Connecticut and Rhode Island Fishing Report 6-28-2012

With the first full week of summer in the books, the pattern of nighttime fishing for striped bass with eels has taken hold. Since Sunday, no less than four stripers over 50-pounds met their maker this way in Rhode Island waters alone. Not everyone is quick to tie on an eel though with the amount of bluefish present in southern New England. The toothy critters are filling in the gap as daytime fishing for striped bass is getting trickier. In addition, fluke action has been very good lately, although the ratio of keeper-sized fish to shorts has not. Also in the mix are porgies stacked up on inshore structure, positive black sea bass reports and signs of a strong blue crab run happening.

 

Rhode Island

It has been a pretty good week overall for big striped bass despite some tough conditions in between. Watch Hill Outfitters weighed one of the more notable fish, a fat 48-inch 50-pounder, landed by Connecticut Surfcaster John Hanecak on Sunday night. He was fishing a rocky stretch along the South Shore when the cow latched on to the rear hook of his rigged eel. Her stomach contents included a 14-inch blackfish and a 12-inch fluke.  Hats off to John on a remarkable fish that I know he put his time in for!

Block Island waters produced three additional 50-plus pound stripers, and another just under, all of which fell to boat anglers drifting eels between dusk and dawn. Galilee Bait and Tackle weighed the biggest of the bunch, a 58.2-pounder caught by Mike Lanni, as well as another at 47.5-pounds landed by Jonathan Lewi. Snug Harbor Marina weighed another two other beasts, Roger Kroha’s 55.1-pounder and Jason Wessels’ 52.2-pounder, both believed to have come from Southwest Ledge.

Robin at Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle shared a report of two more eel-hungry bass that were taken during an early morning outgoing tide off one of the breachways. Steven Topla’s fish weighed 30-pounds and his fishing partner David Morse’s was 29-pounds. Let’s just say it has not been a good week to be an eel in Rhode Island…

Other methods have been accounting for nice bass as well. Captain Billy of Can’t Imagine Sportfishing Charters is still finding stripers under schools of menhaden in Narragansett Bay. His clients are catching many fish in the 18- to 22-pound class while chunking fresh cut-bait on bottom.  Another effective tactic right now is live-lining, not just pogies either. Phil at Breachway Bait and Tackle said a few anglers are catching shad on Sabiki rigs in the Green Hill area and drifting them with success on reefs along the South Shore.

Hordes of bluefish continue to descend upon the area too. Steve at Saltwater Edge said the yellow-eyed demons are working up sand eels and silver sides on the surface from the mouth of Narragansett Bay up to the US Naval War College. Look for birds and have your pencil popper and spook-style lures ready for top-water action. John at Twin Maples told me that the number of bluefish around Block Island reminds him of the 1980’s. Although they let up a bit this week, it was so bad some anglers were refusing to tie on eels just to have them chopped up by 4 to 6-pound or the 10-pound bluefish classes that seem to be around.

Fluking seems to be solid action-wise, but a lot of work in terms of culling out quality fish. Howard at Galilee Bait and Tackle said it’s not uncommon to weed through 20 to 30 just shy of the size limit to get one keeper, which can be frustrating, though it bodes well for the future. The better-sized fluke, he told me, have been coming out of deeper water more consistently, like 60 to 70-feet, on green bucktail jigs tipped with a squid/spearing combo. Robin at Quonny Bait and Tackle suggested using mummichog/squid combos in 40 to 55 feet of water off Misquamicut and Green Hill. John at Twin Maples likes 50 to 60 feet of water on the Western side of Block Island right now for fluke.

Black sea bass are another great option this time of year. Elisa said the Sakonnet area has been hot and that Massachusetts angler Lou Soldani landed a slob 7-pound sea bass there recently on a Lucanus jig. John at Twin Maples reported good sea bass action up to 5-pounds in Block Island waters. He recommended exploring 40 to 48-feet by the outside buoy on Southwest Corner or 50 to 60-feet along the western side of the island. John likes keeping it simple with a wide gap hook tipped with a squid strip on a 36-inch leader and enough weight to get down.

Another species that is cooperating for anglers is scup. Steve at Saltwater Edge recommended trying high/low rigs tipped with sandworms in the Fort Adams area or along South Ferry Road in Narragansett. Or you can park yourself under Watch Hill lighthouse where Mike of Watch Hill Outfitters said scup are stacked up like cordwood, occasionally taking bunker chunks meant for striped bass.

Targeting tuna is another option not too far off Block Island.  Dave at River and Riptide changed it up from his usual bass trips and went trolling in the vicinity of Fairway Buoy. Twenty minutes into the troll, a 35-inch bluefin smacked their offering one mile northeast of the buoy. They were using a spreader bar with black squids and a chartreuse trailer. The lone fish had big squid and butterfish in its belly.

Dave also shared that trout fishing in the Wood River is fantastic. There is some great bug activity for fly fishermen to take advantage of, including the “Hex” hatch that happens usually around 8:45 PM and lasts sometimes until 10 PM. These big mayflies seem to get the attention of every trout in the river. Other bugs bringing trout to the surface right before dark include light cahills and yellow sallies.

Connecticut

While fishing Monday through Wednesday was a struggle between thunderstorms and wind, last weekend featured great conditions in Long Island Sound and it looks like more of the same this weekend. The nighttime eel tactic working so well in Rhode Island is also, not surprisingly, producing big striped bass in Connecticut waters, especially by anglers three-waying them over structure. Matt at Hillyer’s said the best place to employ this method has been the Race. Three-waying bucktails during the day may be a cheaper alternative when bluefish are thick.  Cappy at Captain Morgan Bait and Tackle rattled off a couple other good spots with plenty of structure for three-waying eels, including Southwest and Six Mile Reefs, as well as south of Faulkner’s.

Chunking or drifting bunker is another good choice for big bass in the Sound at the moment. Q at River’s End told me the mouth of the Connecticut River is hosting an impressive number of the baitfish. On Tuesday the shop weighed a 52-pounder brought in by angler who was chunking fresh bunker not far from the Old Saybrook shoreline. Q also said Long Sand Shoal is fine spot to bring bunker for bass dropping in and out of the mouth of the Connecticut. The amount of bunker increases as you move west. Fisherman’s Paradise said there is a lot of it roaming around the central Sound shoreline. Paul Santa Barbara brought in a 49.55-pound Striper Cup fish into the shop after drifting whole bunker along Southwest Reef. Danny from Rudy’s Tackle Barn said many western Sound harbors are still loaded with bunker and that taking them to deeper water chunking or live-lining has been the ticket there too.

There have been several really nice fluke culled out from the mass of shorts in Long Island Sound over the last week. Matt at Hillyer’s said he has seen more 9-pound-class fluke this year than he can remember. Angler Pete Lewis added his name to that list with a 9.45-pound doormat taken last weekend. Matt said Niantic Bay has a healthy stock of fish if you want to put in the time weeding out the shorts. Q at River’s End said last weekend was a good one for big flatfish coming through the shop doors, but none bigger than Hank Lomas’ 9.70-pounder from deep water. Cheyenne at the Fish Connection recommended trying 25 to 40-feet of water at places like Black Point, Sarah’s Ledge, Vixen’s Ledge, and Seaflower Reef. Cappy at Captain Morgan’s added the edges of Long Sand Shoal and south of Faulkner’s in 60-feet of water as solid fluking spots. For fluke in the western Sound, Danny at Rudy’s Tackle barn said a good bet is shooting over to the drop off in Oyster Bay where it hits 50-feet of water.

Another option in the Sound for fun or striper bait includes porgies, which are piled up pretty good on inshore rock piles. In the east, Matt at Hillyer’s said decent starting points usual include Race Rock, the Spindle at Bartlett’s Reef, and White Rock in Niantic Bay. In the west, Danny at Rudy’s suggested trying for big porgies around Captain’s Island off Greenwich. Bits of squid or sandworms on a high/low rig will do the trick.  I didn’t come across many black sea bass reports from Connecticut shops, but Q at River’s End mentioned that the Clinton and Westbrook area has been productive.

On top of the good fishing opportunities, there is early evidence of another strong blue crab run happening like it did in 2010. Cappy at Captain Morgan’s said the methods of scoop-netting, trapping, and hand-lining are all working well in tidal rivers along the central part of the Sound, such as the East River and Hammonasset River.

A really good freshwater report came from Chris at Stratford Bait and Tackle who is hammering big brown trout at the Saugatuck Reservoir. Using ¾-ounce chrome Kastmasters with a chrome prism, he reeled in four trout over the 6-pound mark during trips in the last two weeks. Chris casts as far as he can and lets the lure sink all the way to the bottom before beginning his retrieve.

Best Bets for the Weekend

It is cow-hunting time after hours.  With waters warming and bluefish numbers soaring, shifting to night tides for big striped bass is a smart play. Whether dead or alive, rigged or on a single hook, using eels is the most consistent way of punching your trophy ticket right now. The best place to do this lately has been on a boat along Southwest Ledge off Block Island, but several stretches of rocky shoreline can produce large bass on any given tide. Keep fishing eels after dark in spots with structure that you have confidence in and it will eventually pay off.