CTFishTalk.com: Connecticut River - Baldwin Bridge 06/17 - Connecticut River Reports ( CT River Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

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

Shortest trip, ever.

Dan1 (aka Dan) and I decided to check out the mouth of the Connecticut River. We were hoping for keeper stripers or bluefish. The parking lot at the Baldwin Bridge was surprisingly not packed. We launched in my bass boat at 7:00 am. The sky was completely overcast, the air temperature was in the upper 60s and there was little to no wind. The current was ripping, although low tide wasn't until 12:09 pm. I think that the water temperature was about 73 degrees.

We headed downriver past the railroad bridge and fished the west bank from the island. Dan threw a paddletail swimbait on an underspin jighead and boated the first fish, although it was just a dink schoolie:

I was wearing sunglasses and, even though I couldn't see any bugs, I felt myself getting bitten just below the edges of my baseball cap. Noseeums! Dan wasn't wearing sunglasses and told me that we were surrounded by clouds of the biting little s#!^$. We tried our best to ignore them, but they never stopped biting. Even when I boated a little schoolie with a walking Storm Arashi Top Walker, I couldn't stop swatting at the little buggers:

We asked a nearby boat whether it had any bug spray. Nope. And they were being eaten alive, too. We motored off of the flats, across the channel and over the flats along the east bank. The noseeums were just as bad there, too. We asked another boat whether it had any bug spray. Nope. And they were suffering, too.

I have a big weekend coming up down in Manhattan and didn't want to be covered with bug bites on my face and head, so we decided just to head back to the ramp. Along the way, we stopped at the marine fueling station just upriver from the CT DEEP Headquarters, but the attendant didn't have any bug spray, either.

So, we decided to call it quits. At 8:00 am. After only an hour on the water.

I'm not heading back out there, again, without bug spray. And maybe a hat with mosquito netting. Yes, it was THAT bad. And, no, I'm not kidding.
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Don't forget to wear sunscreen and don't litter!

RobO · Joined: 24 May 2010 Posts: 285 Location: South Windsor

Phil,

Bug spray really doesn't persuade those little buggers. They will land on and bite you even though your just sprayed and exposed area.The only thing that seams to work is cigar smoke.

I don't usually smoke cigars but I have a few in my tackle box for when I go and fish the DEEP dock.

Turtle Kiss knows what i am talking about. She loves a good cigar while fishing.
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I'd rather be fishing, than sitting here in front of this computer,,,

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

RobO · Joined: 24 May 2010 Posts: 285 Location: South Windsor

Phil.. Bugs suck and I hate getting bit too.
I would have packed it in also..
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I'd rather be fishing, than sitting here in front of this computer,,,