Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook told me that most local anglers have been gearing up to go out for the tautog opener today and through the weekend. There should be plenty of tautog across a multitude of depths, so everyone should be able to cash in this week. Striped bass fishing has remained status quo out front, in terms of big blitzes of school to slot-class fish. Reports of bigger striped bass in the Connecticut River, as far north as Essex, has been a pleasant addition this week. The points and reefs just outside the river are producing nicely as well. Live bunker and eels have been steady producers, but a number of anglers have reported better luck on big fish using large soft plastics and swimming plugs. You also still have a decent chance at a bonito from the Central to Eastern Sound, along with some Spanish mackerel, but the false albacore are still ghosting us. Bottom fishermen looking for blackfish this week should also find plenty of sea bass and scup from 20 feet or deeper to help keep filling the coolers.
Heather from the Blackhawk in Niantic provided the following report: “We’re definitely feeling some fall temperatures and getting ready for some more fall fishing here on the Black Hawk. Once again, we had some amazing bluefishing on our bass and blues trip. On our Thursday private charter, we spent part of the trip bottom fishing and part bluefishing, and had some of the best bluefish action we’ve seen all year. Gator blues, with some bass in the mix as well, with an easy boat limit. The bottom fishing was excellent, with a limit of porgies and some nice sea bass, too. Our other bottom fishing trips were up and down, early in the week we had some nice porgy fishing. Friday’s trip was a bit slower, but then it picked up for Saturday. A beautiful day with a great group of anglers and good fishing made for a fantastic fall day! We’ll be doing a special trip on Saturday night, a seal watch fundraiser, with all the proceeds going toward the Hurricane Helene relief efforts in North Carolina. Please join us! Check the website for details and grab your tickets to come join us soon. New tickets for each week will be posted online on Monday night at 8 p.m.”
Captain Matt at Stonington Stripers told me that there has still been some solid striped bass action in his neck of the woods, with things remain otherwise stagnant since last week. The fish in the far eastern Sound are mainly feeding on peanut bunker and small anchovies, so small offerings on the fly rod have been working. Matt also spent some time fishing around Block Island this week and was rewarded with some cow striped bass on plugs and eels, along with some gator bluefish. He also found some nice bonito out that way, especially when he was trolling small swimming plugs. Captain Matt is gearing up for the start of the CT blackfish season, as well as continued local fall run action, and things should only improve as we work through October.
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Joe at Diorio Guide Service provided the following report: “We are halfway through the 2nd week of October and the striper fishing has been pretty amazing still. We are starting to see more and more blitzes every day, and there has been a nice mix of size. Depending on the bait, we have been doing best throwing Joe Baggs Peanut resins or the 6-inch Skipper. When fishing near the blitzing bass, we have been doing great jigging resin jigs on the bottom and we’re getting some nice keeper sea bass at the same time. We’re also looking forward to the opening of tautog season on October 10th! You’ll want to target shallow areas, as the tog are generally chewing in the shallows this time of year. We have a few dates available for the rest of the season. Give us a call before the season is over!”
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Anthony from Game On Lures told me that the bass bite has remained solid, but it seems like a lot of the smaller fish that were in these topwater feeds have ventured off. Big bass bite has remained solid and have still been eating the usual. Live eels, 13” Duratech eels and 6-8” X-walks have been working great. Snapper and chopper blues continue to feed heavily on peanut bunker and anchovies and haven’t been too hard to find. Sea bass and porgy fishing continues to be lights out, with some brute biscuits being caught shallower than expected for this time of year. Some guys have found pods of albies throughout the sound, but most have been striking out. If it doesn’t happen soon things aren’t looking great this year. Tog season opens this Thursday, so make sure you go to the local shop and stock up on crabs and Rock Bottom jigs!
When I talked to Captain Chris of Elser Guide Service he provided the following report: “Fishing has been excellent for albies and bonito in my area, and just yesterday we had a huge influx of big bluefish and stripers to add to the mix. The blues made the albie action challenging yesterday as they were all stacked up together. It was literally a slam of multiple species feeding on the same schools of bait! The bait yesterday was all 3-inch peanut bunker and all 4 species were blitzing and feeding throughout the day. Once again, the only challenge we have had recently is windy days making it difficult to find the bait and fish. The 1 oz. pink and white Exo jigs have been my go-to epoxy jig, and the bass and blues were easy suckers for the topwater X-Walk plugs yesterday afternoon. The fall run is full speed ahead!”
Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters reported that fall fishing is turning on in a big way. There is absolutely tons of bait, ranging from small rainbait to adult bunker. Stripers are taking topwater, plastics, spoons and live bait. Mike is also seeing lots of bluefish gorging on sand eels. The false albacore are still sparse but based on all the small bait in the area, Mike is thinking we are going to get an October push. There are still plenty of porgies and sea bass on all the reefs, and with blackfish opening today, there will be another great option for fall fishing. Captain Mike and his team have openings over the next two weeks for prime fall run fishing. Give him a call to book your spot today!
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Connecticut Fishing Forecast
Strong fall fishing has continued across Connecticut, and the day most fall anglers have been waiting for is here, with the opening of blackfish season. Bottom fishermen across the state will be out in full force looking for blackfish this weekend, and there will be no shortage of sea bass and scup in the mix, as they are still in their late-summer patterns.
In terms of gamefish, the eastern to central Sound is still seeing some pretty large blitzes of mixed-sized striped bass feeding on anchovies and peanuts. Light-tackle and fly anglers are still cashing in consistently, but don’t be afraid to throw some bigger offerings into the mix to try and cull out some bigger bass. Some solid bluefish reports have picked up inshore, but the better reports are still out by The Race and Plum Gut area. False albacore reports have been almost non-existent to the east, but you have a chance at running into a pod or two of bonito on most trips. Western Sound anglers are the few that are actually finding consistent false albacore fishing as of late. The consistency and numbers vary from day to day, but most anglers are at least running into a few. Bonito numbers have remained strong as well, although an influx of big bass and bluefish has made it tougher to target the bonito, but anglers aren’t complaining too much about that!
For freshwater enthusiasts, the fall trout stocking program is firing up, and flows are great. This is a great time to keep a fly rod or ultra-light spinning setup in your car, and quickly hit a local trout stream for the fish or the fall scenery.