Real fishermen see the glass as half full. When Dave Cornell watched ice forming on the Westport River during the gray days of the early March, he looked on the bright side. Only a few more months and we'll be fishing for stripers again, he smiled to himself.
Now that April has arrived, fishing season looms even closer.
Like most fishermen, Mr. Cornell enjoys telling stories. He told a few on March 15 when the Westport Library presented a program titled, "Fly-Fishing with Dave Cornell." The event was sponsored by the Westport River Watershed Alliance and the Westport Fishermen's Association.
A cabinetmaker in the winter in Dartmouth where he has lived with his wife Linda for the past 25 years, Mr. Cornell is on the water from late spring until deep into the fall. By 1994 it had become clear that he washopelessly hooked on fishing. He decided to bait and switch and turned an avocation into a vocation. He's been a professional fishing guide since then.
Mr. Cornell is as good at reeling in an audience as he is at catching fish in Buzzards Bay. His slide presentation was chock full of information useful to beginners and experienced anglers alike. As you listened to him, you could infer that a good fisherman must be observant and patient. Mr. Cornell has studied the characteristics of local game fish, cataloged the places he has fished, the flies he used, and the conditions that produced the best results.
Mr. Cornell has tried using live bait, lures, and trolling and could probably figure out a way to scoop them up with his bare hands but the method he loves the most is fly-casting.
The first thing he cleared up is that he doesn't fish with flies. "Salt water flies are meant to represent bait fish whereas fresh water flies are representing insects a lot of the time," he said.
He showed pictures of flies representing silver side minnows, the most common bait fish in our area. The flies may not look the same as a minnow to us but they are the right size and shape and can get a fish's attention when it moves just like a minnow. Larger flies used might represent scup or even baby crabs.
"I think everyone would agree that the number one fish that people go after in this area is the striped bass," Mr. Cornell said. "Stripers come in all shapes and sizes virtually an unlimited supply of school sized fish here and in Buzzards Bay."
Stripers can reach hefty sizes. It isn't unusual to hook 25 pounders. The best way to catch them is to learn how they hunt their prey themselves, he said.
Second on the list of predator fish are bluefish, Cornell said. While stripers lie in wait to ambush prey, the more sleek bodied bluefish chase them down. Other game fish in the area are false albacore, bonito, and summer flounder.
Photo: Timothy Leary
"We have world class fishing around here, Mr. Cornell said. "You could spend your whole life fishing here and you wouldnât be wasting your time. You've got flats fishing where you can go sight casting, deep channels for fish with sinking lines, and rocky shorelines where surf breaks when water is rough."
An observant pair of eyes is as important as good rods or reels. A little bit of agitation on the surface might indicate that bait fish are underneath. Little bubbles or wakes might mean a school of fish is feeding underneath. A "blitz" of birds in the air grabbing minnows means bigger fish are chasing them to the surface. All of it means it's time to cast a fly into the water. An experienced angler can cast a fly 80 feet.
Outside of the Westport River, Mr. Cornell's fishing grounds are Buzzards Bay from Sakonnet Point to Dartmouth and across the bay to the west end of the Elizabeth Islands. It's not necessary to have a large boat to catch large fish. Mr. Cornell uses a 20-foot Sea Craft as his primary boat. He carries a push pole for shallow water and a small electric motor for approaching fish quietly. He uses an 18-foot Johnboat with a poling platform for fishing the rivers and estuaries.
No boat? No problem, says Mr. Cornell. Many areas of our rivers are wadeable. The tide scours deep holes around points in the river that often hold small to occasionally big stripers and bluefish. Outside the river, try standing on a rock near big boulders, rough water, and a drop off to deeper water.
Mr. Cornell showed slides of trusty old navigation charts his family used for years and showed digital and aerial photos of local fishing grounds. "My favorite things to look for are boulders, deep water, and flats," he said.
What can't be conveyed on film is the attitude of a dedicated fisherman. Anglers like Cornell enjoy the hunt as well as the catch. Sure, they love outsmarting the fish but they love the smell of the salt air, the ever-changing color or sea and sky, and the sense of getting away from it all. And it takes a true sport fisherman to release a thirty-pound striper he or she has just landed.
"When's a good time to go fishing?" Mr. Cornell mused. "Whenever you have time to go," he said with a grin.
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Some of Dave Cornell's favorite spots are:
*Hen & Chickens Reef
*Outlets of Allens Pond, Slocum River, Gosnold Pond
*Pockets of deep water south of Cuttyhunk shoreline
*Quick's Hole north side
*Robinson's Hole
From shore:
*Tip of Gooseberry Island
By Paul Tamburello
I can smell the surf in this essay.
Posted by: Carolyn Liesy | April 14, 2007 at 09:14 PM