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January 3rd Mayhem

2K views 13 replies 6 participants last post by  steelheadmike 
#1 ·
Well kids the fat lady hasnt sung yet in my neck of the woods.

Recieved a few frantic calls on New Years Day and on the 2nd that very large fish where being caught and in tremendous numbers. Got 2 buddy's together with a boat to venture forth to head out on the 3rd. ( My boat has been put away due to steering cable defect ).

How it went down: We arrived @ the hush hush location around 8am ( high slack tide ).. waited for the water to move. Windless calm morning .. the bay like a mirror. Trolled a Jointed Bomber to find them first. Trolled 100yds before reel was singing. My buddy threw in a 350grn and a 9 inch Herring Pattern.... WHAM!!!! after being towed for 20yds we boated a 38 inch 23.2 pounder! Then all hell broke loose. We caught 5 or 6 more that pushed the 20lb mark ( Pictures will soon be posted ) on flies. In a nutshell with 3 guys on the boat fishing flies and light spin gear we landed over 60 fish with the average fish being 10-15lbs! Despite the chilly 39degree water temps these fish were HOT HOT HOT... lots of bruised knuckles and skinless thumbs .... The new year couldnt have started off any better!!!!

Side note: 2 fish were caught, weighed and released that exceeded the 35lb mark by other fisherman that day.:eyecrazy:
 
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#3 ·
Come On Down!!!

Juro,

If you are interested in checking out this highly productive area just let me know. The next warm snap should yeild some good fishing. My boat will be in the water by March 1st. Depending on water temps and food March through April is the easiest fishing you can ever have.

This outing we found fish by watching Bald Eagles swooping down to pick up the twinkie Stripers on the surface.

We also encountered a school of Stripers in the 10-20lb range lazily swimming on top. To give you an idea of how large the school was we sat for 2 hours in one spot with all three of us hooked up on every cast!!! Every 5th strip of the fly produced a hit. The water was so clear you could watch the fish follow it and turn on the fly just inches from the boat. The closest boat was 200yds away and we watched him land just as many!!! We estimated that the school had between 3 and 6 thousand fish in it. Not to mention that wasnt the only school working the bay!!! There were at least 4 other schools of fish that were visibly working off in the distance.
 
#4 · (Edited)
HI Steelhead Mike,

Sounds like some of the best winter striper fishin a guy could ask for. It would certainly be nice to get out and find fish like that. I sure would like to get out and fish alittle down in your neck of the woods on an upcoming reasonabley warm day. Any chance at catching some of those fish from shore?

I have been looking into trying to find some of the winter stripers alittle closer to home in the Thames or Connecticut river for instance, But I read a Freshwater fishing license is required in Connecticut anyway, not sure about RI at this point, guess it would depend if you go up river from the bay. Is a freshwater or saltwater license required in NY for the upper Hudson or Croton river for example?

Thanks, Greg.
 
#6 ·
The Skinny

Flyfish.. Im in NY ... not far from the Bronx.. so shoot me a PM and we can definately hook up. Should get real hot if the temps are in the high 40's for about 3 days or more.

Greg> Fish are attainable by shore.. the only SNAFU is that they constantly move around... you hit 10-15 then they move 100yds.. and not always close to the shore. Sometimes there maybe 10 schools of a thousand or more fish in each circuling around rooting on the bottom ( will notice thier mouths and noses are bloody when you land them )

There is however a NO MANS land that you can wade, yak, canoe or get a small 12-14ft motor boat into. This area is GREAT when its GREAT but can offer nothing a portion of the time (50/50 shot ). Great for a spey rod in some spots. But you will need a NY License. I have kept alot of these areas on the HUSH HUSH for years now. Most of the places are LOCALS only! I dont mind showing and sharing some of my secrets as long as they dont tell every Tom, Dick & Harry.

So in a nutshell shoot me a PM and Ill fill ya in when the Stripes pick back up again.

On a side note ... anyone looking for BIG bruiser Brown Trout ( 6-12lbs ) on the fly or noodle rod? I got the skinny that they are hitting again ( same as last year ). Anyone ever see a Brown Trout blitz on a school of Alweif? It's a wild sight.
 
#9 ·
Mike,
I think I know where you were fishing or the general area. If the temps get back up I will give you a buzz and try to make a ride up to see the action. Very cool story dude and in the middle of winter who is better than you??? I have not thought about fishing at all lately, first time was last Sunday at the Danbury Flyfishing Show and now this, it's got me thinking again. That is never a good thing when you hate your job situation, nothing like giving yourself a reason to get sick:devil: . Keep me posted buddy.

Mike M.
 
#11 ·
Mike

You can add me to your list of interested parties - would love to yak that area! Also got my watershed access permit last year for those lunker browns - bring on the thaw! ;)
 
#12 ·
Frozen solid?

Hey guys,

I' crossed over the Connecticut River yesterday coming back from Hartford, couldn't help but notice it was almost frozen over with this latest cold weather.
Quite a contrast from the week prior. Wouldn't be surprized if it's doing the same over in the Hudson or Croton Rivers as well. Might be awhile till things thaw out enough to go wet a line.

It would be great to hook up with you guys and check this out. I Will wait to hear when things open up from Mike. Might see you guys at the fly shows before we get back on the water with these cold temps.

Cheers,
Greg.
 
#13 ·
Re: Frozen solid?

GregD said:
...Might see you guys at the fly shows before we get back on the water with these cold temps.
Seriously; it was -13F with wind chill last night, currently -2F (-18C) with wind chill. This is in NYC, for those interested. All this and no snow... what a waste. If it's too cold to venture out, at least we could have a foot or two on the ground to make it truly worth while. Maybe I'll have better luck mid-week when I leave for Portland (ME).
 
#14 ·
Stripers on Ice

Drove by my Striper Hot spot over the weekend. Frozen over. Not thick ice though and yes there was some poor soul out there in his tin boat / ice breaker out jigging for them. Hear through the grapevine he caught 2 fish around the 8lb mark. Too damn cold for me but not by much!

Everyone keep your piggies crossed that we get a warm snap of air temps in the upper 40's for 3-5 days with sunny skies. The sun really makes a huge difference. Warms the area by as much as 4 degrees. May not sound like much but when the water is 36 and jumps to 40... the bite is on!
 
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