Fresh & Salt Reports

[Sam]

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

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 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.

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.

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