THE BRANFORD BEACON, CT
Ahead of us—we’re closing fast—lies a red-and-white diamond-shaped dayboard. It’s a bull’s-eye to me, marking one spot where we always catch fish: the Branford Beacon.
Known to most locals as “the Beacon,” our no-fail spot is situated about two miles south of Indian Neck, a small peninsula in Branford, Connecticut. The Beacon is home to several coveted Sound species from mid May through early November. Shaped like a teardrop, this reef runs north to south, with the tip pointing north; importantly, it also rests perpendicular to the tide flow, allowing a distinctive rip line to form, where fish gather. The reef is composed of granite ledge, which creates a great fishing structure. Although measuring only a few feet deep by the marker, the depth drops to approximately 25 feet around the edges and then takes a sharp 80-foot dive just past the reef’s northern tip.
Many anglers choose this area because, unlike other nearby spots, the Beacon is safe, convenient and offers a 1/3-mile-long fish-attracting structure. This prime fishing ground also draws a variety of fish, and offers several effective methods to catch them. You can reach the Beacon via several routes; we usually launch at the Branford ramp and make a comfortable 15-minute run to the reef. Some anglers depart from nearby Guilford or New Haven marinas, each within manageable distance.
“The Branford Beacon,” says Capt. Tom Migdalski, who has fished this reef for over 30 years, “is one of the most productive and easiest reefs to fish in Long Island Sound. While diamond jigging is my preferred technique, other anglers opt for anchoring and dunking bunker chunks or trolling wire-line.” The good news: all three methods affectively attract numerous striped bass and bluefish.
“If you’re not catching fish on one spot, it’s important to move; the fish don’t hold in any one particular rock grouping every day,” he adds. “A great feature of the Beacon is its profile, which is not very jagged, so you rarely snag and lose lures there.”
Striped bass frequent the Beacon starting around May 15, and depart about November 10, or when the water temperature falls below 50 degrees. Meanwhile, the Beacon attracts and holds big porgies and bluefish from mid-June to the first frosty fall day. The porgy fishing is best on the broken bottom along the southeast side of the reef. Traditional porgy techniques, like using sandworms or cut squid for bait, work well here. The stripers and bluefish often favor the rockier northern half of the reef and can be caught using a variety of jigs, bait or bucktail lures.
The shallow mid-section of the structure collects dense weeds that readily pin themselves on a trolled lure if an absent-minded angler motors too close. Avoid the area nearest the beacon; instead, run parallel to the reef, from north to south. Conversely, when jigging, drift with the tide perpendicularly across the reef. But be mindful of the current direction, as bluefish and stripers hold on the eastern side with the flood tide, and the western side on the ebb tide. It’s easy to spot the folks who don’t know what they’re doing because they fish so far down-current of the reef.
Whether you’re looking to land a striped bass in the spring or hook a porgy or bluefish in the summer, the Branford Beacon consistently proves to be a reliable and easily fishable hot spot. Hope to see you there!