Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook told me that the local striped bass fishing has definitely started to show signs of improvement, after a relatively slower than usual spring/summer. Peanut bunker have shown up in good numbers and are helping to fuel the bite. Slot- and over-slot fish are prevalent; Matt has seen fish up to 49 inches this week. The usual offerings are getting the job done; live eels, GT eels, and the occasional topwater offering. A nice influx of bluefish hit locally, and the peanut bunker are keeping them in the area. The snapper bluefish bite is also very good, and is a great opportunity to get the kids out on some fun and simple action! Brown sharks are still all over the place, just like last summer. Sea bass are deep and the action can be spotty. Fluke action is consistent for guys fishing in 40 to 60 feet of water, with red salmon and blue fuse being the hot Gulp colors. The midshore tuna bite has been just as strong as ever, with anglers reporting mixed-sized bluefin from Montauk to Block, despite the recent move to catch and release only.
Captain Chris at Elser Guide Service had a slower week overall. There were no signs of bluefish in his area, but large stripers are available on the right tides and will take a tube-and-worm rig. The bass have spread out during this recent moon phase, but Chris expects them to settle into their usual holding zones within the next week. He did not see any Spanish mackerel or bonito, but remains confident that there are mackerel around; peanut bunker are almost everywhere, and while there are no hardtails on them just yet, it won’t be long!
Middlebank Sportfishing in Bridgeport reported another exciting week aboard the Middlebank II. Not only has the fishing been very good, but they caught and landed their first cownose Ray, which weighed around 70 pounds! On their daily 8 AM trips, they have been catching jumbo porgies, weakfish, cocktail-size blues and a few nice keeper fluke to 22 inches. They also ran a few special Sturgeon Moon diamond jigging trips in the afternoon, and those were met with good results; a few over-slot fish and many slot bass. They had to contend with a resident gray seal to get those bass up off the bottom and into the boat and were happy to report they only lost one to the tax man (or tax seal, in this case). They’d love to see you aboard, so visit their website to view the sailing schedule and purchase tickets. Check them out on Facebook to see their daily fishing reports and photos.
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Captain Ben Burdine of Apex Angling out of Fairfield provided the following Western Sound report: “Fishing in Western CT is in the summer doldrums phase, but there are certainly fish to be caught. Striper fishing around twilight and throughout the night has been producing quality resident fish. Eels and large soft plastics like the GT eel are doing most of the damage. Don’t be afraid to move around until you get any sign of the resident school of stripers in your location—sonar marks, a bite, a follow, etc. Bottom fishing for sea bass and porgy is a good bet this time of year. There are some large bluefish that have been roaming around and terrorizing anglers fishing live bait, but overall, bluefishing remains very spotty. We are patiently awaiting the arrival of the first hardtails of the season and remain hopeful that we will see a good push of bonito over the next few weeks, followed by an albie invasion in early September.”
Capt Pete Henderson of Endorfin Charters in Fairfield reports: “Striped bass fishing has been slow overall, but there has been some action at first light and in the evenings when the tides line up well. There are still some bigger fish on deeper structure, around 50 feet plus, being taken on spoons and bucktails. What’s with the lack of bluefish in LI Sound? Going forward, most trips will be spent targeting inshore pelagics as more and more Spanish mackerel and bonito filter into the Sound.”
Heather from the Black Hawk in Niantic reported: “We had a great week of summer fishing, but we’re already looking toward the end of the summer, start of the school year, and fall fishing! The fishing remained good this week. Our porgy trips again had lots of them coming over the rails, with some sea bass in the mix as well. There were many triggerfish this week, too, adding some variety to the coolers. Our fluke trip wasn’t as good as we hoped, as we had to fish in secondary spots due to the conditions. Friday afternoon’s bluefish trip was similar, and definitely not what we had hoped for or expected. We’re hoping this week’s trip is back to an action-packed night. Our Saturday afternoon kids trip was once again a great time; we love getting kids out on the water! Only a few of these trips are left, so join us soon! Congrats to Justin & Benjamin L, who were the winners of our weekly Capt. Scott’s Saturday giveaway. As always, these events are fundraisers for local nonprofit groups in our community. Thanks to all who come out and support these awesome organizations and enjoy a beautiful night out on the water. We’re sailing 7 days a week, so be sure to check our calendar online and grab a ticket for your trip!”
Captain Chris Oliver of Keepin’ It Reel Sportfishing out of New London reported: “This week the bluefin were abundant in the same areas that they have been for the last several weeks near Haabs Ledge and the Gully. They were not always cooperative, but we did see the most success using UVT Shorecatch pink glow jigs. The bigger story this week was our canyon fishing! Fishing was phenomenal from the moment we set lines to the minute we pulled them up. The overnight was a little slower than we would have liked with no chunk bite, but we did manage to hook and fight a swordfish for a bit. We managed some stud yellowfin to 100 pounds and some nice bigeyes. The mahi were also very abundant and hungry. With the bluefin recreational harvest being closed, we will still be running midshore bluefin trips with a strict catch-and-release policy. Once late August and September loom we will be shifting our focus to chunking yellowfin and running to the canyons.”
Anthony Charnetski of Game On Lures provided the following report: “Despite the ongoing trouble with sharks and seals, the inshore bass bite has been nothing short of phenomenal. Still no sign of adult bunker, but a wave of smaller forage is keeping the bass hanging around. It’s starting to look a bit like fall out there, with massive schools of peanuts and silversides getting hammered by bass and blues. The reefs are holding a solid population of fish, though they can be finicky. Low-light hours have been the most productive. Some decent-sized bluefish have shown up, but most are still on the smaller, annoying side. Live eels, topwater spooks, large soft plastics, and soft jerkbaits have all been producing. Out east, a few bonito are around, but they’ve been in small pods and moving fast. The sea bass bite is good and should only improve. The EXO Jig and slow-pitch jigs in 60 to 80 feet have been the ticket. Fluke action is solid, but it’s been tough to weed through the shorts. Bigger baits in less-pressured spots are your best bet for a keeper. Porgy fishing remains lights out; a 1-ounce EXO jig is all you need. It’s been a grinder of a summer but things are finally coming together, and I think we are due for a great fall!”
Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters found it hard to not talk about the number of brown sharks they are seeing, as they have become commonplace on every trip. He’s seen an explosion in their population over the last three seasons and just about every school of striped bass they encounter is being stalked by several sharks. Despite the prevalence of sharks, the fishing for stripers has been solid. There are some big fish in the eastern Sound on reefs and structure, and they are more than willing to take a live bunker or eel most days. There are some large, gator-sized bluefish mixed in with the bass to keep things interesting as well. Bottom fishing for scup and sea bass has been good and is a nice way to round out a trip. They have a few openings for the rest of August so give his team a call to take advantage of those spots while they last.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
Summer fishing remained solid across Connecticut despite still-increasing water temperatures throughout the Sound. Anglers who haven’t been taking advantage of the midshore tuna bite and have stayed inshore are still finding plenty of striped bass to play with. The relatively cooler water in Eastern Long Island Sound is once again a haven for summer stripers. An influx of peanut bunker in the central to eastern Sound has really fired up the bass bite. Bass ranging from slot-size to just-over-slot have been prevalent, while bigger bass up to 50 inches are available to those fishing big natural and artificial baits. Live eels and GT eels have been the top producers, but topwaters, jigs, and spoons are all working at the right time and place. The influx of brown sharks has continued to be an issue, so don’t be afraid to look for bass in shallower water than usual.
Bluefishing is still inconsistent, but there are more blues around now than there have been. The word is that snapper bluefish have been stacking up in the tributaries of the larger rivers. Spanish mackerel reports are still circulating in the western Sound, while the first solid reports of bonito have started to trickle in from the eastern Sound.
Bottom fishermen are still finding a consistent scup bite. Big porgies are coming from just about every piece of structure, which is a good thing, as finding keeper sea bass has been much trickier lately. 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, but it seems to be slowing down, so be prepared to move around.