A Letter from our President
It’s great to be into the summer months. The best part for me is the chance to fish club outings with new members, old friends and hopefully new friends. So far we, have had outings in April, May, a couple in June, along with the Mystic Seaport planetarium event. Each outing is an opportunity to meet someone new. I make it a point each outing to reach out to a new member. We have charter members dating back to 1993 and that first Cuttyhunk trip. We have new members dating back just a few months such as Brian Mawdsley who landed the Spring Cow prize and Frank Boskello who made his first Cuttyhunk appearance just last month.
Some new members have a lot of experience under their surf belts. Some, not so much. When you get an opportunity ask long time members Kevin Schwatlow or Bill “D” Delizio when they first joined the club. Or me. Yes, we fished and had fished for years, actually most of our lives. But until we join CSA our depth of knowledge and fishing network was very limited. I remember back in the late 1990s when I joined I brought along on one of my first outings a 9’ Fenwick yellow fiberglass rod paired with a Penn 704 greenie spooled with 20lb. mono. I caught fish but wasn’t really happy with the setup’s “feel.” Long gone from my memory was a CSA member fishing next to me who said, “Hey! Is that a Fenwick rod?” I knew that much but not much else except to know I bought the rod/reel from my Fairfield Beach/Penfield Reef classmate Carl. I was either 13 or 14 years old. So it wasn’t new in the late 1960s when I bought it. I learned that outing from the fellow next to me that my really slow almost noodle rod was PERFECT as a pencil popping rod. A what? So close to 30 years ago I’m learning for the first time about pencil popping. Fast forward to today. That same setup, the blank remade, the same Penn Greenie with fresh mono, is still my absolute favorite 1.5 ounce pencil popping rod. What pleasure! The parabolic whipping of a slow fiberglass rod with stretchy mono.
I encourage all of you to be open to questions from new members. Many new members are not new to fishing. On the contrary statistical analysis pursuant to the algorithms available through Artificial Intelligence tells me that most new members have an average of 13.956 years experience under their belts. Answer questions, reach out to a new person and say, “You want to tag along?” Maybe every once and a while you can back it off a notch, to mentor a newbie. Reach out and they won’t be a newbie in a season or two.
tight lines and dark skies,
Mike S.
Upcoming Events
DECEMBER HOLIDAY PARTY!
WHAT?!?! What holiday are we talking about? The December holiday? Really? Now?
Yes I am. We have had really fun holiday parties when COVID allowed us. Last year’s December holiday party held on the first Wednesday was a lot of fun. The Branford Community House facility was fantastic (thanks Branford residents Bill and Deb Goeben). We had room to move around. Plenty of table space, buffet table flexibility. However, alcohol was not permitted. It was not a deal breaker but it was a consideration. Past president Mike Mullen (and this Suds editor) made it clear to me that he in the worse way would have enjoyed his regular Pink Squirrel cocktail (3/4 ounce creme de noyaux, 3/4 ounce white creme de cacao,1 1/2 ounces heavy cream,
Garnish: freshly grated nutmeg). So your e-board looked into alternative venues. And right under our noses popped up the Clinton Town Hall facility, the Green Room where Demo Day is held each year.
CSA is confirmed, reserved for Wednesday, December 4, 2024, for our annual party. A writing request to the Town of Clinton managers asking permission to serve alcoholic libation has already been made. It is expected that we will have alcohol available whether by BYOB or possibly a catered bar. It’s also a regular meeting night. So PLAN NOW if you are a spring cow or striper-a-month candidate or potential high hook winner. We want you there to accept your award and receive accolades from fellow members. Bring friends, guests, Carter to assist me in the fantastic raffle prizes expected to be provided by our e-board member, raffle prize chair Nate Kahle.
Mike, bring your martini shaker. I want to see that heavy cream foam floating on tip of your cocktail.
CSA Annual Picnic
Next Wednesday July 3 is the CSA annual picnic. Please use the forum to add your name and number attending the party. Food will be on grill at 6:30pm. Those who wish to bring a side fish or dessert, please add your reply on the thread.
We will have a raffle also.
If you need 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 June 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.
“Blood guts and Bugspray” by Steve Hasselbacher
Much has been written or said about chunking over the years. And there’s a lot of different attitudes out there about bait fishermen. Entire satire personalities have achieved fame in this small world going on about “the art of the soak”. Many well known, respected fishermen that came before me have written/done seminars about targeting large bass with decapitated menhaden. There’s no question about whether or not it works. And if you’ve ever been on the internet I’m sure you’ve seen someone express their belief on how bait fishing is inferior. I welcome these attitudes, more for me. I go fishing to have fun and enjoy myself. And catching big bass certainly helps achieve those goals. In recent years I’ve invested more time fishing chunks, this time of year specifically, than I have since I first bought a surf rod. I’ve found it a great way to find some space to myself, learn new places, target more known places in “the wrong conditions”, and to really just show me how often I’m putting myself in front of big fish, without knowing. So here’s how I go about it.
Fishing bait requires lots of planning and work for me. Where do I want to fish, what am I gonna use for bait, how am I gonna get bait, how am I gonna, store, carry, and prepare bait, and how much is enough bait. It's an all afternoon/night affair more often than not, as opposed to choosing 8 plugs, throwing a bag on my shoulder and going. So I suppose what kind of bait is where I start. In an ideal world, I would snag 20 or more adult menhaden at sundown right where I plan to fish, and be chunking around that same school by dark. A lot of times they show themselves right at sundown. And you would never know there are large numbers of bass tailing them. They don’t seem nervous or threatened, and show no signs of predation. I can only imagine what’s going on down there but it seems as if bass often just tail these pods, like it’s their safety blanket. They may not be charging into them or pushing them to the surface, but more so just not wanting to let them get too far away. Probably picking them off lazily here and there. Theres a number of places this seems to play out. Where even a livelined bait doesn’t get a sniff. But dropping an easy low risk, high reward piece of meat is just too good to pass up. I often think of calorie expenditure/gains when fishing. Like if I were in a survival situation, which I assume is a striped basses entire life, what is the greatest way to increase my calorie intake, without burning more in the process. We’ve likely all read or heard stories from larger than life fishing personalities about chunking bunker heads on long Island with 8 and bait tackle. Don’t get me wrong. Bunker heads are the gold standard in the world of chunks. They cast well, hold the hook good, deter many smaller predators and bluefish, and leak head juice. They’re the best… that is if they are fresh. And I don’t mean “fresh bunker in stock” from the bait shop fresh. I mean preferably decapitated while the heart is still beating fresh. I do this at night and Idk what time those shop bunker were caught, and sat on chlorinated ice for. Sometimes a freshly snagged and cut bunker VS one I snagged and kept in a bucket for 2 hrs after dark, makes all the difference. I won’t even entertain the idea of frozen bait. I mean in reality anything will work at times. But I’ve made enough observations, to make the extra work well worth it for myself.
In recent years finding obtainable bunker close to home has proven quite difficult. But the chunk is not exclusive to bunker. I would have to imagine anything would work as a chunk. But law only permits us to use/ posses/dispatch so many things. The chunk revelation came to me when I turned 18 and got my drivers license. I could now fish places other than my local rivers, where bunker was undependable, and weightless sluggos, storm shads, and minnow plugs ruled the world. One night fishing a local rocky point, with the same tried and true lures available from Norwich Benny’s, I was coming up empty handed. There was another angler to my right in full gear throwing a needlefish. He took one small fish. Looking around the rocks in boredom, I found 2 decent sized scup left behind from the daytime crew. I opened my backpack to find one of those giant gold eagle claw baitholder hooks that came on the “striped bass rigs”, cut em up, and was immediately onto a good fish. Unfortunately I was either not good at tying knots, using lighter gear than I should’ve or just fishing too rough terrain, but I broke off a lot of good fish that night. Every chunk I threw got eaten in short time, and I brought the biggest fish I landed to the tackle shop when they opened the next morning, and weighed it in at 38lbs. In the years since that night I have seem the same scenario play out time and time again. Sometimes even a live eel won’t do the trick like a chunk does. I don’t know the exact laws about having unmeasurable scup in your possession. Once you’ve cut em up there’s no way to prove it’s legal. But nobody has ever stopped me and I know I’m allowed to keep a lot. They’re relatively easy to catch from shore, and they work great. As do hickory shad, which are much more commonplace than snaggable bunker in a lot of places. They make for an easy and fun bait mission before dark. American shad works great too, but I’ve never caught one. I have however found them trapped in rocks and chunked them with great success. Law permits me to keep 6, and an average shad gives me about 4 pieces. A legal scup is 3 for me. And a bunker is 2. An entire article could be written about bait acquisition. I loathe carrying 2 rods, but a sabiki rig or some squid and small hooks is about all it takes. Atlantic mackerel have made a local appearance last 2 years and I am sure they would make for fantastic fresh bait as well. So the next issue is chunk math.
I suffer from bait insecurity. Running out when the gettings good is a devastating feeling. And I tend to go through a lot. I don’t like to use a piece for more than 10 minutes. I change them and I change them often. I want as much blood and guts as possible. Bass have a relatively well developed sense of smell. I’m not even convinced they need their eyeballs anymore. Between that and their advanced lateral line they can hunt in some of the dirtiest and darkest conditions other fish can’t. I no longer worry about “dirty water” as long as weeds aren’t making it impossible. So once a bait has been washed clean by the tide, or crabs have taken the innards I toss it. For a 6 hour tide, at 10 minutes a piece, and 2 chunks per bunker (the head cut on a bias to include some guts, and the belly with the tail removed) 18 bunker is a good goal. I recently got a large (2 gallon?) Sealed jug from CSA member Greg McNamara that holds enough for a whole tide, and has a shoulder strap that allows me to take them with me onto rocks and in water without losing any precious juices. If I cut them in advance I’m sure I could fit more.
There’s 3 ways to lose a chunk that I can avoid. The first is by catching fish. If I run out of bait because I caught lots of fish with 36 pieces great. Non issue. I can run out go home and sleep comfortably. 2nd is cast offs. How you hook the piece can make a difference. Heads I go through the lower jaw and up through the bony nostril area. Belly’s, which are softer, I hook from the bottom. The skin is tougher, and you can also pin some guts in that way. Your tackle choice also helps, but we’ll get to that. 3rd way is scavengers. Crabs, dogfish, skates, and God knows what else will be all over your bait at times. Sometimes I think it actually helps draw attention to your offering. But determining what is a good take, and what is bottom critters, keeps me from setting on small mouthed scavengers that result in me losing bait. I try not to use lead. I don’t want my bait pinned to the bottom. Slowly tumbling, with an occasional lift, and brief settling is my goal. Sort of like working the world’s slowest bucktail. Keeping it moving makes it look more natural and deters these junkfish. I use a VS250 just because it’s what I have, in freespool with my finger on the line at all times. Im waiting for a thump, followed by line coming off the spool. Often I can feel bass playing with, or investigating my offering before actually taking it in and moving off. I don’t feed them very long, but once the lines coming out I get it on the roller, crank as fast as possible until I’m tight, then swing like Babe Ruth. I’ve been told not to set the hook with circles, but it sure seems to help. I suppose this is segwaying into gear and tackle choices, let’s do that.
Hooks. I like em big and wide. The idea behind circles is that they catch the corner of the mouth when a fish takes off. A good percentage of fish I take on them are hooked all over the jaw, a lot of times right in the tip. If you look at the jawbone on a really big fish, it’s wide. So wide even a 30lbs boga won’t fit over it unless you come in from the corner and slide it up. Mustad demon wide gap in 10/0 is a great chunkin hook. I’m sure there’s other great choices. But make sure it’s good and beefy. I’ve broken more inferior hooks than I have line or leader. It’s not a good feeling. Should be noted that paying line to a fish before hooking shouldn’t take long. I just want to make sure it’s actually a bass before I engage. I’ve still gut hooked fish time to time with big inline circles. At least with a j hook you could back it out sometimes. But on circles it’s tough to make that final turn and pop it out when it’s deep. In this case I just cut the line as close to the hook as possible. Your choice in rod can make a big difference in the amount of bait casted off. Fast action rods are not my choice for this. The heavier GSBs and Surf Machine Elites are what I use. And I don’t punch it. Let the rod do the work. I try to put myself into a position where distance isn’t a concern. As mentioned before I don’t use weight often. And when I do 2-3oz is more than enough. If I need more than that I’m fishing artificals. I don’t own an 8 and bait heavy chunkin rod like the sand beach guys prefer. Idk what a bunker head actually weighs, but something rated to 6 or 8 oz does the trick. And bug spray. Bugs love slime. There’s no way to do this without getting covered in essence of bait. Spray down your hat neck, arms, it’s torturous to be stuck with a fish nosing your bait, finger on the trigger, and a swarm of bugs in your face. So that brings us to where and when.
So depending on which way your coming from, get on 95 and get off exit….kidding. Chunking is a seasonal thing for me. If I fish bait after mid July I’m hooking brown sharks more than bass. And come fall the fish are pretty charged up, and I’m throwing plugs. So a really good place to start is just outside of wherever you find bunker in slower water. Your winds and moon phases can dictate where that is. A new moon with wind and tide moving together can render a good chunkin spot useless. A certain wind direction can render a good chunkin spot weed choked. There’s guys who drift chunks in current and do well. That’s just not personally what I do. If I find this scenario and the currents JUST strong enough to make my bait move too fast I’ll throw a small weight on a fishfinder rig. Too much weight and fish seem to be more hesitant to really take it sometimes. They can be quite finicky even with a chunk. When bunker pods aren’t an option, the sides of bars and points often have deeper slower water than work well. The fish may not be stacked up as they often are in the current seams near by, but a big, lazy, scavenging bass may be cruising nearby waiting for slack to move in. I often do this not far from where guys are getting them on plugs in good “fishy” water. Not so close that our casts interfere with one another, or that we can even see eachother, but the same broader areas where you might be fighting for real estate, or showing up early to find parking. Bunker also like really small shallow creeks and coves sometimes. Places where if bass were on them you’d know. The water erupts with every nervous movement. Sometimes just outside of these spots bass will stage in deeper water awaiting their departure. Lots of places that hold fish can be tough to effectively fish with plugs due to current direction. We are limited as shore anglers. And sometimes the fish are upcurrent where most plugs can’t bite into the water. Inside rivers, trees and access can make these situations commonplace. Slowly reeling a weightless chunk from upcurrent just fast enough to maintain contact, or lightly pinning down with weight can make for some great chunkin spots. Incoming tide against wind can slow down river currents as well. And just about anywhere deep enough to conceal a fish, slack low is as good as it gets. It’s a short window. But especially around fast water and structure the biggest laziest fish will often move in to take advantage of easy meals. And it doesn’t get much easier than a chunk. Pretty consistently this small window is when I find the biggest ones.
They may not “count”, it may take a lot of work, my car may smell absolutely disgusting, I may not be able to get the smell off my hands for 3 days, but I look forward to my spring chunking marathons each year, and the solitude, and big fish it brings.