Week of April 2nd-April 9th

Well, well, well…it just may be spring! At the time of this writing, we are pushing nearly 85 degrees here at the shop, even with the cool breeze blowing off the Saugatuck River which as of yesterday was still in the mid to high 40s. We had a report of some sand eel spottings at Compo Cove from Sal R. Wednesday A.M. This next week or so is always an interesting time and with the winter we all had it will be even more interesting. As the air temps heat up, there is a direct correlation to these few words ever-increasing day by day…”when is my damn boat going to be back in the water.” With our affiliation with the guys from ASMW out back, I can assure you all that they are hard at work prepping boats to get all of you who store with them back in the water. I can also tell you that although this report will speak to many, many fish being already caught, that we still have a week or so before things really start to pick up. To that point, no doubt this warm spell we are dealing with will surely act as a catalyst to what will come.

Back on the trout streams, the water continues to recede leaving some hungry trout. I mentioned last week (jokingly) about the fact that with all of this high water, many trout were swept down river into the salt to meet their next fate. Although I am not swaying from this thought, an overwhelming majority definitely have survived. There are many deeper pools in the Saugy and the Mill than you may know that these fish could hunker down into, as well as finding refuge amongst the many boulder gardens that have been built over the years.

The reports this past week from the Saugy have been better than good with everyone having a run at it with the biggest fish coming to the net at 22 inches on you guessed it, a white crystal flash bead head wooly bugger (and yes we have a ton). The Mianus continues to fish well albeit some smaller fish, not having the heavy stocking of larger trout that they Saugy did.

Up to our north, there were reports this week of some Hendrickson coming off as well and although not in great numbers, a welcome sign for both the Farmington and Upper Housatonic Rivers

If streamers are not working, tungsten flash nymphs in smaller sizes say 22-24 should do the trick. The streams should hopefully be down to their normal flows by the weekend, so get out there and experience some great local trout fishing in our TMAs!

Back to the salt, we will start with the Hudson, where our good friend Captain Mike Platt continues to hit it hard in and around the Tappenzee Bridge. Fishing with soft plastics and weighted flies, his daily tally have been in the 40 fish range with all being safely released and up to 34 inches. Should you want to get a chance at this early season action, Captain Mike is available daily for charter trips, all NY state licensing will apply.

I always say that what happens to our west in the spring should be of the utmost interest to all those recreational anglers that fish our home waters here in the western sound, as goes the far west, usually goes here. We all know that Hempstead and the adjoining bays and rips normally heat up first, but even before that is the shallow inshore stuff as well…say around Little Neck Bay. Our good friend Patrick Gallagher reports in from the past week while fishing the bay from his yak... Over the past week Patrick was out often with fish up to 33 inches. Most of the fish were schoolies, with some rats mixed in, but he did catch 3 fish over 28" on a clouser, a 30" and a 33" on a Yozuri Crystal Minnow. The 33" fish had an adult bunker stuck in his throat!!

Our friend Captain Matt Gifford continues to work the Housey hard from shore all the way from Sullivan’s Island and down to the The Sanctuary. Working both soft plastics mostly un-weighted with a painfully slow retrieve, as well as with the fly rod with olive/white clousers, he had fish well into the 34 inch range with a majority of his catch being schoolies to 22 inches…all good fun on light tackle.

Dan Laffin also checked into to report a great day on the Housey as well on Monday. He and crew had a good pick of fish up to 30 inches. Dan was fishing the upper portion of the water column with a flat wing deceiver and landed a nice nearly keeper bass on the fly rod with the sun setting behind him (see recent catches). What could be better?

Cody L. also reported in some action a bit more local right here in Westport where he was able to pick up a few bass in the 16-18 range on the fly rod at Burial Beach on Tuesday night on the incoming tide!

Are own Captain Ed Riley not to be outdone was into fish from the boat on the lower Housey this past week where they had bass up to 19 inches on clousers. Fishing the river at this time of year is always fun since you never really know what you are going to catch This was supported in the report last week of a salmon, striped bass and a large mouth all being taken from the same location. Although down river, Captain Ed managed a nice salmon as well that was nearly 24 inches (see recent catches). Great stuff Ed!

Well that will be about it folks for this week. Not on fire yet, but plenty of action to be had on both sides of the sound as well as in some of our larger rivers such as the Housey. Keep in mind that water temps are not above 50 degrees which can mean bad things if you go in, so regardless of the air temperature, be sure to be extra careful out there!

Don’t forget, this Saturday, April 10th at 11:00 A.M. sharp we will be hosting Captain Rich Tenreiro where he will discuss “Fishing the Far Western Sound.” Captain Rich is a U.S. Coast Guard Licensed Captain who has fished the Far Western Sound and beyond for his entire life and is the host of the ever popular fishing show Northeast Angling. He is an accomplished tournament angler, seminar speaker, and has been featured extensively in print and on TV, in such publications as Saltwater Sportsman and On The Water magazines. You will not want to miss this one so be sure to RSVP by emailing ejohnson@westportoutfitters.com.

NEXT WEEK's FREE SEMINAR ON APRIL 17th at 11:00 A.M.-Captain John Tondra-"Fishing The End(Montauk)" For 20 years Captain John Tondra has fished the inshore and offshore waters in and around Montauk, NY. All tackle, lures/flies, techniques will be covered as well as some bait rigging tips. If you have been yearning to go to “The End” but did not know where to start, this is a must see presentation!

Bring your rods/reels down for servicing before the fish arrive. Look forward to seeing you all soon.

DON’T FORGET to click onto the “NEWS” tab for our complete list of upcoming FREE seminars!

2010 Lou Tabory/W.O. Fly Fishing Schools-SIGN UP TODAY!!

May 8th @ 6:00 A.M., Compo Beach, Westport, CT
May 15th @ 6:00 A.M., Compo Beach, Westport, CT
June 26th @ 6:00 A.M., Compo Beach, Westport, CT
July 17th @ 6:00 A.M., Compo Beach, Westport, CT
July 31st @ 6:00 A.M., Compo Beach, Westport, CT
 August 7th @ 6:00 A.M., Compo Beach, Westport, CT

This intro/intermediate course will begin promptly at 6:00 A.M. in the water, in your waders. Lou and the crew from W.O. will work with you in learning the general casting stroke for fly fishing; teach you how to read the water to identify bait movement, current, structure and feeding fish patterns and lanes. You will have the opportunity to cast some additional rods with varying types of lines for saltwater fly fishing. After the fishing, we will return to the shop where Lou will go over several formal slide presentations, that will reiterate what was learned on the water, including gear selection, knot tying, fly presentation and much, much more! After lunch, we will have an extended Q&A and then finally return to the park to wrap things up with more hands on casting. The day will end at approximately 3:00 P.M. Cost is $150.00, which includes a light breakfast, full lunch and refreshments throughout the day.

Eric C. Johnson
Westport Outfitters, LLC
609 Riverside Ave.
Westport, CT
06880
www.westportoutfitters.com
www.allseasonsmarineworks.com
p-203.341.9490
f-203.341.9423
ejohnson@westportoutfitters.com
TAKE THE FAMILY FISHING