Striped bass sizes and frequency have greatly improved this week, and the same can be said for fluke, which have finally seemed to settle into the area nicely.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
Roger, from The Frances Fleet in Narragansett, sent over the word that they had a very solid fluke trip aboard the Gail Frances on Wednesday. The boat saw quite a few keepers over 4 pounds come over the rails, including an 8-pound beauty from Jim Malzahn, who took high hook with 7 keepers. Quite a few shorts, along with some quality black sea bass, kept the anglers busy, while some large bluefish over 10 pounds also made things interesting.
Howard, at Galilee Bait and Tackle in Narragansett, reported that the first couple of decent striped bass reports have came in from Block Island, including a 45-pound fish that was weighed in last weekend. Locally, the bass fishing has slowed down a bit this week, but there are still good numbers of smaller fish in the salt ponds and off of the South County beaches. Local fluke anglers are reporting good but not great results in local waters, as well as Block Island, with enough keepers to make the trips worth it. Bucktails have produced most of the larger fluke, but squid have moved back into the area in decent numbers and are providing a good bait source.
Steve McKenna, at Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle in North Kingstown, reported that things have slowed down for him just a bit in the local surf, but with good conditions this weekend things should greatly improve as we approach the new moon. The local fluke guys seem to be doing better in the deeper water (60-70 feet) off of the South County beaches. Squid results have improved in the salt ponds and around the Newport area, and the first reports of scup and sea bass are coming in from the local rockpiles.
At Breachway Bait and Tackle in Charlestown, multiple quality fluke up to about 28 inches were reported this week from local waters while scup and black sea bass numbers are getting large enough that many anglers are starting to target them. Bass fishing has been so-so this week, but the worm hatches in the salt ponds are providing enough schoolie and small keeper action to keep anglers busy.
Connecticut Fishing Report
Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, reported that the rains last week muddied up the river and sent a lot of the bunker and bass out into the Sound. The result has been better bass action just outside of the river mouth. Long Sand Shoal has some solid bass, and keepers are also being reported along the local rockpiles at dawn and dusk on topwater plugs. Bluefish are more prevalent, and reports are good from Six Mile and Southwest reef. Sea bass reports are slow because of the lengthy ride required to target them, a few nice ones have been caught accidentally while fluking. Fluke reports are slow close to home but Andrew was able to put 6 keepers on the boat Wednesday in local waters. If you make the trek out to Fishers, Block or Montauk results have been better, with fairly easy limits. Scup reports have been slow in the sound, but are improving in Rhode Island, so it shouldn’t be long before they fill in.
James at Rivers End in Old Saybrook reported that things got a bit tougher in the lower river following the cold temps and heavy rain. The fish are still here and the sizes are good, but you may have to search around to find them. Topwater spooks and pencil poppers have continued to be very effective, as well as soft plastics. Reports are starting to pick up on the reefs, where some bass are being reported at Plum Gut and around Race Rock. Reports have been quiet from Long Sand Shoal, but it is a safe bet that some fish are setting up out there as they move out of the river. The fluke season seems to be hitting its stride, and all of the usual spots are producing some heavy keepers. Isabella had a steady pick most of the week, with some limits coming from there. Two Tree Channel had temps in the mid 50’s and there were a few fish caught there, spitting up whole squid, so things may improve there this week. Misquamicut, Soundview and the Waterford beaches have also seen had some keeper fish for the first time this week. Montauk saw some of the best fluke fishing of the week, and if you’re up to make the trip you’ll likely be rewarded with a steady pick of keepers. Scup have yet to make an appearance in the eastern sound, but bluefish are now showing up in better numbers around the Connecticut River, and out at Plum Gut.
Captain TJ, of Rock and Roll Charters, saw a mostly positive week on the striped bass front, despite some unseasonably low water temperatures earlier in the week. The boat accounted for 10 bass over 30 pounds this week, along with quite a few 20-pound-class fish. The couple of fluke trips that were made this week were also quite successful, with plenty of quality keepers coming aboard. Bait numbers are excellent, and are attracting the attention of more and more gator bluefish every trip. Overall, multi-species action has been solid, and should only improve as we get closer to the new moon.
Rich, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, said that the western sound remains a hotbed for quality striped bass as the water temperatures are considerably warmer than out east. The fish appear to be constantly moving and coming through in waves. These fish are keying in on the large bunker schools in the area, and a livelined bait is your best shot at a big bass. Trolled bunker spoons have also accounted for some good fish, and are a very popular method for western sound anglers. Fish in the 20s and 30s are common but the shop has weighed in fish to 45 pounds and there have been confirmed catches of fish up to 55 pounds locally. Concentrating on small pieces of structure has been the ticket, as nearly every small hump or dropoff has held some bass. Bluefish action is also pretty good in the area, and there is a mixed bag of sizes from 5 to 12 pounds. Fluke action has been steady and the fish are getting a little bigger now too, with a 7-pounder reported locally this week.
Best bets for the weekend
The new moon in June is a short time period that is marked on nearly every striped bass angler’s calendar, and we are approaching that magical time once again. Conditions for this weekend leading into the moon look to be very good, and we are in position to see striped bass fishing blow wide open across southern New England. Fluke fishing has now hit a level of consistency that I think most anglers are relieved to see, and doormats should be on everyone’s wish list this weekend.