Intro | Favorite Four | Seasons | Gear | Long Island Map (3.47 MB .pdf)

Picking Your Tackle
A 9-foot, 9-weight outfit is ideal for the Sound; however, a selection of rods will make your adventures more fun. Here's what I recommend, from light to heavy.

Size 4 to 1/0 epoxy flies (shown above) work best for bonito and little tunny and are durable enough for bluefish.

Hickory shad on light 4- to 6-weight rods are a blast. I have taken them on tiny 2-weights, but a 4- or 5-weight is the most practical choice. Where striped bass and bluefish run small (21/2 to 31/2 pounds), a 6-weight rod works better. These light rods are no match for stiff breezes, so only use them in protected areas--where the small fish tend to be anyway.

For school bass and blues less than seven pounds, a 7- or 8-weight outfit is fine. An 8-weight is also ideal for bonito. Boaters may want a heavier outfit because neither rod has the lifting power necessary to raise a big fish out of deep water.

For little tunny, big bonito, stripers, and blues over ten pounds, use a 9- or 10-weight outfit. I prefer the 10-weight, particularly when I'm in a boat. It has sufficient backbone to steer a strong fish out of a swift current or lift it from the deep.

If you plan to soak foot-long flies for monster bass, especially in the deep, swift waters of The Race, use an 11- or 12-weight outfit; otherwise sticks this heavy are of little practical use.

A weight-forward, slow-sinking intermediate line is the single most useful fly line in the Sound. Use it wherever the fish are feeding within ten feet of the surface. I like the clear AirFlo 7000T Series, but others also work. The next line to have, especially for boaters, is a fast-sinking line (full-sinking) that drops five or six inches a second. Use it where fish hold deep or in fast-moving water. Floating lines are useful in water depths of five feet or less. They work well with poppers and sliders, and for the worm hatch.

Keep your leaders simple, stout, and short. Regardless what size outfit you use, an 8 1/2-foot leader is a good general-purpose length. For fast-sinking lines, five feet is plenty.

Make your leaders with no more than three sections. For 4- to 6-weight lines, use a 20-pound-test butt section and taper it to an 8-pound-test tippet. For 7- and 8-weight lines, start with a 30-pound-test butt and taper it to 10-pound-test. For 9- and 10-weight lines, use 40-pound-test butt and taper it to 12- or 15-pound-test. For 11- and 12-weight lines, use a 40-pound-test butt and taper it to 20-pound-test tippet.

Reels capable of holding your fly line and at least 100 yards of 20-pound backing are adequate for hickory shad, weakfish, and school bass and blues. For bonito, little tunny, and bigger bass and blues, 200 yards of 20-pound backing is the minimum requirement (250 yards is better).

You need few flies to fish the Sound effectively. Start with #1/0 Deceivers and #1/0 Clouser Minnows. For murky water, use chartreuse. Where the water is not murky, use green or blue over white. After dark, use black. Next, add smaller and larger versions of these two flies in the same colors. Bigger versions (six to seven inches long, #2/0-#3/0) are for working over big fish (boaters locate them with a fish finder). If you fish with something lighter than a 7-weight, use smaller versions.

Poppers are fun to fish and can save the day. The Sound has abundant small menhaden, and when the bass and blues focus on them, a popper gets results. Sliders may work the same magic; they are good fish getters, even for bonito and little tunny. These surface flies can be any color, but fluorescent ones are easiest to track.

During a worm hatch, many red patterns work, but sometimes the fishing can be challenging and you need a fly that matches the worm. The worms expand and contract like rubber bands, so you can tie them from one to three inches long. Perhaps the most popular worm fly in the Sound is Page Rogers's Velvet Cinder Worm.

In moving water, fish the worms with a down-and-across swing. In water with no current, fish them dead-drift under an indicator or as a dropper on a slider pattern. Retrieve the slider to where you think there is a fish, then fish the rig dead-drift.

Size #4 to #1/0 epoxy flies work great for bonito and little tunny. There are many patterns for these fish; be sure to try Mystic Bay's Hardbody Shiner.

Regulations and Access
Long Island Sound fishing regulations vary from one side to the other and from year to year. Check the current regulations covering the waters you will fish. If you fish up coastal rivers, you may need a freshwater license, even if you practice catch-and-release. Check the regs before you head out. Contact the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Marine Headquarters, (860) 434-6043, www.dep.state.ct.us/bunatr/fishing, and the New York DEC, (800) 332-7347.

Shore access to Long Island Sound is limited and subject to many restrictions. Parking fees and permits costing as much as $10 to $15 may be required, especially during the summer tourist season. Check with local tackle shops to learn about the access points mentioned here, and get a copy of the Connecticut Coastal Access Guide from state tourist information centers or the DEP, (860) 424-3034. Access in early spring and late fall--when the fishing is best--is usually easy.