PDA

View Full Version : Millstone: A Day Of Combat Fishing!


LUND16
11-20-2000, 01:10 PM
Hello All,
I couldn't take it anymore and made my way down to Millstone on Fri. 17th. I arrived at about 2:30 and was greeted by a guy hooked up with an Albie as soon as I got out of my truck. He lost it soon there after but hooked up again in just a few minutes. He also lost this fish quickly. I decided to give it a try for a while. I left the Flyrod in the truck as this is not the right venue for flying hooks. I was using my St. Croix Wild River rod spooled with 8/12 pound Fusion. I fished the west side discharge for sometime without any action at all and everybody telling me how I should have been there on Wed. or the previous Sat. Well I wasn't there and I wasn't having much luck on this day. I was watching the guys across from the west discharge and they seemed to be hooked up quite regularly. I got curious and finally went over to the east discharge. I hooked up numerous times but could not come close to landing any of these fish. I have fished this spot many times from the boat but this was the first real attempt from shore. The outflow is loaded with submerged rocks and if you hookup a fish you better have some very stout tackle to handle both the huge sizes of these fish and the current, and if you are lucky enough the fish won't cut you off on the rocks. I never landed any fish on Fri. but went back on Sat. morning early much better equipped to handle the fish there and the conditions. I managed 4 Albies landed, 2 tail rapped and 2 that ate my jig. I also caught 2 bluefish. The number of fish I did not land was mind boggling. I finally had to go to 30# test line spliced to the 15# on the reel just to keep from being cut off on the rocks and the tails of the fish. I went back one more time on Sunday with the wife. This time I brought my conventional rod with 24# Fusion spliced to that 20-30 yds. of 30# mono. When we got there a couple of guys from the Vineyard that I had met on Sat. were there and they were both hooked up. This was different from the previous days the wind had died down and there was baby bunker right in the rocks at our feet. It was a matter of snag a bunker flip 10 feet in front of you and hold on. I landed 5 Albies and lost 3. These fish are bruisers nothing like what I see earlier in the fall. I saw fish easily in the 18+ pound range come right up to my feet and feed. Two of the fish I landed easily were in the 12-14 pound bracket. We really had alot of fun until the DEP cop and a NU employee showed up and kicked everybody out of the east discharge area with the warning that this was going to be the last time that he did not give out tickets for trespassing at a cost of $77.00 bucks a piece. Sunday was by far the best day of the three that I had there. I would not call this normal fishing, with all of the boats that are spitting distance from the guys on shore and all of the fishermen on shore you had better be very patient and have a good sense of humor. I would recommend anybody venturing forth not to bring the flyrod, it is very tight quarters and you will not be able to back cast if there is anybody else fishing there, I did see some guys with flyrods hookup and land fish but they all ditched the flyrod for a spinning rod very quickly. There are tempors flaring and rods broken so be forewarned about the fishing conditions that you will face when you get there. There are alot of fish in there as of yesterday, how long they stay is anybodies guess. We watched them on Sat. surfing in the waves by the hundreds. I hope I haven't crushed anybodies notions of this fishery but for late season almost Thanksgiving time fun I think it was worth the effort especially seeing as how the majority of the fish are Albies and big ones at that. Once again I must say it is not a pretty sight but beggars can't be choosers.

Tightlines.............................Striper

bdowning
11-20-2000, 02:42 PM
You're right, those are the biggest albies I've seen all year.

What's the deal on authorized shore fishing areas at Millstone? I thought you could legally fish either discharge channel and it was just parking that was an issue. Is there any so-called *legal* fishing and parking area? No offense, but I'm not interested enough in big albies to risk a 77 $ ticket.

As for daytime combat fishing, you're a better man than I, Gunga Din ;-). Is night fishing permitted or do they patrol and kick people out then too?

-bd


<img src="http://world.std.com/~bdowning/fishing_lg_wte.gif">

LUND16
11-20-2000, 07:22 PM
Bill,
I am not sure what the deal is with the east discharge and access to it. Several months ago I went to the power plant to check it out from shore and find out any info on access. I was very surprised at how I could just drive right into the complex and not be stopped or checked. When I found the discharge (west) there was a security guard watching the guys fishing so I asked him some questions. He told me at that time that fishing on the east side was permitted and that you had to just park in the lab parking lot and go around the gate to access the east discharge. Well obviously that is not the case anymore. They have had ongoing problems with people littering and not following the rules and I think that banning access to the east discharge is just the result of such behavior. I think that the threat of fines is probably a valid one but that the officer was just blowing smoke although I can't say for sure. I was told that they regularly kick people out of the east side. Parking as far as I know is not a problem as long as you stay out of the Lab parking lot on the east side during the week, but that is a moot point if they are enforcing the no trespassing rules on the east side. And from what I know of it is perfectly legal to fish at the power plant as long as you stay on the west side discharge area also known as the Millstone Employee Picnic Grounds and I also believe that you are allowed to fish on the west side of the property facing Niantic Bay. Do not quote me on this but I have noticed people fishing from shore on that part of the property every trip up there. And lastly I agree Bill that it would not be worth $77.00 dollars for a couple of late season Albies, I do plan to give it a try later this winter to see if there are any hold over bass and bluefish, I was told by a young guy there that they both hang out all winter long. I wonder if the Albies will stay all winter due to the lateness of their departure this year? It seems to me that if they were to leave the 75-80 degree water at the outflow and suddenly hit the 45-50 degree water of the open waters that they would have a hard time surviving, what do you think?

Tightlines....................................Stri per

P.S. The fishing at the Plant is permitted 24 hrs. as long as you stay to the areas previously mentioned.

bdowning
11-21-2000, 10:26 AM
Thanks for the info. The west channel looked a lot more inviting in every way, even though nobody seemed to be catching anything there. I can't believe that some fish aren't there to be had from that side, though.

As for albies hanging around all winter, it's hard to say but I would doubt it. Eventually I think the bait will move out and so will they. Doesn't seem like they would survive in water in the 35-45 degree range later this winter. On the other hand, some bass and even blues should take up residence there throughout the winter I would think, just like they do at the other power plant outflows up north. It may not be fast fishing in January, but at least it's something.

-bd


<img src="http://world.std.com/~bdowning/fishing_lg_wte.gif">

vanhave
11-21-2000, 10:43 PM
Wow! What did you use for lures when you used conventional tackle?
Thanks,
vanhave

LUND16
11-22-2000, 12:41 PM
What I used on Sunday with the conventional rod was simple.
My running line which was 24/12 Fusion spliced to that was 30lb. Ande mono tied directly to that was a 3/0 Mustad 34007 flyfishing hook (all I had). What we would do was snag a baby bunker in the rocks and then just flip it out about 10 feet in front of us, it would take only seconds and the Albies would be all over the baby bunker. We also caught extra bunker (my wife was doing the bait catching) and threw them out as chum and the Albies would always come right up and nail them in packs of 3-6 fish. It was fun but definitely not my kind of fishing, but like I said before for late season,last ditch, fishing efforts it ranks right up there with anything else I can think of at the moment.

Tightlines................................Striper

bdowning
11-22-2000, 02:16 PM
They were also doing OK on small white rubber shad jigs too Sunday, although not as effective as the snagged bunker. Hard part is to keep from hanging up on the bottom. Guys were breaking off constantly. Come to think of it, sounds like the Cape Cod Canal! ;);

-bd


<img src="http://world.std.com/~bdowning/fishing_lg_wte.gif">

jettyjockey
11-22-2000, 03:33 PM
bd-
if the east side is the warmwater discharge, seems that it should be the only place to hook up this time of year. some people are posting that the plant is booting people fishing the east discharge...see anyone hooking up on the west side intake??

bdowning
11-23-2000, 10:07 AM
JJ,

The two channels are literally right next to each other (no more than 20 feet of separation) and as far as I know are fed from the same retention lagoon and have the same flow rate. So I think both are warm water. However, virtually everyone is fishing the east channel because as one local put it "that's where all the fish are." But why or even if that's true are a mystery to me!

-bd


<img src="http://world.std.com/~bdowning/fishing_lg_wte.gif">