Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt, at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook told me that things have been steady across the Eastern Sound, whenever he has been able to get out. Bait has been stacked up everywhere, especially around the tidal rivers, and some large blitzes still tend to pop up on most days. The blitzes have consisted mainly of school to slot striped bass, along with a few big bluefish. The late-season false albacore bite has slowed a bit, but Matt is still running into a few on most trips. Matt has also been finding a steady tautog bite on the kayak, but short fish have started to dominate the catch in shallow water, so it’s time to start transitioning to slightly deeper water. Finding spots that haven’t been fished too hard also still tends to be a recipe for success.
Heather from Black Hawk Sportfishing reported another steady week of mixed bag fall fishing. Their blackfish trips have been steady, with plenty of keepers to 10-pounds showing up this week. Their combo bottom fishing trips have also consisted of plenty of blackfish, along with a nice mix of scup, cod, and sea bass. The striped bass and bluefish trips are done for the year, but they will continue to run bottom fishing trips daily, whenever the weather allows. As they move into late fall and winter, they further limit the capacity on each trip, so be sure to grab your tickets right away through their website.
Dan, at Dan’s Bait, Tackle, and Charters in New London saw another strong week of fishing, with improving weather from day to day. Tautog reports have been strong in the central Sound around Brandford and Milford and has been as steady as ever from Waterford to the Thames. 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. Some big schools of adult bunker are also showing up around the Thames, so anglers dunking fresh chunks are finding even bigger fish.
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 bass, and enough albies to keep things interesting from day to day. The fish seem to be on the move, so you may need to move 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. He was able to get some big bluefish, school to slot striped bass, and even some late season albies that are hanging around. The Game On Lures X-Walk has been crushing all species, especially in white!
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 up to 15 pounds, 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 have been spotty, but there are still some hanging around, with the best reports coming from the New Haven area this week. 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
The fall run action remains steady across Southern New England, and with some temperatures that will be more late summer-like than late fall-like this weekend, the fishing should remain at its peak.
Connecticut anglers have no shortage of topwater action, with a huge abundance of peanut bunker firing up acres of topwater blitzes throughout the Long Island 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 slowed a bit, but there are still enough reports to make it worth keeping the light tackle handy. The tautog fishing has been steady for most anglers, and while shorts seem to be dominating the catch, the deeper/lesser-fished areas continue to put up more quality fish, so it may be time to start transitioning a bit. 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.