Joined: 27 May 2009 Posts: 2238 Location: Granby, CT
Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 1:00 pm Post subject: The Race - 6/4
Some people I work with as well as Phil (PECo) and Mark (Mep21) all went out last night from 4pm to 9pm on the Sunbeam VI charter boat for a striper/blue trip. We left the docks at about 4pm and started fishing jigs at about 5pm. The winds were blowing about 20mph or so when we first left the docks but luckily the winds were diminishing through the night.
Captain Matt got us on the fish and kept us on them the whole time. We brought home 40 blues and 6 keeper stripers with the largest striper being just over 34 inches. We probably let another dozen or so fish go after we had all the blues we wanted.
I ended up boating my first ever striper which was around 29 inches. It was a great trip and I will definitely be doing this one again.
We had great weather and a much calmer ride on the way back in. I couldn't have asked for a better time. I'm sure Mark and Phil will add some more/better pics once they get a chance to chime in.
Last edited by DirtyDawg10 on Mon Aug 19, 2013 10:17 am; edited 1 time in total
Joined: 05 May 2012 Posts: 851 Location: Meriden, CT
Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 6:07 pm Post subject:
You going to ruin Phil for catching those little panfish if you start taking him out there! Glad you had a good night. _________________ RNA - It's in my blood.
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Weekly reports from around CT, the LIS and beyond.
Joined: 01 Mar 2011 Posts: 65 Location: West Hartford, CT
Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 10:26 am Post subject:
Really a great trip. Weather couldn't have been much nicer. I was lucky enough to catch both the 1st and last striper of the day. First one was right around 30 inches or so and the last one in the picture below was 33. This was my first time saltwater fishing in CT and I gotta say I really enjoyed it. Some of those bigger blues put up quite the fight.
Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT
Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 4:33 pm Post subject:
First of all, I'd like to give a shout out to the Sunbeam VI, and Captain Matt and the mate, Captain Ryan, who made our trip a success and a blast. Here they are, giving our group a pre-trip briefing:
That's Captain Matt on the step and Captain Ryan with his back to the camera on the right. Sorry about that, Captain Ryan. The Sunbeam VI is part of the Sunbeam Fleet at Captain John's Dock in Waterford, CT:
Our charter was from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm. With about an hour of travel time out to The Race each way, we had about three hours of fishing time. Captain Matt would maneuver the boat over a school of fish, we'd drop diamond jigs to the bottom and them we'd jig them off of the bottom until we drifted past the school. Here are Derek and Mark at the start of the trip:
The tide was coming in and the wind was blowing out of the east at 20 to 25 miles per hour, so our trip out was a little bit rough:
Luckily, the wind dropped throughout the evening. While Derek caught his first ever striper, and Mark caught the first and last stripers, I caught the two smallest stripers , which were 26 and 28 inches long. Yes, Captain Ryan was careful to not gaff the 26 incher, and then he measured and released it. And, yes, Derek, Mark and I caught four of our group's six keeper stripers. Although Mark caught the first striper, I actually boated the first fish, which was a bluefish:
At the end of the day, Captain Matt suggested that we try fishing topwater for a while. Two people at a time would snap a skirted jig with a pork trailer. Here's Derek battling his first ever striper:
Joined: 05 May 2012 Posts: 851 Location: Meriden, CT
Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 8:36 pm Post subject:
Damn. I thought Mark must have had a marlin or something on there! What are you going to do now that you've caught real bass? Looks like you all had a blast. We used to have a group that put on a Bluefish Bash with the Sunbeam fleet. It went away the last two years as a few jobs changed, kids came, etc. I might be interested in doing it again later in the season if there is enough interest (8-20 people).
If anyone was worried about the number of fish taken, we were fishing for a local foodbank as well as those kept by guys on the trip! _________________ RNA - It's in my blood.
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Weekly reports from around CT, the LIS and beyond.
Joined: 27 May 2009 Posts: 2238 Location: Granby, CT
Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 9:34 pm Post subject:
Yeah...fishing from the chair was a lot tougher than it looked. Not only were we fighting the fish but we were also fighting the boat moving at trolling speed. I would do it again in a minute!
Joined: 27 May 2009 Posts: 2238 Location: Granby, CT
Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 10:55 am Post subject:
Michael wrote:
Any gators?
We caught some big blues too. I had two or three that were almost as big as the striper I caught. Only a few inches shorter probably but we never measured length on the blues.
Joined: 24 May 2010 Posts: 285 Location: South Windsor
Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 1:34 pm Post subject:
Aw man.. Where was I???
Looks like you guys had a great time. Next time you go, make sure you get a hold of me..
Personally I hate snapping wire (fishing parachute jigs from the chair). It stinks having to snap the wire and then catching a fish (blue) and fighting it for 200 yards of wire all while the boat continues to move. It can really wear you out!
I would rather diamond jig or buck-tail jig.
_________________ I'd rather be fishing, than sitting here in front of this computer,,,
Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT
Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 2:02 pm Post subject:
RobO wrote:
Personally I hate snapping wire (fishing parachute jigs from the chair). It stinks having to snap the wire and then catching a fish (blue) and fighting it for 200 yards of wire all while the boat continues to move. It can really wear you out!
I would rather diamond jig or buck-tail jig.
Amen, Rob. _________________ Don't forget to wear sunscreen and don't litter!
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Glad you had a good night.
The Sunbeam VI is part of the Sunbeam Fleet at Captain John's Dock in Waterford, CT:
While Derek caught his 
, which were 26 and 28 inches long. 
Although Mark caught the first striper, I actually boated the first fish, which was a bluefish:
