Connecticut Fishing Report- May 30, 2024

Connecticut Fishing Report

Matt at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook reports that the continued warm-up has continued to push things towards summer fishing in Connecticut. The striped bass fishing has very much been up and down in local waters, but while it has been up and down, there seems to be plenty of transient bass on the local reefs, The Race, and Plum Gut. Things could change from day to day and tide to tide, but all the aforementioned locations are a safe bet. Per usual, live eels and Gravity Tackle eels are working in shallow water, while spoons, bucktails, and diamond jigs are working on the deeper pieces of structure. 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 continue to be encouraging, with many anglers finding sea bass in 70 to 100 feet of water on slow-pitch jigs, and fluke in 30 to 60 feet of water on jigs or squid. Early indications from scup anglers are that they’re filling in early as well, and they’re providing a nice outlet if you can’t find fluke or sea bass.  

Heather from the Blackhawk in Niantic reports:
 
“It was a busy week on the Black Hawk!  Our private charter on Wednesday was wonderful, with loads of porgies, a limit of slot sized striped bass, and some bluefish in the mix as well!  A great day on the water with a great group! The first fluke trip of 2024 started off very positive with a 6-pound fish in the net and a mix of many other shorts coming over the rail as well and then Mother Nature crashed the party! The rain and thunderstorms took over and shut the fishing down. When it finally cleared and brightened up, we started to pick at mostly shorts with a keeper here and there. This was not the start to the fluke season we were looking for, but it’s only going to get better as the season progresses. The Memorial Day holiday weekend scup trips on Friday, Saturday and Sunday were more of the same, a slow pick most days, and the fish just did not want to cooperate. Despite the beautiful weather the bite never materialized into what we have been seeing lately. Those who worked at it and stayed at the rail did decent, and we did take home some quality fish. Looking forward to an improvement in the coming week.” 

Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters reported that things continued to improve over the past week. Many of the reefs in Long Island Sound are chock full of bait and the bass are feeding heavily. If you come across those massive feeds, soft plastics are generally the number one producer, but you can occasionally get them to hit a small topwater offering or small swimming plug. The results from The Race and The Gut have also been very strong over the past few days, with big numbers of fish from 25 to 35 inches getting fooled by small bucktails and diamond jigs. There are reports of good sea bass fishing and also a few weakfish around. Mike expects things to really blow wide-open once the bunker show up; he and his team have openings over the next two weeks, which should be prime time. Give him a call today to book your spot. 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Mike Roy (@reelcastcharters)

Captain Matt at Stonington Stripers reports:

“The fishing continues to be very good. I’ve fished every day this week except Monday. The main bait has been sand eels and squid, depending on what tide you’re fishing. When the fish have been on sand eels, the fly has been far and away the way to go, with fish to 39 inches. For the anglers using spinning gear, soft plastics have been producing just as well, just bring enough different sizes to adjust if need be. Jigging has been very effective in deeper water, with the Daiwa SL jig being the ticket. I went out on a fun trip this morning and had several bass to 40 inches both on fly and spinning gear and had constant action on fish from 26 to 32 inches. I’m booked this weekend but have availability this week. People can also reach out to me to get on a list for open boat trips, I’m planning on running light-tackle and fly-only open boats when I’m not booked. Given the tides for the week and how fishing has been, I’m expecting the next few days to have incredible action.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Matt Butcka (@mbutcka)

• 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 told me that the recent easterly flow and big moon resulted in both good and tough trips. The water was cloudy recently, but they were able to get into some excellent topwater action, with bass and blues chasing mackerel and bunker. It really is a pleasant surprise to have Atlantic mackerel back in the food chain in the local waters. The fish are on the move daily, so covering water has been the norm other than a few consistent deep-water areas, where diamond jigs and flutter spoons are producing. Captain Chris is booked solid through May, but still has some dates available in June, so reach out before it’s too late! 

Captain Andy of Carolyn Ann Sportfishing got his season started on a positive note. He told me that the Watch Hill Reefs haven’t popped off just yet, but the local fishing has been good, nonetheless. He’s found plenty of striped bass from 25 to 40 inches, with a good number of slot keepers in the mix, and he hasn’t had to run too far from home. There are some fish around Fishers Island, along with a mess of fish taking jigs at The Race and Plum Gut. A couple of nice bluefish have been showing up as well. Another week of fishing should result in larger bass across a wider range, so it shouldn’t be too hard to keep the quality early season fishing going.  

Tyler at Fishermen’s World in Norwalk reports that the striper fishing in their area somehow managed to get even better than last week. The arrival of migratory menhaden took what was already fantastic fishing and super charged it. Fish are spread out just about everywhere throughout the area but the best bite for big fish is happening around deep-water structure. Thirty-pound class fish are being caught on flutter spoons, bunker spoons, and trolled mojo rigs, and sometimes even on topwater plugs like The Doc. Finding bunker schools will increase your chances of connecting with a big bass. Inshore action has been hot as well and 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 continued again this week too. There are also stripers inside the harbor following around the sporadic schools of bunker. Anglers headed out in search of fluke reported it’s still pretty slow on our side, though there were a few keepers boated in Connecticut waters this week. 

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 continued increase in temperature has coincided with an uptick in fishing activity for most available saltwater species, so summer fishing has gone from knocking on the door, to busting down 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 and are often more willing to chew than the fish in the river. The big bass bite in the far Western Sound has continued to creep east, with some excellent reports of big bass and bluefish from Norwalk to Fairfield. 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 have opened strong, and the early season tends to be a great time to find a doormat fluke or fill the cooler with scup. The same came can be said for sea bass, while they’re still in deep water, they’re chewing well!