Connecticut has the best stingray fishing in the world . That’s right: Connecticut .
I had no idea my home state is a hotbed for big shots until I had a chance to chat with North Branford, Greg Myerson from Connecticut, whose name was Warren Buffett from the fishing world. That’s Greg in the photo… lifting the largest striped bass ever caught. Myerson claims that he has taken even bigger fish from the waters of Long Island Sound.
What’s your secret? Where are the best places to fish in Connecticut, for both saltwater and freshwater species?
Whether you’re a serious stingray hunter or a parent who likes to take your kids trout fishing every now and then, you’ll be fascinated by the tips and stories Myerson shares in these Q&A:
Q: When I first saw the photo of your world record striped bass, I immediately wanted to know: Where the hell did you catch that monster fish? I assumed it was an exotic place and found out that you were fishing in Long Island Sound. Was this 54-inch, 81.88-pound marker an anomaly, or are large fish abundant off the Connecticut shoreline?
A: I’ve fished everywhere, and the biggest bass I’ve ever seen is here in Connecticut. I have caught four world record striped bass in Connecticut in the last two years. Many of the striped bass come here to feed on our lobster. They like to use sound. There is a lot of food there, and they come here in the summer.
Q: So what is your secret to attracting these huge fish?
A: I have invented techniques to catch these things. In fact, I have heard lobsters in tanks and record the sounds they make with their claws in the background. I lower the level and the decibel frequency and then build rattles that mimic that very sound and place them inside my leads. So that’s one of my main products that I use: the RattleSinker, which I designed and patented.
I invented these devices and used them for myself for years and never told anyone about them. And then in 2010, Jack, owner of Jack’s Shoreline Bait & Tackle in Westbrook, convinced me to enter the Striper Cup, which is one of the largest striped bass tournaments in the world. Probably 5,000 people enter each year. I also entered at the end of the season. It starts in April and I didn’t arrive until May or June. As soon as I got in, I took the lead and won it in 2010. I won Angler of the Year.
I caught three striped bass over 60 pounds in Connecticut. I got a call from a book writer, and he told me that no one had ever caught three pounds of 60 pounds. He said, “There have only been about 100 caught, and you guys caught three in one year. They will be more famous than Al McReynolds. He didn’t even know who Al McReynolds was! It turns out that he was the current world record holder at the time, until I broke the record the following year in 2011.
Q: I read your account of catching the world record striped bass. Do you have any other extraordinary fish stories from your Connecticut fishing experiences?
A: I caught fish larger than the world record and released them multiple times, not even knowing what the world record was. I did not participate in any tournament where I had to keep the fish. In 1998, I caught a huge fish and released it. And then again in 2007, I caught another gigantic one, and I threw it. I don’t even know how big they were: I let them go. If it wasn’t for that tournament in 2011, he probably would have thrown that fish too and never would have gotten the world record.
Q: Why isn’t Connecticut on the radar of more anglers as a fishing destination? Why should it be?
A: I love Connecticut. I would not want to live anywhere else. In fact, I work for the Connecticut State Department of Transportation. I like it here. I fish here. I could go fishing anywhere: I stay here. We have two of the best trout streams in the world here with the Housatonic River and the Farmington River for fly fishermen. And in that part of the state, Barkhamsted and Cornwall, it’s just beautiful. We have all kinds of trout handling areas and fishing areas here. And then ocean fishing …
The whole coast is beautiful. You can get to Long Island, you can get to Montauk, you can get to Block Island, but I’ve fished all those areas and I’ve never been better there than Connecticut. The state spent so many millions of dollars last year on tourism with Revolutionary War-themed stuff, but they’re missing the boat! The real attraction is the fishing we have here.
Q: Did I read that you started fishing when you were two years old?
A: Yes, my mother said that I used to fish in the sewer for some reason. She said she just wanted to fish. It didn’t matter if he caught something. No one in the family was really a great fisherman. They were all from Brooklyn, and my grandfather actually worked at the Fulton Fish Market. They all came that way, but they moved to Connecticut and settled here. I was a country boy from the beginning.
Q: Do you have a favorite inland fishing spot in Connecticut ?
A: I fish all over the place. Anytime. No reason. I ice fish. I was at Silver Lake last week with my daughter on the ice, and we caught a ton of fish. My daughter will be 7 years old and she loves to fish. She actually won her first fishing tournament last year. Trout fishing the Salmon River at Colchester. Trout fishing the Muddy River in North Haven. Trout caught the Housatonic and Farmington. Even the Quinnipiac River and Connecticut River, you can now catch striped bass year-round.
Wherever you go in the state, there is good fishing. In 2011, I think 11 new records were broken in the state and one world record, which is mine.
Q: How did fishing become more than a hobby for you?
A: People wanted to know how he was doing. If you’re catching all these huge fish and no one else is, they want to know what the secret trick is. And I thought, I’m using something that I made up. I Record Crayfish, Lobster, and Crab Sounds – If you’re making lures that reproduce crayfish, crabs, or lobsters, you’ll want to hear the sound of that particular creature. So, I build rattles that make those sounds. It was a hobby, but now the demand to bring science to fishing is going to a whole new level, and I guess I’m on the cutting edge.
Students at UConn Law School researched the product I invented called RattleSinker and patented it for me.
In fact, I am opening the World Record Striper Company right next to Bill’s Seafood in Westbrook. It’s not a huge showcase, but I’m doing a lot of manufacturing and [mail order] distribution. We are maximizing space for our World Record Striper Company clothing line. It’s not going to be a great place, but I think we could also have our logo on all kinds of different things.
Q: What other opportunities have come your way since you broke the world record for striped bass?
A: I just bought a great book with an author, Tim Gallagher: He is a professor at Cornell. He has already written a couple of bestsellers. He thinks this will be the best of all. He loves it. So, I am happy and excited about it.
And I’ve been filming with a famous producer named Jamie Howard. You know how Warren Miller shoots all those ski documentaries? Jamie Howard does fishing. He did one called Chasing Silver , which was a huge hit. And the next one, we are doing it together. It’s called: Running the Coast , and it was filmed in Connecticut and Rhode Island and New York and all over that area.
Striped bass fishing is a big market. On the east coast alone there are more than 5 million stingrays. I’m starting to call a lot of big name people and take them out fishing. My fishing partner is Walter Anderson, who is the CEO of Parade magazine. He is a good friend of mine. He is a captain. So when these great people come to town, he acts as the captain, I act as the guide and we take them on these excursions.
Q: For travelers visiting Connecticut to fish, can you recommend some of your favorite resources? A favorite bait source or tackle shop?
A: Rick Mola owns Fisherman’s World in Norwalk. That is probably the best tackle shop in the state. Jack’s is a great place – I hang out with Jack’s Bait and Tackle almost all the time. Another good one is Captain Morgan’s in Madison.
Q: Do you have a favorite place to dine after a day of fishing?
A: I go to Bill’s Seafood, right next to where my company is going to be. I am a regular at Bill’s Seafood. The food is excellent.
Q: Is there any key advice you share with anglers who dream of catching a world record?
A: Pay close attention to the technique I came up with. All fish hunt for sound and vibration rather than sight. First they hunt for sound and vibration, and then they smell second and then their sight only for the final attack because they are all myopic. They can’t actually see anything except the foreground. So I appeal to the way they hunt. This is how I attract the biggest fish.
You have to know when are the best times to catch them. They do not like to move in a fast current. There are certain windows with moon phases when the tides are slower, and the lobster feeds more, and the big bass hear that. It’s a whole system that I came up with. Right now, I’m looking at the first quarter moon rise. It will be very high in the sky at sunset. If you could find a slack high tide at sunset with a first quarter moon, it will slow the tide, fish will feed longer, use the moon as a backdrop, create a frenzy, and fish are easier. to cheat if they are mad.
I think too much about everything. That’s probably why I don’t sleep much at night.
Q: How do you hope to change fishing in the future?
A: I am heading to Atlantic City to speak with the Recreational Fishing Alliance and work on some legislation. I can go to Congress to push for a change in the fishing laws. For me, fishing has become more about trying to invent things that make fish out of it than just going out fishing. When I was a kid I used to tie flies and catch trout and I loved it. It was about catching things from things I did. Now, it’s made up of this, where I’d like to see everyone fish with something that I built.
It is not just about making money. It’s about changing the way people fish and improving it. And then using my notoriety to protect the fish that I’m trying to catch so that we can always have them and catch them.
