Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt Stone at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook reports that there are plenty of striped bass of all different size classes to play with around the Central Sound. However, he found fish to 40 inches this week on topwater, cruising some of the local flats. When fishing those flats you need the right combination of wind, clouds, tide etc. and the bass can still be picky, so be patient! Out on the reefs, there’s a killer bite going on, with spoons and slow-pitch jigs catching big bass that are mostly fresh arrivals. Boat guys are also doing really well trolling umbrella rigs, mojos and deep-diving plugs like Rapala X-Rap. There’s also been a bunch of bluefish in the mix, but they’re scattered and haven’t really been around the river mouth yet. Matt added that he hasn’t really seen any bunker in the river mouths yet either, likely due to the high water. Everyone’s hoping they show up after this next rain event.
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Heather from the Blackhawk in Niantic provided the following report for the week: “Our private charter porgy trips showed excellent fishing, and we even had some nice weakfish in the mix on Friday! The weekend, again, had great scup fishing. Saturday, we had scout Troop 3 join us, and they had a blast reeling in porgies and filling the coolers. It was great to see so many kids out there! Our bass and blues trip was a great day on the water, with plenty of stripers and a few blues in the mix. We’ll be posting more of these trips soon. Our Calamari Safari squid trip on Friday night was out of this world. The boat was covered in ink from start to finish, and happy customers left with full buckets and bags. Saturday night was hampered by the weather, and not as good as we were hoping for. We’re looking forward to a few more trips before this short season ends. If you’d like to catch ’em, be sure to grab your spot soon. We will be posting some more bass trips, as well as squid trips, for later this week. Check our website for info and grab your tickets to join us!”
Joe at Diorio Guide Service told me that fishing has been pretty good this past week, with plenty of stripers in the area and the average size class improving by the day. The amount of bait they are seeing on the reefs has been very impressive, with bunker and butterfish being the main menu items. When fishing the reefs, they have been using a 3-way set up with a Joe Baggs Miracle Minnow or a bucktail, but they are also doing well with flutter spoons. With better weather on the way and the influx of bait Joe has seen over the past few weeks, we should be seeing more and larger bass in short order. Joe has dates still available over the next month if you’re looking to get on the action!
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When I talked to Captain Chris of Elser Guide Service, he told me that his early season results were very solid whenever the weather has allowed. The fish are here in big numbers with herring, mackerel and bunker for bass and blues, and the sand eels are moving this way from Long Island’s North Shore, with fluke in pursuit. Other than the wind, it’s been a great start! He did well with Game On X-Walks and Duratech Eels in mackerel and herring colors, rigged on 1.5-ounce jigheads for bass suspended on rip lines. There’s so much bait out there now, all we need is weather cooperation. Chris added that he hasn’t spent much time looking for fluke or sea bass, but with the increase in water temperature and influx of sand eels, both of those tasty species should be chewing aggressively in the near future.
Anthony Charnetski at Game On Lures provided the following report: “The bass bite has really picked up this last week with warmer weather and a ton more herring and bunker moving in; but, in traditional New England fashion, this week’s storm will probably make things difficult for a little bit. Bigger bass have been moving in by the day but the majority of fish in the Sound and bays seem to be schoolie- to slot-class fish. A lot of guys targeting catfish and smallmouth in the rivers further inland have been running into some nice stripers. Early in the mornings and before sunset, the bass have been crushing topwaters, and the 6-inch X-Walk is a great option. Our 7-inch DuraTech Jerkbait and 10-inch Eel are also productive once the mid-day lull hits and they get a little hesitant to hit topwater. Fingers crossed this rain and wind doesn’t mess things up too much!”
Max at Fishermen’s World in Norwalk reports that the red-hot fishing managed to get even better this week, as a push of bait and big bass joined the party. Boats fishing the deep water structure around 28C, 11B and the OB saw big schools of bunker with striped bass to 40-pounds-plus on them. Mojos, umbrella rigs, bunker spoons, and deep divers were all taking fish, vertical jigging with flutter spoons was effective, and fired-up fish chasing bunker on top were also taking Docs and other big walk-the-dog style spooks. Bunker isn’t the only bait around either, as most anglers are still seeing big schools of mackerel throughout the area. Live-lining or chunking either species will also work well. The spring run is going strong closer to home, with shore anglers catching from the local beaches on worms and occasionally plugs. They haven’t seen a big push of bluefish yet, but a few anglers reported catching them here and there. Scup fishing remains better on the Long Island side, but there were a few encouraging local reports in 25 to 30 feet of water. Some keeper fluke reports are popping up on the local shallow sand flats, and sea bass opened up this week and the early season hotspots are producing as you’d expect.
Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters said striper fishing is improving and they are starting to see more migratory fish, loaded with sea lice, showing up. They are having good success lately fishing with flutter spoons as well as soft plastics. There has also been a good number of weakfish mixed in. Mike is starting to see more and more bluefish showing up, chewing through their soft plastics. Bottom fishing for porgies has been good as well, and they will probably start adding sea bass trips this week, as that season just opened up. The spring run is on and the fishing over the next couple of weeks should be very good; they have some openings, so take advantage of those spots while they last.
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Connecticut Fishing Forecast
Fishing throughout Connecticut continued to follow a positive trend this week. A quick increase in temperature has coincided with an uptick in fishing for most available saltwater species, so summer fishing is 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 anglers dunking sandworms are doing better than the plug throwers with the water still being high and brown. The reefs throughout the Sound are loaded with freshly arriving and hungry bass that will hit just about any offering, whether it’s a live natural bait or a casted or trolled plug. A live-lined bunker or mackerel is almost always the best bet, but big flutter spoons seem to be getting the job done and can be fished in a variety of conditions. The big bass bite in the Western Sound improved and moved even closer to home, with reports of big bass from Fairfield to Greenwich.
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 indicate that fluke should be hot on their tails. It’s a great time of year with no shortage of choices of species to target.