Region's anglers await calm

[Sam]

With storms continuing to roll in with startling regularity, April has been anything but a terrific month for anglers.

Freshwater anglers faced fast-running rivers and streams and fewer fish numbers. Saltwater types who weren't blown away by the chilly winds found themselves standing in still-murky waters caused by snow runoff and the persistent storms. "It wasn't the kind of situation where you could just sit on your favorite rock and haul them in," said Kevin Korchman of Ted's Bait & Tackle. "The guys who knew what they were doing did pretty well." Joe Sobolewski weighed in a 5.10-pound brown trout at Korchman's shop while Clay Collier came in with a 2-pound small-mouth bass from Candlewood Lake. But take heart, all signs point to vastly improved conditions in both freshwater and saltwater environs in the coming days and weeks. With the state Department of Environmental Protection holding off its full stocking schedule until the rivers return to their normal banks, many opening day fishermen went home empty-handed last weekend. With things at last settling down however, the DEP stockers will be out in force this week loading rivers, streams and ponds with their full quota of hatchery-raised browns, rainbows and brookies. So if you were among the opening day anglers who got shortchanged, don't despair. Make an effort to get out this weekend.

The results could be dramatically different. Check with local tackle shops for info on the most heavily stocked places. As for Long Island Sound, reports of a large early season push of bunker (Menhaden to some) into the Western Sound portend a strong season to come. Already large numbers of schoolie bass between 16 and 24 inches have started to move out of the river mouths and estuaries to the beaches. One Milford angler posted a report on CTfisherman.com that his flounder trip in the lower Housatonic was spoiled because the stripers were taking his worms before they reached the bottom. Capt. Chris Elser, who operates his charter boat "Striper Sniper" out of Westport Outfitters in Norwalk, said he has not seen this many bunker this early in his 30 years of fishing the Sound.

"If there's this many bait fish around, you know there going to be a lot of fish arriving soon to chase it," he said. Elser also said he spotted a large school of herring off Greenwich last week. Some nice catches were weighed in at Bob's Bait & Tackle in Milford last week. Dave Jadach, son of owner Bob Jadach, said Danny Carroll came in with an 8.71-pound rainbow he caught in the Farmington River, and Matt Saxton hauled in a 4-plus- pound brown in the Saugatuck River. Courtney Monroe took a 19-inch rainbow at Southford Falls State Park. On the salt side, Dave said Jan Zimmerman and Chris Schneider weighed in 7.2-pound and 6.5-pound blackfish, respectively. Dave said that his customers have been catching "all the schoolie bass they want" from the mouth of the Housatonic to Devon boat ramp. Jimmy Orifice at Jimmy O's Bait and Tackle was excited over the terrific flounder fishing between the mouth of the Saugatuck River in Westport and Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk.

Vigorous chumming with clams is still a must to be successful with the flounder. n Fairfield's Fred Filicci was one of 11 fishing instructors honored recently by Gov. M. Jodi Rell for their more than 20 years of service to the DEP. Department commissioner Gina McCarthy said that in all, the 11 instructors had taught more than 38,000 state children to art of angling in their collected years. n On May 12, Beardsley Park in Bridgeport will be the site for the kickoff of this year's DEP-sponsored Great Park Pursuit, a family fishing event. DEP instructors will be on had to help participants with tackle bait and techniques. n The DEP's Connecticut Aquatic Resources Education (CARE) program is part of the agency's "No Child Left Inside" initiative this spring. The aim of the program is to teach Connecticut families how to catch some of the more than 400,000 trout the DEP will stock in the state's ponds, lakes, rivers and streams this season.

To find an already scheduled free fishing course, visit the DEP Web site at www.ct.gov/dep (click on the CARE in the search box) or call the Inland Fisheries Division at (860) 424-FISH. Many CARE courses are scheduled in the coming weeks. Since 1986 CARE instructors have taught over 115,000 citizens about water, fish and fishing through free classes and outdoor workshops. n The Noreast.com Striped Bass Memorial Classic is Memorial Day Weekend (May 26-28). The top prize is $10,000. Local tackle shops are participating as registration and weigh stations, where catches can be weighed and recorded. The largest combined weight of two striped bass, 30-34 inches, wins.

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