This sheltered beach area is a prime time launching point for fishing the eastern end of the Norwalk Island chain, the Saugatuck River mouth and Bermuda lagoon. For the scope of places you can fish from one launch and the ease of launching, it's an ideal spot. Fishing these islands and outflows from the saddle of your yak’ means shots at big fish on the fly; the waters around the Norwalk islands are among the most productive in the entire state.
Cockenoe Island – It’s the northernmost island in the chain, located less then one nautical mile from shore. Most of the fishing pressure here is focused along the reef which extends from its eastern tip almost a half mile into deeper waters. Stripers and bluefish stage here through dropping tides in the spring and a swinging streamer usually pans out ok. By late August and September albies and bones work this rip in the afternoon, while the outer shoal fills with big boy blues on peanuts. The shoreline is worthy of wading hard, it sees heavy current and is littered with large rocks. Back facing the mainland the island forms a bowl with a curved flat, a feature that traps baitfish sometimes through a tide change, and has been the scene of a mass uprising of stripers on more than one occasion.
Sprite Island – An above average early season spot for bass, the northwest corner of the island holds fish and is a favorite place of mine to get out and wade. On a recent yak trip there with my friend Peter Viviano, we boated our yaks to wade along the back shoreline of the island and were tight to legal stripers within a few casts. With that said, it is a place where you’ll know if there’s fish there within a few casts. A quick paddle around the island in calm waters often helps determine where sand eels are concentrated and the shoals are typically a great place to work a crease fly on a higher tide.
Calf Pasture Island – Like Sprite Island, Calf Pasture offers great shots at fish in the spring by fishing the points that extend from the islands shell bars and rocks. It’s another spot to wade and explore from shore, with big boy bass hanging out at the ends of the sandbars on the island.
Seymour Rock – A dependable feature at the mouth of the river, it holds fish even on the lowest of tides but should be avoided in the days of summer when heavy boat traffic keeps fish spooky.
Hanford Rock - Between Seymour and Cockenoe Island, you need a depth finder to pin this thing down but it does hold fish through all stages of the tide.
Sheep Rocks – A cluster of large flat rocks that you can wade onto and around, it’s a good place to work deep water with yak hair deceivers in the morning. Like most of the rock structures in this neck of the woods, seldom will boats get close to this area to fish.
Bermuda Lagoon - A considerably deep piece of water ranging up to 20 feet in some spots, the opening to the lagoon is a nice spot to target fish on an ebb tide, while bigger fish are taken routinely inside the lagoon on sinking lines and big deceivers. The Canfield inlet is one of the places I like to begin my dawn patrols.
Thinking ahead:
1. I always try and paddle into all the areas where boats can’t go and fish these areas with extra attention and stealth. The Norwalk Islands are notoriously dangerous to navigate, so make a point of getting into the rockiest sections or shallowest edges that see the least pressure from boats.
2. It’s a lot easier to effectively cast onto some of the structure you’ll come across by getting out of the kayak. Your casting, presentation and lower back will all benefit as a result. But beach the boat lightly, I can’t tell you how many fish I’ve spooked over the years crashing my kayak into the shore to beach it. Go in silence.
3. Bermuda lagoon and the Canfield inlet were made for kayaks and there’s a surprising amount of forage back there.
4. Cockenoe reef at the end of August is one of the best spots around to wait for albies and bones to pop up. I did a number on bones here on back to back days this past summer by waiting in my saddle on the reef in the middle of the afternoon.
5. I always beef up my leaders when I’m fishing here because there’s a good chance whatever I hook is running towards some seriously sharp rocks and I like the piece of mind for when I’m lifting a fish out from under my kayak.
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