Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt, at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook told me that the late spring/early summer run is finally in full swing. Big striped bass have arrived in better numbers, although it’s not always easy to get them to chew. Tide, clouds, wind, rain, fog, boat traffic, and your bait are all factors that can dictate your success on a given trip. Live bunker is still the key to unlocking a strong bite regardless of conditions, but the fish are becoming more eager to hit topwaters, glide baits, and weightless soft plastics. The bunker have filtered into the area nicely, but it’s moving around a lot, so it could be hard to locate from day to day. Fluke fishing is starting to pick up locally, including a 7 pounder caught by Tedy Bruschi in shallow water on a recent kayak trip with Matt! Keeper flatfish have shown up as shallow as 25 feet, but the sweet spot seems to be 35 to 40 feet.
Heather from Black Hawk Sportfishing reports that they had an up and down week, with some excellent trips, along with some tougher trips. Their early week bottom fishing trips saw easy limits, but the bite was a bit slower around the weekend, likely due to some weaker tides. They’re expecting some improvement this weekend, with the new moon arriving! The After Work trip on Friday had a nice mix of keeper bass and bluefish coming over the rails all night long. Grab your spot soon for these trips, they fill up quickly! Private charter dates are nearly sold out for the season- so if you’d like to get your group on board, now is the time to reserve your date. Be sure to contact Heather in the office ASAP!
Captain Mike Roy, at Reel Cast Charters reports that the recent tides/moons brought another push of migratory fish into the region, and most reefs and rips are now populated with fish. They have seen an increase in striped bass especially in both size and quantity and there are some trophy size fish in the mix. The bluefish numbers and sizes remain strong, better than they have been in years. The sea bass fishing is off to a solid start, and they are finding a few for the cooler each trip out. There are still some open dates for the month of June so give Captain Mike and his team a call to book your spot today.
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Dan, at Dan’s Bait, Tackle and Charters in New London told me that anglers all over the area were happy to report that the local porgy fishing fired off nicely over the past week. The first reports of keeper porgies have been filtering in consistently from the docks, piers, and rocky shoreline. A standard hi-lo rig tipped with a sandworm, squid, or clams have been getting the job done. Striper fishing has also been very good for most anglers in the aera. Live eels fished around dawn and dusk have been a popular producer of big linesiders, while 3-wayed bucktails tipped with paddletails have been getting the job done all day long. Fluke fishing isn’t exactly lights out, but anglers are finding some local keepers on bucktail/Gulp combos, while the sea bass bite seems to be improving daily.
Joe, at Diorio Guide Service told me that the local fishing has been a bit slower than usual for this time of year, but the striped bass they have been finding are quality! He has been doing well on the Joe Baggs Skipper topwater plug, but the key to big bass is locating bunker. Finding bunker has remained difficult at times, but the numbers seem better than last week. There is also no shortage of big bluefish to play with on topwater plugs if the bass aren’t cooperating.
Captain Chris Elser, at Elser Guide Service has been getting out on the water more consistently and has found some excellent striped bass fishing in his neck of the woods. They have solid numbers of bass of mixed sizes that are willing to take the Game On Lures X-Walk on the surface! There is a strong bluefish bite throughout the sound as well, in fact it’s one of the better ones that Chris has seen in 20 years! Every bunker school in the area is holding a pile of gator bluefish, along with a couple huge bass. Finding keeper fluke and sea bass has been a bit tougher than in years past, but water temperatures are still below normal, so that should likely change soon.
Tyler, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk reports that the me striped bass fishing somehow continues to improve each week in the western sound! This week was no different, with good reports coming from inshore boat anglers and surf anglers. Fish are being caught all day long, but the best bite is still the nighttime chunk bite. Out on the deep structure like 28C, 11B and the OB buoy, the fishing is consistent as ever. Flutter spoons have been a top producer recently, but bass are also willing to take bunker spoons, mojos, umbrella rigs, and diamond jigs. Keep a topwater offering rigged as well, as some of the bass have been pushing bunker pods to the surface. Sea bass fishing has been solid in 40-60 feet of water. Fluke reports have remained spotty on the CT side, but a few more quality keepers seem to be hitting the scales each day. The porgies have moved inshore, and anglers are having no trouble filling the coolers in the usual hotspots. Trout anglers are still reporting good catches from the local TMAs, while the anglers fishing the reservoir are reporting strong largemouth, smallmouth, and walleye action from the reservoir. Water temperatures are a bit lower than usual for mid-June, which has helped keep the reservoir bite going all day long, as opposed to the usual low-light bite.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
Connecticut has been a hotbed of striped bass action for a few weeks now, but this week saw a pronounced improvement in the overall quality of fish. Big fish have been prevalent on the western side, but another influx of bigger bass has trickled into the Central Sound and the river mouths. Better bunker numbers were reported this week, and while they have been hard to locate at times, they remain the bait of choice if you’re looking for consistent action. I certainly wouldn’t call it lock and load fluke fishing, but some better fish are being caught on our side of the sound recently, including the new state record! Sea bass fishing has started off strong and loads of hubcap scup are rounding out the catches! Flows are moderate and clean for trout anglers on the TMAs, while the lakes and ponds are producing a nice mix of bass and panfish.
Less advertisement/ self promotion by some, and
More report would be nice