Novice Saltwater Angler in Need of Advice

[JOHNNYBOY]

Hey all,
I am brand new to AtlanticAnglers and have been saltwater fishing (mostly from shore, jetties ect.) most of my life along the Western CT shoreline. Thanks to my Portuguese parents I have developed a taste for many of the species of fish available on our coastline. My fishing habits have been quite random, mostly fishing off rock jetties and from the surf around the milford area. I have managed to catch some tasty winter flounder and sizeable stripers already this year and would like to broaden my fishing repertoire. My rigging is usually on the simple side, primarily using a fish finder rig with sandworms and chunks of bunker. I know fishing is a sport of pertinence, but I feel like I’m stuck in a preverbal sandbar with my luck. I seem to shy away from larger hooks and bait that im not familiar with.

My question to those more seasoned CT fishermen is: what steps should I begin to take to improve the size of my catches along with the frequency? Also for those in my area, from surf/shore fishing perspective, what areas of CT are "Hot spots", and what tactics should I begin to take considering the time of year and my area?

Thanks so much for any feedback and I hope to explore this site in more depth and improve my fishing.

-Johnnyboy

[Steve]

Having fished in NY, I use the same rigs and bait that I do for the Mid-Atlantic area. Stripers love whatever the local fare is, on a ff rig with a 8/0 - 16/0 hook.