Connecticut Fishing Report- May 23, 2024

Connecticut Fishing Report

Matt at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook reports that the recent warm-up has started to get things to feel more late-Spring like across Connecticut. The striped bass fishing has very much been up and down in local waters, but the recent full moon seems to have sent a nice slug of fresh fish into the area. They’ve definitely seen some smaller waves of lice covered slot to over slot fish chasing herring and just generally becoming more active. Fishing with four to seven-inch soft plastics, either fluke or paddle tail is the name of the game. Slug-Go’s, Fin S Fish, Gravity Paddle Tails, anything like that works great this time of year. Some big bluefish have definitely made their presence felt throughout the area, and while there hasn’t been a “ton”, most people seem to be finding them, and they’re very big! Early fluke and sea bass reports have been encouraging, with many anglers being pleasantly surprised with keepers of both species in 20-40 feet of water.  

 

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Heather from the Blackhawk in Niantic reports:

“We had some great fishing on our bass trips this week.  Both of our open trips did fantastic, with an easy boat limit both days, and many more released unharmed.  Our private charter on Tuesday did a bit of a combo for both porgies and striped bass and were not disappointed!  Friday’s porgy trip was lights-out action, on one of the best days of the year so far!  Our squid trip on Friday night started off as a slow pick in the daylight but as it got dark and the tide let go, we had some flurries of doubles, and triples coming over the rails, before turning back into a pick. Saturday’s porgy trip had to contend with lousy weather, and the fishing was more of a pick than the steady fishing we had on Friday. We will be adding more bass trips and squid trips soon, watch the calendar, as these trips are often posted with less notice due to the weather and our charter schedule.  Speaking of charters, be sure to book your date soon- our popular dates are filling up, so be sure to get your date on the calendar. New Tickets for each week will be posted online on Monday night at 8, just like in past years.  Be sure to check out our calendar so you see what’s coming up!” 

Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters was happy to report that they’ve seen a load of quality striped bass this week that were covered in sea lice, so the big push of fish into Long Island Sound is happening. The fish have been hungry and plenty willing to take soft plastics and jigs like the Shimano Sniper. The early fluke and sea bass results have been good as well. Mike hasn’t seen any weakfish yet but expects them to enter the mix any day now. Captain Mike and his team have openings over the next two weeks, which should be primetime for early summer fishing, so be sure to reach out soon! 

 

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Captain Matt at Stonington Stripers is recently home from working out west and has his boat in the water and is ready to go! Early results are very good, with some excellent local fishing. Most of the fish are still in the mid 20-inch to mid-30-inch range, but they are plentiful and eager to take a fly or soft plastic. Captain Matt still has openings for this upcoming week and throughout the summer, so be sure to reach out and book a light tackle trip while you still can! 

• Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain in Connecticut 

When I talked to Captain Chris of Elser Guide Service, he was just in from another double-trip day and had plenty of good news. The fishing has been nothing short of excellent, with big bass and bluefish all over the area. He hasn’t seen this many bluefish over 10 pounds this early, which means a lot coming from someone as seasoned as Chris. They’re getting most of their fish on X-Walk topwater plugs and weightless Duratech Eels, even during mid-day, high sun hours. There is nothing better than an excellent mid-day topwater bite, and he currently has that every day, barring some extreme weather. Water temperatures are still under 60 degrees, but that should be changing soon. If the topwaters aren’t working, go for the old reliable A47 diamond jigs or flutter spoons. He hasn’t spent much time looking for fluke or sea bass, but with the increase in water temperature, both of those tasty species should be chewing soon! 

Rich at Fishermen’s World in Norwalk reports that the red-hot bass bite in the Western Sound continued this week. Anglers found fish spread throughout the region again this week from shore to the islands and on out to deep-water structure. The biggest fish have generally been hanging out around the deep-water structure, but the entire area has fish between 15 and 30 pounds. Thirty-pound-class fish were caught on flutter spoons, bunker spoons, and trolled mojo rigs. There are some bunker in the area, but the schools have not been tight, and many anglers reported seeing bass blow up on a single bait. Boats fishing the north shore of Long Island reported a topwater bite when fish were seen hitting the surface. Closer to home, anglers fishing around the islands were taking fish on lures of all types including SP Minnows, topwater plugs and soft plastics to name a few. The sandworm bite from shore was also very good again at places like Calf Pasture and Sherwood Island. Fluke fishing is still relegated to the north shore for keepers, but the action there has been solid. Anglers drifting jigs and Gulp, or squid are catching in 15- to 30-feet of water at places like Port Jeff, Northport, and Smithtown Bay. The same can be said for porgy fishing, the bite on the other side has been good while we wait for scup to return to our local waters. 

Connecticut Fishing Forecast

Fishing throughout Connecticut continued to follow a positive trend, moving in the right direction as more and more anglers are getting out and getting in on the action. A quick increase in temperature has coincided with an uptick in fishing for most available saltwater species, so summer fishing is truly knocking on the door. Striped bass continue to be the main target throughout the state, and their range continues to increase. The tidal rivers are still holding plenty of fish, but the adjacent reefs are loaded with freshly arriving and hungry bass that will hit just about any offering, whether it’s alive, casted, or trolled. The big bass bite in the far western sound, isn’t quite as far this week, with some excellent reports of big bass and bluefish from Fairfield to Greenwich. The trend of big bluefish showing up early has continued in Connecticut as well, with reports from points in the sound from the far east to the far west. Both the scup and summer flounder fisheries opened last week, and early reports have been encouraging, and with sea bass now being open, we should have a plethora of bottom fishing options. Reports of squid to the east in Rhode Island are promising and mean that fluke should be hot on their tails. It’s a great time of year with no shortage of choices of species to target.