CTFishTalk.com: Flat Rap Time! - Connecticut Saltwater Reports ( CT Saltwater Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

Michael · Joined: 28 Jan 2012 Posts: 3823 Location: Bridgeport

Bridgeport Harbor buoy read 47.1 degrees Sunday. Monday's forecast was light south winds with warm temps and plentiful sunshine. I right away decided today was a day for checking out the striper action at Remington.

High tide for Bridgeport was scheduled for 10:37am and low for 4:49pm. Got to the spot around 12:30pm to find nobody there.

Lures I played with were a pearl grey shiner Flat Rap FLR-10, original pearl shad Flat Rap FLR-10, olive green Clackin Minnow CNM-9, spotted minnow Saltwater X-Rap SXR-10, glass ghost Clackin Rap CNR-8, shad Rattlin Rapala RNR-8, shad Shallow Shad Rap SSR-9, glass minnow Husky Jerk HJ-12, and pearl white silver fleck 4" Berkley Havoc Subwoofer. Subwoofer was rigged on a 3/4 ounce Hurricane jighead bounced on the bottom.

Never got into anything until tide got lower and I waded out on the sandbar there. A few chunkers who I'm familiar with had gotten there by that time.

I was throwing the pearl grey shiner FLR-10 and doing a slow steady retrieve when I get a hit and set the hook. Landed a 21" 3 pound 13 ounce striper.

I was sssooo happy to land my first striper and surf fishing fish of the year!

After letting it go I got another hit in the same area on the Flat Rap. About a half hour later it was getting closer to dead low so I decided to take a break by heading Downtown to grab a bite to eat and something to drink.

Got back to Remington around 5pm to find the chunkers still not getting any hits and a surf fisherman arriving.

I waded back out to where I had the hit and caught the striper but never got into anything else. The surf fisherman who arrived around the same time as me was throwing an SP Minnow near the discharge and landed a 14"er. Tide was getting higher quickly so I headed back to shore to cast into the discharge area.

Fished next to the other surf fisherman as I played around with a few Rapalas and he played around with a few SP Minnow colors. Chunkers decided to leave.

I had 1 more hit and the other surf fisherman landed a chubby 25" striper. He lost what he said looked to be at least a 30" keeper right in front of him. The fish swiped its head at the lure and got a tiny bit of the hook on its head before letting go. He had 3 other hits.

Both of us called it a night around 8pm.

I got to test a new ML setup. Rod is a medium power 7'6" Okuma SST Salmon Spin and reel is a Penn Spinfisher 440SSG. Jimmy from Jimmy O's stopped by and I let him give it a few casts with a soft plastic. He loved the feeling of the setup and said he could see that Okuma managing a bigger fish. He really liked how the rod and reel could cast a lighter FLR-10.

Later in the evening is when 2 cormorants followed by a male and female merganser came, which meant there was bait there. Saw a cormorant come up with a few baitfish.

iversonbaby · Joined: 22 May 2012 Posts: 100

you da man ! nice fish would you say these are migratory or residential bass?

Michael · Joined: 28 Jan 2012 Posts: 3823 Location: Bridgeport

I'd say year round residential

anointed130 · Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 10:34 pm Post subject:

How can you tell which is which?
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Michael · Joined: 28 Jan 2012 Posts: 3823 Location: Bridgeport

JesseC · Joined: 26 Jan 2013 Posts: 128 Location: Cromwell

congrats on the striper man! thanks again for another good report!

sonamcobain · Joined: 09 Aug 2012 Posts: 106

Nice catch Michael, Looks like its about time u started going crazy with ur rapalas lol!

Erikmon · Joined: 15 Mar 2013 Posts: 28

Nice work dude. What line do u use for surfcasting and do u use a leader or does it mess with the rapala action.

Your def right about the flat rap i love it in all sizes.

bzsports4 · Joined: 17 Apr 2012 Posts: 19

how do you see the water temperatures?

fishingkid · Joined: 04 May 2011 Posts: 340

Redneckangler · Joined: 05 May 2012 Posts: 851 Location: Meriden, CT

You're off to a good start!
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Michael · Joined: 28 Jan 2012 Posts: 3823 Location: Bridgeport

Michael · Joined: 28 Jan 2012 Posts: 3823 Location: Bridgeport

Hit the same area again today and also checked out areas around Black Rock Harbor and Fayerweather Island.

No signs of life today and didn't see the cormorants coming up with fish.

The surf fisherman with the SP was at Remington when I went back there after doing some scouting in other areas. He said he only landed 1 striper and no other hits.

Winds were gusty out of the NW for most of the morning and afternoon before dying off later into the evening but staying NW.

Brought a different setup with me to test the feeling and casting with it and compare it to the setup that I landed the 21" fish with. Setup was a ML power 7' Okuma Nomad inshore 3 piece traveler's rod with a 3rd gen Penn Spinfisher 4400. Setup felt heavier than the 7'6" SST Salmon Spin and didn't cast as well. Today's setup was what I was using during the November striper run at Seaside last year. Plans are sell the Nomad on Ebay and stick with the 7'6" SST Salmon Spin.