Connecticut Fishing Report – September 1, 2016

Big striped bass refuse to leave Block Island, while the first few false albacore sightings have light-tackle anglers on the hunt.

Connecticut Fishing Report

John, at Hillyers in Waterford reports that local fluke anglers are still finding some good fish, but outside of a few spots in Niantic most are making the run to Montauk. Locally, the west side of Black Point and Two-Tree Channel are still putting up some decent fish in the deeper water. Around Montauk, most anglers are heading to the Frisbees, which has put up good numbers of 6- to 8-pound fish for the last month or so. The black sea bass bite continues to improve across the eastern sound, but like fluke it is now a deepwater game. Scup are all over the eastern sound rockpiles and can be found on most of the more popular spots. Big bluefish are being caught on plugs and jigged up at The Race, Plum Gut and Valiant, and there have been a few small bass in the mix at each location. A few better striped bass have been taken as well by anglers drifting eels at Black Point and Valiant after the sun sets. The snapper bluefish bite is now very good, and they can be found at Jordan Cove, Pleasure Beach and all over the Niantic River.

At Rivers End in Old Saybrook, James reports that anglers looking for bonito this week came across large schools of small striped bass at Sugar Reef and around Watch Hill. Larger bass are being taken at Valiant Rock, with most coming after dark. A few good bass have been taken around Valiant during the day, but getting an offering through the bluefish has become a tall task. Closer to home some small striped bass are schooled up and feeding on peanuts in the mouth of the river and along the Saybrook shoreline. Big bluefish can be found in the same areas, and have also been more than willing to chop up your eel or bunker on Long Sand Shoal. The largest concentrations of big bluefish are hanging out in The Race and can be easily taken on large diamond jigs. Fluke fishing has slowed a bit, with the exception of deep water around Niantic and out at Montauk; while scup and sea bass catches have remained very good. Snapper bluefish are increasing in numbers and getting bigger. Anglers are reporting the best snapper catches at the DEEP docks, the boat ramp and the causeway.

Captain TJ, of Rock and Roll Charters, reports that the ridiculous bluefish action has showed no signs of slowing down this week. Big blues are all over the place and most of his customers have been able to tangle with them until their arms couldn’t take it anymore. There are still quite a few 25-28 inch bass in the mix, but it remains difficult to get past the blues. Water temperatures have finally started to drop considerably this week and the striped bass bite should pick up as we get into the new moon tides this weekend. Sea bass and fluke fishing has been up and down for most of the week, but at the end of the day TJ hasn’t had much difficulty getting full coolers of fillets for his customers.

Captain Mike Roy, of Reel Cast Charters, has been grinding out the warm summer months and continues to put his clients on some great fish. Mike reports very good fishing from the central sound to points east, including some monster last light bluefish blitzes. The bluefish are not only growing in abundance but also in size, as Mike had gators to 17 pounds this week! Local striped bass fishing has been a bit more difficult, but Mike has been able to find some very nice fish by targeting some deeper rips with eels after dark. Nearly all of his trips have resulted in at least a couple cow bass coming over the rails, including a few that have tipped the scales at over 50 pounds!

Rhode Island Fishing Report

A strong summer of sea bass and fluke fishing continued this week aboard The Frances Fleet in Narragansett. Results have been a bit varied from day to day but each trip has headed back to the docks with a good pile of fillets. Monday’s trip saw good numbers of fluke, with a 4 to 1 ratio of fluke to anglers on board. The pool fish topped out at around 8 pounds, but many of the fish made it over the 6-pound mark. On Tuesday, John from Newington, Connecticut took one of the largest pool fish of the week, at 9.25 pounds. John also managed two fish at 7.5 pounds each, despite tough drift conditions. Conditions were much better on Wednesday and the results reflected this. The highest number of fluke for the week came on Wednesday, with a pool fish of 9-pounds. A full boat limit of black sea bass to 4 pounds, along with some monster scup, was also in the mix on Wednesday. As of September 1st the creel on sea bass has expanded, anglers can now take home 7 fish over 15 inches. New England may be feeling some residual effects of the hurricane during the latter part of the weekend, so be sure to capitalize on some good bottom fishing Friday and Saturday.

Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, reports that light-tackle enthusiasts are still putting in some time targeting bonito around Newport and Point Judith. Over the past few days some small pods of false albacore have popped up in the same areas, and everyone is now gearing up for the fall run. A good topwater bluefish bite has been happening in the Providence River around dusk and dawn, and there have also been some schoolies in the mix. Large striped bass are still being taken at Block Island, along with quality cod, sea bass and fluke. Closer to home the fluke bite has slowed, but good sea bass, scup and tautog are being caught in the mouth of the bay and off the South County shoreline. Freshwater anglers are still reporting very good largemouth action across Rhode Island. The same can be said for carp, as the action has picked up quite a bit after a few slow weeks. Dave has recently been helping to coordinate river cleanups at multiple locations throughout Rhode Island, and is actively looking for volunteer help. If you are interested or would like to hear more details please check out his facebook page or contact him directly at the shop.

At The Saltwater Edge in Middletown, the first few sightings of false albacore have anglers all fired up, but the bite hasn’t become a full-blown frenzy just yet. The upcoming tropical storm could delay things even more, or blow the rest of the fish right into New England; the latter being more likely at this point. Striped bass anglers are still heading out to Block Island, where 30- to 40-pound bass remain relatively common. The usual spots along the south side are still holding fish, and action at the North Rip is said to have picked up over the past few days. More anglers are starting to target tautog, and the results have been pretty good in all the usual Newport/Jamestown/Narragansett haunts. Black sea bass and scup catches are also very good, while fluke fishing seems to be tailing off locally.

Mike, at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, reports that not much has changed in terms of the great numbers of big striped bass around Block Island. The Watch Hill reefs have slowly continued to produce more and more fish as well, but if you’re looking for size the island is your best bet. Bonito catches have steadily increased this week, and a few false albacore have been spotted from Point Judith to as far west as Watch Hill. Topwater bluefish are all over the local reefs and beaches, making the hardtail hunt a bit tricky. Fluke fishing has slowed down quite a bit along the local beaches, but is still going strong at the island. Black sea bass, scup and tautog can all be found close to home, and anglers targeting mahi have found plenty south of Block Island and Montauk.

Connecticut Fishing Forecast

New England looks like it will be getting the residual effects of the latest tropical storm at the latter part of the weekend. While that may put things on hold for a couple of days, the weather looks like it will be perfect for a Friday night or early Saturday trip. Light-tackle bonito, striped bass and bluefish should not be hard to find across Rhode Island, while bottom fishing for scup and sea bass should be strong in both states. The table is set for another great false albacore season and there is a very strong possibility that it will blow right open after this storm passes through.