Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt, at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook told me that he has been getting out quite a bit, and it has been a ton of fun in the local salt. Bait has been stacked up everywhere, especially around the tidal rivers, and when those rivers start to dump out on the outgoing, some epic blitzes usually follow. Some of the bigger blitzes that he has ever seen have happened recently, and they are usually loaded with striped bass of all sizes and some big bluefish. The strong late-season false albacore push throughout the sound has intensified this week, and this is now shaping up to be one of the better false albacore seasons we’ve had in recent years. When he’s not chasing false albacore pods, Matt has been scoring some nice tautog to 8 pounds in anywhere from 10 to 25 feet of water. The tautog fishing has been consistent across the area, but if you can work some lesser-known pieces of structure, you have a better shot at keepers.
Heather from Black Hawk Sportfishing reported another steady week of mixed bag fall fishing. Their bottom fishing trips saw a nice mix of scup and sea bass, with a few cod here and there. Some trips have required a bit more work to fill the coolers, but anglers who put in the work have been rewarded. Their bluefish and striped bass trips have seen a nice mix of both, and they often transition to bottom fishing during these trips, so they end up with a true mixed bag of everything! They will be adding more of these combo trips to the schedule, along with some dedicated blackfish trips. They will continue to fish daily if the weather allows, so check their website for schedules and tickets.
Dan, at Dan’s Bait, Tackle, and Charters in New London saw another strong week of fishing, despite some weather that didn’t always cooperate. This past weekend consisted of multiple blackfish tournaments, and they all saw an overwhelming turnout! Light jigs, when possible, tipped with green crabs brought in some absolute monsters this week, including fish over the 20-pound mark! The fishing only seems to be improving, and there is still plenty of time left to land some trophies, and/or fill the freezer. Slot class and larger bass are still plentiful, and can generally be found close to shore feeding on peanut bunker during the day. Nighttime chunk anglers are finding even bigger fish, as the bass are starting to put on the feed bag before the full migration.
Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters enjoyed another strong week of fall run fishing, with great action across a variety of species. There are plenty of stripers, some big blues, and enough albies to keep things interesting from day to day. The fish seem to be on the move, so you may need to bounce around to find the topwater blitzes, but you shouldn’t have any difficulty doing so. Topwater plugs are accounting for bass of mixed sizes, along with bluefish to 10-pounds, while live baits are still consistently scoring bigger bass. Mike has been bookending most trips by targeting blackfish, and he has been finding solid limits on nearly every trip. Give Captain Mike a call asap to plan a trip before it’s too late!
Captain Chris, at Elser Guide Service continues to find some great fall run fishing in the Western Sound whenever he has been able to get out there. Over the weekend he took his grandson Colten out on the water and was able to get him on some big numbers of big albies, stripers, and bluefish. The wind kicked up after Sunday and mixed things up a bit, but he got back on the water mid-week and was able to find plenty of local topwater action around Bridgeport and Milford.
Joe Diorio at Diorio Guide Service reports that the fall run is in full swing and the fishing has been great. They are seeing tons of 24- to 34-inch bass and bluefish crashing the surface. They are eating an assortment of different kinds of hard and sized baits. Which has made for some easy fishing at times. In addition to stripers and blues this past week we were flooded with albies and they have been big and mean! Joe Baggs Resin Jigs and Albie Snaxs have been our baits of choice. Blackfishing has been hit or miss. One day one spot is great the next its not. My suggestion is to continue to move around till you find a rock pile that produces. Enjoy these last few weeks of fall on the water and thank you everyone who was able to make it out on one of our charters this past season. Upcoming in November. I will start running trout trips. Contact me if interested in getting out this offseason.
Fisherman’s World in Norwalk continues to see most local anglers focusing their attention on blackfish, and results have generally been great. The action has been steady across multiple depths, but most of the anglers that are finding big fish have been targeting the deeper water wrecks. There are good fish to be had in shallower water as well, but you will probably need to weed through more shorts. Big scup remain easy to find for both shore and boat anglers looking to fill the coolers a bit more. The other strong fall fishing option has been for giant bluefish, which can usually be found harassing the massive schools of peanut bunker in the area. Most of these fish have been over 10 pounds and up to 15 or so, and it hasn’t been hard to find them. Similar action is also going on for striped bass, with plenty of keeper and over-slot fish busting on peanut bunker all day. The deep-water diamond jig striper bite has been slower but should improve as the water cools down. The false albacore haven’t moved much this week either, with some decent local reports, along with big numbers out by Middleground. Freshwater anglers are starting to spend more time at the Saugatuck Reservoir, and are reporting some solid bass and walleye catches, despite some low water conditions.
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Connecticut Fishing Forecast
Strong, steady, and action-packed are all good ways to describe the current fall run across Southern New England. Massive blitzes of striped bass, bluefish, and albies can be found daily across Rhode Island and Connecticut, while bottom fishermen are reporting better tautog results on nearly every trip.
Connecticut anglers also have no shortage of topwater action, with a huge abundance of peanut bunker firing up acre long topwater blitzes throughout the sound. If you find the bunker (adult or peanuts) you will undoubtedly find some hungry bass and a few large bluefish close behind. The late push of false albacore has picked up even more steam this week, so make sure you have your albie gear handy. The tautog fishing has been steady for most anglers, and while shorts seem to be dominating the catch, the deeper/lesser-fished areas are putting up plenty of keepers. Sea bass and scup are helping to fill the coolers, with the former showing up on the deeper structure, and the latter being abundant everywhere.
Thanks For the Reports.