No Fish Today
Member
Registered: 09/04/03
Posts: 1380
D'ya miss me? I'm still here, and worse still, I'm back in my little corner of the fishing world. Shad! I've been out regularly down behind Bart's since mid-March, but we've only started hooking up within the last 2 weeks. This week, we are starting to see more than 1 a day, 'though they are still scattered. Fishing is better at the Wall since Saturday, than at Bart's, as the water there is too skinny, and lacks current.
20.April (4/20 stoners): I arrived at the wall about 11:am. Dylan, Miguel, Bill C., John, and a handful of other regulars were already plying the water. Scuttlebutt was 3-4 shad had been caught before I showed up. Bill managed to hook small buck as I started casting. A little while later, John landed another, and gave it to a woman who asked for it.
About 12:40 pm I had a solid hit close to the wall. It fought well in the current, but eventually came to the net. A small but feisty buck, my first of the year. After a Kodak™ moment, he went back in the drink. It turned out to be my One-a-Day vitamin shad. At 2:pm I headed home for Easter dinner with the family.
Another 3 or 4 shad had been caught by the time I left. With the nicer, warmer weather, the shad are beginning to move. Things should pick up over the coming week. It was nice to see some shad caught from shore this early in the season.
Tomorrow, I might slab by the Bissell in Wilson to see if anything is cooking. If so I give it a go. If not, I'll head down to the wall.
Tackle: Rod: 7' one-piece Ugly Stik GX2, med-heavy action Reel: Penn 4400SS spooled with 15# hi-viz yellow Power Pro.
Terminal tackle: 1-1/2 oz drail over a 4'+ flouro 10# leader, and hammered silver leaves in white with red St Andrew's cross, in green and yellow with an orange dot.
No Fish Today
Member
Registered: 09/04/03
Posts: 1380
21.April: I stopped by the Bissell Bridge/E. Barber St. after work, arrived just before 5:pm. Only 5 people on the ramp, and none fishing. Radio, reported that they had caught a couple earlier in the day before noon.
The wind was blowing up cold from Hartford. The river was choppy, and dirty, very turbid. I made a few furtive casts, but the wind was too much. I packed it in, jawed for a while, then headed home for supper. C'est la vie, c'est la guerre.
Tomorrow and Wednesday look to be better days. If I can get out of work on time, I may head down to the wall. If not, I'll try Bissell again if the Surf-Nazis aren't camped out on the ramp.
MikeV
Member
Registered: 07/07/03
Posts: 2515
Loc: Old Lyme
I was wondering when they would show. Glad to hear you have connected. I will put my shad outfit in the car so I can partake when I'm by the river. Keep at it. With today's temperature on the rise, the shad will be showing up in numbers soon . More important, the fish with stripes will be on their heals.
cat_in_the_hat
Member
Registered: 04/16/04
Posts: 2282
Loc: Tolland CT
First launch yesterday Thompsonville, first shad of the season. Plans are tomorrow launch Dexter Coffin bridge, Thursday launch Bissel bridge, wife claiming the car Friday & Saturday for a pottery show. Sunday launch Rocky Hill, Monday launch South Hadley MA, most every day thereafter somewhere. Being retired is a tough job but someone has to step up and get it done.
No Fish Today
Member
Registered: 09/04/03
Posts: 1380
22.April: Hey now, MikeV! Good call to keep the shad set-up handy in the car. They are showing up, and you're right, it's only going to get better with the mild temps.
cat_in_the_hat, good luck in your travels. Things are looking up all around.
I got out of work on time for a change, and arrived at Bissell about 4:20 pm. A small handful of regulars were taking casting practice as I set up. The water was clear, decent current, and only a little flotsam drifting by in the current. Surface temp was ~52º, maybe a hair more. The breeze was light, and out of the West, aiding and abetting casting distance.
Radio said they had good luck in the morning, he catching 3 or 4 himself. On my 3rd cast, I had a soft hit, and a couple of feeble head shakes. I figured a white or yellow perch, maybe a dinky bass. Until it put some back into it, and tugged hard. Fish on! It was far out, on the drop, and as the water got skinny it pulled out the stops, and ran off some line. I love the sound of the drag singing, and she made it sing a few times, 3 solid runs, and a couple of shorter ones as she tired. Radio netted her when I worked her in close enough. She was a nice fat roe, I'm guessing between 2.5#-3#. Radio is convinced she was over 3#. I'll never know, we didn't weigh her. She was slipped back into the drink after our Kodak™ moment.
About the time I landed and released the roe, a couple of other folx showed up with a kid, maybe 7 or 8 YO. One of the guys soon had a decent hookset that turned out to be a bronze-back. He let the kid reel it in for their own Kodak™ moment. The bass was only 8" or 9" long, but the kid's smile made it a lot bigger. And then it got quiet. About 6:15 pm another regular showed up, and hooked up a nice buck on his 3rd or 4th cast. About 6:30 pm I couldn't take the rumbly in my tumbly anymore, and headed home for supper.
The Surf-Nazis were not out in force today, only 2 showed up, and they had CT plates on their vehicles. They were considerate while launching, and motoring to and from the ramp. They played more than 1/2 way across the river. A tip of the CTF hat to them.
Much needed reel therapy this afternoon, with good company, and a couple of shad for good measure. I'll be back there again tomorrow after work.
Tackle: Rod: one-piece Ugly Stik, 4'6" U/L Pro Reel: Shimano Sahara FJ 1000, spooled with 15# Power Pro (Hi-Viz Yellow).
Terminal Tackle: 1/2 oz drail over a 4'+, 10# flouro leader, and a hammered silver willow leaf, in white with a red St. Andrew's cross.
No Fish Today
Member
Registered: 09/04/03
Posts: 1380
23.April: I headed over to Bissell after work, arriving about 4:20 pm. There were 3 shadaholics plying the water as I set up. Peter had a middling buck on the bank, the other 2 had the stinky kitty. The water was down below the middle cleat, which was under water yesterday. The water is dropping fairly quickly, although it was mostly clear, and had a fair current. Surface temp about the same as yesterday, ~52º. There was more of a breeze than yesterday, but it was from the West, and only helped us cast farther.
A littel after 4:30 pm, I had a decent hit that left little doubt it was shad. Fish on! We played in the current for less than a minute, when it jumped and threw the leaf. About 4-5 casts later, I had another decent hit, but after a couple or 3 headshakes, the line went slack. And that was all she wrote for me today. It stayed quiet after that until about 5:45 pm. Peter landed another buck after a spirited fight. Manny and Tom joined us just before 6:pm. Manny landed a nice sized bronze-back shortly after. About 6:30, I packed up to get some supper. Just before I drove off, Peter was wrestling with another, what I presume to be, shad. His pole was well bent, and fighting him hard. I almost went back...
If he comes back to Bissell tomorrow, I may get the 411 on that one. And I will be back there tomorrow, as the shad are coming in with the mild weather.
Tackle: Rod: one-piece Ugly Stik, 4'6" U/L Pro Reel: Shimano Sahara FJ 1000, spooled with 15# Power Pro (Hi-Viz Yellow).
Terminal Tackle: 1/2 oz drail over a 4'+, 10# flouro leader, and hammered silver willow leaves, in white with a red St. Andrew's cross, chartreuse and orange w/black dot, and yellow w/black dot. St. Andrew's leaf got the most attention today before I lost it to the river.
And then it got quiet. About 6:15 pm another regular showed up, and hooked up a nice buck on his 3rd or 4th cast. About 6:30 pm I couldn't take the rumbly in my tumbly anymore, and headed home for supper.
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