Meet Mike D’Alfonso

By Alix Boyle
© 2025 CT Examiner

I never liked fishing. Until I met Mike D’Alfonso.

You may know Mike. He’s a bartender at The Shipwright’s Daughter, one of the places that’s making Mystic known as one of the best restaurant destinations in the country.

When he’s not bartending, he’s fishing. And his catch may show up on the menu that evening in the restaurant, which serves nearly all local fish.

On a recent Wednesday morning, I tagged along with Mike while he set out in West Cove in Noank to see what was biting that day. Mike has a restricted license to fish for species like porgies and green crabs…