A few mild days and a break from the wind allowed some great tautog and black sea bass fishing across Connecticut this week. These favorite fall fisheries are still going strong, and are not showing signs of letting up just yet.
Connecticut Fishing Report
At Hillyers Bait and Tackle in Waterford, the talk of the town remains blackfish and black sea bass. Good blackfish catches came in from all over the eastern sound last weekend; while black sea bass are being caught in good numbers in the deeper water around the Bloody Grounds. It appears that scup have finally moved out of the area, other than a few that were by-catch for some blackfish anglers, and all has been quiet on the bass and bluefish front in local waters.
At Rivers End in Old Saybrook, Q informed me that the recent drop in temperatures is pushing the last of the bunker out of the river rather quickly, but there are still some bass and bluefish that are feeding on whatever bait remains. Good catches of both species were reported from Saybrook Point and The Causeway over the weekend, while some bigger bass were found on Long Sand Shoal and the nearby reefs. Some larger schoolie blitzes have been reported from South County, but they seem to becoming more spread out and less common as the temperatures drop. Overall, blackfishing has been very good from the Clinton area and east to Groton, on all of the small rockpiles. Short fish are much more prevalent then keepers at this point, but weeding through shorts to find a limit has been manageable. Black sea bass have not left the sound, and are still easy to find across the deeper hard-bottoms.
Andrew, at Fishin’ Factory 3 in Middletown, reported that most, but not all of the bass and bluefish have left the Connecticut River. There are still a few schools of bunker here and there, and if you can locate one you can still dial in to a few keeper bass and big bluefish. The cold temps forecasted this weekend could be the last horrah, and the next few days could fish good as the remaining fish make their way out of the mouth. While most of the big fish have moved on, good reports of schoolie bass have been reported on all the eastern sound reefs from the Thames River to the Connecticut. The upriver stretches of the Thames are also starting to hold good numbers of schoolies that are likely staging up to holdover. The Connecticut River pike bite has been excellent with multiple fish over 35 inches reported over the weekend. Pike are still hitting artificials, but a super-slow retrieve is needed with the water temps taking another substantial drop. Big dead baits fished on the bottom or under a float are a safer bet for large pike at this point.
Bobby J’s Bait and Tackle in Milford, has seen no drop-off in the western sound blackfishing, and weighed in multiple fish in the 5- to 7-pound range over the weekend. The larger striped bass that were hanging around the mouth of the Housatonic River have spread out, and some solid bass are now being reported from the upper stretches of the river. School bass have thickened around the mouth of the river and surfcasters are starting to see some success with good number around Milford Point and Short Beach.
Fishing Forecast
Dress warm and go stock the freezer! Temperatures will be taking a nose-dive this weekend, but will not be much below the ordinary, and based on the recent reports it seems that the tautog and black sea bass don’t mind the cold. The next ten days or so should provide a few more chances to go out and load your freezer before the long winter sets in. Pre-ice freshwater fishing is also at its best right now and great opportunities for bass, pike, walleye and trout can be found throughout our region.