Printer Friendly Version - Sharks and Stripers are Here, but What of the Bites?

Oliver Mancini (10) of Guilford caught this 30” striped bass that fell for an umbrella rig while trolling the Sound. Photo courtesy of Captain Morgan

Small bluefin tuna was the fish of the day, as Chris Pesce and the Madison crew of Nate Kissel, Anthony Pesce, and Nick Dietz had a good trip fishing for these squid hounds. Both Kissel and Dietz scored their first tuna on the trip. Photo courtesy of Captain Morgan

Nate Kundrath (9) caught his very first saltwater fish, a black sea bass, while fishing Long Island Sound for the first time, as local relatives cheered him on. Photo courtesy of Captain Morgan

Are striped bass learning and becoming more leery of sharks in Long Island Sound? Sharks in the Sound are not a new occurrence. They have been cohabiting with fish and people for years, and, with the rare non-threatening interaction with a person, life has been fairly non-eventful.

After all, our familiar sharks are rather docile. They form a valuable link in the food chain while seeking out a variety of marine life for nourishment. Some are hatched from eggs laid by the mother. Others originate from eggs hatched inside the mother, and then the babies are born. From the pup stage on forward, they are aided by their highly developed sensory organs to hone in on food.

To sharks, a fish is food, and they have adapted very efficiently to seek them out, and, in typical shark behavior, stealthily hunt and attack their prey. During the past two seasons, striped bass emerged as one of their prominent victims. Scouring and attacking from the sea bottom, a striped bass hooked and being reeled in is just too tempting of a meal to pass up.

So far this season, those encounters have been fewer in number. Like great white sharks that move when orcas come onto the scene, have striped bass learned to avoid shark predation by favoring shallow waters and key tidal rivers? We all know that catches of over-the-slot stripers have been exceptional. We also know that sharks have been known to feed in shallow water when taking advantage of a sudden drop-off. However, attacks on striped bass have not occurred as readily in rivers and shallow bays.

We still have a ways to go before days really shorten, waters cool, and summer wanes. In the meantime, waters will average around 73 degrees, and there is ample time for an increase in striped bass predation by sharks. Time will tell, as fishers, striped bass, and sharks become more aware of this phenomena that, perhaps, has been going on for longer than we thought.

Our area is squeezed, as it remained in between broad high pressure offshore and broad low pressure to the west. A warm front approached, followed by a series of weak fronts that moved through the area as high as 80 degrees to the low 90-degree temperatures through the week. A mix of a few thunderstorms and periods of rain kept days unsettled, as sun mixed with clouds filled several of those days. Air temperatures dipped into the low 80s before moderating, and Long Island Sound water temperatures did not deviate much from 72 to 74 degrees, as gusty winds to 20 knots shifted, and seas subsided from two to three feet to a foot or less.

A touch of fall was felt in the wee hours of the morning, so the break from the heat and wet conditions was welcomed. The main focus is still on striped bass, even though some fishers are beginning to take them for granted. Some of the more senior, experienced bass hounds seem to be begging off of them, primarily because seeking, hooking, and reeling them in has almost become routine. In short, the lure of the challenge has lost a certain mount of luster - not withstanding the early and late hours they have been used to over the years.

Contrasting that, there have been more slot limit fish and smaller ones that have been caught lately. These younger fish are providing a lot of sport for many recreational fishers, and many of those fishers are thrilled when hooking into fish over 40” as well. Those over 40” are beginning to either thin out in the Sound, or they are getting smarter as water temperatures get warmer. For now, stripers are taking all forms of live and frozen baits, soft and hard artificials and, especially, diamond jigs. Linesiders are favoring rip lines and drop-offs, low light conditions, and, at times, daylight. Trollers are connecting with umbrella rigs and jerking bucktails. It is the deeper, cooler running water that has been holding fish, and when menhaden are stacked up, all the better!

Last week’s humidity and air temperatures began to really feel like summer. Water temperatures moved sea life around, and feeding, although heavy at times, eased due to a slower rate of fish digestion. As we have seen, striped bass have taken it in stride. Meanwhile, porgy and spot have cranked up their feeding. Larger porgies have been repeatedly hooked using seaworms and/or squid and are being caught closer to shore, as well as throughout the Sound. Solo blackfish (tautog) have been caught from shore on crabs, clams, and sea worms, while a few vessels were out dropping crabs between the rocks not far from shore.

The jury is out on whether we will see bluefish stack up and blitz again, as they did later last season. Blues ran pretty good in the western Sound and have been feeding in The Race with intermittent schools of medium-sized fish being caught throughout the central Sound, however, blitzes have been restrained due to lack of numbers. It seems as though the action everyone waits for is most likely running late, even though schools of menhaden have been piling up. There are snappers being caught but not at a fever pitch. A small spoon or shiner will get some action when they are around, if a fluke does not sink its teeth in the belly and swim off.

Most of the fluke caught along the shoreline have been under-sized. Some will measure to keeper size and slightly above, however, do not rule out a possible mini-doormat that ventured into main tidal rivers or is feeding along the bottom in deeper water north of Long Sand Shoal. Rigs, bucktail jigs, and squid with up-line teasers and spearing or scented twister tails have broken the dry spell for several fishers that have been drifting the grounds. And yes, juvenile weakfish are still feeding on small baits and lures that are generally being encountered near-shore along the rips, tidal rivers, and bays.

Scup fever is taking hold, as dinner plate size slabs are being caught. Most reefs, humps, rock piles, and jetties throughout the Sound are holding these scrappy feeders. Seaworms, squid, clams, etc., will easily be gobbled up. Fun on light gear, these aggressive saltwater panfish are one of the Sound’s favorites to catch and eat. Not all the fish reeled in while fishing in scup grounds will be porgies. Spot croaker, another good table food, have made their presence known and are being quite competitive in the food chain. At the moment, there are no CT regulations on the species, but they are regulated in the DelMarVa region.

Shark activity and catches are up in the Sound. Mostly smooth dogfish, but a few protected species that inhabit our local waters, are feeding, as well. These are generally not aggressive and rather docile unless provoked - unintentionally or otherwise. However, striped bass need to be wary of our brown (sandbar) sharks, since they have taken a liking to their flesh and consider them food. Bottom fishers will also encounter skate, sea robins, northern kingfish, puffers, toadfish, and other fish migrating up from southern waters. Scoop, hand line, or trap in the estuaries, and you can fill a bucket with some sizable Jimmie’s when carefully picking your tide and location.

Venture inland for continued above average fishing activity. Lakes and ponds may be choked with growth, however, using the vegetation as cover, many species are lurking in and around it. From lily pads to weeds, they quickly absorb nutrient-rich water, thus providing that great cover. It also claims terminal gear, so weedless lures will help in a cleaner retrieve. Whether gearing up for bass and other large predators to bluegills, fishing now is awesome, but it will become more of a challenge as water conditions become more affected by the summer heat. Switching over to trout (both stocked and native), conditions now are challenging both for spinning and fly fishers but are very doable.

Note: Email us pics of your catches to share with our USA and International fishing friends who keep up with the latest fishing news and frequent social media.

For all things fishy, including the latest gear, flies/fly fishing, rods/reels, clam/crabbing supplies, fishing trips, licenses/permits, and much more, swing by the shop (203-245-8665), open seven days, located at 21 Boston Post Road, Madison. Until next time from your Connecticut shoreline's full-service fishing outfitter and Authorized Penn Premium Dealer, where we don't make the fisherman, we make the fisherman better.