Connecticut and Rhode Island Fishing Report 5-24-2012

Long Island Sound Giving up Monster Stripers!

What a week in the striped bass department! First we learned about a surf-caught 55-pounder, only to be followed by a 74.75-pound porgy-eating monster just a few days later (Check out the video!). Stripers have stolen much of the show lately, but options are numerous in our briny waters right now. Big and small bluefish are showing up in greater force throughout the area. Fluke action is slowly picking up with fish around the double-digit mark tipping scales. Scup, too, are becoming easier to find, making for a tasty meal or even better live bait.

Winter flounder season is closed in Rhode Island waters, though you still have a shot in Connecticut. And blackfish season closed in Connecticut waters, but you can still take them in Rhode Island.

The state of our local freshwater fishing is nothing to sneeze at either. Thanks to copious stockings and rainfall, the local trout situation is holding up well. Waterways like Connecticut’s Farmington River are producing several high-quality trout in excess of 20-inches long. Targeting largemouth and smallmouth bass is another solid option, with pre-spawn fish still on beds and post-spawners milling about.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

From Narragansett Bay to South Shore salt ponds to reefs around Watch Hill, striped bass fishing is pretty hot right now across the Ocean State. Peter Jenkins of Saltwater Edge said a dialed-in customer took a 42 and 43-pound bass on consecutive nights from the lower Bay surf early this week. The first bass ate a chartreuse Tsunami Deep Shad and his next victim was fooled on a bone-colored Super Strike darter.

Peter pointed out that it’s predominantly a bunker bite in the upper Bay, with live-lining or chunking being two of the best angling methods. Also accounting for blues and bass up there are Point Jude’s Deep Force jigs (slim style) bounced along bottom structure, as well as top-water plugs and slow-trolled pink tube and worms.

Worm-induced striper action in Rhode Island salt ponds is showing no signs of slowing down. Ron at Breachway Bait and Tackle told me his 11-year-old Goddaughter landed 17 striped bass, four of which were keeper sized, and broke off a 40-incher at the boat on Sunday evening. She was using a light tackle set up with a 3-inch Slug-Go in “Texas Chili” color rigged on fluorocarbon behind a casting egg.  Dave at River and Riptide Anglers agreed about the hot bite in the ponds. He said from sunset to dark, bass up to 40-inches have been cruising around seeking small worms emerging from the mud. A number of patterns in pink, red or root beer brown will do the trick for fly fishermen.

The area around Sugar, Watch Hill and Catumb Reefs is chock full of squid and has been producing consistent striper catches lately. Mike at Watch Hill Outfitters fished Wednesday morning from 4 to 8 AM, scoring most of his keepers in the first hour using squid imitations such as Yozuri Hydro Squirts and pink soft-plastics.

Rhode Island fluke fishing has been kind to some and cold to others recently, but, overall, there is room for improvement. Captain Thom noted that he lost his biggest fluke of the season so far last Friday, about a 12 pounder, right at the net. Also on Friday, Thom’s buddy Ron Enright took a 9.5 pound fluke on a bucktail tipped with a squid strip in 35 feet of water right outside the Harbor of Refuge in Point Judith. When I asked where Thom would try next for a doormat fluke, he told me Bock Island’s north end all the way down its west side. Ron at Breachway Bait and Tackle said 38 feet seems to be the magic number for fluke right now, adding that a 6.6 pounder was weighed-in Sunday by Ray Jones, who caught it just west of

Charlestown Breachway.

For other options, scup action is not hot and heavy according to Ron, but some are being taken in the breachways using bits of sandworm or clam on high/low rigs with anywhere between 2 to 5 ounces of lead depending on the current. Robin at Quonny Bait and Tackle said lots of squid ran into Weekapaug on Monday and Tuesday nights and anglers in boats are anchoring up and using lights and Yo-Zuri squid jigs with success. Robin also noted that blackfish are being caught from shore by anglers fishing with green crabs towards the rocks along the breachways. That season closes at the end of this month.

Block Island Fishing Report
Sand eels on the surface have really improved the striper fishing around Block Island, according to Chris at Block Island Fish Works. He said the mornings last weekend were good, but shut off like a switch on Monday and Tuesday, then picked back up again on Wednesday. Chris has been scoring bass up to 22 pounds using soft plastics between 4 and 6-inches, with and without jig heads, along the western side of the Island. Elisa at Snug Harbor Marina told me that bluefish and bass are being taking at the North Rip with diamond jigs and top-water lures. Boat anglers are also catching fish along Southwest Ledge by trolling wire or tube and worms.

Connecticut Fishing Report
Long Island Sound is playing host to some truly incredible striped bass right now. In the wee hours of Sunday morning, Connecticut Surfcasters Association member Rich Morris landed a 55 lbs. 5 oz. beast on an eel along a rocky stretch of shoreline. Hanging a bass over the 50-pound mark from the Connecticut surf is no small task and Rich certainly deserved it from all the late hours he’s put in over the years.

Just a few days later on Wednesday morning, Capt. Blaine Anderson boated the best fish of his storied career in eastern Long Island sound. It was his first saltwater outing of the year, which started innocently enough as a scouting mission for upcoming guide trips. Blaine caught some porgies for bait and brought them to a favorite rock pile. All it took was two drifts of three-waying live scup before all hell broke loose. After an intense battle with 100-yard runs and leader chafing on rocks, a goliath striped bass measuring 57.5-inches long with a 32.25-inch girth was in the boat. According to IGFA’s formula, the behemoth weighed 74.75-pounds!  Blaine tried his best revive her, but unfortunately the fight proved too much.  Its stomach contents included 2 fluke, 2 skate and an eel!

Cheyenne at The Fish Connection stated that everybody who goes is catching bass at The Race. It has been mostly a three-waying game with bucktails or paddle-tail soft-plastics, but diamond jigging or using Yo-Zuri Hydro Squirts and other squid imitations will also do the trick. Pat of River’s End said live-lining bunker at Plum Gut is a smart plan right now, but fish eels there if you can’t find bunker. Solid backups are Long Sand Shoal and Bartlett’s Reef. Pat also noted that porgies can be found on reefs off Waterford and Old Lyme using bits of sandworm on a simple high/low rig. Cappy at Captain Morgan echoed the hot reef bite throughout the Sound, saying three-waying eels or bucktails Southwest and Six Mile Reefs is a good tactic for bass. In the western Sound, Nick at Fisherman’s World said the bunker bite remains strong, as a 38-pound striped bass was caught by Dan Pongonis on a chunk at 11B on Saturday.

Connecticut’s tidal rivers are still hanging in there. Cheyenne at The Fish Connection said shore-bound anglers in the Thames River are catching stripers with chunks or whole squid near Buoy 27. For light-tackle fun, Cheyenne added that American shad are being taken at the Greenville Dam in the Shetucket River and hickory shad are biting in the Mystic River – both of which are responding well to shad darts. The Connecticut River still has its share of striped bass in it, but overall things are slowing down as angling effort is being transferred to the Sound. Andrew at Fishin’ Factory III told me about solid top-water action from the Cromwell stretch down to Haddam lately, with the key lures being pencil poppers, spooks, soft-plastics, and Sebile Magic Swimmers. Chris at Stratford Bait and Tackle reported that the mouth of the Housatonic River is producing bass and bluefish for those slinging eels or white bucktails and curly tail grubs.

Fluking seems to be feast or famine in the early goings so far. Pat at River’s End had 9 and 10-pounders brought into the shop over the weekend, which he said most likely came from deep water off Black Point.  Andrew of Fishin’ Factory III also had a fluke over 9 pounds come in and shared a trick about obtaining flat fish candy – tie a squid jig on as a dropper above your bucktail so you can catch fresh bait while fluke fishing. If it works, drop down a whole squid to increase your chances of a doormat. Andrew added that staying deep in 70 to 80-feet of water may yield slower action, but bigger fish, and focusing in 30 to 40 feet could mean more action, but smaller fish.

Bob at Hillyers reported that Black Point, Isabella Beach and Hatchett Reef are fine places to try for fluke and that customers are also shooting over to the New York side to try their hand. One angler weighed-in an 11.05-pounder this week from the waters off Montauk on Sunday.  Chris from Stratford Bait and Tackle told me about Jack Wallace’s 8.64-pound fluke from the New Haven breakwalls and also noted about decent catches coming from the mouth of the Housatonic River and off of Pendfield. Farther west, Nick at Fisherman’s World said customer John Heiden reeled in a 25.5-inch fluke from Buoy 26 off Copp’s Island late last week, but fluking in general has been better on the New York side off of Port Jeff, Mt. Sinai, and Sunken Meadow in 10 to 30 feet of water with squid/spearing combos.

In freshwater, trout fishing is still rolling along. Tommy of CT Fish Guides took advantage of the slightly stained and higher Farmington River after rains this week by chucking gaudy streamers. He said streamer fishing a.k.a. “chucking meat” is a great idea during or immediately after a rainstorm. Also working well in the Farmington are big stone fly patterns, size #14 pheasant tails and #16 caddis pupa. For bass fishermen, the folks at Candlewood Bait and Tackle told me that some fish are still bedding in Connecticut’s biggest lake, though others in post-spawn mode are more active and can be found among the weeds. There was a tournament on Candlewood last weekend and the winning bag included five largemouth weighing 17-pounds. In contrast, third place was five smallmouth weighing 16-pounds. They suggested pitching soft-plastic baits to the bass still on beds or swimming Keitechs over weeds for roaming bass. They said Candlewood and Squantz Pond were also giving up 3 to 4-pound brown trout to some anglers drifting live alewives and shiners.

Best Fishing Bets for Connecticut and Rhode Island

Striped bass is the name of the game right now. From Long Island Sound to Narragansett Bay, large stripers are cooperating across the board. The biggest examples have been falling to bait anglers lately, whether it is a live porgy, bunker or eel. Boat fishermen may want to three-way one of these choice baits over structure this weekend. Shore anglers should focus on the later tides in rocky zones with eels.