And we're off....

[JohnR]

Fishin' CT with GS...

[chris L]

Im Telling !!! Where is that Boston phone # ? Hope your boss doesnt visit the site .

Have a good time I hope you catch a cure for your illness !
We have fish from shore too . Just have to work for them and be at the right place at the exact moment they swim by . Is it Spring ?

[Got Stripers]

Good fishing with you again John, what a great day. You can't complain with 60+ temps and damn close to 60+ fish on Dec. 6th .

[JohnR]

Thanks for the invite GS!!! Imagine, fishing on the 6th of December for Stripers in a T-SHIRT!!! Yep, that's what it was fishing in Norwich, CT - "The Rose of New England" (that's what they call it)...

After I hit the fish connection to grab a non-resident license (yep, the "L" word) I met GS down at the ramp and he already had 10 bass to his credit and then we were off up and down the Thames chasing little stripers...

GS had well over 50 and probably somewhere over 60 bass up to about 6-7 pounds or so and I got over 20, maybe 25 (maybe not) in a light tackle blast in December.

Now the boat did make the difference (as well has SKILZ at chasing fish) but I think you can be succesfull from the shore there too, just a bit harder to do.

But I had a blast just relaxing (for the most part) and catching fish...

Here's GS's S-Fish, put up quite a struggle...

[Got Stripers]

Not sure I'd want to eat the fish coming out of there , many strange looking ones, lots missing tails and then there are the many with the Thames "White Ick". Good place for a ripley's believe it or not type fish.

[schoolie monster]

Man, what is up with those fish? We may need to get the EPA in there or something. In january, I caught a fish with half a tail and the spine hangin' out... got another half tailer last weekend and the day after Thanksgiving I caught one with the white slime/tumors/fungus. And then there's the elephant fish GS caught...

Maybe we don't generally see fish like that 'cause in the ocean, they wouldn't last long (can you say bait?), while in the protection of the river, they can survive.

Sounds like the feed was back on... sweet. I want to go this weekend, but I'm not letting myself. I need some rest. Plus, it looks like the weather might turn a bit.

Good job guys... Bob, how many fish have you caught down there this fall? You gotta be pushin' 300.

[JohnR]

I think the majority of the half tails and other misfit fish were caught upriver with the "normal" fish from around the bridge & docks...

That picture was taken behind the world famous Reupholsterer's facilities

[AnthonyN]

I caught a 32" bass this year that had half a tail. It looked like an old wound because it was healed. I figured a bluefish got a hold of him when he was younger i happened to bring that one home to eat since he was handicapped already but he still put up a decent fight with half a tail.

I am fine so i don't think he was sick or anything still tasted yummy.

[chris L]

Its the river ! that river has had many manufacturing companies on it over its life time . And like most if not all CT rivers are highly polluted . One reason if not the biggest reason I became a big catch and release fisher . Not to say some damage isnt done by other predators . You fish here long enough and you see plenty of abnormallities with the fish in the rivers .