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More sight fishing

2K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  Sean Juan 
#1 ·
I caught the last of the outgoing and most of the incoming tide yesterday in the same CT/RI location as a few weeks ago. The sky was clear, the sun was bright, and there were fish to be seen.......along with a few hundred people. :roll:

Plenty of folks out enjoying the day and the very flats that I was fishing. The stripers weren't exactly freaked out, but they were definitely more tight-lipped than my last trip here. I saw about twenty fish, hooked four, and landed three. All three fish took a sandeel colored whitebait mushy, and the lost fish was the biggest and took a crab fly.

Now I know why I was the only one fishing the area; other people probably assumed that there was too much commotion for the fish to be on the flats. But they were there for the picking and with the right presentation they definitely were willing to eat.
 
#2 ·
Nice! I've fished where the fish were so close to the swimmers that I wasn't able to safely cast at the fish. Well, it would have been safe in my opinion but the swimmers probably wouldn't have felt the same way :hihi: . Did anyone seem surprised that you were catching fish in the area?

Q
 
#3 ·
Sometimes in September when I'm at Weekapoug looking for albies, if the fishing is slow and the weather nice, I'll do some bodysurfing off the beach on the east side. I have often noticed that there are good sized stripers that hang around the swimmers there. Using mask and snorkle I have demonstrated to myself that the fish are actively feeding around the swimmers on bottom critters stirred up by people's feet. I have had two or three bass at a time that would follow me as I walked backwards scuffing my feet in the sand. If I made agressive moves towards them, they would just lazily and calmly get out of my way only to return immediately, unfazed. Sometimes when the water is clear non-fishing swimmers notice the fish. Some freak out a bit and others think they're cool and watch them.
Obviously I can't fish amongst the swimmers, but anytime I return when no one is swimming, the fish are gone. I'm convinced those fish are intentionally associating with the swimmers to forage.
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the report Mark. That area has gotten a lot of attention this year as it is one of the few reliable spots to find fish on a consistent basis during the summer months. I have finally smartened up after all these years and I too have been slinging crabs more than anything else. Alan Caolo's Diablo Crab, A tweeked Wooly Bugger with dumbell eyes and sili legs has been the go to fly when the bass get finicky and there are loads of small sand eels present. I think the willingness of many not to use a crab comes from the instinctive need to cast and strip the fly. A real no no with crab patterns so it tends not to come out of the flybox. One of our mentors in the crab dept. ties his crab patterns using 1/2 and 3/4 inch E-Z Body which when tied properly outfishes everything I've tried. One look at it and you would wonder but it works like a charm. Could be the reason I can't find any E-Z Body in that size at any of the shops in my vicinity!

I think it's time for a mid week (less crowed) yak clave at said spot.

Phil
 
#5 ·
Quentin- I had an audience on a few occasions, but I land and release my fish without any flair. A few folks asked questions when I left the flat, and I was more than happy to answer.

Mike- I've seen the same thing at Weekapaug, and agree that the stripers associate wading feet with the potential for food. Clam diggers and sand eel rakers do the same thing on flats.

Phil- I think you're right about a mid-week venture to this spot. Please note however that among all of the people there, I was the only one fishing. If you can put up with a crowd of beachcombers and picnics, the fish are there to be had, if not a bit on the skittish side. I'll let you know when I'm headed there again, and sorry we couldn't connect with our respective schedules.
 
#6 ·
Sounds like I have a new favorite spot for skipping rocks....

I've come to the conclusion that what bass really like is something different.

My best night this year was when I was fishing under the bright lights of several amatuer fireworks displays - I almost didn't bother because I figured it would be a bust but the lights made the sandeels go nuts and consequently the bass as well.
 
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