Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt, at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook told me that the water is still stained in certain areas due to the Connecticut River flooding, but the fish are absolutely still biting. There is still some debris out there, so boaters should remain cautious. Big striped bass are still begin fooled by the same offerings; live eels, GT eels, needlefish plugs, and live bunker if you can find some. A lot of the bunker has moved out of the river, but they can be found along the shorelines, tucked into certain nooks and crannies. There are still giant blue fish around, particularly at The Race and The Gut, where top waters are working well, even at midday with high sun. Sea bass fishing has been good in 50 feet of water and deeper, while fluke anglers should deploy baits with a pungent odor to draw attention in this stained water.
Heather from Black Hawk Sportfishing reported another solid week of fishing aboard the Black Hawk! Their bottom fishing trips this week showed excellent porgy fishing, with jumbos coming over the rails and into the coolers. A good mix of sea bass made for an excellent week of fishing! Their Saturday afternoon family trip was successful, with many young anglers spending the afternoon with their families reeling in some nice porgies. These trips are some of their favorites, grab your tickets and hop on board!! The after-work special trips and afternoon charters were also excellent this week, with huge blues and some nice bass all night long. These trips have been fantastic, so come join us soon! They look forward to seeing everyone soon!
Captain Mike Roy, at Reel Cast Charters told me striped bass fishing is still good if you can find some clean water. He has been seeing schoolies blitzing on bait and they’ve been catching them with Lunker City Fin-S Fish on half ounce jig heads. Big bass can be found on nutrient rich structure, with live baits being the best bet. Big bluefish are populating most of the deeper reefs and smashing Diamond Jigs and Shimano Current Sniper jigs. They are also seeing some nice keeper sea bass from 70- to 100-feet of water. There are still some open dates in July and during the month of August so give Captain Mike and his team a call to book your spot today.
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Dan, at Daniel’s Bait, Tackle and Charters in New London told me that striped bass fishing has remained strong in his neighborhood, despite the warm-up and rain. A number of different presentations have been working, including the staples; 3-waying a live bait or working a topwater plug around the bait balls. The scup and sea bass bite has been very good, with keepers being plentiful for anglers dropping clams, sea worms and jigs. The fluke action has improved inshore in terms of numbers, but anglers still have to weed through a ton of shorts to find some for the cooler.
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Captain Chris, at Elser Guide Service had another exceptional week fishing for bass and bluefish, although the fish have moved away from the river mouths due to the excessive flooding. They had fish on the new 10-inch Duratech Eel by Game On Lures again, with white and pink working best with a 1-ounce jighead. Trolling a tube and worm is pretty much lock and load in several areas of the western sound and some quality fish to about 30-pounds were brought boat side for a quick release during this heat. Chris has been tweaking his prototype striper/bluefish trolling tubes and has the best length/action nailed down, so the fish are really approving without hesitation! Topwater action has been slow as expected but for those that hit the water by 5 a.m. you can find a few hours of fish feeding on the surface. Despite the warm temperatures Chris mentioned that he has been finding plenty of slot size stripers very shallow the past few weeks! Look for rock piles and structure and you should find fish if you are out by daybreak! Fluke and sea bass fishing remains slow most of the time, but he is hopeful that the sea bass action will start picking up again.
Joe, at Diorio Guide Service, reports that fishing has been good whenever they have been able to get out. The weather hasn’t been conducive to river fishing or offshore fishing the past few days, but the local reefs have been very productive. Striped bass are hitting 3-wayed live baits, along with Joe Baggs soft plastics fished on jigheads. The bigger bass have been on the reefs and hugging structure, while blitzing bluefish can still be found spread out through the area. Joe still has some dates available in September and October, so contact him soon to book a trip.
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Tyler, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk reported that the large influx of freshwater over the past week has changed things a bit out west, but the fishing is still strong overall. The big mass of bass and bunker around the harbor has moved out a bit, but there are still some fish to be had inshore and around the islands. The better fishing though is out in the deeper water. The striper bite has been good on the deep structure, roughly 70 to 90 feet, on live bait, diamond jigs and flutter spoons. The fluke bite has been decent for those that are trying, including a 10.5-pound doormat caught by shop owner, Rick Mola. The best flatfish action has been in 30 to 60 feet of water around can 24, 26, and 28C. The sea bass bite has been steady in depths over thirty feet on bucktails and jigs. Scup fishing is lights out and they can be found on just about any piece of structure that usually holds them. Freshwater anglers fishing the Saugatuck Reservoir reported an improved bite this week for bass and walleye, specifically at low light hours on live shiners.
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Connecticut Fishing Forecast
The big striped bass action is still going strong in Connecticut, although it has started to transition a bit, due to the warmer temperatures and influx of flood water. If you get away from the stained water in the river mouths, there should be no shortage of big striped bass on most trips. These fish are holding tight to the bottom on the inshore reefs and are taking 3-wayed live baits and soft plastics. Fluke fishing has been challenging, as consistency has been lacking from day to day. That being said, some big flat fish are being taken most days. Make sure you’re using a smelly offering to help counteract the dirty water and attract a doormat! Sea bass fishing has opened back up and results have been strong on structure in about 60-80 feet of water. Scup action is red hot, and don’t forget about summer tautog, which provides another strong bottom fishing option this month. A few blue crab reports have started to trickle in from the estuaries, and those numbers should improve greatly through July. Flows are starting to clean up in the TMAs, while the lakes and ponds continue to produce a nice mix of bass and panfish.