Holy heat wave! The air temperatures this week felt more like mid August than early June. Nevertheless, the warm-up hasn’t bothered the fish as much as the fishermen. Striped bass reports continue to pick up steam, with larger fish being weighed in by the day. Fluke action is improving as well, with more flatfish moving into shallow water. Bluefish are just about everywhere you do or don’t want to find them, too. In freshwater streams, solid insect hatches have trout anglers occupied, and in lakes and coves, hot temps are creating hot action for shallow-water bass, walleye and even bowfin!
Rhode Island
The bunker and bass party in Narragansett Bay is still ongoing, according to Neil at Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle. Captain Jack from the shop put a client on a 35-pound bass that ate a live-lined bunker last Saturday. However, at times, it has been tough to get live bait through the hordes of bluefish. So when the teeth show up, Neil suggested chunking fresh-cut bunker on the bottom to find the bass. He also pointed out that this recent heat wave could have the Bay heating up rather quickly, so more bass could soon be spilling out onto the reefs in front of Newport.
When I spoke to Arden from Saltwater Edge, he was sleep deprived from chasing tuna near The Dump, yet he was coherent enough to relay some good striper news. He’s been talking to some of his Long Island buddies that assured him that there is a lot more life headed our way. Currently, a handful of surfcasters are cleaning up on bass in the 15- to low 20-pound class at night in the Newport area, using black Slug-Gos on jigheads as well as rigged and live eels. Mike at Watch Hill Outfitters said there are plenty of bass being had on reefs in the Watch Hill area, and some big ones at that. Right before I spoke to Mike, he heard news that Al Golinski weighed in a 52-pounder at Gray’s Boat Yard Marina. The cow was taken on a bunker chunk near Catomb on Wednesday afternoon. Mike himself has been doing pretty well with bass in the 30-inch class while mimicking herring on Sugar Reef with Fin-S Fish. He also mentioned that there are a boatload of small silversides in the area and fly anglers that present 2- to 3-inch offerings in light colors should do fine on the local reefs.
Captain Chris at Block Island Fishworks said the Island is, as usual, fishing well for this time of year. There have been a lot of bass up to the low 20-pound range being landed from the entire water column. Some of the best action is coming during the morning and evening hours. Topwater offerings like spook-style lures and Slug-Gos have been doing the trick, as well as sand eel patterns and Clousers for fly anglers. The North Rip area in particular has been hot, but it’s also been a parking lot of boats by 7 AM. However, Chris said there are bass around the whole island now and some good action is coming from the east side, specifically near Old Harbor Point.
Fluke-wise, Captain Ron from Breachway Bait and Tackle shared some really positive news during our phone conversation. He fished Wednesday morning in 30-feet of water off of Green Hill and caught 40 fluke up to 7 pounds. Ron mentioned that he fared much better during the outgoing tide. Dogfish have been a nuisance lately for some anglers and Ron encountered some in 60 feet of water, but none in shallow. His preferred fluke setup is a double bucktail rig with a 1/4-ounce jig on top and a 2- to 4-ounce jig on bottom, depending on the situation. Both of his bucktails are usually tipped with a squid and spearing combination.
For sweetwater fans, Dave at River and Riptide informed me that the Wood River, with water temperatures in the low 60s, is still your best shot for trout. Water levels are perfect for wading and afternoon and evening bug hatches remain strong, especially for March Browns and Red Quills. Fly anglers are enjoying surface action during these hatches at most of the popular access points, such as the Deer-check Station, High Banks, and the Pines.
Connecticut
The amount of reports of larger stripers being caught in Connecticut waters this past week was welcomed news. Scattered schools of bunker remain in the Thames River, mostly between Norwich Harbor and the Route 2A Bridge, according to Cheyenne at The Fish Connection. There have been rumors of a couple very large bass taken on live bunker in the last couple weeks near the schools of bait, but most reports consist of schoolies and harbor blues falling to chunks and sandworms. If you are lucky enough to find a roaming pod of bunker, try using a snag hook to acquire some and let them swim back near the edges of the bait school.
After a relatively slow start to the season, Matt at Hillyers said he’s seen an uptick in striper activity in the eastern Sound over the last few days. A 36-pounder from Bartlett Reef tipped the shop’s scale on Wednesday morning. Matt told me that, historically, the methods of 3-waying bucktails and diamond jigging really shine in the Sound during the month of June, partly because it’s easier as there aren’t as many blues to deal with.
Conor at J&B Tackle shared that the Race has been hosting some trophy bass lately. A 55-pound beast and some other cows over 40 pounds were caught while 3-waying bucktail jigs on one of their charter boats last weekend. Conor added that when the tide is ripping, it takes about 16 to 20 ounces of lead to get a good presentation out there. When the tide is at its weakest, it’s approximately 12 ounces or so for the right drift.
Q from River’s End added that striper catches seem to be really picking up. Despite still being dirty, the mouth of the Connecticut River is holding bass. Q believes stripers are dropping down the river because of water temperatures and had a hunch that reports from Long Sand Shoal, the immediate adjacent reef to the mouth, will only get better. A 32-pounder from there was brought into the shop this week. Q suggested drifting eels, live bunker, or fresh-cut chunks if heading to the Shoal.
Chris at Stratford Bait and Tackle told me of positive bass reports streaming in from the mouth of the Housatonic River. He thinks that some spring-run stripers are beginning to file out of the Housatonic and picking off chunked mackerel and bunker on their way. Chris also heard of some great chunking action off buoys 11B and 28C with fresh bunker. One report consisted of 20 bass over 20 pounds during a recent outing.
As for flatfish, Matt from Hillyers enlightened me that fluke fishing in the Sound is definitely getting better. There are mass amounts of shorts to cull through, yet some nice keepers have been coming over the rails, including an 8-pounder weighed in their shop from Seaflower Reef this week. Other eastern Sound fluke spots that Matt suggested are Two Tree Channel and the south side of Fisher’s Island. Cappy at Captain Morgan Bait and Tackle told me about reports of good sized fluke from shore in the Madison area during incoming tides, as well as solid action in 60 feet of water south of Faulkner’s Island. In the western Sound, Nick from Fisherman’s World informed me that 30-feet of water near Buoy 26 or Peck’s Ledge during an incoming tide are good places to be with squid and spearing on your favorite fluke rig.
In freshwater news, Blaine at Connecticut Outfitters shared that Wethersfield Cove is currently home to spawning bowfin – a neat and prehistoric-looking fish. He’s heard of 5 caught there this week alone, all on live shiners. John from Valley Angler said it’s hard to believe how good the Squantz Pond walleye action has been this spring in the shallows. Shore anglers are still catching quality ‘eyes in low-light conditions using live alewives under floats. John also noted that the Candlewood Lake smallmouth action is very good in shallow water up to 10 feet deep. He suggested plying the shoreline with a Keitech swim-bait for hungry smallies.
Best Bets for the Weekend
The Bay and mouths of tidal rivers are still hosting some nice striped bass, but with water temperatures rising quickly, the reefs and humps outside will soon be your best shot at a cow, if not already. Areas like Brenton Reef, Watch Hill Reef and Catomb off Rhode Island, as well as the Race, Bartlett Reef and Long Sand Shoal off Connecticut, have all produced some quality bass as of late and should continue to do so. Live-lining or chunking fresh bunker is a sure way to get into fish, or try 3-waying bucktail jigs or diamond jigging. For those targeting fluke, the south shore of Rhode Island seems like your best bet. Drifting bucktail jigs tipped with squid and spearing in about 30 feet of water should put some fish in the boat and hopefully some keepers at that.