Striper Structure And Fluke Flats
Fishers Island, located off the eastern end of Connecticut, is worthy of inclusion in any list of the fishy islands of the Northeast.
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The south side of Fishers Island is a well-known fish producer, capable of providing big numbers of stripers and trophy-sized fish as well.
The south side of Fishers is abutted by deep water, allowing anglers to pull a boat in tight to fish along the shoreline without having to worry about dinging a prop on a submerged rock. Cast soft plastics, eels, and wooden swimming plugs among the islands boulders, especially at dawn, dusk, and in the dark. Bass are nocturnal creatures, and as the sun sets, the lack of light draws them into shoal water where they scrounge for small lobsters and other munchies.
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Be aware that slack tide and the start of current are not one and the same, and use the current feature on your C-MAP chart (circled above) to schedule your trip around favorable current periods. While the island can be full of fish while the current is running, it can also be dead when the current is at a standstill.
Isabella Beach has earned its reputation as a summer flounder hotspot. Consistently in fishing reports throughout the season, it is also a place where quality can be found right alongside quantity. The key to success here is finding the right depth to drift because the fish can be anywhere from 20 feet out to 100. Use your chart plotter to mark your drifts and try to narrow down the areas where you pick up keeper-sized fluke. If you identify a productive depth, you can plan drifts along a contour line to target that depth.
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At Isabella, there is always the opportunity to make a combo trip of the day. The rocky bottom near Wilderness Point (marked as A above) is also good porgy water, and there will often be sea bass mixed in as well. Casting plugs or eels at first light for stripers in tight to the island and then changing over to bottom fishing during the day is just one of many options available.
Study your map, as there are wrecks to explore nearby that can be good options for sea bass during slack tide. These range in depth from 80 to 120 feet and are not that far removed from some of the deeper fluke water at Isabella.
Both your port of departure and the state waters you will be fishing must be considered, as Fishers Island itself is in New York, but many anglers come from Connecticut and Rhode Island. Always abide by the strictest season and length limits of any of the states you will be traversing.
Hi,
I appreciate your upbeat article about the fishing out there but have to respectfully disagree, whenever I go out there there are no fish at all and we get skunked. Its also so far to get out there, anyway for what its worth to anyone else reading this, go to your local spot where you are guaranteed to catch a couple keeps and have some fun while not wasting valuable dollars on gasoline, food, and anything else that you bring out on a trip. After all, your trying to actually catch fish right? This spot the gentleman wrote the article about is the last place to go if you are in the mood to catch a fish, seriously.
Seriously, Fishers island, ocean side is almost as good as block island for stripers. maybe better at times. probably one of the top five spots for bass in the northeast. You must fish the tides and find the rock piles that they are holding on. You may have to try 6 -10 places, but when you find them, well, hang on. Tube and worm or live baits.
Well sorry to hear you got skunked. I’ve fished.there for years and slay the stripers every time I go. I’ve had multiple fish over 40 inches and even a couple 50 inches. And hundreds of fish in the 30’s and mid 30’s. Probably the greatest spot around.
When is the best time for stripers Incoming or outgoing in your experience and which depths? The 70’s or over 100ft Txs
I fish the South side of Fishers starting before Memorisl Day into early November. I target bass, blues and Albies on fly rods. I have been consistently fishing the island for over40 years. I like the outgoing tide best, however I have had good results on incoming water. Anytime you can get on the water is best. I wrote an article for New England Fly Fishing a few years back, may want to read. Captain Bob Salerno
Capt. Bob Salerno. You’re for hire, right? Where are you out of?
Is a 18foot robalo with a 150merc. outboard good enough to go from watchhill point south side of fishers island without getting into trouble?
I miss all the tinker mackeral that used to come in by the millions when I use to fish jamestown as a kid.I went camping every weekend and watched the fish get bigger through out the summer there were so many chasing silversides looked like it was raining! And the mackeral were so thick you could walk on the water.What happened? I am 56now so that was48years ago.
ive been fishing there for 50yrs and never caught nothing under 50 lbs ever, they are all over 50lbs and up.
LOL, all over 50 Pounds.
Thats a good one.
He meant 5 pounds.
To the guy who says he slays fishers every time.. ‘Yahhh.. ok pal’
Is we feel that there are fish on the South side of Is Fisher’s islandwe try to go on Isabel beach area all the way out to a 100′ of water and is and so far has not been spectacular but neither are we