Hi carlynewlondon,

If you're asking me about terminal tackle, I use as long a leader as I can get away with for the conditions. Typically between 3'-4' but shorter if my back-cast or high winds require it.

For leader material, I prefer flouro but most others use generic mono (Cabela's, et c.) or premium mono (Ande, et c.). I like the abrasion resistance of a decent flouro, and use 8# flouro as a leader.

However I'm using U/L equipment, a Penn 4200 ss reel on an Ugly Stik one-piece rod. I prefer a braided line on that little spool on this set up for these reasons, 1) NO LINE MEMORY (it casts like a dream), and 2) abrasion resistance. Back in the day, when I used mono on the spool, I'd HAVE to re-spool at least once each outing. And that was time off the water, and not casting or catching, and, worse, it got expensive due to a lot of lost terminal rigs (and mono). Now, I occasionally put on a short top-shot of fresh braid, here and there, when conditions are rough on the terminal end. I may reverse the line on the spool perhaps once a year, and after a couple of years, I'll re-spool--pretty economical by contrast!

Hope this helps, and if you do make the trip--tight lines!

I arrived at Bissell about 4:30 pm today (28.April), and it wasn't looking good, as the wind was already blowing up, and cold, from Hartford. There were no shad on the bank from what I could see. A few regulars were working the river but with the wind, it wasn't panning out. I made a couple of forlorn casts as I waited for a friend to arrive, and it just wasn't worth the effort in the cold wind, and chop. As soon as he showed up about 4:45, we headed over to Bart's.

At Bart's we headed up above the RR bridge. The water was as low as we've seen it, thus far, this year, and we were alone on the bank. The bridge's footings were exposed but the water was clear, clean, and flowing fairly well. Less than a dozen casts in, I C & R a large, fat blue back herring, for what I thought would keep the skunk off. It was the first blue back I've seen this year, and I wasn't expecting, even, this fish. A few folx joined us, off and, on but the action was slow. My buddy played, and lost a couple over the next few hours, including one that looked like a roe. (He needs to work on his knots, that's all I'm saying...)
I had three good takes: a couple of head-shakes, and gone; a couple of runs in the current, and gone..and I finally got one in the net. A middlin' buck, ~3# sometime after 6:30 pm, C & R after a Kodak moment. I had to beat feet for a couple of items on my "Honey-do" list before 8 O'clock, and headed out ~7:15 pm.

Terminal tackle:
At Bissell: 3/4 oz drail over 3' flouro leader, and a hammered silver willow, red/yellow w/black dot, and the wind played havoc with casts.
At Bart's: 3/8 oz drail over 3' flouro leader; started with the same willow (as at Bissell) but switched to hammered silver, chartreuse w/black dot. Chartreuse had the most hits, and the score.

Tight lines!

Made the trip over to Bissell from about 2:30-5:30 pm. The water was WAY down from yesterday, and turbid. At least it was warm, and virtually windless down there. There were about a dozen people around but not all were fishing at the same time. A little while after I started fishing, a small buck was landed but it remained pretty quiet, and it was a while before another solitary shad was landed. About 4:pm the wind changed, and swung around to blow from Hartford. It got cold, the water became choppy, even more muddied, and a lot more debris drifted by. I wound up with the skunk today, and didn't see more than about 6 shad landed in the entire time I was there. At least 2 were nice big 4#+ roes, one came in before 5:pm, while the other came by a little after 5.

As boats came in off the water, their reports were consistent, lousy fishing today. Especially from 4:pm on, after the wind came up. Tight lines!

I went out to Bissell yesterday afternoon, 4.May: The water was up a couple of feet from my last trip (1.May) but still below the last cleat on the ramp; clear, flowing, and a little choppy owing to a stiff breeze out of the NW-NNW. It remained heavily overcast, with occasional passing showers. On arrival, about 4:30 pm there was one small shad in a bucket on the bank, and less than a dozen regulars between the parking lot and on the water combined. I warmed up with a few alewives, all C & R, and finally landed one middlin' buck ~3#, and promptly released him after a Kodak Moment ™. It was enough to keep the skunk off. By the time I left a little after 6:pm, there were a half dozen shad on the bank.

Terminal tackle: 5/8 oz drail, over ~3' of 8# flouro, and hammered silver willows in red/white w/black dot, orange w/black dot, and the shad'y orange/yellow/white w/eye spot on which I got my vitamin shad.


This afternoon after work, I arrived at Bissell to similar conditions of wind, weather and water. The water was up to the last cleat today, and the wind was blowing more fresh than yesterday but still cold and blowing out of the NW-NNW. At least it didn't rain or drizzle. There were only three people on the bank when I arrived about 4:30 pm, and only one in the parking lot. A half dozen casts into it, I C & R an alewife to warm up. Before 5:pm, I landed ~ 4# roe, which I kept for my table. It was almost 6:pm when I C & R a middlin' buck that might have weighed all of 3#, maybe a couple of ounces over if I thumbed the scale... As I left about 6:15 pm, I saw one small buck shad being landed, and except for one other alewife, there wasn't much catching today.

Terminal tackle: 5/8 oz drail, over 4' of 8# flouro, and hammered silver orange/yellow/white w/eye spot (got the roe on it before I lost the leaf), and red/white w/black spot.

Tight lines!

I met a couple of friends at Bissel after work, and fished from about 4:30 -7:15 pm. There were about 20 folx, mostly regulars, plying the water tonight. The water was down almost 2' from Monday, and clear. There was virtually no breeze until just before 5:pm when it turned around to come up from Hartford out of the South. It freshened, and cooled us off a little but not bad enough to get cold, stir up and muddy the water or set up a chop.

Alewives were pretty much the order of the day, outnumbering the shad by more than 2-1. And initially they kept the skunk off, and provided most of the entertainment between shad. It was the most alewives I've seen caught at a time, as yet, this year. Shad were caught but remained scattered through the day, most were smaller bucks but one nice fat roe was landed, too. I fought one small buck but lost it as it spit the hook before I could get more than a quick look at its tail but by 6:pm I had netted another.

Terminal tackle: 1/2 oz drail over 3 1/2' flouro leader, hammered silver w/red & white, black dot, and hammered silver w/orange/yellow/white, black dot. Tight lines!