Fishing Estuaries …the forgotten waters New England Saltwater Fishing Show March 10-12, 2017 Capt. Jim Barr Capt. Bob Hines Fishing Estuaries …the forgotten waters Agenda 1.What is an Estuary? 2.Why We Should Fish Estuaries More Frequently 3.Favorite Estuaries in RI, MA and CT 4.Common Characteristics of Estuaries 5.Fish, Forage and Seasons 6.Water & Weather Considerations 7.Understanding Estuary Anatomy, Structure, 8.Resources to understand **Tides & Flows 9. Access and Tackle 10. Safety 11.Fish Shots An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the **open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environments. We’ll take a closer look at these four estuaries latrer Narrow River Pt. Judith Pond Westport River Ninigret Pond Ten of Our Favorite Estuaries 1. Little Narragansett Bay- Stonington, CT 2. Quonnochontaug Pond- Charlestown, RI 3. Ninigret Pond- Charlestown, RI 7 4. Potter Pond- South Kingstown, RI 5. Pt. Judith Pond- Narragansett, RI 6. Narrow River- Narragansett, RI 8 7. 100 Acre Pond/ Palmer River- Warren/ Barrington, RI 8. Kikemuit River- Bristol, RI/ Swansea, MA 9. Westport River- West Branch- Westport, MA 10. Westport River- East Branch- Westport, MA 9/ 10 6 4 3 5 1 2 18 More Great Estuaries Rhode Island Massachusetts • Seekonk River • Taunton River • Watchhemoket Cove • Cole River • Bullocks Cove • Lee River • Nag Pond • Slocum River • Passeonkquis Cove • Occupessatuxet Cove • Greenwich Cove • Green River • Bissel Cove • Winnapaug Pond • Pawcatuck River Connecticut • Little Narragansett Bay • Wequetequock Cove • Stonington Harbor Why We Should Fish Estuaries More Frequently • Productive fishery • Easily Accessible, Intimate and Safe • Wading & Small boat access provides more opportunities • Southern New England has many estuaries • Great flyrod and light tackle waters • Provide early spring and late fall fishing opportunities • Sight Fishing opportunities • Scenic • Provide many of the same type of angling opportunities as freshwater • Great transition opportunity for freshwater anglers wanting to get into saltwater fishing Common Characteristics of Estuaries • Salt ponds, bays, coves, harbors, coastal rivers salt marshes • Commonly found in coastal New England • Fishable by wading, small power boats, kayaks, canoes, even float tubes • Shallow- averaging about 5 feet deep- Safe • Spawning waters for bait fish and a variety of crustaceans • Strong fishing opportunities in the Spring and Fall • Protected from Wind, Waves, and Rough Water • Changing tides, water levels and currents provide a dynamic environment • Similar Structure- sand bars, points, marsh banks, islands, drop-offs, flats Common Characteristics of Estuaries • Angling opportunities are closer to “Hunting” • Perfect for anglers who would rather fish smaller waters • Common forage: Bay Anchovy, Peanut Bunker, Herring, Cinder Worms, Sand Eels, Shrimp, Crabs • Often overlooked & underfished • Winter fishing opportunities in some deeper waters • Multiple and easy access • Excellent fly rod and light tackle waters Species/ Water Temperature (F) 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 Striped Bass 52-68 Bluefish 55-80 Shad 55-68 Bonito 65-75 False Albacore 65+ Forage/ Timing July May June August March October April September Herring/ Alewife Freshwater Spawning Adult Menhaden Sand Eels Silversides Bay Anchovy Water & Weather Conditions Influence Bite • Water clarity is generally lower in estuaries than in the ocean • Give consideration to water clarity. Clear water- fish can see the fly readily. Stained or dark water- brightly colored fly patterns in Chartreuse & fluorescent colors such as yellow, red and orange • Stripers, shad, weakfish will feed in muddy conditions so vary depth of retrieve to locate fish • Bluefish prefer clearer water • Bonito and false albacore- water must be very clear, and will vacate when clarity diminishes • Fish in shallow water are more sensitive to changes in barometric pressure • Cold fronts force fish to vacate shallow water & move to deeper water Water & Weather Conditions Influence Bite • Warm air arriving when water temps are rising to preferred feeding temps- can trigger a bite • Overcast skies & light rain can result in good fishing • Sustained rains resulting in rising rivers that feed an estuary can stain the water, change salinity & shut down fishing temporarily • Calm days improve sight casting, but flat water results in fish feeding less aggressively. They are wary/sensitive to boat traffic & wading anglers • Foggy/ Calm conditions at night or low light will bring fish to the surface • Light winds (10-15 kts) makes fish more aggressive & less wary • As wind speed increases (15-20) fish can become even more aggressive Pt. Judith Pond Narragansett, RI Galilee State Boat Ramp Kayak launch Narrow River Narragansett, RI Ocean House Marina Ninigret Pond Charlestown, RI Shelter Harbor Marina Ninigret Park Charlestown Breachway West Branch East Branch Westport River, MA Westport River, MA Westport River State Ramp Drawing recreated from “Fly Rodding Estuaries- Ed Mitchell” Kickemuit River (Flooded) Pt. Judith Pond Drawing recreated from “Fly Rodding Estuaries- Ed Mitchell” Napatree Point Drawing recreated from “Fly Rodding Estuaries- Ed Mitchell” Ninigret Pond Drawing recreated from “Fly Rodding Estuaries- Ed Mitchell” Quonnochontaug Pond Drawing recreated from “Fly Rodding Estuaries- Ed Mitchell” Potter Pond Drawing recreated from “Fly Rodding Estuaries- Ed Mitchell” Charlestown Breachway Drawing recreated from “Fly Rodding Estuaries- Ed Mitchell” Mill Gut Drawing recreated from “Fly Rodding Estuaries- Ed Mitchell” Drawing recreated from “Fly Rodding Estuaries- Ed Mitchell” Little Narragansett Bay Stonington, CT Ninigret Pond Drawing recreated from “Fly Rodding Estuaries- Ed Mitchell” Quonnochontaug Pond Drawing recreated from “Fly Rodding Estuaries- Ed Mitchell” Resources Charts Moon Stage Charts Tide Correction Tables Tide Tables Lots of Access • Wading - Float tube • Kayaks - Runabouts • Larger vessels Estuary Fly Tackle • 6-8 weight rods- 8-10 ft • Medium size/ mid-to-large arbor reels- salt resistant • Floating fly line • 10-20 lb monofilament tapered leaders • Variety-cinder worm, sand eel, crustacean patterns- 4 to 2/0 • Consider a stripping basket if wading Estuary Fly Patterns Wooly Cinder Worm Foam Worm Fly Hines Waking Pink Cinder Worm Ray’s Fly Jack’s Stone Crab Grass Shrimp Blado’s Crease Fly Clouser Floating Minnow Sand Eel Skok’s Mushmouth Estuary Light Tackle • Medium to medium-fast spinning/ bait casting rods ~ 7ft • Light spinning or bait casting reels • 15-20 lb monofilament or braided line • Soft plastic baits rigged weedless- 3- 6” • Hogy, Sluggo, Fin-S-Fish, Cocahoe Minnow • Small topwater poppers (consider using droppers) Freshwater Poppers re-rigged with salt resistant hardware Sand eels (dark) & Originals (white/pink) in 4.5” to 7” Safety Considerations • Wading belt • Personal Floatation device when wading (lanyard pull type) • Headlamp • Compass • Be aware of rising water levels with incoming tides • Marsh banks are soft, collapse danger, anglers can fall into deep water • Crossing drainage cuts in marshes. Bottoms are often soft, knee-deep mud • Mosquitos & Ticks • Water bottle to stay hydrated • Wide brimmed hats • Sunblock/ sunscreen • Sun glasses/ safety glasses for night fishing • Tether canoes/kayaks when fishing flats Rhode Island Estuary Bass Fishing Estuaries …the forgotten waters New England Saltwater Fishing Show March 10-12, 2017 Capt. Jim Barr Capt. Bob Hines.