Silver Sands State Park and Charles Island (Milford)

Silver Sands State Park in Milford is known for its tombolo, a sandbar that runs about a mile from the beach out to Charles Island and is exposed at low tide. The current cutting along both sides of the bar holds bait and fish, and the park is open to fishing for striped bass, bluefish, fluke and weakfish. Next door, Milford Harbor and the shallow bay called the Gulf are known for bunker schools and the predators that follow them.

When to fish

• Spring through fall: stripers, bluefish, fluke and weakfish along the bar and the park shore.
• Autumn: On The Water's western Sound captain calls fall at Silver Sands special, with bait stranded along the cuts and bass feeding hard.
• Low light: first and last light for bunker in Milford Harbor; high tide at dawn or dusk for plugs and eels around Charles Island's boulders.
• Friday before Memorial Day to September 9: Charles Island itself is closed to protect nesting herons and egrets; you can still fish the bar and the park.

Where to fish

• The tombolo (the Bar): walk it at low tide and fish the current cuts on either side. At high tide strong currents run over it.
• Charles Island's boulders: by boat, work the rocks with surface plugs or live eels at high tide in low light. A small reef off the south side holds blackfish and porgies, and the rip where it rises is good for drifting, jigging or trolling for bass and blues.
• Milford Harbor and the Gulf: bunker schools gather in the harbor mouth; shore anglers cast from the breakwalls at the harbor entrance. Gulf Pond, on the east side, is a kayak spot for schoolie stripers and snapper blues.
• Welches Point: a small reef south of the point holds porgies, blackfish and sea bass.

How to fish it

At Silver Sands the current is slower and the water calmer than at more exposed spots, and On The Water's captain likes round-nose swimming plugs here; a 9-foot rod handles the Sound's chop. In Milford Harbor, The Fisherman suggests swimming a live bunker for bluefish, stripers and weakfish at first and last light.

Getting there

Park hours are 8 a.m. to sunset, with parking free for Connecticut-registered cars and a fee for out-of-state vehicles. After hours, anglers use the fishing lot at the end of East Broadway (turn right at the end of Surf Avenue). Check the tide before walking the bar: water can rise as much as ten feet in under two hours, and the flood current can strand you on Charles Island or sweep you off the bar. The Fisherman recommends an inflatable life vest, especially at night. Milford's town launch is near Milford Landing, with fees for non-residents. A marine waters fishing license is required.