With the nighttime temperatures dipping well below the 40 degree mark this week it’s easy to forget that it is still mid-October and not late November, however local water temps are still at or a bit above the norm for October 24th. Along the coast the fall fishing remains in full swing, while the inland bodies of water across are region are starting to wake up and provide some excellent fishing.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

The talk of Narragansett Bay (and most of the northeast) is of the excellent shallow-water tautog bite, reported Greg at The Tackle Box in Warwick. The creel limit has increased to 6 fish per angler (or 10 fish per vessel), and anglers have been cashing in across the bay. The best bite remains on a jig or three-way setup in 15-30 feet of water, and while there are a ton of shorts, there are plenty of keeper-sized fish in the mix as well. The black sea bass bite remains very good in the bay and Greg has been seeing some of the biggest sea bass in years. On a recent trip Greg managed a 6 fish limit with 4 of the fish going 19 inches!

Tautog remained the target species of most customers at Galilee Bait and Tackle in Narragansett this week and reports were predominately positive. Any and all of the shallow water rockpiles across Narragansett have been holding fish, along with the breakwalls outside the Harbor of Refuge. With fishing pressure increasing the more popular spots will begin to get fished out, a little chart studying and locating of lesser-known spots will greatly increase your chances for a quick limit.

Steve Mckenna at Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle in North Kingstown was happy to report that he spent 4 hours on Tuesday afternoon playing with stripers in the Pt. Judith surf. The fall striper bite has been a bit inconsistent with conditions changing daily but there are still plenty of fish out front for those that are putting in the effort. The night crew has been seeing some quality stripers along the South County rockpiles, although the bright moon and clear conditions of the past few nights has made things difficult. There remains a decent run of mullet and bay anchovies in the area and with coastal water temps still above 60 degrees the fall striper run should really hit its stride in the upcoming days, especially with the receding moon. Steve also reported excellent togging across South County and noted that some big girls are starting to come in. Over the past week the shop has weighed in tautog of 12, 13 and 14 pounds; along with numerous fish in the 6-10 lb range.

Connecticut Fishing Report

Pat at River’s End in Old Saybrook reported that the recent cold snap has really started to put the bunker on the move and the remaining pods are sparse and scattered throughout the lower river. If you can locate some bunker in the river there has been some hefty stripers and bluefish underneath the schools; these fish have been providing some great fishing without leaving the comfort of the river. Out front there are still some quality stripers holding at Hatchets Reef and Black Point, although the numbers are not outstanding. The Rhode Island beaches have been loaded with schoolie bass and some better bass have been in the mix when the mullet has moved tight to shore. Bluefish remain very prevalent at Plum Gut and in The Race but they are on the small side. The best shot at scoring a true gator blue remains the lower CT River and its adjacent reefs. Much like Rhode Island, Pat reported an excellent shallow-water tautog bite across eastern Long Island Sound, the shop weighed in an 11 pound fish this week that has taken over the top spot in their three-shop tournament for the time being.

At Fishin’ Factory 3 in Middletown, Andrew suggested cashing in on the remaining schools of bunker in the river and going for a quick livelining session. A recent customer reported landing some 20-30 lb class stripers while livelining tight to a school of bunker around Essex. With the bunker schools thinning out it is getting increasingly easier to get a hungry bass to take your offering.

The tautog fishing remains just about as strong in western Long Island Sound as it does to the east as Mike Roy of Reel Cast Charters reported this week. Despite an abundance of shorts Mike was able to get his clients their limit of tog without much effort this week, while fishing off of Milford and New Haven. Tautog aren’t the only species biting out west as bunker has moved into the area with plenty of stripers and bluefish hot on their tails. Mike was able to put together two great days of shallow water livelining this week, where keeper stripers and 10 pound plus bluefish became commonplace.

Further west at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk a wide variety of species are continuing to keep anglers busy. Once again, Dan reported an excellent tautog bite in 10-20 feet of water off Green’s Ledge and around the islands, with black sea bass and scup still showing up in the mix. The diamond jigging for bluefish and striped bass continues to be red-hot off 11B with many of the bluefish in the 12-15 pound class. While you are out there don’t be surprised if you jig up a weakfish as they continue stay put in the western sound. Some Atlantic Herring is starting to show up in Norwalk Harbor and in the lower Housatonic and there have been some keeper stripers right behind them at both locations.

Dan’s freshwater customers also had some great things to report this week as salmon and trout management areas across the state are freshly stocked and are fishing well. Trout fishing is reported as excellent in the Norwalk, Saugatuck and Farmington Rivers, while the atlantic salmon bite has been red-hot in the Naugatuck River. Largemouth and smallmouth bass fishing has started to take-off at Lake Lillinonah and Candlewood Lake as the fish are starting to move onto some deep-water humps and the dawn and dusk walleye bite remains very good at the Saugatuck Reservoir.

Best Bets for the weekend

It’s not over yet! Don’t let the cooler temperatures of this week scare you into packing your gear away just yet, the forecast for the weekend is calling for another warm-up and there are still plenty of fishing opportunities to get in before the true cold sets in. For the tautog fisherman it doesn’t get much better than right now and with striped bass just beginning to think about their fall migration there are still a few good weeks to land a “fall cow”. If you’re looking for a break from the salt, freshwater angling opportunities are nearly endless right now with all the cold-water species beginning to get on the move.