Fishing CT Report – June 18, 2015

Saltwater

Striped bass fishing remains hot here in CT but action in the rivers is calming down a bit. Bass are setting up on the reefs and Long Sand Shoal has been giving up some good fish this past week. Large schools of bunker are still present in the river and harbors. Bunker is whats on the menu but bass cant resist live eels. Shore anglers said the DEEP dock and the causeway in Old Lyme have been good for bass and blues. The new moon helped things a bit too. Bluefish remain prevalent all over. Gator sized fish have been reported from boat at The Race and Plum Gut. Harbors are being caught in the river and well as the name suggests, the harbors. Fluke fishing remains tough so far. Anglers are reporting having hit their limits but they have to sort through a million shorts. Though there are a few doormats being caught out there including a 12.5lb fish aboard Middlebank II, so don’t be discouraged.

Pelagic Beast Charters

Fluke fishing is still on fire, averaging around 4 lbs with many in the 7-8lb class this week. Spearing and buck tails seem to be doing the trick. Striped bass are making their way into the shallows to find their summer homes. There are plenty of fish but you have to put your time in to find them. Bait is all over from Middle Grounds to New Rochelle. Plenty of porgies around also but they’ve been a little finicky lately. Having better success by downsizing to lighter fluorocarbon leaders.

The Otter

In general we’ve had a very productive last several days. Limiting out on 7 out of 9 trips with bass up to 46 inches. Last week we had a lot of bigger bass including a 51 pounder. This week the typical size was 35 to 40 inches with the biggest being 45 inches. Did some Fluke fishing but the bite still isn’t hot locally. Montauk is a much better choice for the fast boats right now. Small bait and squid have moved in the last three days. Looking forward to what the next several days bring as water temps rise.

Freshwater

Theres been a lot of scattered storms lately and the rain keeps coming. It doesn’t seem to be affecting the fishing too much, though. Bass fishing is going strong. Fish are post spawn and lean, but are aggressive. The topwater bite has been decent in the evening into the morning. Good largemouth reports came from Candlewood, Bantam, Highland, Lillinonah, CT river, Kenosia and Coventry. The smallmouth bite was a little tough early this week but it has improved. Solid reports came in from Candlewood, Lillinonah, Colebrook and Squantz. Crappie fishing is still excellent with some solid slabs being pulled from Candlewood, Hatch, Lillinonah and coves on the CT river. They’re super aggressive and are taking slightly larger baits than normal. Some anglers even hit fish on topwater like Spook Jr’s at dusk. Walleye reports have been good from Squantz and the Saugatuck reservoir. Most fish are coming on live bait during the night shift. Trout reports have been slow other than a few good browns from Squantz and a sizeable Seeforellen from Cedar lake. The Farmington continues to produce big 20″+ browns both day and night.

UpCountry Sportfishing

Torrey said the Sulfur hatches are really going right now. They should be good for the next couple of weeks though it will shift toward the evening as we get further into the summer. Isonychia are starting to appear downriver in the Canton through Unionville stretch. They are seeing Golden Stonefly nymph husks on the rocks in fast water, so they are active & hatching. They are an especially good nymph choice in the mornings. Subsurface presentations include Caddis Pupa & larva in olive/green & tan (sz14-18), Hare’s Ear soft hackles (sz12-16), Golden Stoneflies (sz6-12, Pheasant Tails (sz14-20), March Brown Nymphs (sz10-14), Fox Squirrel Nymph (sz10-14).