Every angler that I spoke to this week sounded optimistic about the fishing on tap for this weekend. In saltwater, striped bass have the attention of many anglers. This is the first week of the season that I’ve heard the words “forty-plus-pounds” used in the same sentence. Atlantic menhaden are showing up in better numbers across the region and bass have noticed. We are approaching a new moon phase and favorable weather is upon us, so now is the time to log hours on the water. Rivers have dropped to fishable levels and clarity has improved tenfold compared to a week ago, and more and more bass are now being found along the reefs and open beaches. It’s not only stripers that saltwater anglers are excited about. Fluke reports are heating up and bluefish are terrorizing baitfish up and down the coast. In freshwater, RI DEM and CT DEP have our waterways teaming with freshly stocked trout just in time for the holiday weekend.
Rhode Island
Over the last few days, pogies have invaded Rhode Island waters with big striped bass and bluefish hot on their tails. Jack at Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle snagged only a couple of the juicy baitfish during an outing this week, but was still able to pull two 30-pound bass over the rails in short order while live-lining. Jack said the larger bass following the bunker were welcomed signs after playing with teen-sized fish on smaller bait lately. Arden at Saltwater Edge agreed that bunker will govern the big bass bite for the foreseeable future. He suggested a few different ways to be successful with large bait around. Arden recommended live-lining or chunking near the schools, or taking the bait to structure-oriented locations. He mentioned Ohio Ledge as a good spot for chunking and Sandy Point off Prudence Island as a deeper spot for live-lining. For artificial-only anglers, Arden proposed fishing large-profile plugs or flies around the edges of bunker schools. Not all bass are feeding on big baits, however. Arden said there is a huge biomass of fish in the Bay feeding on smaller baits like sand eels and young-of-the-year baitfish in the 1 to 2-inch range. That’s a rather fly-friendly fishery, but non-fly anglers can capitalize with teasers or Red Gills fished in front of plugs or tins.
Another tiny food item that bass are keyed in on is cinder worms. Some salt ponds are lighting up with worms and cruising bass every evening according to Joe at River and Riptide. The worm “hatch” can be frustrating at times, but focus on the outer rim of the swarms and be willing to move around a lot. Fly anglers are not the only ones cashing in on this bite either. Joe clued me in on a spin fishing tactic that consisted of a 3-inch piece of bloodworm threaded on a #2 hook. This is fished four feet under a clear float called the Bungee Bumble Bobber and drifted in the current. Mike at Watch Hill Outfitters said some local hotspots “out front” are turning on. He had a great trip full of keeper bass last Sunday while using 7-inch olive soft-plastics that mimicked the sand eels all over Watch Hill Reef and Sugar Reef.
Memorial Day weekend is also the true start of many anglers’ fluke seasons. Captain Steve at Breachway Bait and Tackle said there are plenty of squid from Watch Hill to Green Hill and fluke are putting on the feedbag. Steve noted that many shorts are being caught with the occasional fatty in the mix, including a 7.1-pounder landed by John Martini this week. He suggested using a 3 or 4-ounce bucktail jig and a ¾-ounce dropper –both tipped with squid strips. Steve also mentioned that their shop is hosting a fluke tournament this Saturday and Sunday for the late Captain Thad Gruczka. For a $20 entry fee, the heaviest fluke will earn one lucky angler four tickets to see the Redsox with all proceeds benefiting a local food pantry.
In freshwater, RI DEM just finished a dump stocking at the major access points along the Wood River right in time for the Memorial Day rush. Joe at River and Riptide scored 24 trout before he stepped foot in the shop on Wednesday morning. All the trout were fat and ranged from 12 to 16-inches. He had success stripping bead-head Woolly Buggers in black and olive patterns. Joe also said that during the early evening hours, light cahills and sulphurs are enticing trout to feed on top. Underneath the surface, fly anglers are still catching their fair share of trout on nymphs like pheasant tails, princes, and hare’s ears.
Connecticut
Long Island Sound Day is Friday and it’s a good time to celebrate because the fishing in the Sound is starting to come alive. There seemed to be a consensus during my report calls that striper action overall could blow wide open this weekend. The reefs and classic structure spots are now attracting some quality bass. Bob at Hillyers heard of a 50-incher taken on a parachute jig and wire combo near Valiant Rock, as well as some other cows along outer Bartlett Reef. Kyle at J&B said the bass bite is ramping up at the Race, Plum Gut, and Black Point too. He noted that the majority of the stripers are in the 28 to 32-inch range, with some 20 to 25-pounders mixed in. Many boaters that are doing well on the reefs now are either trolling parachutes, diamond jigging, or drifting bucktails. Blaine at Connecticut Outfitters thinks we finally turned a corner in the Connecticut River. He was happy to report that the water clarity is great and the level is very fishable. Blaine has been focusing in 8 to 12 feet of water along the Wethersfield to Cromwell stretch. On Monday evening, he and a friend boated 5 fat keepers throwing large soft-plastics, as well as Live Target Blueback Herring lures. Some real herring are still in the river following his lures, which is a good sign too. Cappy at Captain Morgan Bait and Tackle informed me that the harbors and reefs in mid-Sound are fishing well. He said customers are catching nice stripers along Six Mile and Southwest Reefs jerking parachute jigs by day and three-waying eels by night. Cappy told me New Haven and other smaller harbors in the area are hosting bunker for the time being and live-lining or chunking is the ticket if you can find the goods. Judy at Fisherman’s Paradise in Branford sounded really psyched that the local saltwater scene has picked up steam after a slower than usual start. She weighed in a 28.2-pound Striper Cup bass this week caught by Chris Jensen.
Some reports coming from the western Sound were equally impressive. Chick at Stratford Bait and Tackle had good things to say about the Housatonic River striper bite from the Derby Dam down to the mouth. He also weighed two 10-pound bluefish on the shop scale this week. If heading to the Housy, Chick suggested keeping pencil poppers and large soft-plastics in your plug bags at all times, as well as bucktail jigs for the Dam crowd. Nick at Fishermen’s World said many anglers are starting to take advantage of the bunker-hungry bass in the far western reaches of the Sound. He watched George DiScala walk in with a 48.7-pound cow on Wednesday that was caught on bunker in the Stamford area. And Rick from their shop caught bass in the 30-pound class this week while chunking fresh bunker in the Rye vicinity of the Sound.
As far as flatfish go in Connecticut, the fluke bite is just starting to take off and winter flounder season wraps up this coming Tuesday. The majority of fluke conversations included a mention about high numbers of shorts being caught. Bob at Hillyers rattled off some good early-season fluke spots to try in the eastern Sound, including Niantic Bay, around Millstone, and Isabella Beach of Fisher’s Island. The latter locale has a ton of sand eels around at the moment and Bob passed along a recent report from there that consisted of a 40-fluke trip with a high-hook of 5-pounds. In the western Sound, Nick at Fisherman’s World recommended fluking in 20 to 30 feet of water around Copps Island, Sunken Island and Buoy 26. His bait of choice for fluke is a squid and spearing combo.
Like on the Sound, Memorial Day Weekend is also a busy time on our lakes, ponds, streams, and rivers. The CT DEP has done a heck of a job of keeping our trout waters loaded with willing participants. In addition, Adam at Housatonic River Outfitters told me about a private stocking happening in the upper Housatonic River this Friday. About 1,600 12- to 17-inch quality rainbow trout will be added to the grand totals. Adam said the river level is dropping nicely and plenty of trout are cooperating. He is seeing a lot of March Browns in terms of bug activity, though prince nymphs, stone flies, caddis pupa, and streamers have all been accounting for nice trout lately. John at Valley Angler shared that some smallmouth bass in Candlewood Lake are already wrapping up their spawning jobs and attacking topwater baits. His favorite surface lure for this is the Zara Spook, but another he mentioned was the Heddon Spit’n Image, which has a similar side to side frantic action that mimics forage well. John couldn’t help but add that he weighed in yet another slob of a walleye from Squantz Pond this week; a 12-pound trophy taken from shore on a live alewife on bottom.
Best Bets for the Weekend
It’s late May and the ingredients are mixing for a great weekend of striped bass fishing. Whether targeting the worm hatch in salt ponds, the herring action in rivers, or the bunker bite in the Bay or harbors, take advantage of the pleasant weather during the day and the dark skies at night. For trophy bass hunters, the bunker action is hard to pass up. If you can find a school of this striper candy, chunking or live-lining is the way to go. Either stick with the bait school or bring some freshies to your favorite spots. Good luck and Happy Memorial Day!