CTFishTalk.com: New to salt (crabs and fish) - Connecticut Saltwater Reports ( CT Saltwater Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

kennethshaw · Joined: 16 Aug 2011 Posts: 60

Hi,

I could really use some guidance. I've been a freshwater fisherman all my life and am very interested in venturing out to saltwater. I'd like to start off with some shore fishing near the New Haven area if that is even possible. Can anyone recommend areas and what bait to use?

Also, I have to little kiddos that really get excited about crabfishing. Are there any good spots around New Haven?

Thanks for all your help.

watthe555 · Joined: 11 Jun 2011 Posts: 120

ive seen a lot of people go fishing right near the mouth of the ct river. i never went shore fishing but soon i will try. your best luck would be using eels or squid. and it matters what your fishing for its the starting season for fluke and flounder.

fishfinder · Joined: 19 Jun 2011 Posts: 1672 Location: Naugatuck, Ct.

There s a few places to fish in New Haven and from what i hear its hot in the harbor right now! Id get few lures like a popper or 2 and a few swimmers plus maybe even some soft plastics but beware the Blues are around and will chomp right through a softy! Id get some steel leaders also and mainly through chunks of bunker or mackerel. This all depends on what your fishing for though,if your going for Porgies (Scup) some squid on some 1or 2 hooks or even a Porgy rig would be good. Heres a link to the CT. DEP website where you can scroll down to New Haven or near to find whats around and if you need to pay to get access to these places.
http://www.lisrc.uconn.edu/coastalaccess/searchr.asp
_________________
There's a fine line between fishing....

and standing on the shore like an idiot!

kennethshaw · Joined: 16 Aug 2011 Posts: 60

Thanks for the leads. Is this primarily shore fishing or would I need my kayak to get to the fish?

asianfisher · Joined: 12 Jan 2009 Posts: 920

woodmont is great area for blues right now... first cove where the wawa used to be think its krowsiers or something like that... you can catch your limit in less than an hour at lowtide first thing in the am... meaning first light lowtide. snappers are out there too... another place that was great is under the Q-bridge at night dragging eels long warf side from bridge to in front of ikea.... Outgoing tide for that and use your yak..... assuming you can night yak in currents and land fish at night in currents from the yak. be safe dont be stupid at anytime a boat can not see you and ripe right by you at night no matter how bright you get.... you want porgy and fluke/flounder go 95 north clinton/branford

kennethshaw · Joined: 16 Aug 2011 Posts: 60

Asianfisher, PECo,

Looked up some of your posts. Damn, you guys are like pro fishermen. I bow before you. Hey, if you don't mind a tag along, I'd love to come join you guys sometimes and learn the lay of the land and techniques. Let me know.

Ken

bdiggy · Joined: 15 Aug 2011 Posts: 245 Location: Thomaston, CT

Good luck out there. Just did salt for the first time this year myself, out in Clinton, and learned it's quite a bit different. Lost my first ever striper (snapped my 50 lb leader), and came home with my first 2 blacks:

Those came in on Asian crabs. What a great fight!

fishfinder · Joined: 19 Jun 2011 Posts: 1672 Location: Naugatuck, Ct.

Snapped your 50lb leader? You either had a monster, a scratch in your leader or not enough drag. Check your line for abrasions all the time especially when throwing out big plugs as there is a lot of stress on that line when whipping one out and they get pricey fast! I dont know how many times I went fishing this season with brand new line and had to cut some line off due to nicks in the line.
_________________
There's a fine line between fishing....

and standing on the shore like an idiot!

bdiggy · Joined: 15 Aug 2011 Posts: 245 Location: Thomaston, CT

The Clinton bottom is rocky anyway. The line was fine when it went down, but that's not to say it didn't get knicked while the eel was dragging for the fish that crushed me. Even though I wasn't able to land it, it was the most fun i've ever had fighting a fish for the 45 seconds I got out of it!

fishfinder · Joined: 19 Jun 2011 Posts: 1672 Location: Naugatuck, Ct.

Eel on the line, oh yeah those things love t rub rocks and try to ruin your line!!!!
_________________
There's a fine line between fishing....

and standing on the shore like an idiot!

PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

Ken

Thanks, but Billy and I just seem to be able to fish more often than most of the people on this site. I'm no expert at saltwater fishing. I tried crabbing from a kayak for the first time in West Haven last night and found it to be difficult. It didn't help that I had an underpowered spotlight and we started late, plus the water murked up as the tide came in. I'll send you a PM the next time that we plan to go.

Phil
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Don't forget to wear sunscreen and don't litter!

asianfisher · Joined: 12 Jan 2009 Posts: 920

No pro here just love to fish and get out as much as i can like Phil said. If we were pro's we would get paid for it. LMFAO Ive been wanting to get out and drift eels before i start going upstate. Just sux im all the way in mass now and its not as easy to get to the shore now. Nice size blacks you pulled up... As for woodmont i was out there Friday i think and got into snappers cause i missed the tide for the harbors. got 9 of them landed and lost about a doz or so. Lil guys are like crappies almost hard to keep on the hooks weird cause crappie have paper mouths and the blues dont must be cause they shake more and are more aggressive. Plan on being out there this weekend tho so if you are down shoot me a pm or call the cell 860-938-3290

kennethshaw · Joined: 16 Aug 2011 Posts: 60

Asianfisher,

Do you do most of your fishing from a boat when you go salt water fishing?

I'd love to get into kayak fishing offshore as I see most of the youtube videos of guys landing huge stripers on kayaks. Only problem is that I'm a chickensh*t when it comes to sharks and don't understand the hazards of sea fishing yet.

Ken

asianfisher · Joined: 12 Jan 2009 Posts: 920

I do both boat and yak... i cant say just go out there and go fishing. i recently yaked the breachway in outgoing tide in RI. wasnt easy and was and is nerve racking. but you have to get comfortable in doing things like this becase in a blink of an eye you can be half mile from where you once were.Ive learned in a weird way fishing rivers for trout and stripers and its not easy at all but you will kind of get the hang of what can lie ahead in the ocean. I hit up woodmont yesterday and got into alot of snappers i think since the storm coming everything big left the area ass in my belief they know when a storm is coming and dont hang around the shallows. Start off easy fish for black fish in rocy bottoms close to shore or fish woodmont from the yak and get comfortable with the sound before you venture anywhere near RI out of the sound. Drift eels under the Q-bridge and by longwarf by ikea. get comfortable... with you and your yak and landing fish brfore you just venture out and always bring a buddy with you and make sure you wear that life vest. Salmon season is upcoming and my saltwater season will soon stop except when i cant make it up there and will fish the jettys from boat or yak for the black fish east haven.... Also nice place for blacks thats easy to get to from yak is the island accross from milford libary i dont know the name... If you can get to the autobond or the left side of jetty at the mouth of the housy its producing stripers and blues still.... that can get you somewhat comfortable with the currents and boats zipping by you...