President’s Letter
May 2024
Greetings Surfcasters,
For a couple of years now club member George Baldwin has been warning us about the grave situation facing the herring fishery ever since a federal court judge ruled to vacate what was known as Amendment 8 to the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan on essential fish habitat which restricted inshore midwater trawling. That March 2022 ruling was not appealed. Amendment 10 is actively seeking to put back some of the protections so necessary to our fisheries health particularly
Back on Wednesday, April 17 at the Mystic Hilton the New England Fishery Management Council held a public hearing. What a great shot in the arm for our cause! For two hours many speakers used their allotted 2 minutes to address the council. Club members George Baldwin, Kevin Job (on behalf of DEEP), Steve Hasselbacher, David Nguyen and I spoke. Another dozen or so club members attended showing their support for Amendment 10. No one from the commercial fisheries spoke.
Commenting on Amendment 10 closes prior to you reading this letter. Surely George will address us at the May general membership meeting as to what more we can do.
Suffice it to say what has appeared to be a bleak future for the herring fisheries appears to be more positive. The club will continue to work others regarding the Atlantic Herring Amendment 10 scoping issue.
Tight lines everyone,
V. Mike Simko
Connecticut Surfcasters Association Membership Meeting
Wednesday May 1st at 7pm at the Madison Surf Club
This meeting will include a Tsunami Fishing Rod demonstration from their representative Tommy Fuccini. Come a little early and take a look at the samples and try them out o the beach.
Following the rod demonstration, we will have a our CSA business meeting which will include elections of our officers and board members. There are no surprises, Mike Simko is running again for president and I think all the bored members will come back. I think we are looking for secretary.
Upcoming Events
May 18 we’re planning to have our annual Weakfish Outing at the West Haven sand bar. We plan to meet between 7:30 and fish until 10. I have heard there was a resent dust-up in the parking area and beach involving about 100 people causing a ruckus. The police were called and parking area has been temporarily closed. We’ll have to wait and see, let’s just hope for the best as this is one of the best places around for catching weakfish. We’ll keep you posted.
Our June 6 through 9 Cuttyhunk Trip is just around the corner. The club has secured the premier accommodation available through Pete’s Place rentals, Lehner Cottage https://www.petesplacerentals.com/rentals/rooms/c202316d-46a6-493f-8bce-3cc2d27e0f22. We have back up accommodations should be go beyond what Lehner will accommodate. The cost is $80 per person per night. You can commit to two or three nights. Sign up at the May general membership meeting. Payment for the trip will be due at the May meeting.
*** This trip falls on the June new moon so it will be dark out there. Generally, the fishing be good, but be prepared for the cold water. You may want to go out in a wetsuit, but pack some waders just in case. I generally fish big stuff on Cuttyhunk, but I also know to be ready for anything. On a recent trip I caught fish on Dinner Catcher and also found the fish would very aggressively go after a stubby needlefish. Pack a variety of lures and just see what works. Mike M.
We’re still up in the air about what to do at the June meeting. You’ll just have to wait and see.
Mystic Seaport Planetarium
Please mark your calendars. We are confirmed for Thursday, June 13 for a 7:00 – 8:00 PM show specially geared toward the night sky during striper season. Details shall follow. Procedure is attendees meet at the Seaport’s north entrance between 6:30 – 6:50 or so then guided into the planetarium from there. Price is $9.50/head with the Seaport agreeing to take a CSA check once we have a final attendance headcount. Find out more at the meeting.
As the season progresses, we will be having many of our usual outings to more local beaches in Connecticut and Rhode Island. We would like to plan for trips to Deep Hole, East Beach/ Fire District Beach and Shelter Harbor Beach, with dates to be announced. If you have any ideas of places you’d like to try fishing or just want to get out of the house, come along or speak up if you want to run a trip yourself.
It really is time to renew your Fishing License
Go to https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Fishing/General-Information/Fisheries-Licenses-and-Permits to renew.
Connecticut Coastal Access Guide - https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Coastal-Resources/Coastal-Access and and click “Here."
Club Contests
Striper a Month 2024
Each year CSA runs a year long contest to see who can catch a striped bass in the 12 month period between December of the previous year and November of the current year. The following members have managed to catch at least one bass a month from December 2023 through April 2024.
Mike Benzinger
Steve Hasselbacher
Jim Munson
Liam Rosati
Bill Tesbir
High Hooks and Top 10
High Hook Rules are as follows:
1. Fish must be caught from shore or surf, with both feet planted on Terra Firma.
2. The High Hook club tournament generally runs from the first Sunday following Thanksgiving for a period of one year.
3. Overall length, measured from the tip of the lip, to the end of the tail, is used to determine the winner. Weight is optional and not used to determine a winner.
4. Entries must be reported by the first membership meeting following the catch.
5. Entries can be sent to Mike Mullen at mike@highhooklures.com or the current Club President via email or submitted in writing at a club meeting.
Catch and Release by George Baldwin - see the May SUDS email for the full article
Fly Tying
We had our last fly tying session of the season in April where we practiced making Lefty’s Deceivers. Sometimes, these flies start out a little rough and we encourage people to go home and make 10 more copies to get the hang of it. We had a few more interested people show up for the evening, Mike Simko and Charlie Gargano, came out to see what was going on and shoot the breeze with us. The evening went well. We plan to start up again in October. We usually get a mix of beginners and old hands at it, to make a good mix.