# SA to Connetticut… Magical Mystic Tour



## Drewboy (Mar 18, 2008)

In my life there are certain events that stand out as unique and unforgettable.
This was certainly one of them.

6 months ago it started with&#8230; 
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=26591

Subsequently
October Friday 2nd 2009








6am train ride from NewYork

Standing on a railway platform, a solitary figure anticipating his enthusiastic visitor from Australia. This was Nils, tall and gangly, like me, with a beaming smile as welcome in his beloved Mystic.

Greetings exchanged, we went towards his sedan crammed chockablock with all the gear we may both need over the next couple of days.
The thoroughness of this preparation was crowned by 2 kayaks on the car's roof. A very new Hobie Adventure and a Tarpon 160i.
It was about 9am and Nils knew I'd probably be hungry and decided on a breakfast stop at a little country café on the edge of one of the many waterways in the Mystic region.
Eggs bacon and fried potatoes and French toast was the starter kit we needed, along with Nils' mandatory coffee.
For the next couple of hours Nils set about getting me into the vibe of Mystic. It was easy to absorb the atmosphere through its architecture, history and natural beauty and serenity.
It was a glorious day, not a ripple on the water where ever we drove, except for the occasional rising fish.








Behind the cafe...typical of the tranquility of the area.

One of the stops on our tour to the beach was Don M's King Cove tackle shop on the water's edge beside a small marina. Don was also kind enough to accommodate me at his house during my stay.
Worms as bait loaded, we drove to a part of the coast that is well frequented by Striped Bass and some good pelagics like False Albacore. And these were what we were targeting.

Now you have to understand that I had been in and out of the hustle bustle of big European cities along with NewYork for the previous 4 weeks and although enjoyable, they all were being trumped by what was before me.
Sliding the kayaks over the sand dune and into the welcoming water of the coastline above long Island Sound was the best therapy for my ache to get back to nature after an overdose of historical culture and concrete.








Nils and I ready to roll

Beneath us, smooth water loaded with krill gave the potential for baitfish hopefully pursued by marauding Albacore. As we were hoping for this, we trolled a line with a 250mm long spiralling red plastic tube with trace and a worm baited hook in anticipation of the favourite species in these parts&#8230;Striped Bass. 
One rig at the ready and one trolling, we went along the shoreline, both gliding slowly through the water and talking about many facets of the forums and kayak fishing.
90 minutes under our belt and although I had got my fix by just being on the water and observing the New England architecture, there was seemingly no fish action, so we decided to relocate.
Back to the car and onto a bay out from the Mystic township marina we headed, to try our luck along the seawall that serves to protect the town from the Atlantic swells. This was about 1km out to sea.
The wind was starting to pick up and whilst we were both getting hits, Nils decided not to venture too far out, as these waters can turn nasty quickly, especially with a running tide.
Finally I brought in fish&#8230; by-catch called Scup, nothing stunning, but very welcome anyway. Nils had landed the first fish however, a Sea Robin&#8230; also by-catch.








That smile tells you something

Several good bites were happening with both of us, but with the darkness descending and wind building, it was time to pull the plug and catch up with Nils' UKF buddies over a beer.

Back behind the tackle shop, under the leafy trees beside the boats in the cove stood Don O, deftly filleting the fish he and Tommy(the boat owner) had caught that day. A very tidy haul of Tautog AKA Blackfish. beautiful eating apparently.








King Cove marina behind the bait shop

Don O is the head moderator on UKF and seems to have a handle on all things fishing.
Not only a nice guy, but like many here, ready to test this Aussie's sense of humour.
Don M finished business for the day and ambled up for a chat also.
I joined in on the banter, and after a few polite questions about Australia and our fishing forums, I was soon to be subjected to the sort of discourse that springs up between guys on a similar errand.
Like &#8230;"when you flush your toilets &#8230; is it true the water goes clockwise down the pan?" and then, "what's this I hear about your cell phones down-under&#8230; all the numbers are upside down."
On it went from there.. my best response was that&#8230; "we have trouble with our wall- mounted payphones too, 'cause the coins just fall out."
The scene was set and the relationships just got better and better.
A pizza meal and a few more beers back in town gave me an even better understanding of just how privileged I was to visit Mystic and have these guys looking after me.

Saturday/
Woke up to a day that wasn't going to be any good for any kind of fishing.
Nils was not phased by this and decided to give me the grand history tour of this region with it's associated buildings, estuaries and islands.
We would stop and discuss the way captain's wives awaited their husband's return from a viscous sea in a part of the house that had a view out over the ocean called a "Widow's Peek"&#8230; sadly, often fruitlessly.
We would pause and talk to locals in the street or go and visit them where they lived, all the time downing coffee along the way.
Although land-locked, this day really was great, because the more Nils told me, the more I became attached to it's magic.








A bit of money here too.









Kayakers are well looked after.









so are the fish.









One of the many widow's peeks on local buildings









Trolling over to get the daily mail could take a bit of beating

Another visit to the KingCove tackle-shop on the latter part of the afternoon and once again the usual suspects were assembled.
More banter and the suggestion that I should see if I could stay a third day to make up for the poor weather.
A quick call to my wife and daughter back in New York and the green light was flashing.

With good weather promised for the next day, Don O informed me that he'd teed up a serious cruiser owned by a friend called Chick. He'd get me out to some of his special spots insuring I'd get onto good fish.
Don described the next day's fishing schedule, like a 5 star waiter would describe a degustation menu.
The plan was to get me onto a good range of fish species for the variety of experience I'd get catching them.
Naturally I was over the moon at the prospect of all this.
It seemed that the guys were on a mission to represent Mystic, their jewel in the crown, as a wonderful fishing destination, and to give me the pleasure of acting on it.
But in reality it was simpler than that&#8230; we're all kayakers and we simply look after each other.
By this stage it was late in the afternoon and I decided to take time out and go to the water's edge behind the shop and practice casting with Nils' and his Abu reel.
Tommy joined me after about 10 minutes and we both noticed how calm the conditions had become.
A tranquillity that seemed to indicate the good weather was here already. We exchanged looks that meant&#8230; "Here is a small window of opportunity&#8230; lets go for it."

A New Yorker raised in the Bronx, Tommy ducked his head back into the shop and called out in his best Jackie Gleason voice that he might get us back about 15 minutes late for that night's dinner. Along with&#8230; " I just wanna make sure we put Drew onto a fish".
As we ventured out onto the now glassy cove, Nils and I knew that this would be cream on the cake if we could pull it off. 20 minutes and we were on top of a very fishy looking rip that required careful helmsman-ship by Tommy.
He was motoring into the current right next to a washing machine effect caused by some serious underwater structure. Certainly not a safe place for a kayak.
Nils and I had to cast toward this activity and although we gave it a good crack, nothing eventuated.
Stopping off at 2 other spots on the way back proved fruitless also, so in we went to chase some local pub food and wine instead.

Sunday/5.30am
I hardly needed an alarm to wake me up.
Down to the dock Nils and I went to be greeted by Don O and Chick.
Motoring out Chick was on the radio to some of his mates already out the back and onto some action at the Race Rock Lighthouse.








Race Rock Lighthouse

There awaiting us was a large area affected by the tide and underwater structure, stirred up by baitfish with False Albacore and Bluefish in a feeding frenzy.








the rip over structure and lots of fish

This was a massive area&#8230;about 4 miles out, roughly the size of a footy field. All the boats were drifting from one end to the other and motoring back to the start right beside calm water.
We noticed a lone kayaker with outriggers flyfishing with bait(anchovies) and having good success on both the Albacore and the Bluefish. He looked as if all his Christmases had come at once.
We had various lures to choose from, however the ones that we found were doing the best were the Deadly Dick range of solid stainless steel with a green or white side.
"Cast and retrieve as fast as you can" was Chick's instruction.
He would motor to within about 30 feet of any action and Don, Nils and I would cast over or around the activity and go for it.
I was like a kid in a candy store and working hard with it.

The Blues didn't take too long to get caught, however, because of their vicious teeth, Chick elected to remove the hook himself each time I caught one. The boys referred to them as the Piranha of the ocean. They can really go for you they said. 2 foot of fish on deck with a snapping set of teeth could be messy.
At this point I wanted to specifically try for the Albies, and had to retrieve the lure with a fast retrieve and double twitch.
It took a long time but perseverance paid off and I had my first Tuna.
We were on this spot for a couple of hours and between the 3 active fishermen we would have shared in catching about 15 good Blues and Albies at a cost of about 8 lures.
As the tide slowed it was on to a new spot called Valiant Rock and jigging was the procedure here&#8230; more Bluefish during a short period.








Don O with one of his Bluefish









One of my albacore

So to mix it up a bit and after another phone call to his buddies, Chick went closer in to try and bag me the iconic Striped Bass.
We went toward Pine Island where these handsome fish were flipping about in the shallows&#8230; only school size, but they were hard to catch on the hard body lures.
After limited success we started with 80mm soft plastic shads. This turned things around for us and we had a great time with them.
I had 3 in 5 minutes and with about an hour left before Nils had to get me back to the train, Chick made yet another call and we had another species to pursue.

Don wanted me to catch Tautog, one of his favourite eating fish.
So off to "The Dumplings" to "bounce some crabs" as bait in about 2 metres depth.
These fish mouth the bait before committing, a little like our Mullaway, and I managed a couple of these chomping delights along with yet another Scup as a bonus for the day.
I was ecstatic and the guys seemed delighted with their hard work going to plan.
5 Species and high fives all round.









False Albacore









Bluefish









Bluefish teeth









Striped Bass









Tautog









My first fish...Scup

Back to dock and onto the railway station for the 3.00 to New York.
We had just enough time for one last coffee before Nils said goodbye.

During the return to NYC it occurred to me that with people like this to share the enjoyment of our pastime, it is little wonder that kayak fishing is growing at the rate it is.

And of course, the UKF website welcomes visitors with...
"Ultimate Kayak Fishing... Where Friends Meet"

I really look forward to the opportunity of showcasing our country and its fishing spots to Nils and any of the UKF members anytime soon.
We are only an email away.

A very thankful Drewboy


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## Peteren (Jun 29, 2009)

Only one reply for that post - "gobsmacked"

Stunning stuff Drewboy


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## sbd (Aug 18, 2006)

Beautiful pictures Drewboy. I'm going to retire to that lighthouse.


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

Absolutely sensational report Drew - well done. No wonder you have great memories 

A big 'goodonya' to Nils and co as well.... 8)


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## joey (Jul 5, 2008)

That's a fantastic report.


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## simond (Feb 15, 2008)

Great trip report, Drewboy.  
"Lucky Bugga"


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## Wrassemagnet (Oct 17, 2007)

That's such a surreal trip Drew and very nicely captured in photos and prose. Absolutely loved it.
Thanks


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## clarkey (Jan 13, 2009)

Thanks for sharing,sounds like you had an awesome trip and made some great friends
clarkey


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## Buff (Dec 31, 2005)

Like a good book I had to read this several times so not to miss a moment of what must be a trip of a lifetime add to that some of your trade mark post card quality photos your making us all jealous :shock: 








Great to see you have added some new species to your list that most of us can only dream of


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## CtDon (Apr 27, 2009)

Drew,

You make us blush after reading your glowing report of our hospitality. It was our pleasure to spend a few days with you. I'm glad that we got together. It's exciting for us to show off our fishery and brag on how lucky we are to have it in our back yard.

I know that you wanted to kayak fish but during the short time that the weather allowed you and Nils out, the fish didn't cooperate. It would have been great if you had the opportunity of taking a "Nantucket Sleigh Ride" behind a big Striped Bass.

It was fun tipping a beer and a glass of wine while discussing the direction that water rotates after the flush. The next time we get together lets talk about the constellations in the night sky.

Fishing on Chick's boat on Sunday was fast and furious. A special thanks to your wife and daughter for giving you up for the extra day. The goal was to get you on as many target species as possible. This time everything came together. Great weather, great fishing, and great friends enjoying being together and sharing a wonderful fishing experience.

Drew, you and your mates are welcome here anytime.

Don


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## Drewboy (Mar 18, 2008)

Don... Believe me... the pleasure was all mine.


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## solatree (May 30, 2008)

Drew - welcome home - great report and, as ususal, some ripper photos.


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## suehobieadventure (Feb 17, 2009)

Sounds like you had a great trip brilliant photos and good fishing, thanks for sharing.


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## NilsC (Apr 26, 2009)

Drew,

it was a pleasure to have you here and I wish we had gotten into some more kayak fish but that's water under the bridge. I enjoyed meeting you and it was a pleasure fishing with you and tipping a beer at the bar.

I don't know any other group off people who share as much as kayak anglers. I don't think I have one bad experience when it comes to hoking up in a new place.

The second picture down is a hot fishing spot in the spring, in the morning - drag the kayak onto land and have some breakfast at the shack...

Drew, you are welcome anytime and the same to anyone else who venture up this way. We have kayaks that can be used to explore and fish.

Stay safe mate and I'd love to fish Kangaro Island... maybe I will someday.

Nils


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## Shorty (May 11, 2008)

Great report, kudos to Don, Nils and the lads ,,theres plenty of room Down Under for you boys,,we will slip an extra shrimp on the barby for you,,cheers,,


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## Guest (Oct 26, 2009)

Great read, and looks like your friends in the US really looked after you and made your trip memorable 8)


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## mrwalker (Feb 23, 2009)

The joy of sharing can never be underestimated! Great report Drew, a pleasure to read. And if anyone is coming to Abu Dhabi we have some kayaks and quite often fish to go with them. Cheers, Dave.


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## ELM (Jul 14, 2008)

Absolutely fantastic read and pics Drew, I had been reading some of your conversations on the US Hobie forum and new how much you were looking forward to this trip. So happy it all went so well for you, hats off to the lanky Yanks for turning it on.


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## medongc (May 18, 2009)

Hi Drew,

It sounds like you had an amazing time, the photos are unbelievable. So unbelievable, in fact, that the fairytale qualities of the beautiful lighthouse and tranquil lakes leads me to wonder if none of this actually happened and that the whole thing might have simply a photoshop training project for one of your interns .

Seriously jealous. I hope you had a good time on your travels and that Paris was enjoyable.

Alexander


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## Drewboy (Mar 18, 2008)

medongc said:


> Hi Drew,
> 
> It sounds like you had an amazing time, the photos are unbelievable. So unbelievable, in fact, that the fairytale qualities of the beautiful lighthouse and tranquil lakes leads me to wonder if none of this actually happened and that the whole thing might have simply a photoshop training project for one of your interns .
> 
> ...


Hi Alexander...
A certain amount of homework to start with and a fair bit of trust in human nature ... and throw into that equation "the kayak fishing bond" and you have a good formula for success with such a venture.

And yes Paris was absolutely stunning...want to go back... having said that, the Seine was devoid of kayaks and it certainly was not enticing me. Not dirty... just no kayak appeal.


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## Nativeman (Sep 6, 2005)

This has to be one of my favorite reports on here so far... The pictures are enough for me especially the shots of the landscapes.

Wish I could go there one day...

Cheers


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