Larger striped bass have moved in, with some true cows showing up in western Connecticut. Doormat fluke seem to be trickling in slowly from Montauk and Block Island.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
Captain Frank, of The Frances Fleet in Narragansett, reported that the fleet was able to put together another strong week of fluke fishing. Captain Matt reported a solid day Wednesday, with most anglers taking home 3 to 5 keepers and plenty of action to keep everyone busy. Trips from earlier in the week had similar results, with solid fishing both Monday and Tuesday. Tuesday’s trip resulted in the biggest fish of the year thus far, at 29 inches. The fleet also started running some squid trips after dark. Wednesday’s trip was a success, with a mess of good squid coming over the rails. Be sure to check with the office for reservations and an updated sailing schedule.
Captain Russ, of The Seven B’s in Narragansett, found some fish during their first week sailing for fluke, despite less than favorable conditions. Winds and strong tides resulted in high drift speeds, but conditions should be a bit more manageable this upcoming weekend. Weather permitting, they will sail Friday through Monday for fluke and will run squid trips Friday and Saturday night. Call the office ahead of time for updated sailing times and reports.
Big Game Sportfishing in Wakefield had to cancel some trips earlier this week due to weather, but they made it out yesterday and scored some nice fluke catches! They had to put some work in to find the good ones, but they are out there, and things should improve quickly with the recent temperatures. They are now sailing seven days a week, so call Captain Brian to book a trip today!
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, told me that the Providence River striped bass bite is really picking up, with anglers catching on worms, clams, chunk bait and a few on plugs. Striped bass numbers are strong across the state and the average size is climbing quickly. Dave also mentioned that the trout fishing remains very good across the state and RIDEM recently re-stocked a number of locations including Barbers, Meadow Brook Pond, Round Tops and Olney Pond.
Mike, at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, reported that a number of customers have started to report some good fluke catches off of the beaches, in about 90 feet of water. Striped bass fishing remains very good from both shore and by boat, and the size of the fish being caught is starting to increase. Lots of fish over the 30-inch mark were reported this past week. No reports of squid locally just yet, but the reports from the Newport and Jamestown areas have been very good.
Connecticut Fishing Report
Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, reported that the Connecticut River is still putting up good numbers of striped bass, but the plug bite is tough due to the stained water. Most anglers are scoring bass on sandworms, and sizes are ranging from 24 to 32 inches with a few larger fish mixed in. The fluking really got going around Montauk and a few good catches have been reported from Isabella. Nebraska Shoals is also fishing well and has a healthy population of squid to keep the fluke around.
Lou, at Hillyers Tackle in Waterford, told me that the local fluking isn’t too strong just yet, but they did hear of some good catches from Montauk and Fishers. Good numbers of keeper fish to 9 pounds were caught in both areas, and it shouldn’t be long until it heats up locally. Striper action is on the rise, and keeper fish are becoming more and more common. Over the next week or two we should see some really large fish settle in on the reefs. Bluefish reports also seem to be intensifying over the past few days.
Mike Roy, of Reel Cast Charters, reports that striped bass fishing has remained very consistent, and like many others, he started to see some much better fish in terms of quality this week. The bulk of the fish are on the small side, but it seems we are close to having everything blow open. There have been some bluefish in the mix and a number of the bass are fresh with sea lice. Mike has been catching on small soft plastics, as well as on the fly, which is great fishing regardless of size!
Heather, at Blackhawk Fishing in Niantic, reported another excellent week of porgy fishing. Last Wednesday turned out to be the best trip, with fish coming over the rails as fast as you can get your baits down to the bottom. A full boat limit was attained quickly and there have been no signs that it is slowing down. Captain Greg and a good group of anglers braved the weather last Friday night and were rewarded with some nice bluefish and a good pile of striped bass in the Greenport area. They will continue to run nighttime bass trips this Saturday and Sunday, leaving at 5 PM.
Joe, at Rivers End Tackle in Old Saybrook, said that the fishing in the mouth of the river really picked up this week and guys were regularly tallying more than 30 fish per trip. Most of fish are still schoolies, but fish to 32 inches have been in the mix. Shore guys have been hooking up on the flats and from the piers on spooks and soft plastics. Fluke reports have been slow, but one angler reported a limit of fish to 4 pounds off the south side of Fishers in 100 feet. Weakfish reports from West Haven have been good this week as well.
Chris, at Black Hall Outfitters in Old Lyme, reports that there are a ton of small school stripers in the lower CT River, but if you throw a larger offering you can be rewarded with fish to 34 inches or so. This week also saw some great fluke reports from the windmills at Block and the Frisbees off Montauk. Fish to 12 pounds were reported from that area and a few decent fish were caught in the deeper water off Niantic.
Max, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, reported that the bunker schools have shown up out west over the past few days. The bass have been right behind them, and there are some big girls in the mix. Reports of bass to 45 inches have come in from guys throwing swimming plugs on the local beaches from Stamford to Stratford. The mouth of the rivers have been strong, with some really large fish taking bunker chunks around the Housatonic. The bluefish bite has been heating up as well, with some nice fish coming into the shallows after dark to feed.
Matt, at Cos Cob Charters, told me that the bass have moved in nicely out west and he has been able to manage at least 20 fish per trip. Sizes are increasing every day, so be sure to contact him for a trip soon!
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
For a second straight week, the striped bass seem to be spreading throughout the region in great numbers, but this week saw better sizes all over, with some true giants out west. Big bass are feeding on bunker in western CT and it should only be a week or so until we can say the same in eastern CT and South County. Fluke reports are great around Block and Montauk, and they are picking up steam around Fishers. With the elevated temperatures this week we should start to see more consistent catches off the Rhode Island beaches and in eastern LIS.
Dave from Ocean State tackle is so full of it. The striper bite in the Providence River is awful. There is no bait around so there are no fish. Same goes for all of Narragansett Bay. So far this season has been awful.
Spot on bro. He full of shit str up. Nothing in the river or hurricane barrier as was last year . He the 1 of 2 bait shops in area. Just trying to boost his sales . And nothing for nothing. His prices are inflated way over top for shit quality bait he sell .
Block is loaded with more seals than I’ve seen in 35 years. Bass are nervous! If you can find one
Spot on bro. He full of shit str up. Nothing in the river or hurricane barrier as was last year . He the 1 of 2 bait shops in area. Just trying to boost his sales . And nothing for nothing. His prices are inflated way over top for shit quality bait he sell .
My question is why are they letting bait shop owners give reports? Of course many of them will church up reports… Lets leave it the guys using bait not selling it to give our reports..
Lots of small Schoolies on the south county beaches this past weekend…but also had a Seal ruin most of the fishing yesterday morning as he folowed me down the beach scaring off the fish. I did hear about a Huge Bass caught near the Barrier this weekend? Tight Lines.