You see, the captain loves to fish and he knows how important it is to share some really good fish stories, so he set a little time aside for a friendly excursion.

Capt. Chris caught Jaime last February and she obviously caught the "fishing bug."

At 6 a.m., we left the docks in Clinton in the 25-foot Mako with a brand new 200 horsepower Evinrude and we were at southwest reef in about 10 minutes, give or take.

Three-way rigging a whole bunker was our first assault. Using state-of-the-art equipment and positioning the boat in the right direction, we dropped our rigs. Bunker, treble hook, leader, 14-ounce weight, it was too perfect.

Not 10 seconds into the drift, Jaime hooked her first fish. Pole bent, back arched, hands clenched tight, it would be hard to prove to me that she has only been fishing for a few months.

Like other girls this month, she managed the largest fish of the day. I’ll guess the weight was upward of 30 pounds, but it was definitely the biggest.

The next few hits were definitely bluefish. Mono leaders were bitten clean, steel leaders were shredded and whole bunker was bitten in half. Chris knew it was time to change gears.

We re-rigged with circle hooks and used only the bunker heads, sliced on an angle, for bait. It was around 6:30 now and we didn’t expect what was coming next.

We dropped our rigs straight to the bottom and, one by one, everyone hooked up. By 7 a.m. or so we had our limit. We bled the fish out and packed them in ice. By this time, the sun was at a point where the stripers were done for the day and the blues were just getting started.

Chunk bait on a circle hook was all that was needed. The captain and I switched roles for a while. I took care of the mate work such as re-rigging, baiting, netting and boating fish and untangling, and he was able to do some long awaited fishing on his own.

All totaled, we caught and released between 30 and 40 very large bluefish in the next couple of hours. With arms tired, bait dwindling and fresh stripers on ice, we headed for port. We shared a little small talk while Chris filleted the fish and then we cleaned up and headed for home.

If you would like to inquire about a charter, give Chris a call at (203) 530-4492. If you would like to see pictures of some monster fish, check out www.highseascharters.com.

NOW FOR THE SCOOP

There will be a walleye tournament at Lake Saltonstall on Sept. 26, from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sign-up, payment and registration will be at the lake the day of the tournament. There is a $20 entry fee for adults.

Boat and motor rental fees are additional. Up to 15 boat reservations will be taken prior to the tournament; all others are on a first-come, first-served basis.

Monetary prizes for first, second and third place will be awarded. Their value will be dependent upon the number of participants.

For boat reservations, call (203) 401-2654. Non-permit holders will be required to purchase a daily permit if they wish to participate in the tournament.

As long as we are on Lake Saltonstall, Mark Sharnick Jr., 10, of Stratford, caught a 5.4-pound, 23-inch walleye using a rubber worm.

Not much has changed over the last week in the rivers with the exception of a great deal of rain. The rain will muddy the waters in the streams a bit, so a mealworm or garden worm may be the preferred choice to a fly or spinner this weekend.

The trout and smallmouth fishing has been consistent on the Housatonic River. Terrestrial and nymph patterns are enticing both species.

Candlewood and Crystal Lake are still the heavyweights for bass fishing. Largemouths in the 5-to-7-pound range were caught this week on rubber worms and spoons.

Earlier this week, my mom’s boyfriend, Bill, and I planned on doing some lure work for blues in the waders. Add Greg Vetter to the mix, my nephew Kevin, my friend Lee and his buddy Chris and we had a contingent instead of a couple of guys.

We descended on a sand bar in Milford and proceeded to throw everything shy of a stick of dynamite. Well, we didn’t manage any fish, but we’ll let the Coast Guard figure out why the tide rose and fell a couple of feet in a short amount of time.

The hot spot for blues is West Haven. During these blitzes, a top-water plug or a spoon is all you need.

As for the stripers, schoolies are still shooting up and down the rivers. Storm shads and Kastmasters are great schoolie lures. If you are looking for the big bass, fish at dawn and dusk with either bunker heads or live eels.

This week’s question comes from Henry Wang of Milford, who asked where the Housatonic River originates.

Well, the Housatonic River flows 149 miles from its four sources in western Massachusetts.

Following a south-to-southeasterly direction, the river passes through western portions of Massachusetts and Connecticut before reaching Long Island Sound at Milford Point. The Housatonic River has a total fall of 1,430 feet (959 feet from the confluence of the east and west branches). Its major tributaries are the Williams, Greenand and Konkapot rivers in Massachusetts, the Ten Mile River in New York, and the Shepaug, Pomperaug, Naugatuck and Still rivers in Connecticut.

My picture and fish stories are in the paper every week and yours can be too. Send me a story and/or a picture of a recent fishing trip and we’ll do our best to use it. Tips, jokes, and hot spots are always welcome. E-mail Dennis Barnum at barnum70@aol.com.