Connecticut Fishing Report – September 15, 2016

As most of you may know by now, they’re back! Albie and bonito action has been great in CT and RI this week and should remain that way for a bit.

Connecticut Fishing Report

The albie invasion in Rhode Island also hit Connecticut, according to John, at Hillyers in Waterford. Big numbers of fish came in early this week, and anglers had no trouble finding them all over eastern Long Island Sound. Sea bass fishing got even better this week; you just have to weed through a good deal of shorts. Jumbo scup are being caught in the Niantic/Waterford area, with Bartletts Spindle producing the best catches. The Race is full of big bluefish, with diamond jigs being the angling method of choice. Snappers have been thick in the Niantic River, and striped bass action was quiet this week.

Continuing with the false albacore trend; Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, reports they are everywhere from Watch Hill to about the Connecticut River, and as of this morning a few scattered reports have come in from the western sound. In other news, huge bluefish are crushing bunker in the CT River and a few decent bass were caught in Waterford this week. Local fluke fishing is all but done, but the sea bass action was red hot this week.

At Rivers End in Old Saybrook, James reports that the false albacore that were in Rhode Island last weekend found their way into the sound. They are likely to scatter over the next few days, but they have been thick throughout the eastern sound and Montauk. Bass fishing in and around the CT River seemed to pick up after the storm, and anglers are catching on plugs, eels and bunker. Big schools of bluefish are all over the surface at The Race, Black Point, Hatchetts, Long Sand Shoal and Plum Gut. Fluke has slowed, while sea bass and scup is very steady. Snapper fishing has been great at the DEEP docks, boat ramp and causeway.

Captain TJ, off Rock and Roll Charters, saw the striped bass bite turn back on this week, as they saw keepers on every trip to about 36 inches. Bluefishing remains red hot, and you can basically catch as many as you want. Scup fishing is also red hot, and they are getting very big. Sea bass action has been steady, but requires a bit of moving from hump to hump until you locate a nice pile. Call soon to schedule a fall run trip, TJ will be sailing until November 20th.

Ian, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, reports that the tunoid invasion hasn’t quite reached the far western sound, but reports from around Milford started trickling in slowly this morning. Bass action has been very spotty. Your best shot for some quality fishing is targeting big bluefish, scup or sea bass in deeper water. Snapper fishing has been great in all of the western sound harbors and estuaries.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

The Frances Fleet in Narragansett will be setting sail on its final fluke/sea bass trip this Friday. Trips from the last few days have seen some pretty solid fluke and some great sea bass and scup, so tomorrow should be a good finale. On Saturday the fleet will transition to the fall cod season. Be sure to check out their website or give the office a call for the cod sailing schedule.

Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, reported that once the false albacore invaded Rhode Island, they grabbed the attention of just about every saltwater anglers. Large topwater blitzes were going on at the West Wall and Pier 5 in Narragansett, along with just about every rip in Westerly. There is still a good deal of striped bass activity in the Providence River, with the best action around Salter Grove, Nayat Point and Sabin Point. Big bluefish are all over the Providence and Seekonk Rivers, and they are crushing the bunker schools. Scup are all over the place, and tautog fishing has been best at Beavertail and Sakonnet. Striped bass activity is also starting to pickup at the canal, for those who are willing to take the ride.

At The Saltwater Edge in Middletown, just about everyone in town is taking part in the tremendous albie feeds that started taking place at the beginning of the week. The speedsters have been feeding all over Newport/Jamestown/Narragansett, and haven’t been too picky. Shore anglers are doing just as well, if not better than boat anglers along the Newport Shore, Harbor of Refuge and Deep Hole. There is still a good deal of striped bass at Block Island, but there are a lot more bluefish. Sea bass, scup and tautog are also biting well and provide a nice outlet during the albie downtime.

Mike, at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, reported that the albie bite has been great on the Watch Hill Reefs, around the breachways and in the Matunuk area since last weekend. The reefs are also holding plenty of striped bass and bluefish that have been mixed in on top, and down deeper on eels and jigs. Striped bass have once again moved into the Pawcatuck River and are feeding on the bunker schools that are still in there. Fluke fishing has slowed for most, but there are still some good fish to be had at Block Island. Black sea bass and scup continue to be as consistent as ever locally, and at the island.

Connecticut Fishing Forecast

Not much to talk about here. The annual arrival of the tunoids has hit CT and RI, and so far the numbers have been excellent. The weather looks great for the next couple days, so it’s time to get after it. If they do not cooperate for some reason, there should be plenty of bluefish, scup and sea bass to tangle with.