Hillyer's Tackle

Ed at Hillyer’s Bait and Tackle said local fishing has been good, especially for striped bass since the storm blew through. Stripers are being caught locally, in the bay, at Black Point and beyond and he said the number of eels he’s selling has been a good indication of how hot the bite is. Bass are also falling to topwater plugs during blitzes as they bust up schools of small bait. There are cocktail sized blues cruising around as well, confusing some anglers out looking for hardtails. Most customers have reported seeing bonito around since the blow, but not albies. Bottom fishing effort has waned in the week since the storm but that will all change on this Saturday the 10th. He said there’s lots of interest in the upcoming fall tog season and the store is ready to go. They are loaded up with tackle and all kinds of jigs including the shop special, four for ten dollars, a hit with his customers last year. They will have crabs on hand and if you’re looking to buy in bulk you can give the shop a call. He also said that they have plenty of plugs, plastics and tins and epoxy jigs on the wall, ready for anglers looking to get in on whatever kind of fall run action you’re looking to get in on.

Ed at Hillyer’s Bait and Tackle said that while the fishing had been quiet locally, the store was seeing some traffic from folks in to gear up for fall fishing once they can get back on the brine. He did mention he’d heard of some decent striper fishing around the mouths of the Connecticut and Thames Rivers. He said there’s lots of interest in the upcoming fall tog season and the store is ready to go. They are loaded up with tackle and all kinds of jigs including the shop special, three for ten dollars, a hit with his customers last year. He also said that they have plenty of plugs, plastics and tins and epoxy jigs on the wall, ready for anglers looking to get in on whatever kind of fall run action crops up on the other side of this storm. He mentioned that if last year is any guide, picking spots between storms will be critical to staying on top of whatever bite you’re looking to get in on. One shared hope he talked about from the striper crew was that this storm blows the sharks out of our waters for the season.