Connecticut
Fluke fishing has been touch and go according to Andrew at Fishing Factory 3. The south side of Fisher’s Island has been the best spot, but the fluke have been concentrated in small areas, so moving around is a must to putting together a limit. Andrew recommends cruising around with an eye on the fishfinder looking for a concentration of squid. Find the squid, and keeper fluke will be nearby. The 35- to 50-foot depths have been best. Fluke fishing around Misquimicut has been slower, but fish to 8 pounds have been taken. Andrew reports that the Race has been holding good numbers of 20- to 25-pound bass. Three-waying with bucktail jigs has been the best tactic. There have been bass, blues, and bunker around the river, Andrew reports, but murky water conditions have made the fishing spotty.
Four- to five-pound fluke are being caught in Niantic Bay reported Lou at Hillyers Bait and Tackle. Lou said there have been schoolies aplenty upriver and around the power plant. Keeper porgies started to move in this week, giving bottom fishermen a good option for filling the cooler.
Finding Fluke in shallow water in coves and bays to start season reported Jesse at Black Hall Outfitter. Blues are also spreading around and getting bigger. Large stripers getting caught on the reefs. The fish aren’t as big as the ones being caught in the Connecticut River, but catches are improving.
Nick at Black Hall Outfitter said the Black Hall River and the Connecticut River are producing good size fluke. One customer fishing out a Predator PDL kayak used small jigs with a Berkley Gulp mullet trailer to catch four fluke in the Black Hall River.
Gene of Black Hall Outfitter said striped Bass are starting to move out of the river onto reefs. Fresh Bunker is the key for bigger fish. Plenty of fish are still in the river, and guys are getting them on bunker, topwater baits, and large soft plastics.
Stephanie of Fancy Fluke said below average water temperatures have slowed the fluke fishing, but some keepers were taken over the weekend by dead-sticking the 8-inch Fancy Fluke rig with squid and sand eels. Stephanie also reported bass and blues feeding on bunker in Long Island Sound with the best fishing happening in the evenings and early mornings.
Rhode Island
Fluke fishing was hot on the Frances Fleet this week, with several anglers catching limits and everyone enjoying fast action with throwback fish. The pool winner on Wednesday was a healthy 4.5 pounds.
Peter at the Saltwater Edge reported big stripers in the bays, both Narragansett and Mount Hope. Live bait is best, but artificial lures like the Sebile Stick Shadd are working as well. Peter said the fish have been moving around the bay, so the hotspots have been changing with the tide. There have also been some massive bluefish around feeding on the thick schools of bunker currently roaming the bay.
At Ocean State Tackle, Dave reported stripers to 33 pounds in the Providence River. The abundance of baitfish has actually made the fishing a little tough as bass have been wallowing in dense schools of bunker. Dave said Mount Hope Bay is also holding bait and fish. Fluke are being caught in Greenwich Bay and at the edges of the shipping channel in Narragansett Bay. Scup just moved into Narragansett Bay, and fishermen are catching 20 to 25 fish apiece when targeting the silvery bottom fish. Off the South Shore, there are smaller stripers, but in good numbers. Dave said the top lures have been the large SP Minnow, the Al Gag’s Underspin, and the Yo-Zuri Mag Darter. Squid fishing has been okay according to Dave, but the fishing has been running hot and cold, with fishermen enduring long slow stretches between flurries of activity. Black sea bass season is open in Rhode Island, but Dave said few fishermen are targeting them just yet.
Freshwater fishing is also good Dave reported. Carp are biting well, and the largemouth bass fishing is the best he’s seen in years. Fishermen using shiners are catching big numbers of bass with some in the 4- to 7-pound range. Trout fishing is also benefitting from the cool and wet spring, with fishermen still catching 17- to 20-inch trout.
Mike at Watch Hill Outfitters said the fluke fishing is good, but anglers are finding them shallower than usual, especially off Fisher’s Island and Isabella. In the ponds, schoolies are feeding on spawning worms providing fun opportunities for fly and light-tackle fishermen. Mike made the crossing to Montauk and found good numbers of stripers and big bluefish. Locally, he’s seeing bunker, but said the water is still on the cold side.
Fishing Forecast for Connecticut and Rhode Island
If you want to connect with a big bass on bait, hit the Connecticut River or Narragansett Bay. To get it done with lures, head to the Race to three-way bucktail jigs.
Fluke fishing is improving in Connecticut, and it’s already good and getting better in eastern Rhode Island.