Connecticut & Rhode Island Fishing Report: 10-20-11

With the exception of Tuesday, weather has thrown many a wrench into fishing plans over the last week.  However, quite a few anglers persevered through gnarly conditions to catch some nice fish and many more are looking forward to a better weather forecast this weekend to get their licks in.  Fall is flying by, but there is plenty of quality saltwater fishing left to do.  The blackfish bite has really kicked into high gear, including a remarkable catch from Long Island Sound.  Striped bass and bluefish continue marauding baitfish across the region.  Though false albacore action has slowed some, there are still some pods of fish popping up, especially in Montauk.  And lastly, Connecticut freshwater fishing just got a big shot in the arm this week with the stocking of 400 Atlantic salmon up to 18 pounds.

Rhode Island

As if on cue, snotty conditions rolled in for the annual Fall Surf Club Challenge last weekend.  Nine clubs competed in fierce winds from Watch Hill to the Narrow River while raising over $1,600 for the Multiple Sclerosis Society.  Connecticut Surfcasters Association (CSA) was crowned victor with a total of 73.73-pounds for their top three striped bass and top three bluefish.  The largest striper of the tournament was 22.52 pounds and caught by CSA’s John Hanecak.  The largest bluefish was 11.1 pounds taken by Striped-Bass.com’s Dan Schiappa.

Starting last weekend, Peter at Saltwater Edge said striper fishing has been pretty grim mostly because of the windy conditions keeping effort at a minimum.  One interesting bit of news was the report he received of the first gannets showing up along the shoreline, which is a predictor of big baitfish soon to come, Atlantic herring.

Blackfish action continues to improve in Rhode Island waters.  Jack at Quaker Lane Outfitters said that Narragansett Bay in particular is fishing well, especially in 30 feet of water around Whale Rock and Austin Hollow.  Several white-chins up to 7 pounds have been weighed-in from those areas on high/low rigs tipped with whole or half green crabs. Jack also said that big bluefish continue to pick away at the wandering pogy schools throughout the Bay.  Find the bait, find the fish.

Mike of Watch Hill Outfitters said that porgy fishing is still worth going in the Napatree Point and Watch Hill Reef areas.  He got out during a decent weather window on Tuesday and caught his share, but noted that action had noticeably slowed down from the week before.  Mike pointed out that local water temperatures fell five degrees in a relatively short amount of time and that probably played a part in it.  He also reminded me that there’s still a good shot at another round of bonito showing up, which they have been known to do around Halloween to feed on bay anchovies.

Block Island

Chris from Block Island Fish Works said conditions have been nasty for boating around the Island lately, but the seasoned surf crowd is putting their time in.  The tourists have mostly gone home, so the anglers plying the rocky shorelines now mean business.  Chris said there are some nice striped bass to be had, but they are not stacked in one particular area so moving around has been key.  The other ingredient for surf success has been needlefish plugs.  He noted that 80% of the plugs thrown on the Island on any given outing this time of year are needles in a variety of colors.

A handful of determined boaters have also been sneaking out between gales recently.  Chris mentioned that Clay Head and the south side of the Island have been producing some nice black sea bass up to 4-pounds in 30 to 50-feet of water.  The ticket has been jigging with Lucanus jigs or high/low rigs tipped with squid strips.  Needless to say, Chris is looking forward to the wind laying down somewhat this weekend so he can get back on the striped bass bite by drifting live eels and soft-plastic baits.

Connecticut

By far the biggest news from Long Island Sound this week was Bob Silva, Jr.’s monster tautog that he caught from shore last Sunday.  “Togzilla,” weighed-in at Hillyers, was an astonishing 18.55 pounds and 30.25 inches long.  That’s an incredible fish regardless of how he caught it, but landing it from shore takes the accomplishment to another level!  Needless to say, there are some trophy blackfish to be had in the rocky areas of the Sound.  Cappy at Captain Morgan Bait and Tackle said anglers have been tucking out of the wind this week and doing well behind breakwalls and islands.  He also recommended taking advantage of the current blackfish regulations because there are rumors that we may very well see a reduction in bag limit and increase in minimum size next year.

Jack at the Fish Connection used the lull in the weather on Tuesday to head over to Montauk.  There he found plenty of fish, but nothing like the epic scene he experienced just a week before.  The water was rough and much dirtier, but their crew boated 18 striped bass up to 27 inches and 18 false albacore – all on Zoom Super Flukes and bay anchovy fly patterns.  Live eels and late tides continue to work for culling out larger striped bass from the mix.  On Tuesday night, under the best conditions of the week, Captain Mike from Reel Cast Charters pulled his boat up to a rocky shoreline in the eastern Sound and used eels to land a 30- and 36-pound bass.  Pat Abate of River’s End said there have been some bait, blues and bass along the shoreline in the Waterford area, as well as bluefish in the mouth of the Connecticut River.

In freshwater news, the CT DEEP stocked 400 hundred broodstock Atlantic salmon into state waters this week.  The salmon ranged from 3 to 18 pounds and were split up between Crystal Lake, Mount Tom Pond, Naugatuck River, and Shetucket River.  Unfortunately, the “Campville Section” of the upper Naugatuck River will not be stocked this October due to ongoing cleanup operations resulting from tropical storms Irene and Lee.  Following spawning later this fall, DEEP expects an additional 500 salmon from the Kensington Hatchery will be available for stocking in November.  Regulations vary depending on where you fish for them, but swinging brightly colored flies or shiny spinners is a good way of getting their attention.  For complete salmon regulations and more information on stocking locations, you can visit DEEP’s fishing webpage: www.ct.gov/deep/fishing.

Best Bets for the Weekend

This weekend’s weather forecast sure looks a lot better than what we’ve been dealing with lately.  Many anglers are chomping at the bit for time on the water since saltwater weekends are running short.  Even though action has waned compared to last week’s melee, Montauk is still the best place to be overall for striped bass and false albacore.  If you want to stick closer to home, hone in on the hot blackfish bite.  Narragansett Bay is the ticket in Rhode Island and Long Island Sound coughed up a nearly 19-pound beast last weekend if you needed any more motivation.  All in all, one of the best bets for the weekend will be targeting Connecticut’s freshly stocked Atlantic salmon up to 18-pounds in Crystal Lake, Mount Tom Pond, and the Naugatuck and Shetucket Rivers.  The first few weeks after stocking are a great time to go before the salmon see every lure and fly under the sun.