Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook told me that the local fishing has remained pretty similar to last week, with the exception of some big numbers of small bait moving in and instigating some big schoolie bass blitzes. Bigger bass can almost always be caught as well, but morning and evening, along with after dark, will be your best bet. The usual suspects, such as GT eels and other big soft plastics, live eels/bunker, large topwaters, and trolling tubes have been the top producers. There are some nice gator bluefish around as well, but they are scattered quite a bit. Matt has made the run to Rhode Island for some bonito, but there haven’t been any hardtail reports locally. The recent influx of small bait should really help to fire up that bite once they arrive. Keeper sea bass are becoming more prevalent in 80 feet of water plus on Daiwa SK Jigs. The fluke are starting to transition to deeper water, and with that, some nice fish are hitting the scales. The shop weighed in a couple of fluke in the 8-pound range this week, along with a 12 pounder! Scup fishing has been as steady as ever, while summer tautog anglers are starting to report better results. Anglers targeting sharks are catching threshers without having to travel too far from home, and the brown sharks are even closer.
Captain Matt at Stonington Stripers told me that he has had to continue to grind at times, but he is still picking away at some nice striped bass. Plugs are starting to out-fish soft plastics, which is a telltale sign of the fall run. Striped bass from school size to 40 inches have been keeping rods bent. He’s also still seeing a healthy number of big bluefish this week, especially on the diamond jig, which are helping to keep things interesting. Topwater blitzes have been more prevalent and are mostly full of school striped bass. There has been a nice push of big chub mackerel, big enough that you think they’re bonito, but the true hardtails haven’t arrived just yet. Fly anglers are still cashing in on Beast Fleyes, big hollows, and snake flies. However you fish, or regardless of your presentation of choice, make sure you’re rigging is up to par, because big fish are lingering.
Heather from the Blackhawk in Niantic provided the following report: “Despite some ups and downs with the weather, overall, it was a pretty good week! Our trips earlier in the week were good, with nice porgies and sea bass coming over the rail. However, once the churned up dirty water from the passing storms made its way in, the bite slowed to a pick. Tuesday morning showed better results with bottom fishing, and Tuesday afternoon’s private charter provided excellent bluefishing. We had many kids on board, and they were sore and tired after reeling in big blues all night long! Our fluke trip on Thursday turned into a combo trip due to the wind, but our awesome anglers had a great time catching bass and blues before we switched over and caught some nice sea bass and keeper fluke. Not the nicest weather day, but a good day, nonetheless. We lost some trips over the weekend due to the weather, but we’re back at it this week. New tickets for each week will be posted online on Monday night at 8 p.m., just like in past years. Be sure to check out our calendar so you see what’s coming up!”
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Joe at Diorio Guide Service told me that fishing has remained extremely good for him over the past week, including an uptick in action after the weekend storm. Striped bass fishing has been as consistent as ever, with fish to 48-inches hitting live eels and the Joe Baggs Skipper. With the weather calming down the past few days, Joe has also been able to get out on the tuna grounds. UVT jigs and Joe Baggs 6-ounce resin jigs have been getting the job done, and some of the tuna are also taking the Skipper on topwater. The fishing has been so good, Joe was even able to get 5 tuna on the fly this week! Safe to say the fishing has been insane, both inshore and offshore, so check-in with Joe to get in on a September or October trip.
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When I talked to Captain Chris of Elser Guide Service he reported that he is still having success with stripers and even found some big bluefish on a few specific wrecks and reefs. The tides have been extremely important to success, so much so that Chris is booking some midday trips to target the right tides. Live bunker and trolling pink tubes with imitation sandworms are still the best methods for bass. The biggest change Chris saw this week was the influx of big bluefish over 10 pounds. They have been scarce this summer, but they came back with a vengeance this week. Daybreak is offering a brief period of topwater action in the Western Sound unless you come upon a mid-Sound bunker school getting hammered by big blues and bass. There have been Spanish mackerel sightings, only there are no reports of catching just yet as they are still spread out. Chris is hoping that picks up by next weekend!
Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters reported that fishing has remained strong this week, right up to the storm front and immediately afterwards. That trend should continue right through August, as there is no shortage of striped bass or bait. Bigger bass are keyed in on live baits fished around deeper, cooler water. There are some smaller fish blitzing on top on smaller bait, and we should see more of that over the next few weeks. There are more brown sharks around than people realize and they can be a problem at times, but they also put a fun bend in the rod if you’re specifically looking to hook a shark. Captain Mike and his team have openings over the next two weeks, so give him a call today to book your spot.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
The summer beat continues in Connecticut, despite high water temperatures throughout the Sound. The relatively cooler water in the Eastern Long Island Sound is providing some excellent striped bass fishing. The Eastern Sound reefs are seeing the best action from stripers this week. The action in the Western Sound has slowed a bit, but there are still plenty of good bass and bluefish to be had. This is especially true for anglers that have the tides dialed in and are targeting specific bite windows.
The scup fishing is as consistent as ever, with no shortage of dinner-plate scup throughout the Sound. They’re coming from just about every piece of structure, regardless of depth, while the sea bass season has kicked into gear on deeper structure. Those targeting summer blackfish are also finding some success, and you may just find some keeper “tog” as by-catch while targeting the aforementioned species. Dedicated fluke fishermen continue to pick away at legal-sized flatfish, with better reports coming from some shallower water this week.
Spanish mackerel and bonito reports haven’t popped up just yet, but they’re being spotted and caught just to the east, so they should begin to fill in nicely throughout the second half of the month.