Captain Morgan's Bait and Tackle

Captain Morgan’s emailed over their report to say, “Small bunker schools were pushed into the Sound. Fishing on both sides of I-95 beat back any disruption from recent storm conditions. Water temperatures dropped a little but are still around 64 degrees, with no significant signs of any seasonal fish high-tailing out, seas simmered down, topwater action continued as before - even an improvement, still numbers of brown sharks to work around. Blackfish season opens this Saturday in CT and NY on Sunday; toggers have been out already testing the waters and have been finding small local togs active in the shallow, rocky structures. Next week’s cooldown should crank it up. During this neap moon phase along with an incoming tide, striped bass have been moving in and out of tidal rivers and feeding by the nearshore and offshore reefs. At this point, black sea bass is considered a popular target primarily, for the table. There was little sign of the slowly down other than movement between the shallows and deeper water reefs. There is no shortage of small fish so, heading to deeper grounds is recommended. From bare jigs to rigs/squid, they continue to quite and active briny fish. Jumbo porgies have been the talk, but now that the commercial scup possession limit has been increased to 12,000 pounds through December, 31st, some of those jumbos may be harder to come by. There are more bluefish (including snapper blues) in the pool taking and assortment of artificials and baits. Weakfish remain in the mix while hardtails – mainly bonito – have been scattered, and reacting to swimming jigs, epoxies and flies. Looking for mini-doormat fluke? So is everyone else! Catches of smaller fluke are being made in clearer, easy-moving water that might be by a nearshore shoal or entrance to a tidal river. Check out the hickory shad run as well as the rest of the feeding bottom fishery that remains quite active.  Sweet water anglers take note. The Fall stocking program is underway. From the bassses to trout, lakes, ponds, rivers and state parks will even get better. Other than a very brief hitch, the storm did little to interrupt the outstanding fishing. Fall fishing when the season transitions from Summer to Fall, is a great time to be wetting line. For more   this flip-flop but good fishing  season and much more, click over to Captain Morgan’s fishing blog. Captain Morgan’s (an Authorized PENN Premium and Daiwa Tournament Dealer) is getting ready for the Fall season while supporting the fishing community. Calling ahead (203-245-8665) and leaving a message is advisable. Pay us a visit at 21 Boston Post Road, Madison and you will see why, as a seasoned full-service fishing outfitter, we say, ‘We don’t make the fisherman, we make the fisherman better.’”

Captain Morgan’s emailed over their report to say, “The only action encountered was pre-Nor’easter when striped bass exploded into an extremely live blitz in the Connecticut River. Surface action erupted complete with baitfish and, diving birds as linesiders (en masse) attacked spooks and other topwaters as if this was their last Fall meal. Beyond that, Bluefish and weakies joined in the run farther offshore while the search for bonito picked up from the previous day’s melee. Snapper blues were also in abundance along with some bottom fish activity which included sea bass and porgies. With the threat of the storm, attention was focused on hauling vessels - some temporarily and others cutting their season short. Not sure what happened at the Norwalk Boat show but the last time I was at it when a major storm hit, waves crashed the docks and caused them to sway like a wave at a football stadium. We walked like drunken sailors! By the way, freshwater continued on a hot streak with bass, bottom fish and panfish dominating majority of the action. Needless to say, fishing was curtailed over the weekend. For more on this unusual but good fishing season and much more, click over to Captain Morgan’s fishing blog. We are open for business as usual and still packing the walls with weekly deliveries to meet demand. To accommodate, we are fully stocked with natural, artificial (including flies) and live baits, to fill your fishing needs - including servicing rods and reels. Gift Certificates, too! Time permitting, we will do our best to assist anglers who have difficulty acquiring licenses on line. If you are looking for popular productive spots in the Sound and want to set up your electronics for your specific fishing needs, swing by the shop and check out one of our marked and recently updated charts for sale. Captain Morgan’s (an Authorized PENN Premium and Daiwa Tournament Dealer) is getting ready for the Fall season while supporting the fishing community. Calling ahead (203-245-8665) and leaving a message is advisable. Pay us a visit at 21 Boston Post Road, Madison and you will see why, as a seasoned full-service fishing outfitter, we say, ‘We don’t make the fisherman, we make the fisherman better.’”