Pictured above: Bryan McHugh with a nice Westport, CT albie
False albacore showed up in a big way last weekend, while plenty of bluefish, striped bass and scup are rounding out the catch this week.
Connecticut Fishing Report
Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, told me that the albie fever is still going strong, with anglers reporting good catches all over the area. Solid reports having been coming from Watch Hill, Plum Gut, Fishers and all along the CT coast, as far west as Stamford. There is a good slug of striped bass around the mouth of the CT River, with a few anglers reporting acres of small blitzing bass at times last week. The nighttime crew is finding some better fish at the local points and beaches, but it gets tough to get through the smaller fish at times. Small blues are spread out through the same areas, but the bigger bluefish are hanging around The Race. You can still find some nice sea bass if you look deep, but most of the bottom fishermen are getting ready for the blackfish season, which kicks off on the 10th in CT.
Hillyers in Waterford reports that the albie fishing has remained steady along the local shoreline. There are quite a few pods of fish from Black Point to the Thames, and along both sides of Fishers. Small bluefish are hanging out in the same areas, and are harassing the massive schools of bait that are pretty much everywhere. Hatchets, Bartletts and The Race are producing some decent bass for those soaking eels after dark, and schoolies are all over the place. Scup action has been very good on most of the local rockpiles, and the blackfish season is finally almost upon us.
Black Hall Outfitters reports some great albie feeds from Groton to Milford, with even shore anglers reporting some good numbers on certain days. It seems that the early morning bite has been better than the afternoons, but they can really pop up at anytime. School bass are also blitzing in most the same areas, and some bigger fish are starting to get on the move as well. Many anglers are looking forward to the start of blackfish season, and the shop will have crabs in stock starting this Friday.
Blackhawk Sportfishing in Niantic reports that the bluefishing remains excellent in The Race, with diamond jigs and bucktails both producing equally. The nighttime striped bass trips this week have also been very good. This past Saturday saw nearly 60 big bass caught by 20 anglers! Saturday’s sea bass trip was also phenomenal, with perfect weather and even better fishing. They managed an easy full boat limit of big scup, then moved out to deeper water and found a nice pile of big sea bass. They will continue to sail everyday through Columbus Day at 7 AM, and they will have an updated schedule for the rest of October available on their website.
Mike Roy, of Reel Cast Charters, told me that bass, bluefish and false albacore continue to put on some awesome feeds, which are providing some good light spinning and fly action. It’s one of the best times of year, with tremendous multi-species days, and Mike still has some openings in October!
Captain TJ, at Rock and Roll Charters, reports that the striped bass fishing really got going this week, after a few weeks of slower results. Every spot that he has stopped at this week is holding some bass and they are biting well. Fish to 35-pounds were taken this week, and there was a nice mix of different classes of bass. There is a good deal of bluefish in the mix, with most falling into the 5-7 pound class. Scup action may have slowed just a bit this week, but there are still plenty of keepers to be had. Sea bass action also remains very good in the deeper water.
Captain Mike, of Light Bite Charters in Norwalk, reported some great western sound fishing, including some large bunker school from Bridgeport to Stamford. Quality striped bass and bluefish can be found under most of the schools, with anglers using the snag and drop method or throwing large topwater plugs. Schoolie to small keeper sized bass can also be taken on light tackle at most of the inshore structure. The false albacore fishing really took off in that area this week, with good numbers in localized hotspots from Lordship to Stamford. Incoming tides seem to be producing the best, and they have been a bit shy, so consider downsizing to 10-12 pound fluorocarbon leaders.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet in Narragansett saw some improved cod fishing over the past week, with better numbers and better quality. Captain Greg took advantage of some nice weather last Saturday and took a long ride to the cod grounds. They were rewarded with quite a few fish in the 8-12 pound range, along with a few larger ones pushing 15-pounds. There are still plenty of sea bass in the same areas, with most falling in the 4-5 pound range. Captain Rich reported similar results on Sunday, along with some piles of nice scup. Captain Matt reported a much better day on the local cod grounds on Monday. The cod were mixed in with some huge numbers of scup and sea bass. Many anglers caught limits of sea bass to 5-pounds and as many scup as they wanted. There were a few dozen keeper cod in the mix, with just as many shorts. The fleet plans to sail Friday morning at 7 am and through the weekend.
Captain Russ, of The Seven B’s in Snug Harbor, reports that the bottom fishing has remained very steady, with anglers catching a nice mix of sea bass and scup. Some of the scup have been very big, around the 2-3 pound range; while a good majority of the sea bass are in the 3-4 pound class. There are some nice triggerfish and striped bass in the mix, and the cod fishing is slowly starting to improve. Sea bass and scup trips will continue to run from Wednesday through Sunday from 7-4. Be sure to check with the office for updated scheduling and reservations.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, told me that the albie bite has been pretty consistent for shore anglers across Rhode Island, with most anglers turning to 1.25-2 oz. epoxy jigs and Daddy Macs. These fish continue to pop up just about everywhere along the local coastline, with some pretty good catches even coming from inside the bay. Some nice bass are still being taken at Block Island; while South County has been putting up nice bass for anglers fishing darters and eels after dark. There is still plenty of scup around, and the tautog bite really started to take off this week. The water is still a touch warm, so if the tog bite is going good now it should only improve in the coming weeks!
Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly reports that fishing along the beaches has been great this week, with tons of small striped bass all over the place. There are some larger fish up to the 30-pound mark in the mix during the day, and a few more showing up for anglers throwing eels after dark. There is bait all over the place, and fish can be found along most of the beaches and inside the salt ponds. There are some decent bluefish in the mix as well, but the best bluefish action is still coming from The Race. Sea bass and scup are still around, but you need to look to deeper water; while the tautog fishing is just starting to really heat up. False albacore are still popping up consistently along the beaches and reefs in Rhode Island and eastern CT.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
The false albacore invaded last week and have now spread throughout the region, with strong localized catches just about everywhere. The widespread range of the fish should help alleviate some of the boat traffic; which is always a good thing on the weekend. Blitzing striped bass can be found throughout the region as well, with some better fish starting to show up in the mix. Sea bass and scup are still going strong, but tautog action should dominate the bottom fishing this week, as Rhode Island is fishing better and Connecticut opens up on the 10th.