Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook told me, “summer mode has become status quo”. Stripers are heavy on the Central Sound reefs, along with The Race and The Gut. Don’t think that you have to stick to the popular spots though, as most smaller rock piles and points will hold stripers, too. Nighttime has been the right time, with live eels and bunker working great after dark, but plenty of bass can still be had during the day. Topwaters are still getting the job done at dawn, with the thick fog banks helping that morning bite last. The sea bass bite has fired up nicely since it reopened, and porgy action is as consistent as ever. Fluke remains solid, and many anglers have continued to report ‘tight bites’ meaning the hot zones have been concentrated and those making short drifts over productive spots within the spot, are doing the most damage.
Captain Matt at Stonington Stripers had another strong week, without having to travel too far from home. Most of his local haunts have held fish and there are tons of school bass around, which portends well for the future. There have also been plenty of slot to 40-inch fish around as well, so no lack of action here. Early mornings and late evenings have been the best bet, with the fog banks helping to keep the morning bite fired up. Soft plastics have been outfishing plugs significantly as of late, with the top lures being the 13.5-inch GT Eel and the classic 9-inch Slug-go. For the fly anglers; Beast fleyes, hollow flies, and snake flies have been the best bet. The bigger lures certainly aren’t keeping the smaller fish away, but it’s always good to have a smaller offering like the Albie Snax available in case they get picky. Matt has some openings coming up, including this Saturday, so be sure to reach out before it’s too late!
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Heather from the Blackhawk in Niantic provided the following report: “While some trips earlier in the week were a little slower than we’d like, the majority of the fishing this week was excellent! Loads of jumbo porgies, some nice sea bass in the mix, and even some mackerel on a trip or two. Our Saturday afternoon family fishing trip was fantastic, with a great group of kids and families joining us catching porgies all afternoon. These are some of our favorite trips: let’s get the kids out fishing! Our bass/blues trips and After Work Special and weekend trips were again excellent. Friday night’s trip started off with bass, but after a few drifts, the blues moved in fast and furious! The remainder of the trip was spent with arm-weary anglers reeling in big blues! Our Sailfest fireworks cruise on Saturday night was beautiful, the rain cleared out just in time for a beautiful night on the water. The fireworks were fantastic, and we collected a van full of diapers for the Riverfront Children’s Center. Join us for our next fireworks cruise for the Niantic fireworks this Saturday. We’ll be back to our sunset cruises on July 27th. These trips are all part of our Black Hawk and the Community program, and we’re honored to be able to help the community in a meaningful way. New tickets for each week will be posted online on Monday night at 8 p.m., just like in years past. Check out our calendar to see what’s coming up!”
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Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters reported that fishing has remained strong this week, even as the stripers have started to transition into their summer patterns. The majority of the reefs in central and eastern Long Island Sound have bait on them and are holding some big bass. The bunker schools are thicker in the river as well, and there’s generally some big bass hanging around them, although during the heavy heat hours, you may be better off looking on the reefs. The bluefish haven’t shown up in big numbers, but there are some gators around, and Mike anticipates a nice push in the coming weeks. Sea bass and porgy fishing has been as consistent as ever in the Sound, so there’s no shortage of fish for the cooler either. Captain Mike and his team have some openings over the next few weeks, which is peak big bass season, so be sure to book ASAP!
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Joe at Diorio Guide Service provided the following report after another strong week on the water: “It’s the middle of July and, like the weather, fishing has been red hot. Both local and non-local trips have been producing some pretty amazing bass and bluefish opportunities! Our best tactic this week was 3-waying live eels and bunker on the deeper reefs in roughly 25 to 50 feet of water. Throwing soft plastics, like the Joe Baggs Block Island Eel on a jighead, has also been producing some big stripers and bluefish. I only can assume that as long as we continue to have great weather, the fishing will continue to be outstanding. We have dates available over these next few weeks, as well as in September and October. It’s setting up to be an incredible rest of the season!”
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When I talked to Captain Chris of Elser Guide Service he reported that it’s become more of a trolling game, but he’s still finding plenty of bass of all sizes in his neck of the woods. Trolling the tube and worm has been producing all day long, even if the bass don’t seem to be actively feeding. Chris hasn’t been fishing much after dark but reports from some of his friends have indicated that the nighttime chunk bite has been excellent. There are plenty of fish holding up on the Western Sound hotspots, so whether you’re trolling by day, chunking by night, or throwing an X-Walk or a soft plastic like the Duratech Eel at dawn, you should be able to find some nice bass.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
Hot temperatures haven’t stopped the hot fishing across Connecticut. Air temperatures may be rough at times, but they’ve resulted in summertime water temperatures which are favorable for our local species. Striped bass are being caught throughout the Sound and in its major tributaries. The Western Sound is still producing large, 30-pound-plus fish and the bite at The Race may offer the most consistent action anywhere within Connecticut waters. There is a lot of water spanning those two areas, and just about every quality reef or rip in between is holding some bass, depending on the stage of the tide. The scup bite also seems to have taken off with this last heat wave, with no shortage of hubcaps throughout the sound. Scup are coming from just about every piece of structure, regardless of depth, while the sea bass season has kicked into gear on the deeper structure. Those targeting summer blackfish are also finding some success, and you may just find some keeper “tog” as bycatch while targeting the aforementioned species. Dedicated fluke fishermen continue to pick away at legal-sized flatfish, though their conversations at most shops are usually the same—lots of shorts on the way to scratching out a few fish for the table.