July 14, 2011 – Connecticut & Rhode Island Fishing Report

With summer in full swing and water temperatures on the rise, the list of fish inhabiting our local waters is an impressive one.  However, the same warmth that brought some of them here has put others in patterns that can be challenging to crack.  Striped bass fishing from shore, for example, has mainly turned into a night game due to the heat, but visitors like sharks, tuna, mahi-mahi, white marlin, and trigger fish are now open for business.  Eeling around Block Island is producing stripers day and night.  Big bluefish are showing up in force, making for great fights and taking a toll on bait and tackle.  Black sea bass season opened up with a bang in Rhode Island.  Fluke action is incredible in terms of quantity, and the quality is there too for those willing to stick it out.  The porgy bite is really turning on and tasty blue crabs are starting to show in good numbers as well.  And in freshwater, the year of the broken records continues with a massive Connecticut-caught kokanee salmon.

Rhode Island

There are “blue water” angling opportunities closer to home than you may think.  Capt. Jack from Quaker Lane said there are sharks everywhere in a triangle from Jenny’s Horn to Montauk to Nomans Island.  He participated in last weekend’s Snug Harbor Shark Tournament, where their boat landed five makos between 80 and 150 pounds over two days.  The crew was using a menhaden chum for an attractor and bluefish as bait.  South of Block Island, “chicken” mahi from 3 to 8 pounds are being found near the Fairway Buoy to the 30 Fathom Line. Jack shared that trolling green mirror birds with a single green machine stinger is working, as well as casting Deadly Dicks or Butterfly jigging.  He also talked about finicky bluefin tuna in the 40- to 100-pound class on the outer edge of Mudhole all along Cox’s Ledge.  Occasionally they will hit trolled offerings on the fifth wave crest back from the boat.  Another species that Jack mentioned anglers seeing “finning” in the area are white marlin, which are feeding on halfbeaks like many other predators.

With summer patterns in overdrive, striped bass anglers are mainly focusing on south shore reefs or in the surf at night.  Jack listed reefs like Brenton, Watch Hill, or off Charlestown Breachway as the places to hit with live eels or fresh-cut bunker.  He also noted that Steve McKenna from the shop has been landing some quality bass in the 30-pound class on live eels during late tides in the Narragansett surf.  Capt. Ron from Breachway Bait and Tackle has been experiencing good luck while drifting live eels with no weight off Five Cottages and the reef off Charlestown.  A 40-pounder came over the rail on Saturday and another 30-pound bass was taken on Wednesday, both early in the morning.  His rig consists of a 40-pound fluorocarbon leader with a light-wire circle hook.  He’s donated some tackle to big bluefish in the 10- to 12-pound range lately, but it’s worth it for the bass he’s been finding in between.

The fluke action along the south shore remains excellent.  Capt. Ron said it’s been hot slightly east of the Charlestown Breachway.  He reported that customer Ronnie King landed a 9.9-pound beauty from 40 feet of water near there on Wednesday morning.  Ron suggested using a white bucktail below a white teaser, both tipped with squid and spearing, during the last three hours of the outgoing tide. Mike at Watch Hill Outfitters caught some big fluke and sea bass this week off Misquamicut in 45 to 50 feet of water using 4- to 6-ounce Spro jigs and Yo-Zuri squids as droppers.  The live mummy and squid strip combo seems to be the consensus on the best meal ticket for fluke.  Robin from Quonny Bait and Tackle agreed about the great fluke bite, stating that Pink House off Misquamicut and one mile off Charlestown beach are two great areas to make some drifts.   Robin also made note of some trigger fish catches in Quonny Pond recently – another cool species of fish that we occasionally see with increased water temperatures.

Block Island

Lots of large stripers are falling to live eels all around the Island at the moment, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.  John from Twin Maples shared that the whole southern half of the Island from Old Harbor Point to Southwest Corner is producing big bass for boaters drifting eels; both day and night.  The latest notable catch was reported by Capt. Matt of Hula Charters, who put clients on 48.5- and 31.8-pound stripers on Wednesday morning.  John believes the combination of crazy amounts of sand eels and a big swell around the Island are keeping the large bass there.  Fluke and sea bass are also treating anglers well around the Island.  John stressed to focus on the ground fish between Grace’s to the “hooter” at Southwest Corner, in 36 to 50 feet of water.  He also suggested keeping it simple with your favorite fluke rig tipped with a squid strip.

Connecticut

It’s a good time to be a boat fisherman in Long Island Sound.  High fuel costs are no fun, but a boat is still your best chance at finding consistent action.  All reports this week indicated tough surf fishing for striped bass.  However, boaters reaped the benefits of bait-filled reefs just offshore.  Blaine of Anderson Guide Services had to work hard every trip this year finding bait then staying on fish, yet each outing produced at least a few nice bass for satisfied clients.  Several stripers from 39 to 46 inches have been feeding on his live porgies dangled over structure in the eastern Sound this week. When the bait runs out, there has been sufficient surface activity at places like Bartlett and Hatchett Reef, with bass and blues feeding on acres of butterfish and anchovies.  Blaine is hoping the impressive amount of bait bodes well for a great false albacore run in a couple months.

Kyle at J&B said that a charter trip one morning this week accounted for three 40-pound class stripers while trolling wire and parachute jigs and metal-lip plugs through the Race at first light.  In the same breath, he lamented that bluefish are now thick in the area, making it more difficult to catch bass.

Fluking, according to most reports, continues to impress in terms of action, though keepers remain elusive at times.  Matt from Hillyers said fluke fishing is the best it’s been all year and reported the largest catch of the week – a 10.45-pound doormat taken near Goshen Reef by Lysle Hill.  Kyle at J&B Tackle talked about a charter trip on Wednesday that consisted of six anglers landing six keepers over an eight hour trip.  They threw back a few dozen shorts, so there was action throughout the trip, but nothing stellar in 75 feet of water between Pigeon’s Rip and Bloody Ground.

Q at River’s End heard of 6- and 8-pound fluke from Sound View near the mouth of the Connecticut River, and a 7.8-pounder inside the river caught by Buddy Haines.  Even though they came from shallow water areas, Q still believes you can do better per average size in deeper water from 80 to 120 feet.

As for bluefish, the western Sound has been producing some really big specimens lately.  Nick at Fisherman’s World reported big yellow-eyes in the 12-pound range munching on Polaris poppers around Sheffield Island in the early mornings.  Joe from Rudy’s Tackle Barn encountered some gator blues up to 15 pounds on Tuesday night around sundown while trolling a chartreuse diving Bomber, at 30 over 50 feet deep off Greenwich.

The porgy fishing, even on the smallest pieces of structure, is good right now.  Matt at Hillyers reported the biggest catch of the week – a 2.35-pound dinner plate caught by 10-year old Kevin Fasculo.  Matt reminded me to keep it simple with a piece of sandworm on a high/low rig.  Q at River’s End suggested Hatchett, Crane and Southwest Reefs as all good porgy spots.  In the western Sound, Nick at Fisherman’s World recommended Calf Pasture Pier, Can 1 off Westport, and Buoy 26 off Kopp’s Island.

Cappy at Captain Morgan Bait and Tackle reported a serious uptick in keeper blue crab numbers along the shoreline of central Long Island Sound.  If this year is anything close to last year, then we are in for a treat.  Cappy suggested focusing in tidal rivers around the low tide windows.  Try using a long-handled net and a flashlight around pilings after dark, or try drawing them in with raw chicken wings on a string.

In freshwater, the recent streak of shattered fishing records continued this week.  After new common carp and brown trout records already set this year, a massive kokanee salmon was added to the list last Saturday.  Tom Pasko of Collinsville caught the 19.5-inch, 2.885-pound sallmon while trolling a pink kokanee squid 25 feet deep on East Twin Lake.  With the recent alewife decline there, the kokanee population has been flourishing and this trophy catch is more proof of that. The old record of 2-pounds, 12-ounces from Highland Lake had stood since 1976.

Best Bets for the Weekend

There’s a smorgasbord of angling options this weekend, from good sharking to fluking. If I owned a boat though, I would be taking a bucket of eels to Block Island. That seems like your most consistent shot at scoring trophy striped bass during day or night. My next choice would be fluking the south shore of Rhode Island, which remains your greatest chance at a doormat if you can stomach a surplus of short fish. Try white bucktail jigs and teasers tipped with live mummies and squid strips in 40 feet of water.