Shaffer's Bait & Tack

“The Flat and the Furious”


Fluke catches this season seem to at an all time high. Take your pick, the Mystic River, Fishers Island Sound, or Misquamicut Beach the fish are undoubtedly here in numbers and size. The pre Forth of July weekend brought fish weighing in to the double digits and several in the five to eight pound range as well. Shaffer’s Bait and Tackle in Mystic has had the best-reported catches on a combination of both squid and frozen spearing, (shiners). Buy the squid whole and cut it in strips, or splurge on the precut ones, which are scented to improve your chances. Both are effective, but the scented strips will lend you more time to fish as opposed to giving a biology lesson on squid, to all on board. To those of you thinking that you don’t need both, just think of how much effort you have already gone through to get that line in the water. Boat maintenance, fuel costs, travel, insurance, etc. Don’t cheat yourself here. Which reminds me to warn all those still fishing with last year’s line. Line is cheap so you don’t have to be.
Modern travel and shipping have also changed the way we fish today. Did you ever think you would be fishing with squid from Peru, or spearing from China? Imported baits have provided the American fisherman with lots of choices. Shaffer’s stocks as many as five varieties of squid, and two types of silversides. Those seeking the proverbial doormat prefer using the larger Peruvian spearing.
After a few years of observing the human fishing habits and other onboard tendencies. I decided to stick with the common fluke rig, consisting of a hook, spinner blade, and a skirt of any sort. The rig is convenient to use in the sense that you can vary the amount of weight used. Typically 2 to 4 ounce bank weights. Combined with the proper weight and kept close to the bottom at a steady drift, the rig will most always yield a fluke catch.
Striped bass catches have been fair with some room for improvement. Chunking methods or live eel drifts have had more success, while the top water action seems to be a little behind. Trolling around Fisher’s Island with a tube and worm has also proved to be a good bet.
Small Bluefish have shown up just about everywhere, including the east side of Mason’s Island. Come on down and try you luck at the newly renovated Mason’s Island Causeway. The bridge has already been enjoyed by many and also has proved to be a good fishing location.

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"If ya aint bouncing off a rock now and then, ya aint striper fishin".