Albies Still Hot, Big Bass Moving In
It’s a great time of year to be a saltwater angler in New England. Forgo sleep, use banked sick days, do whatever you have to do to go fishing because the fall run is underway. Right now is what many of us dreamt of all summer long – tourists have gone home, the air is cooler, water temperatures are dropping, bait is on the move, bass, blues and albies are on the feed, and fishing for black sea bass and porgies is at its peak.
Maybe it’s because they only grace us with their presence for a short while each year, or perhaps it’s panning out to be a truly memorable season for them, but false albacore were still the main topic of discussion this week. From Newport to Point Judith to Watch Hill, there was no shortage of positive reports for shore and boat anglers targeting little tunny. Neil from Quaker Lane Outfitters said surf fishermen on Point Judith’s East Wall have been experiencing good shots at albies popping up during early morning and late afternoon hours using flies or small plastics fished behind casting eggs. Robin at Quonny Bait and Tackle told me that she sold out of Albie Snax soft-plastics this week to anglers chasing the speedsters along the South Shore. Dave at River and Riptide was staying busy all day on Sunday throwing anchovy flies to fish surfacing between Watch Hill and Fisher’s Island. Chris from Block Island Fishworks added that anglers have a couple chances each morning for false albacore feeding in Block’s Great Salt Pond.
Striped bass and bluefish action along the Rhode Island coast remains strong according to Steve at Saltwater Edge. He said that both the daytime and nighttime bites in areas like Newport, Point Judith, Matunuck, and Charlestown are holding up well thanks to good numbers of finger mullet and big silversides. Fellow Connecticut Surfcasters Association member Dave Collins experienced one of the best mullet-induced blitzes he’s ever seen last Thursday evening along the South County shoreline. He caught 25 fish up to 40-pounds on plugs before retiring for the night. Robin at Quonny Bait and Tackle spoke of good bass and blue fishing at sunrise and sunset from all three breachways lately. She also added that Watch Hill Reef treated her well on Friday night with stripers up to 30-pounds while three-waying eels. Mike at Watch Hill Outfitters told me boaters have been catching their share of bass down deep using wire line and parachute jigs. He also threw in that shore anglers are still catching stripers and yellow-eyed demons under the Watch Hill Lighthouse using needlefish, swimming plugs, darters, and chunked bunker.
Scup fishing is lights out in Rhode Island waters right now. Seven B’s reported phenomenal results from their trip on Sunday with several anglers limiting out with 40 fish apiece, all quality-sized porgies with many between 1.5 to 3 pounds. Robin at Quonny Bait and Tackle added that the rock piles off the breachways have been producing big scup for shore anglers and Mike at Watch Hill Outfitters said right under the Watch Hill Light remains a worthy spot for those dunking high/low rigs baited with squid, sandworms or clam.
Block Island’s Southwest Ledge is the place to be for quality black sea bass fishing right now. Chris at Block Island Fishworks led my friends and I to some honker sea bass Monday by telling us to probe the 40-foot depth area around the Hooter Buoy. We used fluke spinner rigs tipped with mummichogs and nailed multiple keeper-sized fish at every notable rock pile we drifted over.
Early season cod fishing remained respectable this past week according to Roger of the Frances Fleet. He said Friday was a good day with most anglers aboard taking home three to six nice cod apiece with high-hook landing nine. Longtime regular Norm from northern Rhode Island iced six cod to 17-pounds and Carlo from Stamford, Connecticut took the pool with a fine cod in the low 20-pound class. Saturday featured a great turn out who enjoyed a spectacular day weather-wise and a nice morning of cod in the 7- to 12-pound range coming over the rails. Most anglers have been sticking with bait fishing and the boat has been covering a vast area of different rock piles that range from south of Block Island to the far eastern reaches of Coxes and in between. The head boats are also starting to see some butter fish and even a few small mackerel showing up on the cod grounds.
Connecticut Fishing Report
The eastern end of Long Island Sound was invaded by false albacore nearly two weeks ago, but they have finally made their way west now too. Nick at Fisherman’s World was pleased to share that a few of his customers found albies feeding on top Sunday and Monday around the Norwalk Islands. That means anywhere from Norwalk eastward can have pods popping up, so keep your eyes peeled. Of course the more familiar little tunny haunts in the east to keep checking include the Sluiceway, Plum Gut, Race Rock, and around Fisher’s Island. And if you’re willing to go a little further, I experienced amazing blitzes of willing fish at Montauk on Monday afternoon.
The Sound and its tributaries are gradually picking up in terms of quality stripers as well. Cheyenne of The Fish Connection has noticed a drop in water temperature to 68 degrees and is seeing more bass attacking swimming plugs, poppers, and soft-plastics in rivers like the Mystic and Thames. My friend Kurt Daniello caught and released a surf striper of a lifetime late Friday night while soaking a fresh bunker head in the eastern Sound. The cow bass measured 50×27-inches, which the IGFA formula puts around 46-pounds. Cappy at Captain Morgan Bait and Tackle reported that Bryan Finocchio of Bozeman, Montana (formerly of Madison, Connecticut) hooked into his career-best striper on a live eel late Saturday night in a tidal river. His 49-inch cow tipped the scales at over 41-pounds several hours after catching it.
Bluefish remain very plentiful and willing to strike plugs or chunks throughout the Sound. Matt at Hillyers said almost any reef structure is a good bet for blues right now, but the Race or Bartlett’s Reef are near the top of the list. Pat at River’s End told me big blues are still picking off pods of bunker in the mouth of the Connecticut River. Jason of Bobby J’s Bait and Tackle reported that customer Al Day had a crazy Wednesday morning in the Housatonic River, landing six huge blues between 11 and 16 pounds on bunker chunks. Nick at the Fisherman’s World shared that boaters continue to diamond jig and chunk for big blues at buoys 11B and 28C in the western Sound as well.
Porgies remain an active fishery with many platter-sized slabs being reeled in. Andrew at Fishin’ Factory III said head boat limits are now 45 porgies per person and they aren’t having too much trouble meeting that in areas south of Fisher’s Island or around Race Rock. Cappy at Captain Morgan Bait and Tackle suggested going deep with bigger baits to try to avoid dense schools of fist-sized sea bass. To catch the real ‘hump back’ sea bass, search out wrecks/bumps in about 75-95 foot depths using high/low rigs or jigs with squid. He stressed at those depths heavy weights are a must.
Obviously the salt isn’t our only option at the moment. In freshwater, Pat from Candlewood Bait and Tackle shared that quality smallmouth bass are starting to move to deeper water in Candlewood Lake. They are suspending about halfway down over 30 to 40 feet of water feeding on schools of alewives. Electronics are important to find where the bait and bass are in the water column, but once you locate them, Keitech swim baits and metal spoons are doing the trick. For Candlewood’s largemouth bass, flipping jigs inside the weed lines is still a productive tactic. And in Squantz Pond, Pat said big walleye up to 7-pounds are feeding on alewives fished on bottom after dark.
Fishing Forecast for the Weekend
Matt at Snug Harbor Marina said a weather front could very well stall over us this weekend, bringing with it wet weather and northeasterly winds. That may not sound appealing to boat anglers, but it could mean fishy conditions for the surf crowd targeting bass and blues. With ample amounts of bait and predators from Newport to Watch Hill, the Rode Island shoreline sounds like the place to be this weekend. Bring plugs like darters and loaded Red Fins that can punch into the wind and match mullet well. Or, if you’re up for a road trip, head up to the Striper Fest on Saturday for a big party and some fishing at the Cape Cod Canal.