The June membership meeting will be held at 7 PM, Wednesday, 3 June 2026, at the Surf Club in Madison. The Surf Club is located in Surf Club Park at 87 Surf Club Rd, Madison, CT 06443.
Our speaker this month will be tom Fuccini of Tsunami. Tsunami offers a wide range of surfcasting equipment.
We are planning to have another fishing outing, this time to White Sand Beach in Old Lyme. We will meet in the Town Parking lot at White Sand Beach between 6:00 and 6:30 PM and walk out to the Grey House on the point to the west. Low tide will be at 6:19, so we will be fishing the incoming into dusk.
At this time of year decent fish could very likely be around. If you want schoolies bring some white plastics and Mag Darters. Otherwise use needlefish, bigger swimmers and don’t leave home without some 12” Sluggos or live eels. I’m not kidding.
So far, the weather looks good, with a funky little southeast wind that would be OK for right handed fly fishermen, like myself. Waders and a top will keep you dry.
Directions:
Getting off Rt. 95 take Rt.156 Neck Rd. which soon becomes Shore Rd heading south and then east for about 3 miles. After crossing the Black Hall River look for Old Shore Rd. on the right. Take the right and in about a half mile look for White Sand Beach Rd. on the right and take that. Go slowly through the somewhat less than friendly neighborhood until you come to the beach parking lot. You are there.
On Wednesday, May 13 we plan to rendezvous at Sandy Point, West Haven, meeting in the Sandy Point metered parking lot starting around 6:00 - 6:30. We can fish all evening but must be out of the lot by 11:00 PM. The club will pick up the metered parking tab.
This is a pretty good place to fish. Waders are needed so you can get out into the water. We generally fish light tackle using 5” white plastics, small swimmers like mag darters, etc. Hopefully the fish will cooperate. In any case, we‘re able to get out on the water, get some exercise and fresh air and meet with friends. See you there!
Click image for Google Maps link
2026 Weakfish regulation for Connecticut
Parking lot
Grassy Trail parking lot entrance
We had a great turnout for our first club outing of the season!
Members arrived at different times as traffic allowed. Thus, we didn’t all gather in the parking lot at the same time. However, it looks like about a dozen of us made it, a good turnout.
Hiking in
Approaching the Housatonic
Lined up in the current
Early season success
Hello my little friend!
Hello all. I just want to note that I have simply stolen last year’s entry concerning our annual Smith Point trip. I did this for a couple of reasons:
1. I’m lazy - I see no need to re-invent the wheel :-)
2. The original author did a wonderful job. The description is highly informative while remaining concise - I certainly couldn't have improved upon it.
I’ll also note that this outing was my first interaction with the club and its members. It was a wonderful experience, where I met a group of welcoming people who were willing to share their considerable knowledge of the area.
Thus I would encourage anyone who can to attend. It is a great way to welcome spring after a long winter and perhaps catch your first striper of 2026.
Our first fishing outing of the year is traditionally at Smith’s Point (Milford Point), accessed through the Connecticut Audubon Coastal Center in Milford. We will be meeting April 18th, at 4:30pm in the Audubon Coastal Center parking lot and walking out to the Housatonic River from there. This is where winter holdovers (usually schoolie stripers, but there can be some decent fish at times) are usually plentiful before moving outside into the Sound. This is a great spot for beginners to learn how to catch fish in waders, and others to knock the dust off your rods and start the season. The address is: 1 Milford Point Road, MIlford, CT.
If you get therea little late, go to the marsh side of the building (to the right side of the building), Step down over the edge of the marsh and walk out to the dunes separating the marsh from the river, about a half mile out. You'll see a path, usually flanked by rope to keep people out of the bird nesting areas. Follow it about 20 feet and you'll see the river, with fishermen doing fishing, because that's what fishermen do. Come down and fish.
Typical lures that catch well are 3/8 or 1/2oz jig heads with Zoom Flukes (I like the White Ice color) or paddle-tail shads in white or chartreuse. Plastic subsurface swimmers such as Yo-Zuri Mag Darters or Crystal Minnows will also catch, and some years even small pencil poppers might take a few fish. Fly fishermen will use Lefty’s Deceivers (I like blue over white with a few strands of pink on the sides) or Clouser Deep Minnows. Whether using lures or flies, the suggestions above usually produce, but bring a few of your favorites to try, it may prove effective.
Please stash a garbage bag in your gear and use it to haul out a bit of trash on the way back in. There's never any shortage of that along the high tide line, and the folks at the Audubon Coastal Center really appreciate it when we spend a little effort on cleaning it up.. Take a picture of your bag and send it to me, I'll make sure the center gets it. They've always been great to us and guarantee our access , let's return a favor.
Click on the images for more information
Demo Day 2025 will be at the usual location, Clinton Town Hall (entrance around the left side/back of the building). Saturday, January 18th - doors open to the public at 9am. 54 East Main Street, Clinton CT
Our annual weakfish outing at the West Haven sandbar has changed!!!
New date is Tuesday, May 28 at the Charles Island sand bar (Milford). Plan on meeting 6:30 – 7:00 at either the Silver Sands State Park parking lot. DEEP is coordinating with us to allow club attendees park in the Silver Sands employee’s lot closest to the pavilion. We should have confirmation of this great parking opportunity well before Tuesday the 28th.
Charles Island fishes best on the drop. Low tide on Tuesday the 28th is 9:54PM. See you all then.
A May Charles Island Weakfish
Our next meeting is Wednesday night March 6th, 7 PM at the Madison Old Town Hall
A great time to get together with other members and shake some of the dust from your equipment (and maybe your casting arm). Saturday, April 27th - taking advantage of the dropping tide. Milford Smith’s Point Audubon
More details to follow soon, but if you’re interested in joining our crew to the famed Cuttyhunk surfcasting grounds, this is your chance!
Thursday, June 6 through Sunday the 9th
What should be in your bag to increase your chances of success this fall? Find out all the secret weapons used by some of the club's best sharpies Mike Mullen, Kevin Schwatlow and Pat Vogt. This month's meeting will be held at the Surf Club on August 2 at 7 pm. Don't miss the opportunity to get the inside track on the plugs best suited for the fall run!
What's in your bag?
Ron Arra is scheduled to be the guest speaker at the June meeting. Ron is a 5-time United States Distance Surfcasting Champion, professional surfcasting and fly casting instructor, best selling author, and world renowned angler. Arra is also the author of two best-selling books, "The Ultimate Guide to Surfcasting", and "Power Surfcasting”— published by Globe Pequot Press. Ron’s instructional video entitled "Surf Fishing & Distance Casting” was also critically acclaimed.
Come on down to the Surf Club in Madison at 7pm on June 7th to improve your casting distance with one of the best in the sport!
Peter Jenkins from the Saltwater Edge will be doing a presentation on fly fishing for stripers in the surf. Ron Poehailos, owner of 3-TAND reels, will also be at the meeting. He will be showing the club his highly regarded fly fishing reels. In 2014 3-tand earned BEST FLY FISHING REEL with its light tackle fly reel, the TF-70 at the ICAST/IFTD show. Ron also owns Zeebaas reels and Hansom Tackle. This month's meeting will be held on Wednesday May 3 at 7pm at the Surf Club in Madison, CT.
Al “Gag” Gagliarducci is a well respected surfcaster throughout the East Coast. Al has a long history in the fishing industry and has been building and designing custom lures since 1978. This month's meeting will be held on Wednesday April 5 at 7pm at the Surf Club in Madison, CT.
-Janet Messineo
“Janet Messineo has lived on Martha’s Vineyard since 1966, and has been fishing the shoreline of the island for more than 35 years. She has written for and been featured in books, magazines, and appeared on television shows. They include Reading the Water, On the Run, New England Stripers,The Big One, An Amazing Story of the Vineyards Derby, Offshore, On The Water, Vineyard Style, Martha’s Vineyard and Edible Vineyard Magazines. She has been featured in articles in the New York Times, the Boston Globe and a DVD called Feeding the Water. Janet has been a professional taxidermist since graduating from the Pennsylvania Institute of Taxidermy in 1987. She has been the owner of Island Taxidermy and Wildlife Art Studio since that time. She specializes in saltwater fish. Her work has been shown in many art galleries on the Vineyard such as Louisa Gould’s Gallery in Vineyard Haven and The Schrimshaw Gallery in Edgartown. Visit her Gallery on this site to see some of her work. You can purchase some of these beautiful pieces today. Janet would also like to share her years of surfcasting experience from the shores of Martha’s Vineyard with you.”
Wednesday February 1st at 7PM at the Old Memorial Town Hall in Madison, CT
The Connecticut Surfcasters Association are hosting guest speaker Alfred Anuszewski of the well known Campo's Crew. Campo's crew fished during the Block Island heyday in the early 1980's, these influences have shaped most of what our surf gear is built on today, the premise of "it better be able to take abuse" from bags to reels, through wired plugs and modifications of gear. It was the beginning of a revolution which continues today as surfcasters up and down the coast are constantly pushing the limits and making modifications to their gear.
Article link by Alfred Anuszewski on fishing the Heddon Lure Company's hellcats.
Article link by Alfred Anuszewski on fishing the Wadd Style needlefish
Excerpt from Dennis Zambrotta's Surfcasting Around the Block, chapter 3
“Red Fins continued to take some huge bass for the crew and then on
Thanksgiving night Alfred landed what is perhaps the largest striped
bass ever taken on a Red Fin, 61 ¼ pounds. It was the largest of 23 bass from 37 to 61 pounds that Alfred Anuszewski and Marty McMillan tallied that night. The next night they had 21 more cow bass topped off with a 51 released by Alfred. It is fair to assume that based on the phenomenal fishing the crew had on two successive Thanksgiving days that they all had much to be thankful for.”
This meeting is free and open to the public, see you there.
