Connecticut Fishing Report - May 28, 2015

Hefty striped bass are setting up shop in Rhode Island, and large schools of migratory fish are entering Long Island Sound. It’s only a matter of days before the bass bite blows wide open.

Connecticut Fishing Report

Lou, at Hillyers in Waterford, didn’t have a whole lot to report this week, except that the area inside and around the mouth of the Niantic River remains inundated with schools of bunker. Over the past few days some better bass have been in pursuit, but action is a bit sporadic, and often requires drifting a fresh chunk or live offering. There is not much to report in terms of fluke in the area just yet, but Greenport is still fishing pretty well, and is now seeing a run of gator bluefish.

Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, blamed the recent hot days and humid nights on slowing the bass fishing down in the upper stretches of the river, but added that it has helped to accelerate the bite in the lower river. Crowds of anglers have been out in full force around the mouth, and reports are good for 15 to 20-pound bass on topwater plugs, with more and more 20 to 30-pound fish in the mix each day. The eastern sound reefs have been quiet, but with the water warming and rumors of bass showing up on the Clinton reefs, it won’t be long before they are all over. Fluking remains poor locally, decent in Montauk and Greenport, and very good around Block Island.

James, at Rivers End in Old Saybrook, had more solid bass reports from the mouth of the river when I spoke to him this week, and noted that it is about as good as it gets in the river right now. Very good numbers of keeper bass up to around 25-pounds are crushing topwater offerings and 9-inch sluggos, as they are right on the tail of the large bunker schools that stretch from the mouth north, to Essex. A few rumors of bass on the local reefs have trickled in, and quality fish should be showing up in The Race shortly. A few more days of warming should help the local fluke fishery, which has been slow. Reports from Isabella, Montauk and Greenport have been hit or miss, but the good days have accounted for some doormats.
Captain TJ, of Rock and Roll Charters in Clinton, saw the bass fishery take a big step in the right direction on his second week of the season. He has been able to locate keeper bass out front on all trips this week, with results improving each day. The first small bluefish of the season have also arrived, which usually means large schools of cow bass are close behind.

Ian, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, reported that the western sound striped bass bite is starting to improve. The bass are spread throughout the sound, but the best concentrations have been from Greenwich to Mamaronek. Fresh bunker chunks work best, but in a pinch trolling bunker spoons has also been producing. Tons of school bass remain around the Norwalk Islands, and the Housatonic continues to hold some keepers around the mouth. Most fluke anglers have been heading to the New York side for the best fluke fishing, but local reports are continuing to improve.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

Captain Frank, of The Frances Fleet in Narragansett reported that the fluke trips have been able to sail just about every day this week, however some tough winds have made for poor drift conditions. Despite the somewhat unfavorable conditions, good numbers of keeper fluke have been coming over the rails on most trips, with the pool fish generally falling in the 6 to 7-pound range. No full angler limits came this week, mainly due to the tough drifts, but most anglers have gone away with 3-4 fish for the table. Full day fluke trips continue to sail daily at 7 am, with half-day fishing strictly on the weekends until June 20th. Squid fishing continues to be up and down, but the better nights have been seeing a half to a full bucket per angler. Squid fishing will continue to sail, by reservation only, Wednesday through Saturday nights at 7 pm, for a few more weeks.

This week’s fishing report from The Saltwater Edge in Middletown consisted of increased quantities and quality of striped bass around the Newport area. 20-pound class bass are feeding on bunker and squid in the upper bay, and the topwater bite has been a strong one. To move up to the 30- and possibly 40-pound class, take a look at the deeper water of the local reefs. Butterfly jigs and RonZ’s are accounting for some fish, but 3-wayed bunker remains the best option. With the salt ponds warming up very quickly over the past week, worm hatches have been prevalent, and fly-anglers are reaping the benefits. While the salt ponds are full of school-sized bass, the mouths of the breachways are starting to see some keepers come on bucktails, plugs and live eels. Along with keeper bass, the breachways have also seen the first bluefish of the year this week, including a few over 10-pounds. Squid fishing has been a bit inconsistent, but has improved across the region, with anglers reporting better catches over the past few days.

At Galilee Bait and Tackle in Narragansett, the word throughout the shop was of Brendon Richard’s 50.2-pound shore caught bass, weighed in late last week. Fish of that caliber are just starting to move into the area, and word of a few 40-pound bass also came in from the local surf this week. Boat fishing for striped bass has been good in the upper bay, with bass to 30-pounds taking livelined and fresh-chunked bunker. The first rumblings of decent bass at Block Island are starting to come in, and the island remains the most solid option for fluke at the moment.

Breachway Bait and Tackle in Charlestown chimed in on the good bass fishing in South County this week, with reports of excellent schoolie to small keeper sized bass fishing in all of the salt ponds. The mouth of Charlestown Breachway saw some better fish this week, as mid-30 inch class bass and an ever-growing population of bluefish are becoming more and more common. The first reports of keeper fluke from the deeper water off of the local beaches have arrived, but they are few and far between. Die hard doormat hunters are still making the trip to Block or Isabella for more consistent fishing, when the weather allows.

Fishing Forecast

It would appear that large migratory bass have found their way into Southern New England. Reports of large, fresh fish are just about everywhere, and the upcoming full moon should blow everything wide open. With groundfishing off to a slow start, focus on some bigwater bassing this weekend, and look for fluke and scup reports to accelerate as we get deeper into next week.