Connecticut Fishing Report – October 19, 2017

Pictured above: William Blouin with a big Narragansett bluefish

The CT tautog season got off to a good start, and with temps finally starting to drop it should really go off this weekend. Big striped bass are on the move and are feeding; while the false albacore bite shows no sign of slowing.

Connecticut Fishing Report

Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, told me that the tautog madness is still going strong around the shop. The season started off strong for many, with some good fish being caught in 10-12 feet of water on jigs. The large schools of bunker in the lower river have started to thin out, and it is time to start looking for some big bass on the nearby reefs as they follow the bait out. There is a huge slug of schoolie bass in the lower river and in the Waterford area, which is a good sign for the future. The false albacore bite is still going off throughout the sound, so keep your eyes open when your on the anchor for tog. The blue crab action is still going pretty strong in the lower river; get after them before it gets too cold!

At Hillyers Tackle in Waterford, Matt reported that blackfish season started off pretty good, and the wind settled down in time for anglers to get out over the first weekend. Per usual, there are a lot of short fish and the bite has been shallow, but most anglers are finding plenty of keepers in the mix as well. Sea bass action has still been pretty good in the sound, but you need to move around off of some of the more popular spots. Albies are still very thick in the area, and with the amount of bait and warm water, they should hang around for a bit longer. Striped bass anglers are reporting some good catches, especially tight to shore at spots like Seaside, Millstone and Harkness.

At Black Hall Outfitters in Old Lyme, Gene told me they are coming off an excellent weekend at the shop, and said that their TogTober tournament was a great success. A 10.82 pound fish was weighed in Sunday and took first place in the boat division, and a couple of 7-pound fish were caught in the kayak division. Overall, the fishing was very good and a lot more fish were weighed in than they even expected. The albies can be found in front of just about any beach in the eastern sound, but they are starting to get picky, time to downsize your leaders.

James, at Norwalk Islands Fishing, reports that the bass and bluefishing was slow due to the still-warm water temps last weekend, but temps are starting to drop just in time. With nighttime temperatures in the 40s, and a new moon approaching, the bass fishing is on fire! Big bass are around in all the local rips on artificials or bait. The blackfishing on the other hand was fantastic. Shallow structure (less than 20 feet) and Asian shore crabs were the ticket. The albie action is continuing as well, although they seem to be getting pickier. The weekend forecast looks beautiful, and the possibility of bass, bluefish, tunoids and big feisty tog all in the same day is highly possible.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

The weather cooperated nicely for the start of the tautog season, and the Frances Fleet in Narragansett took advantage. Sunday’s opener saw a decent group of anglers that were able to manage a few keepers a piece, with hi-hook taking 3 fish to 5-pounds. The results on Sunday were similar, with some nice keepers coming aboard, and good numbers of shorts keeping the action steady. The water temperatures are still a little high for the peak tautog season, and things should just keep improving over the next few weeks. The cod trips were very productive this week, with a good number of cod up to 20-pounds and all the jumbo scup that anyone wanted. Both tautog and cod trips will set sail Friday and both will leave at 6 AM, check in with the office for a full weekend sailing schedule.

Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, told me that there are still false albacore all over the bay, and guys are catching from both shore and boat in most of the usual hotspots. There is still a healthy population of striped bass in the Providence River, and they are hitting topwater plugs around sunset. The Seekonk River is also a good spot to check for some topwater bass. Quality keeper scup and tautog are being caught in the lower Providence, as well as all the rockpiles and reefs in Newport and Jamestown. Trout fishing has been strong at Lincoln Woods and Carbuncle Pond, with most guys catching on powerbait or worms.

I spoke with Peter Jenkins of The Saltwater Edge in Middletown over the weekend, who told me that there are albies all over the places you may not usually expect to see them. Barrington Beach and the Warren River were holding fish in spots that are a good deal fresher than where you’d expect to find these fish. There are still quite a few albies out front in the Point Judith and Newport areas, but those schools are more scattered and are putting on shorter feeds. Bass fishing remains slow locally, but things should start kicking into gear around this new moon.

At Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, Christian reported that the tautog fishing has been good for the most part, with some spots producing better than others. The areas around Masons and Enders Islands seem to be pretty hot right now. Striped bass fishing along the beaches has improved, and surfcasters took fish to 35-pounds last week. Shorebound anglers still have a good shot at false albacore and bluefish in most of the same areas; around Watch Hill, East Beach and the Breachways.

Connecticut Fishing Forecast

The fall run is in full swing and the weather doesn’t get much better. The October new moon period is here, which should equal some strong bass fishing; while tautog will continue to improve and the false albacore aren’t ready to leave just yet.