Tautog action remains steady in the shallows, and the false albacore have yet to vacate the area.
Connecticut Fishing Report
At Hillyers in Waterford, John reports that the fall run remains in full swing in eastern CT. Blackfishing has been great just about everywhere, and anglers haven’t had to travel far from the river. Goshen Reef, Black Point and the Brothers continue to put up quality fish. Large schools of false albacore also remain relatively easy to find from the Rhode Island border, all the way to the Old Lyme beaches. Striped bass and bluefish are also in the mix, blitzing in the same areas. It is not unusual to land all 4 species in one trip, both from the boat and from the shore.
At Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, Andrew reports that there has been quite a bit of striped bass activity across eastern Connecticut. The lower Connecticut River is still holding good numbers of bass to 25-pounds in most of the usual haunts. A better bite has been going on around the mouth of the Thames, where bass from 15-40 pounds have been actively feeding on bunker. That area around the Thames is also still holding some large schools of false albacore; which still seem to be around in good numbers from Watch Hill to Niantic. Tautog fishing has been strong, but moving around to lesser known spots is becoming a necessity to avoid spots that have been picked through. There is good topwater bluefish action at the Millstone outflow, as well as the Westbrook area, and sea bass is still going strong on deeper structure.
Captain TJ of Rock and Roll Charters reported a week of transitioning when it comes to striped bass and bluefish. There are still good numbers of both species in local waters but they are both on the move. Despite this, the fishing has been pretty good; it just takes a bit longer to locate them in the morning. Scup fishing has slowed to a crawl, but the blackfish bite is very good in shallow water. TJ has been scoring some good blackfish, and noted that it will only improve as they move to deeper, easier to fish area.
Jeremy, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, reports that there was a decent uptick in striped bass action throughout western Connecticut. As is usually the case in late fall, a decent slug of striped bass have moved up into the Housatonic. Bass to 20-pounds are being caught upriver, as far north as Sikorsky. The Norwalk Islands area has also seen better bass action this week. The topwater bite has slowed, but fish to 20-pounds are actively hitting soft plastics, jigs and small swimmers. Rumors of bass to 40-pounds were also pretty common this week, with most of those coming from the Darien area. The deeper areas of 11B are also producing nice bass once again, with 20-30 pound fish hitting diamond jigs all week. 11B has also been a hotspot for some very large and aggressive bluefish into the upper teens. Anglers have been scoring quite a few 10-15 bluefish right off the beaches as well, with mackerel chunks being the bait of choice. Blackfishing is as good as ever on all the local hard bottom; look to the 8-15 feet of water range for the best action.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet in Narragansett has been able to put together some very successful tautog trips between last weekend and the early parts of this week. On Wednesday, Captain Mike reported a nearly full boat limit on the trip, including Lee from Massachusetts who landed 15 keepers. The pool fish for the trip came in at 10 pounds, and that 8-10 pound class has generally been where the pool fish has fallen into. Monday’s trip, as well as the weekend, was very similar with good numbers and some quality fish. The cod bite has been a bit slower, but there has been no shortage of quality sea bass on the cod grounds. The cod bite was pretty good over the weekend, with Mike Kwok taking home 4 keepers; while most anglers took home at least 2. The big fish over the weekend came in at 15 pounds, but Monday’s trip saw a slob come over the rails at 31 pounds! Despite some slower cod action during the week, full boat limits of sea bass to 5 pounds have made up for it, and have been easily attainable.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, reports that the fall run is still going strong in his neck of the woods. Tautog limits have been easily attainable on most hard bottom, including Sakonnet Point. In the same areas there have been some enormous blitzes of small striped bass on small bait. Captain Rene LeTourneau reported a great day of light tackle action Tuesday in the Newport area. He landed somewhere in the vicinity of 30 striped bass, and capped it off with 6 keeper tog. The Providence and Seekonk Rivers are still holding good numbers of bass, blues and tautog. Squidding has been very good at Block Island, as well as some solid sea bass and cod action. Dave also mentioned that he will be fully stocked with all the carp supplies you will need for the late fall/early winter bite.
At The Saltwater Edge in Middletown, reports from tautog anglers have been very strong in all the usual haunts. There are also large schools of striped bass in the Newport area, but you have to work a bit harder to find some larger fish. Bluefish to 10-pounds and decent numbers of false albacore are still around, but that action has been better as you move southwest into South County and eastern Connecticut.
Mike, at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, reports that the local surf remains red hot for big bluefish. Reports of blues in the 10-15 pound range have been common, and most are seen pushing bait right up onto the South County beaches. There are also some decent striped bass around the same areas, but your chance for a keeper greatly increases after dark. Tautog fishing has been excellent on all of the local hard bottom, but the best reports are coming from Fisher’s Island Sound. Not only is there some excellent geography in there, but it can also provide some shelter from the wind. False albacore reports also remain pretty good around Watch Hill and Napatree; the strong albie year that we are having doesn’t seem to want to end.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
The fall run has yet to slow down in Rhode Island or Connecticut. Topwater blitzes of striped bass and bluefish are plentiful; along with the false albacore that seem to never want to leave. Tautog fishing is red hot in both states, and are easy to target in shallow water.