Help!!!

[Schoolie]

I am new to saltwater flyrodding after enjoying several years of fishing the Farmington River and the Catskills. I have also made a Steelhead trip to Buffalo where I landed a beautiful 8#er and several smaller steelies and browns. My saltwater experience is limited to about a dozen times in my whole life, mostly over the last 2 years with my flyrod.

I have caught fish at the DEP Marina on the CT river, at Griswold Point, (pain in the neck to access without a boat) and at Charlestown Breachway during a spectacular blitz last fall ; THAT was the highlight of my saltwater flyrodding career thus far!! --127-3-

I have read several good and informative books including LL Beans Striper book, Ed Mitchell's Flyrodding the Saltwater Shoreline, Frank Daignault's Striper Hot Spots, I subscribe to several flyfishing magazines, and follow this site as well as CT Fisherman.com, so I have attempted to do my homework.

I am shorebound and on foot. I plan to outfit my GMC Suburban for oversand use and get a RI permit very soon. I am a competent caster and have the requisite equipment including a decent fly selection, an Orvis multi tip line system, and a fine Redington 9' 9wt outfit with a high end Redington large arbor saltwater reel.

This year, I have fished at the West Haven sandbar where I caught a sea robin (#$119) ; I fished from dusk to 1 am briefly at Hammonasset, Soundview, White Sands, and the DEP Marina on the river, and all I caught was seaweed :mad: ; and I just returned from a week at the Cape, where I did not catch any fish but got an education on sight fishing on Monomoy Island and at Marconi Beach, where I fished over numerous large stripers under a bright blue sky!! ;)

My biggest problem seems to be finding fish (DUH! as if I'm the only one!)
It seems that most if not all of the success stories I read about on the internet involve a boat.

I would greatly appreciate any help anyone can offer in terms of where I might have a decent shot at finding fish, and what time of day and stage of tide might be my best for that location.

I realize that this is fishing, not catching, and that you have to put in your time and learn your way, but I seem to be wandering around aimless and fishless, and am becoming very frustrated. I also realize that there are no sure things in fishing, especially in the salt, no matter how skilled or experienced one is.

Better still, I would welcome the opportunity to hook up and fish with someone willing to show a new guy some spots and teach me something about timing and tactics. I'm willing to drive and provide meals and beverages :-%. I am willing to fish in the dark, even overnight, with a partner, but stumbling around on the beach at night alone with no clue as to where or when I should be fishing and not catching anything gets old fast, and is a little creepy too, I must admit.

Even better than that, if anyone out there has a boat and is looking for a fishing partner, I would be willing to pay for at least half the gas, if not more (within reason).

I really want to learn this new dimension of the game, but as I said, I am becoming increasingly frustrated and disillusioned. I realize this is a whole new ballgame. I just need a coach who can point me in the right direction.

Sorry this is so long, and THANKS! for reading it if you've gone this far!
I greatly appreciate any helpful, constructive replies!

Thanks again, Schoolie aka Jim

[SageBoy]

Check your PM.

[gilly09]

Weighing in from Maine. Water temps just dropped and us anglers that don't have boats are some thankful!

Like you, I've fished for years in the freshwater rivers and streams here in Maine. Since I was old enough for the old man to drag me around. At about 10, an uncle had the striped bass bug and I used to tag along in hopes my line would be taught. I have fond memories of being chest deep in the surf with a 10 foot fiberglass rod, tossing plugs and lures in hopes of a whopper. All the time worried a crab would nibble off a toe or a blue fish would take a chunk from my leg.

Through college i flyfished in freshwater over 100 days a year, and made a few trips to upstate new york myself. Fished the Salmon and Oswego Rivers, the battenkill, the ausible, and every blue ribbon trout/salmon fishery withing driving distance of my home in Cape Elizabeth. to this day i say pound for pound those steelies are the hardest pulling fish i've caught.

However, now at age 30 I have two kids and a wife and the amount of windshield time I get to hit those blue ribbon waters up north is limited. For the past 7 years I'd say, "boy i have to get out and get to such and such spot up north." yet I live less than 1 mile from some of the best inshore action in the state, and was overlooking it.

Relying on some of my fond memories of the surfcasting, and my love affair with flyfishing, I asked the wife to rig me up for saltwater as a xmas gift a few years back.

My advice to you would be to pick a smaller estuary. One smaller than the Salmon River. Something that runs through a marsh. give it hell from two hours before low tide right through low tide (at the mouth of the river). Most of the locals that fish the river will be handy and ask questions. what's it like up river when the tides are changing, how's the access, what's the fishing like.....blah, blah, blah.

I float an estuarty in a canoe. it's a 2 mile paddle from just near the house to the mouth of the river at the beach. I try to time it for 2 to 3 hours before low tide. What's nice about getting a bit of an early start is most of the sandbars are very visible. it's handy to tie the canoe around the waist, wade that sandbar in knee deep water and fish the rips on the opposing undercut bank. After a couple of smaller fish, and long sandbars I just head to the mouth. at the mouth the birds are pounding the water. my wife brings a spinning rod, with a few hooks. catches either a hermit crab, crab, shrimp, or sandeel and simply fishes with the natural bait that's in the water.

It seems to me through my experiences that most of the smaller saltwater rivers are loaded with sand eels. the old gummy eel slaughters the schoolies. Larger fish are rare but a much better chance for them at the mouth of the river.

One last thing. Low light conditions seem to be the key. Early am, and golden hour are great fishing, overcast days work great too. :-%

A guide here in maine that i know puts his clients on fish quite a bit. www.veronaislandcharters.com. website is just under construction, a bit rough, but hey, we live in gods country, not silicon valley.

tight lines,
gilly

[Schoolie]

Gilly, Thanks for your response and advice! I'll look for some spots to apply your suggestions and give it a whirl. Thanks again!

Jim aka Schoolie