Big striped bass are showing up after dark, and bluefish may finally be making an appearance. Scup, sea bass and blue crabs are abundant and filling coolers across the region.
Connecticut Fishing Report
Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, told me that the striped bass action has remained steady around Fishers Island Sound, where anglers are scoring big bass from both the shore and boat. Fishing after dark seems to increase your odds, but both plugs and bait have been working well. Scup and sea bass catches are tremendous all over the area; while the fluke fishing has been slow and steady, with some nice fish in the mix around Black Point. Bluefish remain hard to come by in the sound, but a few more showed up at The Race this week, as well as Plum Gut, so it may start picking up.
Hillyers in Waterford reported that some nice blackfish were taken from shore last week, but unfortunately the Connecticut season has come to an end. Rhode Island’s season has opened up so anglers may want to take the ride if they are in search of white chins. Fluke and sea bass fishing has picked up quite a bit this week around Black Point and Bartletts, while scup are all over the place. There has been a decent slug of striped bass feeding after dark around Barts and at The Race; while the bluefishing has finally picked up at The Race and Plum Gut.
Mike Roy, of Reel Cast Charters, reported that a good glut of small bait has kick started the topwater bite in local waters. It has also helped to finally bring in some bluefish. Striped bass action has been very steady with a good mix of smaller fish and some true cows. Sea bass and scup action has been very good, and it is easy to fill some coolers in between bouts of striped bass action.
The crew from Black Hall Outfitters reported that the race has finally been alive with bluefish. Jigging with Mojo’s seems to be the best way to hit em, with white or chartreuse being the top producers. Sea bass fishing remains red hot with limits on most trips. Shore anglers are struggling a bit as the water has warmed up, but those fishing some deeper rips after dark are catching on eels. The offshore bite remains great with yellowfin, mahi and the occasional wahoo are showing up on most trips.
Heather, from the Black Hawk in Niantic, told me that Captain Greg had another week of excellent fishing, with great day trips full of limits of scup and jumbo sea bass. The biggest news of the week is that the elusive bluefish has finally shown up. The Race is holding a good number of chompers, along with the surrounding reefs and rips. Last Thursday’s after work special trip was an action packed diamond jigging bonanza, with all the bluefish you could want, and lots of striped bass too. Heather from the office reports that they had a great time on our Cruisin’ for a Cause sunset cruise on Saturday night. This was a fundraiser for Community Speaks Out, and everyone had a blast! We do these special trips every Saturday night, so come join us and help raise funds for some great organizations. Be sure to check the website for a full sailing schedule, as more night bass trips will be added soon.
Captain TJ, at Rock and Roll Charters, reported that the local striped bass fishing took a turn for the better last week before the weather from earlier this week slowed things down. There is a whole bunch of low 20-inch class fish, along with solid numbers of 25- to 30-pound fish. Bluefish remain elusive in the central sound, but word from The Race and the Sluice is encouraging. Scup action has been nothing short of spectacular, with fast action of hubcap-sized fish.
At Fishermans World in Norwalk the word is that the bass bite has finally started to slow down after a torrid spring and summer. The giants seem to have moved on, but anglers are still taking some fish in the 20-pound class on eels and fresh chunks. Bluefish are finally to show up in slightly better numbers, but the big gators have not shown yet. Bottom fishing has been the best bet right now, with big sea bass coming from any structure in around 60 feet of water; while scup can be found anywhere from 10-30 FOW. Fluke has been decent, but short fish are starting to dominate the catch.
Matt, at Cos Cob Charters, told me he focused his energy on bottom fishing this week. He ran to the east and fished the wrecks, and was able to come home with some great numbers of big sea bass and fluke.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet in Narragansett continues to find success on the half-day trips this week. The morning trips saw a slower drift, resulting in fewer fluke but some monster sea bass limits. The afternoon trips had better drift speeds and saw a better mix of fluke and sea bass. Captain Matt reported good results on the full day trips as well. Action wasn’t hot and heavy, but remained steady all day and nearly everyone went home with a limit of fluke to 8 pounds.
Captain Russ, of The Seven B’s in Narragansett, reports that the fishing has been solid whenever the weather has cooperated enough to get out there. Most customers are getting limits of big black sea bass, some nice fluke and a few bluefish. They are currently running morning and afternoon half day trips Monday through Saturday with a morning half day trip on Sunday followed by and an extended 1 to 8pm trip. They have also been running “6 pack” trips on the Jeannie B which offer a great deal of flexibility in terms of target species and locations for groups of up to 6 people.
Captain Brian, of Big Game Sportfishing in Wakefield, reported that the sea bass and fluke action was red hot last weekend. His clients had non-stop action of big sea bass and fluke to 8-pounds and everyone went home happy. In other news, there is still good shark action without traveling too far and big bass are still taking eels around the island after dark.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, told me that the scup fishing has been as strong as ever across the state, while the fluke and sea bass action remains steady in deeper water than usual. Rhode Island has also seen an overall lack of bluefish this year, but there has been a good pile of them around Prudence Island over the past few days. The Rhode Island beaches are starting to produce better for surfcasters.
Mike, at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, reports that striped bass fishing remains very solid around Block Island and Montauk, where an abundance of mackerel has shown up for the first time in years. Striped bass of mixed sizes are also being taken with some regularity on the local reefs and off the beaches. Big bluefish are being taken at Block, but they appear to be staying out there and avoiding inshore waters. There have been some snapper and harbor blues in the river, but big fish have been non-existent inshore. Bottom fishermen are still reporting good catches of fluke and sea bass off the local beaches and out around the island. Scup fishing has been great for anglers fishing rocky structure both off the shore and from the boat.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
The weather and the calendar indicate we should be hitting the summer doldrums, but the fishing remains solid regardless. Striped bass catches have been steady across the eastern sound, at Fishers Island and around Block Island. The better catches have come after dark, but the warm water hasn’t shut them down completely. Bluefish remain elusive, but indications from southeast Rhode Island and the southern stretches of Long Island Sound are encouraging. There are certainly signs that some big gators could show up across the region any day now. Bottom fishing remains excellent for scup and sea bass, while quality fluke are steady enough to make it worthwhile. The blue crabs seemed to have moved in and are being taken in good numbers throughout the salt ponds in Rhode Island and in the tributaries of Long Island Sound.