School striped bass numbers are tremendous across both states and the bigger fish should be close. Meanwhile, the early indication from fluke anglers is that sizes are great and limits are attainable.
Connecticut Fishing Report
Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, told me that the Connecticut River was finally starting to clean up this week, and luckily Tuesday’s storms didn’t appear to do as much damage to the water quality as it could have. In turn, the striped bass fishing seemed to improve quite a bit this week. Some nice keepers were caught mid-river by anglers dunking worms and some better fish were caught in the northern part of the state on large swimming plugs. The mouth of the river and the surrounding beaches are starting to fill up with schoolie to low 30-inch class fish, and some larger arrivals should be here soon. Fluke reports have been quiet locally, but they moved into the Block Island area pretty good this week, so it shouldn’t be long now.
Lou, at Hillyers Tackle in Waterford, told me that things really started to pick up over the last week or so. The striped bass schools are thickening up quite a bit, and while there aren’t many big fish yet, there are loads of fish to about 30 inches. The first couple of local fluke reports have started to come in, with reports of fish to 23 inches coming in this week. Scup reports are quiet so far, but that will start to change, possibly as soon as this weekend.
Mike Roy, of Reel Cast Charters, had a strong week of light-tackle striped bass fishing, as the numbers are increasing and the activity levels are picking up. The fish are starting to key in on bigger bait, so large soft plastics, topwaters and swimming plugs are all producing. Numbers and sizes should continue to increase this week, so check with Mike to book a trip soon!
Heather, at Blackhawk Fishing in Niantic, told me that the porgies are in and the fishing for them has been strong all week. Last Friday’s trip was fantastic, with a boat load of regulars who came armed with braided line, sharp hooks and empty coolers that were quickly filled! The fishing was just as good on Wednesday’s trip and they anticipate some more of the same from Friday to Sunday. There have been some weakfish, fluke and bluefish in the mix as well, and the timing should work out nicely for Friday night’s bluefish trip. That trip will sail at 5 PM and should get back in around midnight. There could be some striped bass or weakfish in the mix too. It’s a great trip, fishing in the calm, protected waters of Peconic Bay.
Rivers End Tackle in Old Saybrook reported that the Connecticut River continues to fish well for both shore and boat anglers. Shore anglers are taking some nice striped bass on sandworms from the mouth up to the Hartford area. Boat anglers are reporting strong catches of small keeper bass along the lower river flats on 9-inch sluggos, redfins and small jigs. The Montauk area has been fishing pretty well for fluke and it should only be a matter of days before we start hearing of more local catches.
Chris, at Black Hall Outfitters in Old Lyme, wanted to mention that the grand opening for BHO 2 is this Saturday May 19th 11 am at 362 Boston Post Road in Westbrook. Seminars, vendors, demos and giveaways will all be part of the fun. Stop on down! As far as fishing, striped bass have been popping up all around the area, both out front and in the rivers. The weakfish have started to show, although they have been a bit tough to catch. Anglers who have been willing to put the time in have had some nice weakfish catches on small Daiwa SP Minnows during the dropping tide.
Max, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, told me that anglers fishing out west are reporting a better troll bite this past week, with bass to 30 pounds. Mojos and bunker spoons are producing well from the Throngs Neck Bridge to Hempstead. There has been a lot of bunker filtering into the sound and the bass have started to key in on them. The islands are starting to put out better fish with mid teen size bass to 25lbs on plugs. The back bays and harbors have been good with sand worms with schoolie to keeper size bass. There have been some blues starting to mix in with bass. That should really pick the chunk bite.
Matt, at Cos Cob Charters, spent a good portion of the week at the dock due to the east winds, but the trips they got in resulted in some good bass around the bridges to the west and a strong local porgy bite. The bunker have filtered in nicely so things should bust wide open any day now.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
Captain Frank, of The Frances Fleet in Narragansett, was happy to report that the fleet started sailing for fluke and the early results have been strong. Saturday’s opener saw some tough weather, with steady rain all day, but the fish didn’t seem to mind. High hook went home with half a limit of fish to 4 pounds and every group scored some nice fluke for the table. The fishing continued to improve each day, with Captain Greg reporting their first full limit on Sunday’s full day trip. High hook had 6 keepers and both bucktails and long rigs were working equally as well. Captain Chris reported another solid day on Monday; most anglers took at least 3 keepers and high hook took 5 keepers to 6 pounds. All the captains agreed that this is one of the best starts to the season in years, with most keepers being over the 20-inch mark. The fleet will continue to sail daily at 7 AM, weather dependent and reservations required.
The Seven B’s in Narragansett anticipates kicking off their fluke season very soon, so be sure to check with the office for an updated sailing schedule.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, told me that the striped bass fishing has picked up across the state this week. Bill Silvia reported some large schools of menhaden and striped bass at Ohio Ledge, Providence Point, the Hurricane Barrier and the east side of Prudence Island. Anglers are reporting scattered keepers throughout the bay and rivers; while light-tackle and fly anglers are hitting plenty of fish in the Newport area. Squid reports remain strong for the most part, big scup are being taken at Colt State Park and tautog reports are good in the bay and along the rocky shoreline. Freshwater anglers are reporting good largemouth bass fishing this week, including a fish that nearly hit 8-pounds caught by Jim White.
Mike, at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, reported both an increase in numbers and an increase in size in the striped bass fishery this week. A glut of schoolies are in the area, but there are more and more keepers showing up each day. Inshore fluke fishing reports have been quiet outside of a few fish being taken off the beaches, while word is that a good number of keepers have settled in around the island. There remains a good amount of squid in local waters, so we should start seeing some better fluke fishing along the beaches this week. Those who are targeting tautog seem to be doing pretty well, and the trout fishing remains very steady across the state.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
Striped bass numbers are excellent and the outlook for the fishery is very good, as we have loads of school to 30-inch-class fish across most of Connecticut and Rhode Island. We are approaching that time of the month where the first reports of 30- to 40-pound class fish should trickle in any day now. The groundfishing seems to be getting going nicely, with strong fluking at the island and some encouraging reports from local waters. Scup fishing is good around Newport, Narragansett and western CT and I anticipate some jumbos settling in to the eastern sound this upcoming week. Trout fishing remains steady in the freshwater, along with some hefty largemouth bass, which have rounded off this week’s catches.
People have been catching monster stripers 40 inches up in the upper ct river since the first week of may