Saltwater Fishing the New England States

For the past few years I have made a pilgrimage across the Atlantic Ocean to fish the saltwater environment off the New England coastline. During that time I have fished many from Rhode Island down to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. As a youngster I had known about Chesapeake when I was given a six month old Chesapeake Bay retriever dog in 1949. In the late 1800’s early 1900’s Chesapeake off the Maryland coast was world famous for its duck hunting and bass fishing. In 1950 Joe Brooks one of the legends of American sports fishing had his book Salt Water Fly Fishing published by Putnam. I was immediately captured by the article on the striped bass, then in 1968 Harper Row published Joe Brooks book Salt Water Game Fishing again the bass gripped my attention.

On page 206 Brooks writes - Frank Woolner Editor of the Salt water Sportsman took 14 stripers over 40lbs in weight in one day. My interest in striped bass fishing increased dramatically. My mind was made up in 1973 when I walked into a second hand book shop and picked up a copy of Modern Saltwater Sports Fishing by Frank Woolner. Having read the book from cover to cover about three times in about two weeks I realised I had to go and fish for the stripers off the New England coastline. I was captivated by the stories and romance of this salt water sports fish.

My first few trips chasing striped bass were to Chesapeake Bay Maryland, after flying into Baltimore, I collected my bags and rod case from the carousel. Exiting the airport I was met by an old friend Brandon White. After checking into my hotel, Brandon and I went off for dinner where the conversation was all about stripers. During those first few days we caught fish on flies and lures. Certainly a wonderful experience Brandon was an excellent teacher and very knowledgeable about the bass, also their movements in Chesapeake Bay where fishing is only open only during the month of April.

We fished with flies and plastic catching our share of bass with some good ones, I well remember Tom McMurrey catching a thirty pound plus carp on a vivid green plastic worm. Sometimes we worked the shoreline casting flies into two feet of water. Other times we fished well out in the bay or around bridge supports. Sometimes close to old wrecks. There was something happening on the water all the time. If we were not catching there were plenty of sea birds and ducks to look at.

During that first trip I then spent a couple of days visiting the many museums in the area which featured the duck hunting history in the late 1900’s and early 20th Century. With other enthusiasts I took a step back in time, We looked at and discussed the exhibits of hand carved duck decoys, various shot guns including black powder muzzle loaders, duck hunting punts, with their large single bore guns and the many pictures depicting wildfowl and duck hunting scenes that adorned the walls.

Arriving home from my first taste of striper fishing I made the decision to spend at least one week a year fishing for these great fish. The second year I was back for another ten days. Once again Brandon White was my guide. Just before my arrival he had acquired a new flats boat, equipped with all the latest technology including a virtually silent engine. It was the perfect boat for Chesapeake. We had some great fun and I met a new bunch of striper fans including one guy who was a member of the security team on Air force One The Presidential Jet.

Until American Airlines started a daily service from Manchester to Boston between May and October which covers the best times of the year for striper fishing, I would have to take two flights, unless I wanted to fly from Heathrow or Gatwick. This of course entailed a long drive south. For the last three years I have been able to leave Manchester at 10 o’clock in the morning, arriving in Boston just after 12 noon. Then having picked up a hire car I can be at striper fishing location within an hour.

Over the years I have fished for stripers from many locations between Rhode Island down to Maryland, but these days I fish Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut. At Rode Island you can fish off the coast or the inside bays, Narragansett Bay offers excellent fishing for stripers and bluefish. From my experience if your looking for a guide in this area there is only one to consider, that is Captain Jim White email:whiteghos 1@ aol.com www.whiteghostcharters.com

Massachusetts has a lot to offer the saltwater fly fisher, three locations spring to mind Cape Cod and the offshore islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. I well remember fishing the flats at Cape Cod with Capt. Andrew Cummings
E-mail Address [email protected] and being surrounded by dozens of big stripers and bluefish, in the gin clear water It was great watching a striper or blue savage a fly, its something special.

My third location is Eastern Long Island Sound where in 1992 an angler caught a striped bass of 75 pounds from New Haven harbour, the third largest striper on record. When I fish this area of Connecticut I choose to fish with Captain Dixon Merkt author and writer, Dixon is also a very enthusiastic duck and goose hunter with a great knowledge on the history of duck and goose decoys. E-mail:[email protected] Tel from the UK 001 860-227-3616 You can of course write PO Box 994 Old Lyme CT 06371 USA. All three guides mentioned are very good, they have excellent fishing and boat handling skills. All three supply top class tackle for both fly fishing and light tackle fishing with lures..


David Jones of Bury and me arrived in Old Lyme ten hours after leaving Manchester airport, after picking up the hire car in Boston we headed south on I 95 A pleasant drive of less than two hours to Dixon Merkt’s house in Lyme. Where we were greeted by Carol, Dixon, children David, James and Lisa plus three dogs a black Labrador, a King Charles Spaniel and a Beagle. After the usual welcome and a mug of tea the conversation turned to fishing. Dixon said “The False Albacore known as Albies arrived two days ago and there are plenty of bass and bluefish also the forecast is good for the next few days” It was the news we had wanted to hear. David is a great fan of the albies while my first choice fish is the striper. Having said that I enjoy catching any fish.

It was a perfect day to go afloat light winds from the SSE high water at midday a blue sky and warm sunshine. It was just after ten o’clock when we slipped our mooring at Old Lyme on the mouth of the Connecticut river. A few hundred yards further downstream and we pass under the railway bridge into the sound. On my port side there is a large salt marsh where I could see several groups of ducks, a couple of egrets, a big skein of geese flew off down the sound, along the shoreline were various gulls and other wading birds worked the tide line. Suddenly an osprey swooped down and lifted a fish off the edge of the marsh. A light wind ruffled the surface. David and me had two rods, we both used Thomas and Thomas, a Helix 9 foot nine weight with a Cortland ghost tip line to which I had attached with an Albright knot a nine foot Frog Hair leader with a tippet of 12lbs my other rod was an Horizon 9 foot nine weight matched with a Teeny 300 grain shooting head. The latter rod a faster action than the Helix which I would use should the wind get above twenty knots. David had had chosen a Teeny 350 on one outfit, with a floater on his other rod. He had on a nine foot leader with a 12lb tippet. Dixon gave David a Deceiver fly to use.

On Dixon’s advice I tied on a size 2 white and chartreuse Clouser minnow to complete the Helix outfit. Fifteen minutes from the mooring slip, Dixon throttled back the engine then we moved within casting distance of the shoreline. I made a cast dropping the fly inches from the grass. Two short strips, then a fish hit, strip striking I connected with my first bass of the trip, within seconds David hooked a bass. As Dixon poled us along the marsh we caught several more bass and of course missed some. Dixon said “Wind in we are moving” Turning the ignition key the motor hummed into life, then increased in sound as the motor was opened up. Our guide soon had us skimming across the sound towards the Teapot Lighthouse. Nearing the lighthouse I could see lots of diving birds, several small boats were moving into position. Dixon throttled back, the bows dipped I could see bait fish crashing out the water. Dixon said “Albies, blues and stripers, its not often you see all these fish together. If you hook a blue it will bite you off.” Blues being of the piranha family having a mouthful of razor sharp teeth.

Dixon shouted and pointing at 3 o’clock “Look some big stripers” I decided to use my Horizon rod with the sink tip and a size 3/0 Deceiver. Pulling off some fifty sixty feet of line I made a long cast, I quickly retrieved the line back in the boat. I was now ready for action. With the fly in my left hand, I watched the water looking for one of those bass “Off the bow one o’clock forty feet” said Dixon, I made one false cast then shot the line, after making several nine to twelve inch strips, I felt a savage hit. A firm strip strike connected with a very angry fish that went off like a greyhound. The reel whirred as all my fly line disappeared then I am into the backing. Down deep in the water I could feel the head shaking from a good fish. For a few minutes the fish might have been the winner. I would get some line back, the fish would take some back but I was at least getting as few inches each time Slowly the fish was slowing up in its effort to break me off or get rid of the size 3/0 barbless hook. Slowly I was pumping the fish towards the surface, fifteen feet below the surface the fish dived I was forced to give line. Twenty feet of line disappeared. Slowly foot by foot I retrieved it all. As the leader appeared I could see the fish. It was a good one, perhaps a twenty pounder I hoped. I retrieved the leader until I had the fish on the surface, It had a mouth like a bucket. Dixon leaned over the gunwale and grabbed the leader then my fish by the bottom lip and lifted it clear of the water. Reaching for his Bogo grip he weighed the fish saying 22lbs. I punched the air saying “Yes that will do me” Dixon shot a couple of pics then we watched the fish swim off hopefully to grow into a forty pounder.

Meanwhile David was fighting a good albie. Checking my leader and hook point I made another cast. Counting to three I started my retrieve, on my second strip I felt a hit then set the hook. I was into another good bass. Several minutes later Dixon lipped another good bass. It weighed 18lbs. It was one of those good days. Meanwhile David had landed his albie. All was quiet, the bait fish had gone. We moved off looking for more fish.

During the day we fished several shore marks catching more bass averaging some five to six pounds, I also had a bluefish, thankfully hooked in the scissors Dixon then called “Albies” Offshore we could see diving birds and swirling fish. Soon we were within casting range. David and me quickly had a double hook up on our first casts. These fish quickly had us well into our backing, then it was a real tug of war. You never know when an albie is tired. It’s a fish that never wants to give up. It might have been ten minutes before Dixon had a chance to tail David’s fish estimated about 8lbs. Meanwhile my fish was getting near the surface, suddenly the leader appeared I could see the fish. Dixon said “That’s a good albie Martin” as he grabbed the fish by its tail, swinging it aboard. I took out the barbless hook. Dixon picked up the Bogo grip then weighed the fish at just over 10lbs A good fish for this part of the ocean. When they get further south to Harkers Island North Carolina in a months time it would probably weigh fifteen pounds, perhaps twenty. We had several more albies, suddenly as quick as it started, the action was over. The bait fish had gone and with them the albies. It was back to the shoreline looking for bass. All to soon the fishing was over for the day. We cruised back to the mooring site in the setting sun three happy anglers.

Rhode Island and Narragansett Bay

Our next destination was Rhode Island with Captain Jim White photographer, author and writer, From Old Lyme it was an hours drive up I 95 then exit 7 left at the traffic lights and your at the Hampton Inn, where a double room will cost just $89-00 a night, with the exchange rate of $1-76 to the pound it was good value and you get breakfast. After checking in, we went across the road to a diner for supper. Then it was back to our room for an early night. Jim was picking us up at five in the morning. He was spot on time, on the way to East Greenwich boat dock we stopped off for coffee and a bacon sandwich at Dunkin’ Donuts. We were robbed. My piece of bacon was the size of a fifty pence piece. It tasted horrid. Fifteen minutes after leaving our hotel we were pulling into the car park on East Greenwich dock.

Standing on the quayside looking east, the first glimmer of the false dawn could be seen, a few gulls drifted to and fro looking for a tit bits, It was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. Jim quickly had the boat ready to go. Assembled rods had been stowed in racks, cameras, tape recorders etc were stowed in waterproof lockers, I flipped the bow rope free Jim slowly backed the Triton Centre Console with its 225 Honda outboard away from the berth. This boat is equipped with Lowrance LX-104c fish finder, GPS, Radar, VHF, Cell Phone with bathroom on board. Jim is a USCG Licensed, Insured, Drug Tested. And on the Pro Staff for Triton/Honda Marine, Thomas & Thomas Fly Rods, Quantum Pro Staff, and Lunker City Lures. You can rest assured the tackle Jim has on board for your use is top class.

East Greenwich dock with its hundreds of moored yachts, reminded David and me of the River Dart in Devon. Today the plan of action was to move into the lower end of the Providence River then fish Snake Fly Cove for bass and bluefish. David and me had fished this area for the past three years with Captain Jim White who in my book he is the only guide to fish with. Jim’s a full time guide, not just weekends. The mans a true professional. One guide fishes from a flat boats, these boats are not suited to these waters unless you guaranteed light winds and you stay in the bays, you certainly wouldn’t want to go out on the ocean. If the wind should kick up around fifteen knots you could have a very bumpy and wet trip. Booking a guide, then go with the professionals.

Fifteen minutes after leaving the dock we cruised into in a beautiful cove Two hundred yards of our bow I could see birds wheeling and diving into the calm clear water, I said to Jim "Birds at two o'clock” Jim had already seen them and was changing course towards the feeding fish. I pulled line off the reel. ready to shoot a size 2/0 white Lefty Kreh Deceiver, I could see the water boiling as fish swirled and slashed into the baitfish, birds were diving and screaming. The bass were in a savage feeding mode. It must have been a killing zone below the calm surface of the cove. Bass were savaging the bait, while on the surface sea birds were in on the kill. There was no escape for the bait. All they could do was get into a big ball and hope. The fish were in feeding frenzy, tearing into anything that moved. Dead and dying baby peanut bunker or small menhaden were scattered every where. Half a dozen cormorants joined in the feast. I made a sixty foot cast, as the fly hit the water I started to strip back. Suddenly, the line stopped. I set the hook looking towards the stern I could see David was into a fish. For the next thirty or forty minutes we followed those bass around the bay, with fish hitting Deceivers, Poppers and Clousers. Then it was all over.

As we sat talking seventy four year old Gene Matteson a guy who fishes over 200 days a year pulled alongside to say good morning. We chatted for some twenty minutes or more about fishing, as we chatted I was keeping on eye on the water looking for feeding fish. Suddenly Jim said “Diving birds two hundred yards at three o’clock. Lets go” We said good bye to Gene then moved off towards the birds, Jim said “Look at that big ball of flat sided menhaden often called bunker or pogy its huge”

These bait fish were between one and two pound, bluefish were savaging the baits, chunks of menhaden floated on the surface. I picked up my nine weight Thomas and Thomas Horizon with its Teeny 350 line to which I attached a wire trace. With a haywire twist I attached a size 4/0 red and white Clouse minnow. Pulling of some fifty foot of line I made a long cast to the outside of the baitfish I let it sink several feet then made three, long foot strips, a fish hit. I set the hook with a firm strip strike line was savagely pulled from my hand and shot through the guides followed by more fly line from the reel. A minute or two later good fish cart wheeled from the water in a shower of spray, then dived. I was down to the backing in seconds, This was a powerful fish. The rod tip was pulled down forcibly towards the water and stayed there.

I piled on the pressure, gaining a few yards of line, suddenly the fish would shake its head and take it all back. My mind went to the wire trace . Would the Haywire twist hold, were the nail knots tied properly, were they going to hold? These were questions going through my mind. I looked around, all the birds had gone all was silent, except for the sound of waves slapping against the hull or the reel giving or taking line. But slowly I was beating this powerful fish. A few minutes later I had a good bluefish in the boat. I let Jim handle this critter with its razor sharp teeth. The
flat sided menhaden were balled up so tight it was a job trying to get a fly down to the bluefish. Having foul hooked several of these bait fish, then seeing them bitten in half by the bluefish, we moved away.

As we all stood talking Jim pointed out a group of diving squealing sea birds some hundred yards away. An area of about an acre in size was a mass of bait fish, slashing bluefish and fish eating birds were in on the feast. Jim eased the boat within casting position so that David and me could get in a good cast. A few minutes later I had a hook up, glancing to the stern I could see David was also in action. Despite an increase in the wind strength often gusting at twenty five knots we had a hook up on every cast, though we did lose some. This was fishing at it's best. Its what you get when your out with Captain Jim White. In the next two hours David and me hooked and boated forty four good size bluefish. Of course we lost a few. You couldn’t wish for better fishing. Some of the greatest fly fishers and writers from the east coast including Lefty Kreh, Nick Curcion, Bob Popovics and others have fished with Capt Jim, Don Blanton from California has fished with this guy. We can’t all be wrong. In Rhode Island he is without doubt the best in the business.See pictures