Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook told me that since the sea bass season re-opened, a lot of local anglers are reporting good results. Fluke fishing has been great on white and green bucktails in 40 to 65 feet of water. Porgy are all over the place and being caught primarily on clams and squid. Stripers are falling to eels, fished in shallow and deep water. Topwater lures like Yo-Zuri Mag Pencils and spooks have also been effective during low-light periods. There’s a lot of good fishing to be had right now. Matt also mentioned that the inshore brown shark bite is going to pick up pretty quickly here, and playing catch and release with them has been rising in popularity.
Heather from the Black Hawk in Niantic reports: “The porgy fishing has finally shown us the improvement we’ve been waiting for, and we had great fishing every day,” Heather said, adding that many days saw multiple anglers with limits, and others very close, with jumbo porgies. “Our bass and bluefish trips again showed fantastic fishing, with lots of nice slot-sized fish coming over the rails, and some blues in the mix.” Don’t forget about the After Work Special trip on Monday afternoon, and their Family Trips that go out every Saturday afternoon. “This year, we’re happy to be partnered with Capt. Scott’s Lobster Dock, and we’ll be giving away a gift certificate to one lucky person each week on our family trip,” she added.
Captain Chris Oliver of Keepin’ It Reel Sportfishing in New London told me that the bluefin tuna have finally found the bait that he has been seeing south of Block Island for the last few weeks! There is an abundance of fish in the 40- to 60-pound range, with a few overs being caught, and it should only get better from here on out. Right now, green or purple spreader bars with 6-inch squids are producing the most bites. We should see the jig and pop bite light up any day!
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Middlebank Sportfishing in Bridgeport provided the following report for the week: “We’ve hit the summer doldrums aboard the Middlebank II. With the weaker tides this past week, the porgy bite has been inconsistent. The fish are spread out, so drifting to cover more bottom is producing better results over anchoring. On the drift we have been catching large porgies along with some fluke, sea bass, weakfish, stripers, butterfish, and the fan favorite for the kids—sea robins and dog fish! Our house rig remains the top setup for these conditions. This is the time of year that we begin fishing closer to home, so if a longer soak is what you’re looking for, now is the time to get out there. If you’re looking to up your chances for a higher yield, you might want to visit your local tackle shop and give sandworms a shot. As always, check us out on Facebook or visit our website for more information.
Captain Chris at Elser Guide Service had missed a few trips due to weather in recent weeks, but he made up for it recently! Striped bass fishing in the Western Sound has really taken off, with a big push of large fish moving into Connecticut waters. In the deeper water, the fish can be found around bunker and/or mackerel schools, so a live bunker, the tube and worm, and at times, a big topwater like the X-Walk will get the job done. Closer to shore, the fly fishing and light-tackle action has been a bit slower, but there’s word of sand eels starting to move in, which should only intensify that bite.
Anthony at Game On Lures shared the following report: “Bass fishing midshore remains great, but the inshore bite has been inconsistent from day to day. Some days they are there in numbers, chewing for hours no matter the tide, and some days you are lucky to pull a few fish. It just doesn’t seem like the fish are settling into their usual summer areas yet. I think as the summer goes on and more bait finds its way in; the inshore bite will improve. The usual summer suspects have been getting it done recently. Large topwaters, large soft plastics on a jighead, or three-wayed bucktails and trolling plugs have been working great. The 13-inch DuraTech Eel on a 1-ounce WideEye jighead is my go-to for this time of year. Bluefish are around and when you do run into them, the schools have consisted of mostly larger fish. Sea bass season reopened on the 8th, so that is always an option, and anglers are reporting solid results. EXO Jigs, bucktails and slow-pitch jigs in 60 to 90 feet are all solid choices. Fluke fishing has improved locally but most guys find themselves making the troop to Long Island or RI to get on some bigger fish. Focus on targeting 40 to 60 feet with fluke spoons, hi-lo rigs, bucktails, and Gulp. Porgy fishing continues to be lights out. EXO Jigs or squid strips on a porgy rig are good choices to target them.”
Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters told me that striper fishing is good and they are starting to see the fish start to settle into their summer patterns. For them, that means fishing with a variety of live baits for big bass. This week they saw bunker, butterfish and even squid show up in the cast nets. They’ve also encountered a few large gator blues in the 12- to 15-pound range on most trips. Black sea bass will be open everywhere again this week, and that bite should get better and better as the season progresses. Captain Mike said he expects some really good fishing over the next few weeks, and they have openings after July 14.
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Connecticut Fishing Forecast
Hot temperatures haven’t impacted the hot fishing across Connecticut. Air temperatures may be uncomfortable 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 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 from quality fish throughout the region. There is a lot of water spanning between those two areas, and most reefs or rips are holding bass at one time or another.
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 hard structure, regardless of depth, while the sea bass season reopened with a bang on 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.