Striped Bass & Northeast Fishing— Conversation with Captain Mike Roy

Captain Mike Roy is the founder and operator of Reel Cast Charters, specializing in fishing for striped bass on the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound. Mike began his fishing charter career with a bachelor's and master's in education and now pursues his love of learning and sharing knowledge with his Reel Cast Charters clients.

Captain Mike Roy joined Tonia Becker, PartsVu Xchange Talks Boating host, to discuss his growing charter business, fishing seasons in the Long Island Sound and greater Northeast, his preferred boat for his charter business, and some of the ins and outs of year-round fishing for big fish on a light tackle.

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I’m guessing your background in education drives your passion for ongoing learning and makes you an excellent teacher working with clients on boats.

Captain Roy: Like most 18-year-olds, I didn't know what I wanted to do. I got my degree in education and was a physical education teacher. In reality, I just wanted to have the summers off to go fishing. I've been fishing since I could walk—it’s always been my passion, but in the northeast, you don't see many guides that do it full-time for a living.

Even though there aren’t many guides in the northeast, I decided to get my captain’s license in 2010 and started guiding. I got busier and busier, and in 2014 I decided to take the risk to leave teaching and started guiding full-time. Once I went full-time, I developed a steady clientele. Now, I have a few other guys working for me, and we're able to fish every day and do something I love to do for a living.

Do you think that your education training helps you instruct your clients when they're on your boat?

Captain Roy: Yes, I enjoy the interaction with the clients. I'm fortunate in the fishing charter business that my clients want to be there. They’re interested in what I do and learning about the fish, and I get a chance to share my passion. Generally, my clients are pretty interesting and successful people, so it’s interesting to talk with them and hear their stories as well.

One of the questions I get asked a lot is if I get burnt out on fishing. I have guys working for me that help me out, but basically, we run seven days a week and usually do two trips a day. What stops me from getting burnt out is that the fishing is different every day. We’re not just trolling, but we're doing different types of fishing. It's also the client because when you have new people on the boat, it's a unique experience and personality, keeping it fresh and interesting.

I know many anglers turn to you for striped bass fishing tips. Do you have any tips you can share?

Captain Roy: Right now, it's early October. Here in the northeast, this is probably the most exciting time to fish. Every part of the season has its uniqueness, but the fall is when our water temperatures are just starting to drop. Here in Long Island Sound and the Connecticut River, the water temperature dropped below 70 degrees a week ago, making the fish more aggressive.

I was out this morning, and it was raining and overcast, and the striped bass were biting like crazy. It was great fishing. The fall is a perfect time to do a lot of topwater fishing. At times we have a big fish like a big striped bass coming up and hitting the surface. It’s a really exciting visual to see it come up, chase a lure, smack it out of the water, and chase a bait.

What does spring look like, and when do you start fishing again?

Captain Roy: We’ll usually start April 10th, but those are holdover fish. By mid-April, temperatures start to warm up, and fish will get active and move out of the rivers. Migratory fish typically begin arriving in May, coming in from the Hudson River or the holdover fish dropping out into Long Island Sound.

You can catch fish in Connecticut year-round because we have a winter holdover population. They'll go into our local rivers and estuaries and settle down in the deeper parts of the river in massive schools.

I use a Humminbird Solix and mark these schools of fish. There are literally thousands and thousands of striped bass just sitting there really lethargic. As an adult, I don't fish in the winter, but I grew up on one of the rivers in Connecticut. When I was a teenager, I used to go and catch stripers in January and February.

When does your charter schedule and availability get pretty tight?

Captain Roy: I have a lot of regular customers, including some who will book two dozen trips a year. And, I have one who goes out with me every week. We’ll start booking in January, especially for summer months like June, July, and August. We’re usually booked out at least a month in advance. Clients who want to book a trip for the summer probably want to book that trip in the spring.

I'm sure many of our listeners will be interested in learning about the boats and engines you operate.

Captain Roy: I've gone through a few boats in the past. When I first started guiding, I had three boats in three years. I was trying to dial in the perfect boat. I settled on a 23-foot Deep Vee Pathfinder with a 250 hp Suzuki outboard. For a 23-foot boat, it's best in class. It was a limited production, and I found this hull in Georgia a couple of years ago. What makes it such a unique hull is that they utilize every inch of floor space in the boat:

• Six in-floor storage compartments
• Massive fish boxes
• 50-gallon live well tank
• Pitch wells
• A flat deck with good gunnel height keeps customers in the boat but isn’t too high for casting

What's been the most rewarding part about growing Reel Cast Charters? What's next?

Captain Roy: I think anytime you build something, it's really rewarding. You put in a tremendous amount of work and countless hours, but it's rewarding to see the growth, the clientele, and work with partner companies like Shimano and Humminbird. I also love being on Hook’d Fishing Gear’s pro staff.

I'm looking to continue growing my business and do more work with my sponsors, like photoshoots and short films. Stuff like that is a lot of fun, and I'm hoping to have more opportunities of that nature.

Learn more about Reel Cast Charters at www.reelcastcharters.com

Learn more about Hook'd Gear at https://hookdgear.com/