Connecticut Fishing Report 8-28-14

The table is set for the fall run in Connecticut and Rhode Island waters. Large schools of bait, from small bay anchovies to large adult menhaden, can be found throughout Long Island Sound. Schools of adult bluefish have thickened across the region, while snapper fishing is at its peak in our rivers and tributaries.

Connecticut Fishing Report

At Hillyers Bait and Tackle in Waterford, striped bass fishing remains difficult in Long Island Sound, but fishing for just about everything else has been picking up the slack this week. Black sea bass fishing is excellent and plenty of keepers can be found in local waters. Weeding through a good deal of shorts is a necessity but nice bags of keepers are coming from Black Point, Bartletts, Fishers and Valiant Rock. Porgy fishing is also very steady and the fish are very big. Jumbo scup are on all the local rockpiles, with the best catches reported from Bartlett’s Spindle and Race Rock. More and more bluefish have moved into the area and can be found blitzing on topwater at first light from Ledge Light to Black Point. A few bonito were caught in the sound this week and with great numbers of bait locally, more bones should be showing very soon. As far as stripers go, it has been a difficult season in Long Island Sound, but local sharpies fishing the late night tides are still dialing in some very big fish.
Captain Bruce of The Otter Sportfishing has seen things slow down on the big bass front this week, but that hasn’t stopped him from putting a few quality fish on the boat. Each trip this week saw a few 40-inch class fish including Ed Crow’s 48-inch beast that was high hook for the week. While bass numbers are down, bluefish numbers have risen and kept action steady. Captain Bruce still has openings through September so make sure you get them before it’s too late.

At Rivers End in Old Saybrook, striped bass reports are quiet locally, with the exception of a few large nighttime bass around the river and the shoal. Fishing for school-sized bass has picked up along the Rhode Island beaches, and has kept surfcasters busy this week. Bluefishing has continued to improve, with large numbers of fish at Plum Gut and The Race, and some gators feeding on bunker in the lower Connecticut River. Snapper bluefishing is about as good as it gets in eastern Connecticut, with good reports from all the Connecticut River estuaries and also from the Niantic River. Fluke fishing has slowed as they appear to be moving east, although a few good fish are still hanging in the deep water off the Old Lyme beaches.

Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, also reported that there are a few decent fluke to be had off the Old Lyme beaches, with whole squid and snappers being the bait of choice. A few good striped bass have fallen to local surfcasters and kayak anglers this week but overall the bite remains tough. A better bite can be found on the shallow rockpiles around Fishers Island and Plum Island, where keeper bass have been crushing eels after dark and topwater plugs at dawn.
Out west, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, bluefish to 15 pounds ruled the weekend as anglers hunted for a tournament winner. Bass fishing has been slow, but large numbers of adult and juvenile menhaden have kept bluefish of all sizes in the area. The Norwalk Harbor remains a hot bed for snapper bluefish, and large scup can be caught around the islands with little effort.

Fishing Forecast

Keep an eye out for blitzing fish this weekend, as I have a feeling that before long it won’t be just bluefish blitzing out there. Scup and black sea bass fishing are as strong as ever, and if you’re out combing the bottom try dunking some crabs during the last weekend of tautog season in Connecticut.