LOTS OF FISH...FINDING THEM IS KEEPING US HOPPING.
Capt. Sal Tardella
September 1, 2008
Norwalk Islands - Saltwater Fishing Report
We did two trips last Wednesday.
In the morning we had Michael Cohen of NYC and Westport--and his 11-year-old son, Ben. We headed toward Wilson Cove, where we found bunker schools--and using live bunker, we brought in bluefish around 10 pounds. For a change of pace, we used tube & worm around the Islands, bringing in schoolie bass up to 25". The early evening trip was with employees and guests of Jefferies & Company, a Stamford corporation. We picked up our passengers at the Indian Harbor Yacht Club in Greenwich, and as we approached Captain's Island, we came upon bluefish crashing on the surface, and everyone got into non-stop top-water action, with the blues ranging from 4 to 7 pounds. They called it quits early, as their muscles started to ache, and we brought the fishermen back to the yacht club for a corporate dinner.
Thursday's trip was a family affair. Our nephew, Michael Tardella, Jr. of New Fairfield, an avid fisherman and hunter--just like his father, Michael Sr.--brought his two young sons, Nicholas and Matthew (also budding sportsmen), to Norwalk for a day of fishing with Uncle Sal. We got into striped bass and bluefish, keeping the kids very busy for four hours. It was a wonderful opportunity for some quality time with the two younger generations.
We sailed early Friday morning with Terry Minor of Ridgefield and his friend, Jimmy--a local house painter. We headed out toward deep water and tried jigging off the Norwalk Islands--and were rewarded with striped bass up to 33" and blues 5-9 pounds. When the bite slacked off, we tried some porgy fishing and had steady action--with a few keepers and many throw-backs--all great fun for our anglers.
On Saturday morning we went out with William Mulvey of Greenwich, Russell Glen of Boston MA, and their friend, Jake Fixel. We did some bucktailing around the Islands and brought in some small striped bass, after which we moved eastward and used tube & worm around Westport, bringing in blues 3-5 pounds and some nice bass up to 25".
Sunday's trip was with Peter Ryan of Larchmont NY, and his children--Andrew and Michelle. The family wanted to catch some porgies, so we set up shop off of Long Neck Point, where we found plenty of action--with the porgies coming in at a non-stop clip-- measuring up to 15". Moving much further east in pursuit of striped bass, we brought in a few--with the largest being a 25-incher. We then made our way home, with everyone being bounced around in fairly rough water stirred up by midday winds.
On Labor Day we went out with New Canaanite, Paul Thompson--and his father, Alan Thompson of Bounder CO--as well as Tim Murphy and Adam Ramirez, both from New Canaan. We started off in Rowayton, fishing for porgies, with a lot of them coming in 14-15". Then we moved toward Darien and switched over our tackle for blues and striped bass--bringing in enough of both species to satisfy all of our anglers.
The fish have been playing hide-and-seek with us all week long. One day's action doesn't necessarily reprise itself the following day, and each trip presents its own unique challenge. We've been lucky enough to find fish for our passengers every day, but we're really hoping for more consistency and predictability in the coming weeks.
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