Bill Roesch was the first person to e-mail me when I started "The Reel Scoop" a few years ago and I look forward to his accurate reports and input. Bill and his friend/fishing partner Jim Demarais went out this weekend with the now infamous Captain Chris Leighton of High Seas Charters.

After warming up the motor it was a 4:30 a.m. trip to the Connecticut River to net some bunker. After a couple of trips they loaded the bait into a huge livewell and headed to the reefs off of Clinton.

When they got to the reef around can No. 8, they hooked up a bunker on a three-way swivel when Chris made it interesting. Chris bet Bill $5 that within 40 seconds he would have a fish on. Let me tell you, I would probably take that bet without thinking twice. Bill accepted the wager and down went the rig. Thirty seconds later, Bill owes Chris $5 and Bill took a huge bass. For the next couple of hours it sounds like these guys had the times of their lives. Bill filleted a 47½-inch striper that weighed more than 40 pounds. Jim landed a 46-inch bass weighing more than 40 pounds and they also took a 36- and a 32-incher, respectively.

However, they threw back over 20 other fish in the next two hours and the majority of those were more than 30 pounds. These guys were back on the docks at 7:30 and home for breakfast. If you would like to see pictures of these fish go to www.highseascharters. com.

I received a phone call from Bruce Andes from Madison. Bruce was fishing with his wife and friends this week on and around can No. 8. Bruce was using live eels on a three-way rig and he also managed some cows in the 40-pound class.

Bruce and I also discussed catch and release. There has been a rumor going around about increasing the creel (daily keeping limit) on stripers. My question to those who want it is, why? How much 40-pound fish do you need? The DEP put strict limits on these fish for a reason and if you look around you will see that they worked.

It wasn’t that long ago that a report of a keeper bass was as big a news story as John Rowland’s resignation. The fish that Bill caught were full of sea robins, flatfish, and skate so they aren’t hungry. Remember, you can only keep two but you can catch and release unharmed as many as you want.

NOW FOR THE SCOOP

The following catches were reported at Lake Saltonstall:

Fannie Hattani of West Haven caught a 1.2-pound, 13.5-inch white perch using worms.

Frank Rydlewski of Oakville caught a 1.5-pound, 15-inch white perch with alewife bait.

Laura Mercado of Oakville, caught a 6.6-pound, 24-inch walleye, also with alewife.

The panfish guys are doing well at Lake Zoar and at Candlewood and Crystal lakes. The guys on ctfisherman.com are doing well with large and small mouth on the lakes.

The saltwater guys are having a mixed bag of luck.

Stripers: schoolies in the rivers, but thinning out.

Blues: look for the blues at dawn and dusk. Don’t forget to watch the birds. If the birds are circling, the blues are around.

Bunker: Thin schools of bunker were reported in West Haven this week. This time of year they jump from harbor to harbor so what is there today may be gone tomorrow.

Blackfish: the tog season is open but I haven’t heard any significant reports.

Fluke: Fluke fishing slowed considerably in southwestern Connecticut. The deeper waters are giving up fish but the guys on land are having a slow go at it.

Have a fishing topic you want to discuss? A tip to share? Fishing club news? Drop me a line (bad pun) to Dennis Barnum at barnum70@aol.com .