Connecticut Fishing Report – July 26, 2018

Bluefish remain borderline non-existent, but luckily the striped bass fishing seems to be picking up the slack this week.

Connecticut Fishing Report

Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, was just in from vacation and told me that the word from Fishers is that the striped bass fishing really picked up over the past few days. Anglers are reporting some big fish on live eels after dark and are also hitting some on topwater plugs around dawn and dusk. Closer to home there have been some nice bass on the local reefs, but the bite has been inconsistent. Those putting time in after dark seem to be doing best. Scup and sea bass catches are tremendous all over the area; while the fluke fishing has been slow but steady, with some nice fish in the mix. Bluefish remain hard to come by in the sound, but a few more showed up at The Race this week, so it may start picking up.

Hillyers in Waterford reports that the local fluke fishing has been both frustrating and rewarding, with some tough overall numbers, but some very nice fish being caught close to home. Fish in the 7- to 9-pound range have been hitting the scales with some regularity, but most anglers are having to work hard for them. There are quite a few striped bass to 35-inches or so being caught off the local shoreline and up in the river. Sea bass continues to improve locally, with limits of nice fish coming from the Bloody Grounds.

Mike Roy, of Reel Cast Charters, told me that the bass are now settling into their summer patterns and he is having much more success on the local reefs. There’s a good mix of sizes, which is providing both steady action and a shot at a trophy. The lack of bluefish has been extreme and no one can quite figure it out; while the bottom fishing for sea bass and scup remains very good.

Heather, from the Black Hawk II in Niantic, reports that the scup fishing remains nothing short of spectacular, with most customers easily getting their limit. More and more seabass are piling into the area as well, and the seabass fishing is getting better all the time. There have also been some fluke and triggerfish in the mix. The night bass fishing has been excellent, with nice fish to 45 pounds. They will be posting more night trips soon, so be sure to check with the office. The bluefishing is still not great, but a few more fish came in around the Montauk area, so they are hopeful that they will become more plentiful locally. They will continue to sail at 7 am from Monday thru Friday and at both 6 am and 1 pm on the weekends. They are also starting to book private charters for August, check with the office for openings.

Captain TJ, at Rock and Roll Charters, reported that some of the bigger bass that were hanging out in the Western Sound have started to trickle in on the local reefs. There is a good amount of bunker in the same areas, which is helping to improve the bass fishing a little bit each day. Scup action has been very good, and there is still a nice mix of sea bass and fluke in the same areas.

At Fishermans World in Norwalk the word is that the striped bass fishing continues to be solid out west. Anglers fishing structure around 40 feet of water or so are finding some nice bass to 40-pounds on fresh chunks and eels. 20-30 pound fish are also being taken around the islands after dark. The bluefishing started to show signs of improvement, but it is still extremely slow for this time of year. Keeper fluke are getting harder and harder to locate in the area, but scup action has been fast and furious.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

The Frances Fleet in Narragansett had to navigate around some tough wind this week but Captain Matt reported a very good day on the full day fluke boat Wednesday. They made quick work of a fluke limit close to home, with the biggest fish coming in at 8 pounds. Quite a few 6- and 7-pound fish were in the mix as well. Full limits of sea bass to 5 pounds also remain pretty easy to come by. The fleet plans on sailing through the weekend, but with the weather being up and down, be sure to check with the office.

Captain Russ, of The Seven B’s in Narragansett, reports that the fluke fishing has been very good when he has been able to set up a good drift. The wind has made things a bit tricky, but there are plenty of fish to be had. Black sea bass and scup are quite plentiful, and are helping to fill the coolers when the fluke fishing slows down.

Captain Brian, of Big Game Sportfishing in Wakefield, told me that he had a strong week of fishing for a wide variety of fish. He ran a few trips out to the canyons and was able to cash in on that strong bigeye bite that has been going on, and also was able to put some nice bluefin on the dock at the Cape. In local waters, the striped bass fishing remains solid with several fish over 50-pounds landed this week, along with a handful in the 30-40 pound class. Bottom fishing remains very good in Rhode Island and at Block, with loads of big sea bass and some decent fluke.

Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly reported that the striped bass fishing was very strong prior to the rough weather last weekend. A solid number of striped bass in the 40- to 50-pound class were caught around Block, and it seems a good slug of decent fish also showed up at Fishers. The local beaches have had steady catches of keeper fluke, with some big fish reported from the Charlestown area on the tail of the squid. Black sea bass limits are easy to come by on baits or jigs across the state and around the island.

Connecticut Fishing Forecast

Striped bass fishing seems to be steadily improving across the area. It’s no surprise that Block Island continues to produce, but nice fish seem to be spread out through the sound as well. Fishers Island is producing steady catches of good bass; while the eastern and western sound reefs may have less fish but still plenty of good ones. Scup and sea bass are extremely plentiful and most are filling coolers; while fluke fishing is producing sub-par numbers but some very large fish.