Pictured above: The Morrissey daughters with some nice fluke from the New London area.
Consistency is the name of the game locally, with steady bottom fishing for all species and increased striped bass catches in all the usual hotspots.
Connecticut Fishing Report
Andrew at Fishin Factory III in Middletown told me that the fluke fishing remains pretty solid overall for most, but we are getting to a point where the fish are starting to move around and anglers need to do the same. The local hotspots off Block and Montauk are still putting up some slammers, but guys are starting to score big fish close to home on smaller, lesser-fished spots. The striped bass bite has been quiet around the mouth of the river, with the river remaining very dirty, but over the past few days’ word is that things are starting to trend in the right direction. Anglers are having no problem finding some nice scup; while the best sea bass catches remain east of the river or in Rhode Island.
Jon, at Hillyers in Waterford, reported that the local porgy anglers have been very pleased with the results lately across multiple spots; Race Rock, Wilderness, south side of Fishers and Black Point have all been producing. Fluking has remained solid, but some anglers are struggling for keepers and it is likely time to start thinking about some less popular stretches of structure. If you put your time in across the Rhode Island beaches you can find a limit, and should get some nice sea bass as well. The striper catches seem to be improving at The Race and Plum Gut; while locally things remain a bit on the quiet side. Bluefishing is still unusually slow, but that should likely be changing as the water continues to warm.
Gene, over at Black Hall Outfitters in Old Lyme, had quite a few reports of “football” shaped striped bass moving through the region recently. Shorter, but heavy fish up to 50 pounds have been weighed in. Eels and live bunker seem to be the ticket for landing one of these fish, with the nighttime guys doing just slightly better. Larger fluke are starting to come up from the deeper structure off the CT shoreline. If you can find the schools of squid, you are heading in the right direction. Several double digit doormats came off Six Mile Reef, Black Point and the sand shoal. Sea bass also seem to be moving off their breeding grounds and spreading out across the sound, and anglers are reporting much better and widespread catches. The big blue crabs seem to have finally made an appearance, and guys are finding good numbers throughout the lower river estuaries.
Things appear to be going strong in the western sound, according to Bobby J’s Bait and Tackle in Milford. Porgy fishing is lights out for guys from the boat and shore; with 12-16 inch fish being common. The sea bass fishing has also picked up in the area, and Middle Ground remains a preferred destination. The fluke are biting, but most anglers are reporting that they really have to grind out a limit. The striper action has been as good as ever out west, with a ton of jumbo bass coming from the deep structure in the area. If you can find good structure in 50-60 feet of water, liveline or chunk a bunker and hold on for the ride.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet in Narragansett continues to be dialed into the big striped bass night bite. On multiple trips this week the fleet had no problem putting a limit of hog bass on the boat, including Saturday, when the pool fish nearly touched the 50-pound mark. The bulk of the fish are falling in the 30-40 pound range, and the trips will continue to sail from Wednesday thru Saturday nights at 7 PM, by reservation. Captain Matt also reported that the local fluke and sea bass fishing took a turn for the better at the early part of this week. He stayed close to home on Monday and was rewarded with nearly a full boat limit of fluke and sea bass, with the pool fish being very fat! As we come off the full moon the drifts should remain optimal, and fishing should be very strong this week. The fleet also announced a summer cod trip to Coxes Ledge on July 30th, which sold out immediately. Because of the popularity they added two new dates, August 6th and 20th. Reservations for these cod trips are mandatory and must be paid in advance; check in with the office for more details.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, reported that both the local beaches and Block Island are producing good numbers of striped bass, fluke and sea bass. Limits of fluke and sea bass are being managed rather easily at both locations; while some monster bass are still patrolling the island. Jon Deangelis landed the mother of all sea bass at 9-pounds, while commercial rod and reel fishing. Longtime customer, Kerry Sampson, has the striped bass bite dialed in, and managed a 47-pound beauty this week. Mid-bay down to the lower bay is holding good numbers of big scup, which are coming on worms and clam necks. The offshore bite seems to have picked up a bit over the past few days, with better numbers of shark and tuna landed. The freshwater guys are still finding some big carp; while largemouth bass are hitting well at Stump Pond and Olney Pond.
Peter, at The Saltwater Edge in Middletown, told me that the bass action remains good close to home, as the area is still full of sand eels. The best catches have actually been coming from the surf guys, who are tossing small teasers ahead of larger needlefish plugs. The boat crew continues to put a hurting on the big bass at Block Island, where 40-pound fish were commonplace this week. Sight fishing the shallows across South County has also been producing some nice bass catches on the fly rod over the past two weeks.
According to Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, the bass fishing remains good at Block, but has also picked up quite a bit locally. A 45-pound fish was weighed in recently, and was landed right in their backyard on an eel. The reefs are starting to put out good numbers of fish from 30-40 inches for guys trolling wire as well as drifting eels. The surf guys are also reporting better bass action from the lighthouse to the breachways, and a few more bluefish are now mixed in. The bottom fishing is as consistent as ever, with some big fluke in deeper water, and some smaller keepers off the shallower beaches. Scup action remains red hot for both shore and boat anglers across South County and eastern CT.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
Summer is here and the fishing seems to really be getting into a state of normalcy. Scup fishing is red hot, sea bass are spreading throughout the region and fluke are biting, but making you work for a limit. That seems to be the norm for summer fishing throughout our region; along with the pods of large striped bass that have inundated the island and are slowly filtering our way. The bluefish seem to be lagging a bit behind, but the blue crabbing has kicked right up on schedule.