Some quality striped bass have finally settled into eastern Long Island Sound, although pods of fish are small and scattered. Hillyers Bait and Tackle in Waterford reports that anglers drifting live eels after dark at Bartletts and around Black Point took some larger bass recently. Regulars at The Race are also reporting a few hefty catches on bucktails and eels, again with the best action occurring after dark. Large porgies are now biting with ferocity across LIS and can be found on just about all of the eastern sound rockpiles. Black sea bass fishing is very good and the fluke bite remains steady in the deeper water off Niantic and Waterford.
Arthur stirred things up a bit across Connecticut but didn’t stop the Mijoy 747 of Waterford from getting out and making a few groundfishing trips over the weekend. Despite the weather the fish were biting, and just about everyone came home with a good mix of fluke, sea bass and scup. The storm swells seem to have assisted in bringing more bluefish into the sound, as the Mijoy has seen better action on their bass and bluefish trips this week.
Captain Bruce of The Otter Sportfishing was also to happy to report that more and more quality striped bass are showing up in eastern LIS, and he was able to get his customers on bass up to 48 inches this week. The captain also mentioned that the fish are widespread but can be located with some traveling and a little effort. The upcoming calming weather and full moon tides should equal a recipe for success with big bass, and some open spots are available in the upcoming week so book today.
At River’s End in Old Saybrook the striped bass reports are much the same, with anglers reporting some decent fish in eastern Long Island Sound, but a lack of consistency. Some good catches have been reported at Long Sand Shoal, Southwest Reef and Bartlett’s this week, but the bite has generally not lasted more than a day or two. Bluefish are popping up sporadically throughout the sound, with a few larger specimens feeding on the bunker schools in the lower river. Black sea bass fishing has been solid all season but it is starting to become harder to locate keeper fish. The same could be said for fluke fishing where shorts have dominated the catch this week; with the best reports of keepers coming from the deep waters off the Old Lyme and Waterford shorelines.
Andrew at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown said that reports were slow all weekend, due in part to the weather. A few larger keeper stripers were taken on the flats of the lower CT River early this week, but seemed to disappear as quick as they showed up. It’s a similar story outside the river where only a few good bass were taken by anglers who had to put in a great deal of time and effort to find them. They’re there but numbers are most definitely down and some work is required to hook up. Porgies have hit their stride in LIS and good reports have come in from Hatchet’s, Hens and Chickens and Bartlett’s. Keeper fluke reports have declined but Andrew did mention to look deep (75-100 feet) for your best chance at a doormat.
Porgies have also settled into the western sound and Bobby J’s in Milford reported that Woodmont in Milford and the Branford and Clinton reefs have been hotspots this week. With the temperatures rising, the striper bite has slowed a bit in the west but a few good fish are still in hot pursuit of the bunker schools and have taken both live and chunked offerings this week. Fluke fishing has remained solid in the mouth of the Housatonic and outside of New Haven Harbor, but they are starting to see a lot of pressure and shorts are starting to become more prevalent.
Fishing Forecast
With the worst of the weather behind us and an early July full moon on tap, this weekend should be a good one across Connecticut. There is no doubt that it has been a tough early season for striped bass, but signs have started to be a bit more positive over the last ten or so days. An early July full moon may be just the fuel we need to fire some more bass into our water’s and blow things open. With scup fishing taking off, and keeper sea bass and fluke hanging around, a little groundfishing may be a good idea after your early morning striper trip has concluded.