Connecticut and Rhode Island Fishing Report 10-4-12

Big Tog Biting, Striper Fishing Improving

Fall run fishing is in full swing across Rhode Island and things are taking better shape in Connecticut with each drop in water temperature. Just around the corner in Montauk, remarkable blitzes of striped bass and false albacore are drawing anglers like moths to a flame. In addition, opportunities for some other favorite fall quarry are picking up steam, including tautog and cod, as well as crappie, trout and broodstock salmon. With a long weekend on tap for many, there is plenty of worthy fishing to be done.

Rhode Island

What I took away from my calls to Rhode Island shops this week was that fishing is very good overall. Steve McKenna of Quaker Lane Outfitters said mullet have been the driving force behind most of the inshore action. He’s been catching 6 or 7 stripers a night in the surf, nothing huge but keeper-sized fish up to 15-pounds, using Super Strike darters, Danny plugs and Red Gill teasers. Steve noted that larger bass are mixed in as well, as his buddy Jamail Ajaj proved with a 44-pounder from the South Shore early Sunday morning on a darter. He added that schoolie bass have moved up into Narragansett Bay, taking advantage of the peanut bunker schools and bay anchovies there.

The area from Monohan’s Dock south to Point Judith, particularly the East Wall, all the way west to Quonny has been fishing well lately for bass, blues and false albacore according to Steve at Saltwater Edge. Robin at Quonny Bait and Tackle said the outgoing tides after dark at all three breachways have also been very productive. She threw in that East Beach seems to have an afternoon bluefish blitz every day too. Mike at Watch Hill Outfitters commented that his shop is sold out of yellow swimming plugs, which people are buying hand over fist to mimic the mullet in the wash. The Watch Hill area has been giving up some big bass, including Scott Ariogni’s 49.5-incher caught early Saturday morning on eels and Dave Walker’s 42-pound cow taken Wednesday while soaking a bunker head aboard the Emma Lou.

There are false albacore still being found all along Rhode Island’s South Shore, but not in the mindboggling numbers that anglers are catching in Montauk at the moment. Dave of River and Riptide left sporadic fish at Watch Hill on Sunday to find the mother lode of blitzing bass and albies…along with about 200 boats jockeying for position. He said it was the largest radius of feeding fish he’s ever seen, but it came with a price of cut lines and headaches due to the circus atmosphere. Mike at Watch Hill Outfitters found plenty of albies locally on Wednesday around Can #7 in Lord’s Passage and Ron of Breachway Bait and Tackle reported that the speedsters were popping up in front of Quonny Breachway on Tuesday.

Around Block Island, Sol at Twin Maples said false albacore and the occasional bonito are still popping up in and around the Coast Guard channel. He also shared that shore anglers are taking decent striped bass at night in Great Salt Pond using swimmers and along the outer beaches using needlefish. Sol added that Southwest Ledge picked back up a bit in terms of stripers to 30 and 40-pounds taking drifted eels. The same area is still holding plenty of nice black sea bass as well, especially in the 40-foot depth range around the Hooter Buoy.

Angling effort for tautog increased dramatically since last week and the results have showed. Tom Peters and his brother Allan caught their limit of tog on Saturday at General Rock using high/low rigs tipped with green crabs cut in half. Steve at Quaker Lake said the blackfish bite is picking up at Beavertail and Ron at Breachway Bait and Tackle noted that anglers are doing well in 12-feet of water 100 yards in front of Charlestown Breachway. Mike at Watch Hill Outfitters reported that a 12-pound tog was weighed-in Monday from 40 feet of water on Old Reef. Porgy fishing remains strong, but Mike told me if you’re finding nothing but juvenile sea bass, you have to change spots. He suggested keeping it pretty simple by using squid, clams or sandworms on a high/low rig on any rock pile.

Roger from the Frances Fleet reported a good cod bite this past week with some bigger fish beginning to cooperate. Saturday’s run with Capt. Rich featured great action and size with the pool fish just under 35 pounds going to Michael Collins. Capt. Chris also had an excellent cod charter on Saturday putting a group from CT onto some hefty cod to nearly 30-pounds, plus a mess of big scup and black sea bass. Bragging rights on Monday’s trip went to George Wheland, who nailed a 27-pound pool-winning codfish. Roger noted that most action as of late has been coming on fresh clams on two-hook rigs. Frances Fleet is currently offering cod trips on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and weekends, sailing weather permitting at 7 AM.

Connecticut

Tidal rivers around Connecticut are cooling down in temperature and heating up in action. Jack at The Fish Connection said bluefish and bigger bass are moving into these rivers to feed on bunker residing there, including a 45-pounder caught in the Thames near Buoy 27 this week that fell for a fresh chunk. The mouth of the Connecticut River is still a good bet for big bass and teen-sized blues according to Andrew at Fishin’ Factory III. He suggested chunking bunker heads after sunset from any of the fishing piers in Old Saybrook or Old Lyme.

Fewer reports have been coming from outside of the eastern Sound river mouths, but there are still fish to be had. Andrew recommended live-lining bunker or three-waying bucktails at places like the Race, Hatchett’s Reef and Long Sand Shoal. He said surf fishermen are still doing well pitching live eels along rocky shorelines after dark. If you really want to experience the madness of the fall run, Andrew suggested taking a ride out to Montauk where it’s been an all-out striper blitz for the last week and a half with tons of albies popping up too. Jack at The Fish Connection said while not nearly as numerous, there are albies in the Sound mixed with a few scattered bonito in places like Race Point and the Sluiceway.

Cooler nighttime temps have bass and blues stirring with a little more frequency in the western Sound as well. Chris at Stratford Bait and Tackle has customers using big metal-lip swimmers with moderate success on stripers in New Haven Harbor. He also noted that some bass and blues are cooperating in the mouth of the Housatonic River on eels and chunked bunker, as well as keeper bass hitting plugs along Penfield Reef. Nick at Fisherman’s World added that anglers are hooking up by diamond jigging, chunking and throwing top-water lures around Buoy 11B. He also mentioned that Kevin Delinsky landed a 5-pound black sea bass in 10-feet of water south of the Norwalk Islands while targeting stripers with bunker chunks. In addition, George Fisher recently got into some platter-sized porgies in 40-feet of water south of Copps Island and a few anglers connected with false albacore off Stamford and Greenwich over the weekend.

In other news, Cappy at Captain Morgan Bait and Tackle shared a couple positive reports that we don’t hear about in Long Island Sound every week. He told me more weakfish in the 20- to 24-inch range are being caught lately, especially south of Faulkner’s Island during incoming tides. Cappy also spoke about a tight-lipped sea bass bite happening on small wrecks in about 85 to 100-feet of water. Jack at The Fish Connection said big porgies are still holding fast in the Sound, but they seemed to have moved to deeper water like 20 to 30-feet.

It must be fall because the annual stocking of broodstock salmon has begun. CT DEEP recently released 700 Atlantic salmon between 2 and 6 pounds into the Naugatuck River, Mount Tom Pond and Crystal Lake. Early next week, 300 salmon will also be released into the Shetucket River. Later in October and November, DEEP expects several hundred more breeders to be available for stocking, ranging from 4 to 15 pounds. In the Naugatuck, Housatonic and Shetucket Rivers, angling for Atlantic salmon is restricted to catch-and-release only from October 1 through November 30. During the open season in the rivers, the legal method for taking Atlantic salmon is limited to using a single fly, or an artificial lure with a single free swinging hook and no additional weight can be added to the line above. The specific regulations for salmon fishing Mount Tom Pond and Crystal Lake can be found in the 2012 Connecticut Angler’s Guide (http://www.ct.gov/dep/lib/dep/fishing/anglers_guide/anguide.pdf).

In addition to salmon, DEEP began their fall trout stocking last week as well. From now through mid-October, they are releasing over 29,000 trophy and adult sized trout into selected waters throughout the state. Among the areas scheduled to be stocked this fall are 24 lakes and ponds, 14 rivers and streams including 12 of the Trout Management Areas (TMA) and eight Trout Parks. DEEP will also be stocking more than 42,000 “yearling” trout into selected waters throughout the state. Two popular areas already stocked include the Housatonic River’s upper TMA with 5,000 rainbow trout and the Salmon River TMA with 900 brown trout

The fall crappie bite in the Connecticut River is starting to turn on as well. Andrew at Fishin’ Factory III said it will only get better as water temps dip below 60 degrees. Try looking for crappie hovering over structure in some of the River’s coves, like Wethersfield White Oaks, Wrights, and Chapman’s.

Fishing Forecast for the Weekend

With a long weekend on the horizon, try to carve out a few hours to capitalize on some of the fall run fishing that will be gone before we know it. Boatloads of mullet and bay anchovies are responsible for some very good fishing along the Rhode Island shoreline lately. If you can handle some company, any breachway after dark with an outgoing tide is a good bet. Try drifting out eels or plugs in the rip for a while then slowly retrieve them back to you. In freshwater, Connecticut anglers should be taking advantage of the thousands of brown and rainbow trout or hundreds of big Atlantic salmon just released.