CAPTAIN SEAN BRADSHAW

Prime Time Angling Adventures

This month we travel south to Pawcatuck CT and talk with Captain Sean Bradshaw. Captain Sean has been fishing the reefs off Watch Hill as far back as he can remember. Much of his early fishing was with his neighbor "Silent George." Many of George's fishing partners were well known fishermen of the area, including Danny of Danny's Plugs .

In 1975 Sean won the Junior Division of the Bass and Blues Tournament. He took the title with a 30 lb. bass. The next day the 11 year old Sean caught a 41 lb. bass.

During the 80's and 90's he spent a lot of time on the water as a commercial rod and reeler. His chosen target - giant bluefin tuna. His largest giant to date was an impressive 118-inch fish that weighed in at 997 pounds! The struggle lasted a brief 29 minutes. He still loves to fish for the giants claiming that you haven't lived until you have a 500 pound monster stirring up the water at the back of the boat.
After a lot of years working in the family business he decided he needed a change. So a couple of years ago he started his charter business, Prime Time Angling Adventures. He had no delusions entering his chosen field, and feels confident that he made a great choice. He is steadily building a client base with many repeat customers.

Captain Bradshaw has had a few boats since an 18' foot Thunderbird purchased in 1979. Presently he has a 21' Alcar center console. He also has an 18 ' skiff that he uses to motor clients to the rivers and flats where they can cast to the waiting stripers. His boats are trailered which allows him the flexibility to quickly get to where the action is.

In his spare time he fishes. On the day I spoke to him he had just returned from a day of fishing with a couple of buddies. They slammed the scup and had a great time with some false albacore. They even had a 20-pound striper grab a scup at the boat.

We chatted a bit about our kids. He gave me some sound advice about fishing with kids and life in general. "Enjoy the days because you can't get em back." A sound philosophy to be sure.

What he finds most discouraging about the fisheries is the inconsistency of regulations between states. "I can be in the waters of three different states in a matter of minutes, and their rules are all different." He believes that management would be easier if the same rules were applicable in adjoining states.

Sean does feel that there is some promise in the returning fish stocks, especially the striped bass.

Captain Bradsaw joined RISAA during this last summer and looks forward to having the time this winter to attend some of the meetings. I look forward to seeing him there.
He offers a 10% discount to members and would love to show some of us the terrific fishing that is available on the reefs around Watch Hill. This last season he put his clients onto a dozen bass that weighed in at over forty pounds!

If you want some of that action give a call to Prime Time Angling Adventures at 860-599-4379. He can also be E-mailed at CAPTSEAN@aol.com. The website is under construction.