After a lengthy dry spell last week, we’ve had more than our share of rain lately. The wet weather has cut down on some angling effort, but the fish don’t seem to mind as much. The striped bass bite has really ramped up throughout the region; not only in quantity, but quality as well. River herring, sand eels, squid, cinder worms, shad, and bunker are ensuring that the stripers are well fed. Reports of bluefish are becoming more common up and down the coast, so it’s time to beef up your leader material. Fluke fishing is underway in both states and reports should be improving once the weather clears. Freshwater anglers are also getting the job done in the rain, with some positive trout, bass and walleye reports in the mix. There is a break in the rain this weekend, so strike while the iron’s hot.
Rhode Island
Striped bass is the name of the game right now according to Arden at Saltwater Edge. He said the surfcasting keeps getting better every day with many 30- to 35-inch bass around keyed in on squid and sand eels. Arden explained that this is a bait-driven fishery right now, meaning instead of focusing on spots known for their structure, find the bait and birds and stay with them. Neil at Quaker Lane also echoed the importance of locating birds. He went out with Captain Jack of East Coast Charters this week and together they landed 30 bass up to 20 pounds in the Bay during a scouting trip. They found terns working over small, skinny bait south of Dutch Island in snotty weather. The fish hit Rapala X-Raps, Daiwa SP Minnows, Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows, and Bombers. Dave at River and Riptide anglers said Rhode Island salt ponds are absolutely loaded with bass feeding on cinder worms right now. He’s been out each of the last seven days and told me that 12-bass-trips per angler are common with the average fish being around 30 inches. A painfully slow retrieve with red, orange, pink, or tan worm patterns on 12- to 15-pound-test line is working well for his clients.
Ronnie at Breachway Bait and Tackle mentioned that fluke reports are steadily improving when weather permits. The biggest flatfish in their season-long tournament was weighed in this week at 4.9 pounds. Depths and areas that he suggested to try include 40 to 60 feet of water off Green Hill and Matunuck, as well as 60 feet deep just west of the Charlestown Breachway. Ronnie recommended using a double bucktail rig in pink for white tipped with squid strips. A 2- to 4-ounce bucktail on the bottom is ideal and he bumps up to 6 ounces if it’s windy. For the dropper, Ronnie prefers a 3/8-ounce bucktail. He also mentioned that the flood tide always seems better, with 3 hours into the flood being the best lately.
Mike at Watch Hill Outfitters informed me about a free shark fishing seminar at the shop at 1:30 PM this Saturday. Captains Bill Brown, Pat Brown, and Tom Logan will cover how to target trophy sharks, proper leadering and gaffing methods, as well as various twists, knots and leaders. Whether you are an experienced shark fisherman or just getting started, this seminar will teach you the basics of targeting mako, thresher, and blue sharks. It will also guide you in the proper way to leader and land these species by using gaffs, harpoons, and tail ropes. You will also learn the proper knots and hay wire twist to keep your trophy monster shark on the line. There is a lot of interest and limited seating for this one, so call the shop ahead of time to reserve your spot.
Connecticut
The Thames River system has produced bass over the 40-inch mark for several anglers during the last few nights. Joe from Fish Connection said most bass are falling to live eels between the Greenville Dam and Norwich Harbor. He also noted that there are pods of bunker being molested by smaller bass and bluefish around the Norwich Harbor and downstream. The best action seems to be coming on fresh-cut chunks of bunker or sandworms. Kerry at J&B Tackle told me the striper fishing has been good in the Race, with many keeper-sized fish, but nothing huge reported just yet. The flood tide has been better, though extreme tides have meant short fishing windows lately. Kerry suggested trolling parachutes in white or green, or drifting 1¼-ounce bucktails on a three-way rig, with 12- to 16-ounces of lead. The Connecticut River was fishing very well from the mouth to up past Hartford before the heavy rains. With herring, shad and bunker in the river, that’s not all that surprising. Q at River’s End reported a fair amount of keepers being caught near the mouth on 9-inch Slug-Gos in pearl or ice shad patterns. Blaine at Connecticut Outfitters heard news of some nice bass over 40-inches being caught in the Windsor stretch of the river on metal-lip swimmers, Bombers, and large soft-plastics. However, Blaine expressed frustration when I called because the river was at 17 feet and still rising. He expects it to crest on Friday afternoon then take several days to come down to fishable levels. It will be very tough for boaters to find suitable launches and for shore anglers to find any kind of access along the banks. Blaine expects that many river rats will spend their weekend fishing on the Sound if the Connecticut River is too high and dirty.
The good news is, boat anglers are now catching stripers on most of the popular reefs in Long Island Sound and surfcasters are finding action along beaches east and west of the Connecticut River mouth. Chris at Stratford Bait and Tackle reported another decent week of striper action in the Housatonic River, with pencil poppers, 9-inch Slug-Gos, and Bombers racking up the majority of fish caught. Nick from Fisherman’s World said the far western Sound is fishing well mainly because the amount of bunker there. Anglers chunking fresh bunker or trolling bunker spoons in the Mamaroneck and Hempstead area are doing well, including one customer reporting a 25-pound striper.
Fluke fishing kicked off in Connecticut on Sunday, yet foul weather has kept many anglers from targeting them so far. Bob at Hillyers had a customer report catching four fluke using squid strips on opening day in the waters around Millstone. Bob also reported some customers still catching winter flounder using clam chum and sandworms from shore at Bluff Point and in the Niantic River. There is still a little time left for that, as winter flounder season closes at the end of the month.
In the freshwater scene, Cappy at Captain Morgan Bait and Tackle said trout fishing throughout the state is still going strong, particularly in the Farmington, Salmon and Hammonasset Rivers. His spin-fishing customers are having their best luck on spoons like Pheobes and fly anglers are doing well with Woolly Buggers and nymphs like pheasant tails and hare’s ears. John at Valley angler told me the walleye bite is on fire at Squantz Pond from shore. From 6 to 8 PM, live alewives fished on bottom with a little weight have been accounting for several marble-eyes in the 5 to 7-pound range lately. John also said the smallmouth bass fishing on Candlewood has been pretty good. In a tournament there last Sunday, the winning boat alone landed 43 smallmouth bass in shallow water.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Fortunately, it looks like this weekend should be on the dryer side. Catching striped bass will be at the top of many anglers’ “to do” list and for good reason – they’re all over the place. Although tidal rivers will be running high, most are still loaded with bass. If you find the rivers too high and dirty for your liking, don’t be afraid to focus on open beaches, salt ponds, or in the Bay. Find the bait and you should find the fish.