Last week we saw a good number of 40″+ fish being caught. However, reports have been a bit slower this week. Some good fish have been pulled from the usual spots such as Bartletts, Hatchetts, Long Sand Shoal, Middle Grounds, and the mouths of our tidal rivers. The mouth of the CT river is still more productive than the Housatonic and Shetucket, but good bass can be found at all three during the night. Bigger bass are being taken on live bait such as bunker, eels and scup. A few good fish were reported being caught while trolling tube and worm rigs over humps as well.
Bunker are still packed in the mouth of the CT. Bluefish can be seen occasionally harassing schools of bunker. Anglers are hooking up with blues consistently at the mouth of the river on live bunker or dunking bunker chunks. For shore anglers, the bigger fish are being taken at night. Bobby J’s Bait & Tackle had some decent blues come into the shop from the Gulf Beach area. Bluefish are also being reported from The Race, Plum Gut, Bartletts and Charles Island. Pictured is Nick Diorio with a solid night time blue.
Snapper blues are in full force and anglers can limit out within minutes. They can be found in the harbors, tidal creeks and a hot spot once again this week was the Silver Sands beach/Charles Island area at flood tide. They can be a real blast on ultra light tackle when slinging small Kastmasters and spoons. I’ve also just received my first report of Bonito in RI. That means they should be here in just a few short weeks!
Anglers had a tough time finding good fluke this week. A lot of shorts with scattered keepers in the mix. Keepers were being found in anywhere from 50 to 100 feet of water and even deeper. With a more consistent bite and less shorts in deeper water. Some of the better reports came from Long Sand Shoal and Black Point. Bright colored jigs like chartreuse and white tipped with a squid strips are producing. Glow jigs are still pulling a good numbers of fish as well. Pictured is Christopher Otis with two monster fluke (12lbs and 10.80lbs) that he and his buddy Tobey Sweet caught!
Seabass fishing is still good on just about any rocky bottom in anywhere from 40 to well over 100 feet of water. A lot of shorts but plenty of keeper sized fish up to 16 inches and those whoppers can be taken in deeper water. Seabass are great table fare and pink seems to be the hot color for these tasty fish lately.
Porgy action is hot on the local reefs. A lot of dinks but there are some larger fish to be found, you just need to work for them. Blue crabs have been reported as good again this week and crabbing should only get better as the weeks go on.
Bass – Bass fishing is good during the day and even better at night. Solid largemouth have been reported from Bantam, Saltonstall, Rogers, Moodus and Candlewood. Smallmouth action is also good as these fish make their mid summer transition to deeper water. Trolling spoons and Rat-L-Traps over humps and also dragging tubes on them can produce some quality fish. Decent reports have come from Lillinonah, Candlewood, Housatonic, CT river and Squantz. Don’t miss out on the top water bite from sun set to sunrise. Nothing beats a fish slamming a lure on the surface! Pictured is Benoit Vnh with a chunky 6lb+ largemouth.
Kyle Quine
Fishing CT
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