The spring sand eel run brings more than just stripers into the western Sound surf.
May marks a month of transition in the surf fishing season. As the chill of early spring fades away, my focus shifts from the fast-warming tidal creeks and rivers to traditional open beach spots on Long Island Sound. This period also represents a shift in expectations; through April I am content to catch a few schoolies and shake off the rust after a long winter, but as the warming waters of the Sound come to life I begin to crave more action and bigger fish.
The last few years, the month of May has been highlighted by the arrival of large schools of small sand eels that flood the beaches of the western Sound. This influx of bait drives some of the most productive and fun fishing of the season, and is something I really look forward to. By day there is great multispecies light tackle action with schoolies, hickory shad, fluke, and wolfpacks of sea robins which can actually be a lot of fun with the right mindset. By night, the smorgasbord of sand eels draws the attention of larger bass and even weakfish, and has provided some of my most consistent surf success over the last few years.
Lures & Baits
The spring sand eel run consists of bite-sized 2- to 3-inch baits; these aren’t the full-sized models that fueled the Block Island needlefish revolution in the 1980s, but they still draw lots of gamefish. As such, I leave my big plugs at home and downsize my lures to better match the small forage. By night I primarily throw small needlefish like the 5-inch Super Strike Super-N-Fish or the diminutive R.M. Smith Sand Eel. The plugs can be fished by themselves or used to deliver teasers if the fish are being picky. For teasers, I like to use a simple bucktail teaser or a small soft plastic like the Red Gill sand eel. If using a teaser, instead of tying my leader directly to my mainline, I will use a barrel swivel and tie the teaser off the swivel with a 4- to 6-inch length of fluorocarbon. The stiffness of the fluorocarbon helps keep the teaser away from the leader and minimizes fouling.
I have also had luck fishing an unweighted Albie Snax the same way I would fish a needlefish; slow steady retrieve with occasional light twitches. The Albie Snax cast surprisingly well and really shine when the fishing is tough. I can’t say what it us, but the soft plastic may have a more enticing action and, for some reason, gets bit when fish are refusing to eat plugs. That said, I prefer fishing needlefish since they cast better and – on the whole – produce a better grade of fish.
Daytime Opportunities
During the daytime it can be necessary to downsize the presentation even further, and in those situations, the smallest Ron-Z is my go to bait. I actually keep one of them in the chest pocket of my waders just in case I run into a situation where the fish are really keyed in on small bait or just shunning everything else I throw at them.
| TIMING TIDERUNNERS |
| Weakfish are arguably the most beautiful fish in the Sound. From May through early June, weakfish move inshore to spawn. The presence of big schools of sand eels can help hold weakfish in the area and improve fishing. Weakfish actively feed through the spawn and will readily hit soft plastics such as Zoom Flukes or paddletails rigged on half-ounce or lighter jigheads. I have also had success with small bucktails, and 4- to 5-inch lipped swimming plugs. Weakfish are notorious for hitting pink-colored baits, but absolutely hit other colors. Fishing at night offers the best chance to connect with weakfish from the surf, where the nights surrounding the full moon can be particularly good. The early morning and sunset periods can also be productive but are less consistent. During the day weakfish seem to shift to deeper water in areas adjacent to the shallow sandbars. |
The spring sand eel run is a golden opportunity for fly fishermen. The abundance of small baitfish draws fish within easy casting range, and saltwater flies imitate sand eels better than anything else. Patterns to try include the Surf Candy, Clousers, and really any kind of thin body streamer. A stripping basket is a must while wading, the current will carry the fly line away from you and make it difficult to cast. I don’t do much saltwater fly fishing, but this is one of the few times of the year where I will, sometimes, leave the spinning rod at home.
The sand eels will form very large schools that can extend for hundreds of yards. They tend to remain in the same area for a while for once they show up, which gives multiple opportunities to fish once the bait has been located. In my experience, the sand eels will arrive in mid to late May and hang around throughout most of June. The presence of so much bait can be a double-edged sword; it is great since it will attract the predatory fish but it can also be a challenge getting your lure to standout enough to get bit. One school of thought is to try and match the hatch, and the other is to do something different to make your lure standout in the crowd. Both strategies work, and it’s up to the angler to listen to the fish and see what the right move is on a given trip.
Sand Eel Spots
During the spring sand eel run I focus my fishing on sandbars and spits with good current as well as the flats outside of tidal rivers. There are a number of long linear sandbars in the Sound that get covered over at higher stages of the tide. As the tide washes over the bar it picks up speed, and creates a sharp rip line. I like to target the trough on either side of the bar, but it is also worth blind casting the area surrounding the bar since the schools of sand eels can cover such a large area. These same types of spots are also textbook zones for targeting weakfish from May to early June.
The current moving over a narrow bar can be quite swift, so it is important to keep safety in mind and understand your limitations, especially when fishing at night. Tidal rivers dump sediment into the Sound that accumulates into flats and bars. These areas also include dredged and natural channels, the edges of the channels are prime areas to target and can be easily accessed by wading on the shallow flats. Compared to fishing rocky shores, the sandbars and flats are really enjoyable due to easy wading on the smooth bottom and the light tackle that can be used without fear of getting broken off on a boulder. I primarily use a light 9-foot surf rod spooled with 20-pound test braid; at night I will use a 40-pounder leader and scale back to 20-pound fluorocarbon during the day.
Bottom Dwellers
Glamorous predators like stripers and weakfish are not the only species lining up at the sand eel buffet, there is great fun to be had with less charismatic bottom dwellers like sea robins and fluke. Sea robins, affectionally known as “birds”, may never fully shed their reputation as trash fish, but their shallow water antics chasing sand eels and other small bait have won me over. They have a tendency to move in packs of two to four fish and will follow lures right to your feet and aggressively attack just about any bait if given the opportunity.
| KNOCKIN’ ROBINS? |
| We’ve all heard that sea robins are supposed to be good eating, but most of us have never tried them. Scan the QR code to watch Editor, Dave Anderson learning how to cook a sea robin from James Beard Award winner, Chef David Standridge of The Shipwright’s Daughter in Mystic, CT. |
The clear early season water allows for easy sight casting or hilarious games of keep away where I can watch multiple robins, with their copper wings spread wide, jostle for position to eat my bait only to pull it away at the last second. On calm mornings, “birds” can even be seen tailing just under the surface as they chase sand eels. These visual displays are reminiscent of tailing redfish, and have led to a long running inside joke imagining an artful flyfishing documentary titled “The King of the Flats” about the pursuit of sea robins.
Early season fluke certainly take notice of the sand eels and will follow them into relatively shallow areas, but fluke action can be a little more hit and miss in wadeable areas. They are most often caught as happy bycatch when targeting stripers, but with experience can be found in more consistent numbers.
Lessons Learned
I moved to western CT in 2019, and first noticed the swarms of sand eels during a daytime recon trip where I was trying to scout my new home waters. Encouraged by the signs of life, I made note and planned a return trip where I was rewarded with some of my first bass since the move. This was a reminder of the value of simply spending time at the water and tuning into the happenings of the aquatic world. Surf fishing is at its best when there is an understanding of why the fish are in a certain area and what they are feeding on. Daytime reconnaissance is one of the best ways to learn new spots and get the pulse of fish in the area.
As the Long Island Sound comes to life in May, there is no shortage of angling options, but I am not sure there are any that can match the fun of catching stripers in shallow water feeding on sand eels. It’s hard to top the enjoyment of fishing in a t-shirt on a warm May night, easy wading on a sandbar, and the spirited runs of a good bass streaking across the shallows. With the heart of the 2025 fishing season coming on quick, kick things off in style and cash in on the spring sand eel bite.
