Pictured above: The France Fleet has been taking advantage of some great early fall tautog fishing.
The start of the blackfish season has been solid and is gaining steam; while striped bass, bluefish and false albacore continue to harass the large schools of small bait.
Connecticut Fishing Report
Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, told me that the water is quite churned up in and around the mouth of the river from all the rain and wind, but anglers are still finding good numbers of bass to 25-pounds or so. A few much larger fish are still in the mix as well, with most coming on large topwater plugs during the day. A few shore anglers have also reported good numbers of 30-35 inch bass in the same areas after dark. Superstrike darters, large needlefish and live eels seem to be the weapons of choice. Albie reports are spotty, but they are still popping up throughout our area in small pods. The most concentrated numbers seem to be in the far eastern sound and from Watch Hill to Charlestown. The sea bass bite is still going pretty well in deeper water, and the first weekend of blackfish was fairly successful, despite a lot of short fish. A couple fish in the 8-9 pound range hit the scale over the weekend, but most of the keepers were in the 16-20 inch range.
Hillyers in Waterford reported a decent opener to the blackfish season, although the short to keeper ratio remains highly swayed towards the shorts. As the week went on and the water started to cool the bite improved a bit, with the best catches in 20-30 feet of water. False albacore can still be found locally most days, but the pods have thinned out a bit. Small bass and bluefish can be found blitzing around the bay and most of the eastern sound shoreline; while bigger bass and blues are still being taken at The Race.
Captain Matt, of Blackhawk Sportfishing in Niantic told me that they had some red hot striped bass fishing on their night trips last week. Bass to 40-pounds were devouring eels and boat limits were easily obtained. The recent rough weather has dirtied up the water a bit and slowed things down, but we should still have a few solid weeks ahead of us. They plan to schedule some more trips around the full moon on the 24th, so stay tuned. The bluefish action in The Race continues to produce some great diamond jigging action; while the bottom fishing for scup, sea bass and cod remains very good at Block. Cod numbers will steadily improve and fabulous fall fishing on the scup and sea bass will continue to provide dynamite fishing until the season ends on December 31st. They will continue to sail daily from Niantic at 7 am until the first of November, at which time they will start sailing from Dodson’s Boatyard in Stonington.
Rivers End in Old Saybrook reports that the mouth of the CT River continues to produce some quality striped bass fishing, despite some less than ideal conditions. Topwater plugs are producing well and live eels have been fooling them when the artificials aren’t. If you’re not finding any luck inside the river, take a look at Long Sand Shoal, which continues to produce a pretty good daytime bite. The local surf has been kicked up and the fishing hasn’t been great, but there are some numbers of schoolie to 35 inch fish around Saybrook and Old Lyme. Better surf fishing is being had in Rhode Island, specifically in the breachways. Bluefishing has been sporadic locally, but reports from Plum Gut and The Race are still encouraging. Scup action has been pretty good, while blackfish reports have been mixed. Most are finding a few good fish, along with a boatload of shorts. The false albacore are still around, but they are in smaller schools and require some patience. It seems the end of the eastern sound and into Rhode Island has had the most albies, along with Valiant Shoal area.
Captain TJ, at Rock and Roll Charters, reported that the recent weather and big tides has moved the fish around a bit, but he was able to make moves on the fly and find some good catches. The scup moved off the larger reefs but are still being caught on some smaller pieces of structure. The bluefish made a similar move, coming off the bigger rips and settling in some spots with less current. Striper action was pretty steady all week; while there weren’t many bruisers, there were plenty of keepers to 15-pounds. TJ also managed some of the first blackfish catches of the season, and that bite should really get going after these cold fronts move through.
Mike Roy, of Reel Cast Charters, told me that the topwater action remains excellent, with bass of all sizes feeding heavily on small bait. There are still plenty of bluefish around as well, and pods of false albacore continue to harass the bait balls. Mike has also started blackfishing and said it got off to a pretty strong start, be sure to book a trip before it’s too late!
Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet in Narragansett was unable to get out early this week due to some unfavorable fall weather, but last weekend’s blackfish opener was certainly a success. On Saturday, Captain Mike sailed with a small group of anglers and they nearly managed a full boat limit of fish to 8-pounds. Sunday’s trip was more of the same, with many anglers on board managing a limit of blackfish to 9-pounds. There are quite a few short fish and borderline keepers in the mix, so the rods stay bent all day. This is a very good start to the season considering the water is still warm, it can only get better from here. The weekend’s cod trips were also successful, with a few dozen cod to 15-pounds, along with decent sea bass and scup numbers. Be sure to check the website for updated sailing schedules and weather updates.
Captain Russ, of The Seven B’s in Snug Harbor, reported that the fishing has remained very steady of late, whenever the weather has allowed. Customers are going home with plenty of scup, some sea bass and a few cod. The sea bass/scup/cod trips will continue to sail from Wednesday through Sunday from 7-4 for another couple of weeks before they transition to tautog fishing. Reservations are required, so check with the office ahead of time.
Mike, at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, reports that the false albacore bite remains very good in the area, with some good sized schools of fish chasing bait along the beaches, inside the breachways and around Fishers. Striped bass fishing is still going strong from shore and most anglers are finding a good pick of fish to 20-pounds or so. The Watch Hill reefs are also still holding some decent bass, but the bluefish bite was pretty much non-existent this week. Tautog fishing continues to improve throughout Rhode Island and in the eastern sound. The cooler temps over the past few days should only help that bite get stronger once the winds settle.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet in Narragansett was unable to get out early this week due to some unfavorable fall weather, but last weekend’s blackfish opener was certainly a success. On Saturday, Captain Mike sailed with a small group of anglers and they nearly managed a full boat limit of fish to 8-pounds. Sunday’s trip was more of the same, with many anglers on board managing a limit of blackfish to 9-pounds. There are quite a few short fish and borderline keepers in the mix, so the rods stay bent all day. This is a very good start to the season considering the water is still warm, it can only get better from here. The weekend’s cod trips were also successful, with a few dozen cod to 15-pounds, along with decent sea bass and scup numbers. Be sure to check the website for updated sailing schedules and weather updates.
Captain Russ, of The Seven B’s in Snug Harbor, reported that the fishing has remained very steady of late, whenever the weather has allowed. Customers are going home with plenty of scup, some sea bass and a few cod. The sea bass/scup/cod trips will continue to sail from Wednesday through Sunday from 7-4 for another couple of weeks before they transition to tautog fishing. Reservations are required, so check with the office ahead of time.
Mike, at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, reports that the false albacore bite remains very good in the area, with some good sized schools of fish chasing bait along the beaches, inside the breachways and around Fishers. Striped bass fishing is still going strong from shore and most anglers are finding a good pick of fish to 20-pounds or so. The Watch Hill reefs are also still holding some decent bass, but the bluefish bite was pretty much non-existent this week. Tautog fishing continues to improve throughout Rhode Island and in the eastern sound. The cooler temps over the past few days should only help that bite get stronger once the winds settle.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
Hopefully this trend of windy weather will lighten up for the weekend, as we still have plenty of excellent fishing options. The current cold snap should really help to improve the blackfish action which has gotten off to a pretty decent start. Striped bass of all sizes are still feeding heavily on top water and at many of the reefs and rips while false albacore are in smaller pods but can still be found throughout the region.