the kids. The Phillips four went home laden down with filets and lots of fish stories to tell family and friends.
On Sunday we sailed with Nancy Troy, visiting from Ohio, her son Marshall, and his fiancee, Sarah, of Norwalk. We had immediate action, just five minutes after leaving the dock--working around pilings at Wilson Cove--catching schoolie bass and porgies. We then moved outside The Islands and did well with large blues up to 11 pounds and some stripers, including one keeper. When things slowed down, we moved towards Westport and pulled in bass and blues until it was time to go home.
Monday morning we enjoyed the company of Jay Dewing and his daughter, Annabel--and Jay's sister, Madeline Moss and her children, George and Ali--who reside in West Palm Beach and Southport. We were under time constraints, as they all had to get to the airport right after our trip, but within three hours we were able to land 10 bluefish, ranging from 4-12 pounds, four striped bass, and a few porgies. The children were between 5 and 10 years of age; they were all good fishermen and a pleasure to have aboard. Jay will be coming back this way in the fall, and he's looking forward to a return trip aboard "My Bonnie".
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