Pictured above: Louie spent his 80th birthday the right way, with some big bass aboard the C-Devil II
Fluke appear to be spreading out into their summer haunts across CT and RI; while sea bass action is picking up across CT and seems poised to blow open in Rhode Island following the Monday opener.
Fishing Report For Connecticut
Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown told me that the local striped bass fishing remains slow for CT anglers, and the lack of bunker certainly isn’t helping. There are still some decent fish around the mouth of the river, with a few in the 30-40-pound class showing up here and there for anglers dunking chunks. Small bluefish are starting to trickle in, and the biggest concentrations remain around Millstone. Scup action is up and down, but there are some big ones out there; while sea bass action remains pretty steady. Fluke action has picked up locally at spots like Bartletts, Black Point and Fishers, and these spots don’t hold the large numbers of dogfish that they’re seeing at Block or Montauk.
Jost, at Three Belles Outfitters in Niantic claims the striped bass fishing has improved locally over the past two weeks, with populations of fish keying in on just about every source of forage they can find. Bunker seem to be sparse out east, but squid and smaller profile baitfish are plentiful. The western sound is harboring most of the local bunker, as well as the cow bass. Livelining and chunking are the go-to presentations for large stripers out west. There are cocktail bluefish just about everywhere, but no signs of gators yet. There’s been an uptick in local fluke reports this week too, as well as black sea bass and porgy. Black Point, Fishers, and Six Mile Reef are great places to look. In freshwater, both largemouth and smallmouth are done spawning and back on the feed hitting a variety of baits. Big bites are happening at night on large swimbaits. Pike fishing remains good too and should remain that way with water temps staying moderately cool. Carp have come into the spotlight this week as well with some really great catches from the Connecticut and Housatonic Rivers. Don’t forget, the TBO Trifecta Challenge kayak tournament is July 12th – 14th. Registration closes on June 24th, so sign up if you haven’t already!
Chris, at Black Hall Outfitters told me the inshore bottom fishing continues to be very good. Sea bass and weakfish are all over the bottom and Chris is starting to hear encouraging near shore fluke reports. They will be hosting their Fluke Fest Tournament this weekend and you can sign up through the end of business Friday! Striped bass action has been decent on the local reefs, and much better if you can find live bunker; although that has been a chore lately.
Rivers End in Old Saybrook told me that local striped bass anglers continue to report plenty of shorts, but a lack of bunker and a lack of bigger fish. Some bigger fish should move in when the bunker does, but for now you can get plenty of smaller fish in the river, on the shoal, The Race and the Watch Hill Reefs. There have been fluke in most of the local spots, such as Two Tree, Isabella and the shoal, but large fish are still spotty. Sea bassing has been steady in the central sound and there have been some large scup mixed in.
Black Hawk Sportfishing reports that the nighttime big bass tips were very productive last week. Anglers fishing bucktails and live eels were rewarded with bass to 40-pounds, and plenty of smaller fish. Scup fishing has been lights out on just about every trip, and there are no signs of that slowing down. They are currently sailing 7 days a week, leaving at 6 am on the weekends and 7 am during the week. As always, check the website or Facebook page for updated schedules and reports.
Captain TJ, of Rock N Roll Charters reported that the striper fishing continued to improve from last week. The fish have settled onto their summer haunts, and they are finding a mix of sizes from 20-inches to 20-pounds and sometimes larger. Bluefish have been scarce, but TJ is confident that will pick up as the water climbs up over that 60 mark. Sea bass action is steady, and you can find a nice limit if you put some time in. Scup action is great right now and fish to 16-inches have become commonplace.
Mike Roy, of Reel Cast Charters, told me that things are really starting to wake up out there, with more and more keeper bass each trip. Large schools of small bait are starting to inundate the area and keep the bass active. Mike has started to see some nice bluefish in the mix; while the sea bass fishing has been excellent, with easy limits. Mike still has a few openings in the upcoming weeks, so be sure to schedule soon!
Joe, from Diorio Guide Service, told me that the striper fishing has been very consistent in the lower CT River and the adjacent rips out front. Each trip is seeing larger bass than the previous trip, and most of them have been eager to hit large topwater plugs. Temps are slowly climbing out front and we should start to see some consistent schools of larger fish on the reefs any day now. Fluke action has been up and down, but sea bass action has been lock and load on the deep rockpiles to the west of the river.
Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain for Connecticut.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
Captain Matt, of the Frances Fleet in Narragansett, reported some much better life on the fluke grounds over the past few days. Anglers have been battling the humidity and rain and have been rewarded with some great catches. High hooks have been leaving with limits of quality fish, with the biggest fish coming in around 10-11 pounds. Some big sea bass have been in the mix and have all been safely released, but it is a great sign for the season opener, which is right around the corner.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, told me that the Cape Cod Canal bite has been pretty good for shore casters recently. There has been a steady influx of squid in the area, so squid imitators are working well. Fluke fishing has been best around Narragansett Bay and action along the South County beaches is starting to pick up. Scup action is heating up all over the area, with fish being caught as far north as Sabin Point. Largemouth bass fishing has been very good for freshwater anglers. Stump Pond, Olney Pond and Turner Res. have been putting up some nice bass on medium shiners and topwater lures.
Captain Wade, of Booked Off Charters spent last Saturday hunting some monster fluke for the Fluke Till Ya Puke tournament, and while they didn’t get on the board, they took some nice fish to 6.5 pounds. Striped bass action is still steadily improving, and we should be getting close to the peak summer season. The cod fishing continues to be very good, with some quality fish moving in after a new push of bait. They have seen fish over 25-pounds, along with plenty in the 15-20 range.
Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly reports that the local fluke fishing is starting to pick up along the local beaches. There are still plenty of shorts to pick through, but the ratio is certainly improving. Striped bass action hasn’t been lights out but has been relatively consistent. The reefs have been producing smaller fish with some consistency, while some local surfcasters have been finding fish around the 30-pound mark after dark. Scup fishing is improving throughout the region and the bluefish are finally starting to make an appearance.
Captain Kelly, of C-Devil II Sportfishing in Narragansett, reported that the 40-pound stripers they were playing with last week seem to have moved out for now, but they are still finding plenty of quality fish in the 18-25 pound range. The fluking is steadily improving, as the dogfish schools are starting to thin out. There have been some nice black sea bass in the mix, and they are patiently looking forward to the opener on Monday! Check their Facebook page for photos, reports and a live booking calendar!
Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain for Rhode Island.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
Bottom fishing continues to improve across the region, with larger fish of all species starting to show up. Sea bass action has been steady in CT and some monsters are being caught and released in Rhode Island, so the Monday opener should be strong. Scup action has been steady, and sizes appear to be up from previous years. Finding some keeper fluke could still be a bit more challenging, but all the usual local haunts are starting to see some bigger fish. The fish appear to be spreading out throughout their summer territory, and we should be seeing more consistent action from the Rhode Island beaches, Fishers and throughout the sound in the coming weeks. Larger striped bass have been tough to come by due to a lack of bunker in the sound, but there seems to be plenty of fish around, and we should see sizes improve as the bait fills in.