Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt Stone, at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook, told me that the strong striper bite has continued on topwater spooks, big spoons, tubes, live bunker (if you can find them), and especially eels. Plenty of solid fish are all over now, so you shouldn’t worry so much about “where” they are as much as when and how you target them. Mornings and evenings become increasingly productive as it gets hotter, and nighttime is obviously very good as well, slinging eels in shallow spots near shore or reefs. Sea bass has been picking up, but they’re still deep, and most anglers are catching with Daiwa SK jigs, Shimmerfall jigs, etc. Matt hasn’t heard a ton regarding fluke, but he knows guys are finding them still on the local reefs; he recommends looking in the 50- to 60-foot range to start, then narrowing it down. Porgy action has been getting better as the water warms, with clams and sandworms being the preferred baits.
Heather from the Black Hawk in Niantic reports: “It was another week of good fishing on the Black Hawk! Our weekday bottom fishing trips had some great fishing, with lots of jumbo porgies coming over the rails. We’ve had limits around the boat on several of the trips, and close to it on others. As always, some just took what they wanted for a meal and others played catch and release. There were also some sea bass in the mix. Our After Work trips and private charters this week did some bass fishing and had some non-stop action. We released some overs and shorts and had some nice slot fish for the coolers. On our first fluke trip last Thursday, we picked away on a lot of shorts and managed only a few keepers. Not exactly how we would have liked to start off the fluke season, but unfortunately, that’s fishing sometimes. We look forward to better results in the weeks ahead. Our first family trip of the season was a success, with many kiddos reeling in some nice porgies. Special thanks to Mason, who spent his 7th birthday with us catching porgies! The next two Saturday nights, we have our fireworks cruises. We have our regular sunset cruises returning July 25. These trips are all fundraisers for our BlackHawk and the Community program, so grab your tickets and join us for a great night for a good cause! We’re fishing every day now, so check our website for the updated schedule.”
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Middlebank Sport Fishing out of Bridgeport reports: “We’ve hit the summer doldrums aboard the Middlebank II. With the weaker tides this past week, the porgy bite has been inconsistent. The fish are spread out, so drifting to cover more bottom is producing better results over anchoring. On the drift, we have been catching large porgies along with some fluke, sea bass, weakfish, stripers, butterfish, and the fan favorites for the kids: sea robins and dogfish! Our house rig remains the top-catching setup for these conditions. This is the time of year that we begin fishing closer to home, so if a longer soak is what you’re looking for, now is the time to get out there. If you’re looking to up your chances for a higher yield, you might want to visit your local tackle shop and give sandworms a shot. As always, check us out on Facebook or visit our website for more information.”
Captain Chris Oliver, of Keepin’ It Reel Sportfishing out of New London, provided the following report after a solid weekend in the canyons before the blow: “The past week, we fished the eastern canyons from west Atlantis to east Atlantis when the weather allowed. Fishing was better to the east! With an unlimited amount of yellowfin to 80 pounds, we were able to get wolfpacked, 4 to 6 rods at a clip, trolling the Sterling Tackle 36-inch Dial Tracker bars with cedar flex stingers. Hot colors were green and lumo. While fighting fish from the stern, we sent guys to the bow to cast the UVT Murray popper to connect with more yellows! Bigeyes have been in the mix while trolling the MagicTail 3-ounce glow head with blue tips. We’ve been having luck with them mid-morning up on the bank. The midshore bluefin south of Montauk slowed toward the end of the week. We’re not sure if it’s from the increased boat traffic or the next phase of their migration, but we plan to get back on them as soon as these east winds die down.”
Anthony Charnetski, at Game On Lures, reports: “After this past week’s heat wave, the summer transition seems to be in full swing. A mix of bath-warm temperatures and flash flooding in the rivers moved the majority of fish out into the Sound, positioning them in their summer haunts. The deeper reefs have still been holding the most fish, and it’s been a healthy mix of large 40-pound-plus fish and smaller schoolie/slot-class fish, which is great to see. The shallow reefs haven’t been as productive, but as the water cleans up after this rain, I expect the bite to be good all around. Blues have been largely absent this year, although anglers are encountering them more on the deeper, faster-moving reefs as the season progresses. Bunker have been sparse, but there seems to be a healthy buffet of butterfish, mackerel, baby herring, and other smaller forage for the bass to feast on. The Game On Lures 13-inch DuraTech Eel rigged on a jighead has been a major player for me on both shallow and deep structure. Large topwaters, glide baits, and weightless plastics have also been effective. Keeper sea bass have been tough to find, but as usual the guys putting in the time are being rewarded. Focus on structure in 70+ feet of water. Fluke have also been tough, but better than in years past. Focus on deeper ledges and shoals, and don’t be afraid to throw a larger presentation if you can’t get away from the smaller fish. The porgy bite has been lights out, both deep and shallow; anglers have been catching some frying-pan-sized fish soaking squid from the jetties.”
Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters told me that the striped bass fishing is good in the Sound as fish continue to transition into summertime patterns. They are still using a variety of methods to target stripers, but live bait is now out-fishing artificials as the water warms. They encountered the first brown shark of their season this week, and he said this is the earliest he’s seen one in his area. The prevalence of the sharks will increase in the coming weeks—something to be on the lookout for if you’re targeting stripers. They have some openings over the next couple of weeks, and we’re right in the middle of a prime part of the season. Captain Mike and his team have availability over the next few weeks and the season ahead, so give him a call to book a spot now.
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Tyler at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk said local fishing is really good, with striped bass continuing to lead the way. There are stripers all over the region, from in shallow on out through the islands to deep-water structure. The bite is still most consistent around the deep-water structure, with the Triangle continuing to produce fish from 20 to 30 pounds, with the occasional 40-pound-class fish mixed in. Focus your attention on early mornings, evenings, and overnight, as warming water temperatures begin to concentrate feeding windows. Topwater bites during periods of low light are the best bet. Similarly, chunking, especially at night, is becoming one of the most common ways to target the largest fish in the area. With that said, if you’re targeting the deep structure, trolling mojo rigs, bunker spoons, and deep divers is effective, as is fishing vertically with diamond jigs, flutter spoons, and soft plastics on jigheads. The shallow-water fishing, while not as consistent as out deeper, has been very good if you can find the areas where the fish are connecting with schools of bait. There are scup everywhere now. The bite is still best in 20 to 30 feet, but they are now getting reports of porgies from shore at Sherwood Island. That bite will continue to get better, and they should be at Calf Pasture as well. Fluke fishing ticked down a bit from the better action of the last couple of weeks. That said, there are still some keeper flatfish to be had. Tyler recommended making long drifts around Can 24 and then short-drifting areas where you start to catch shorts, to try to pick some keepers out of the schools. Sea bass action is the same and has been slow to pick up. If you’re looking to catch a couple, heading to structure in 30 to 60 feet or deeper and dropping diamond or butterfly jigs is your best bet. As we move into July, the weakfish bite should pick up. Fishing in the harbors with small bucktails, soft plastics, and smaller swimmers is very effective if and when they do show in any numbers. The shop is open seven days a week.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
The July Fourth Holiday weekend has come and gone, and we are in full-swing summertime fishing across Long Island Sound. We are not yet near the summer doldrums, and this time of year, while hot, still presents a variety of good fishing opportunities for anglers day and night. Striped bass are being caught throughout the Sound and in its major tributaries. The Western Sound is still producing large, 30-pound-plus fish, and the bite at The Race may offer the most consistent bite going anywhere within Connecticut waters. There is a lot of water spanning those two areas, and just about every reef or rip in between is holding some bass during the right tides.
Bottom fishing continues to get better, with scup, fluke, and sea bass all represented, depending on when and where you’re looking to fish. Scup are all over shallow sturcture, while the sea bass season has restarted with a bang on deeper reefs and rock piles. Those targeting summer blackfish are also finding some success, and you may just find some keeper “tog” as bycatch while targeting the aforementioned species. Dedicated fluke fishermen continue to pick away at legal-sized flatfish, though their conversations at most shops are usually the same – lots of shorts on the way to scratching out a few fish for the table.