It has been a strange year. Viral pandemics have a way of doing that.
I see I haven't written anything about fishing since April. Here it is half way through August.
While the early saltwater season was 2 weeks late compared to last year, the freshwater trout was epic this spring due to the high water. But then the rain simply shut off. Then the Sound got really warm. Bluefish never materialized, and the few school stripers evaoprated. But there were other things to catch and for me personally, I've caught things for the first time or more frequently than in the past. I've also tried different techniques, especially using lead jigs with either flies or powerbait white shads to find bottom fish. Porgy and fluke -- and squeteague! I caught my first ever of the latter a few weeks ago. A trailing fly behind a jig is very effective. Fish seem to like bucktail & feathers.
The fly fishing for saltwater has been terribly slow for weeks--as in I'd be skunked if not for the bottom fishing. Only one edible sized bluefish came to hand so far. But today I caught a number of them 4" long! They were taking shad darts, which the porgy were liking on the bottom.
I finally went on a stream yesterday for the first time since June. I was not interested in finding trout. Instead, I was especially interested in fallfish, and I found one.
Found more than I've ever found of small flounder this year.
Searobins were abundant up until August:
One of my first two ever squeteague:
A few mid-20s Rockfish. Not quite keeper. This shut down in July.
Last trout June 9:
A nice fallfish early summer:
Even a Lamprey! (Dead, in the stream, 5 miles up).
June 1st or so, Hickory Shad on a fly. Did this twice.
August 15, finally back on a stream (last trip 8 June) and found what I was looking for--a wild native. A splendid fallfish fell for my own fly:
And of course scup, at least 6 made it into the pan this summer so far:
