Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook provided the following report for the week: “Fishing has been good for most folks we’ve talked to. There are plenty of small blues around locally and beyond. We’ve heard of some bonito schools poking around but not heavy. Sea bass have been scarce, but fluke fishing has been solid enough in 40-feet of water and deeper. Those taking advantage of the summer tautog bite have reported better results as well, including some fish close to 10 pounds this week. Firetiger and salmon red Gulp have been working well. The pre-Erin striper bite was insane, especially to the east, and it is starting to pick right back up where it left off. There were multiple classes of fish present taking eels and topwaters. And albies should show within a couple weeks (we hope).”
Heather from the Black Hawk in Niantic reports: “We had some nice weather and great fishing early in the week. The big story, of course, was Hurricane Erin as it passed by. We were able to get in our special scout trip on Wednesday night, thanks to all the scouts who came and joined on a rainy evening and brought a carload of food for our food drive as well. We lost Thursday’s fluke trip and private charter sunset cruise, as well as Friday morning’s bottom fishing trip. We were able to get out for the After Work trip on Friday and were met with hungry bluefish who bit from start to finish. It was a great night! The weekend trips were pretty good, with a steady pick coming over the rail. Those who worked at it and fished the whole trip were rewarded with full coolers. We only have one of our Saturday afternoon kids trips left, so join us if you can! Congrats to James and Michael A, who were the winners of our weekly Capt. Scott’s Saturday giveaway. We’ve got a few days left in our summer food drive. It’s our latest Black Hawk and the Community program; just bring the specified food items, and have your name entered in the drawing. Check our website and Facebook page for more info. Our schedule changes September 1. We’re still sailing 7 days a week, so be sure to check our calendar online and grab a ticket for your trip!”
Middlebank Sportfishing reports that the dog days of summer are behind us and they’re gearing up for the fall run in the Western Sound. The hurricane that passed offshore didn’t stir up the bottom too bad in their area. The porgy bite continues to improve steadily in terms of both size and quantity. More sea bass are in the mix as they start to move into some deeper water. Their anglers are still catching weakfish and a few cownose rays, too. Bluefish are elusive, but they are around and will not hesitate to bite a porgy rig. Overall, it’s mixed bag bottom fishing season and freezer filling time! Their September schedule is live on the website. Book online 24/7 at middlebanksportfishing.com.
Captain Chris at Elser Guide Service told me things are still in late summer mode in the Western Sound, despite the water temperatures dropping below 70 already! The majority of the bigger bass and bluefish are still coming on the troll by day, and by anglers dunking live eels at night. There have been only spotty bonito and Spanish mackerel sightings in the area, likely due to the choppy conditions making them hard to track. With the water temperatures dropping and Labor Day right around the corner, Chris thinks that this coming week should be the true blowup for his light tackle and fly season!
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Anthony Charnetski of Game On Lures provided the following report for the week: “The central Sound has continued to provide a steady bite over the past week. The combination of cold nights and a huge push of peanut bunker have started to stir up some pretty epic feeds recently. Still mainly just smaller bass and blues on the peanuts but it’s definitely a positive sign for things to come. Small topwaters and straight-tail soft plastics have been money when the fish are active on bait. Big bass remain on all the normal reefs but have been finicky during the day and certain tides. The 13-inch DuraTech Eel, Super Snax, and large topwaters have been working great, but low-light hours are providing the best results. Big blues are in the mix here and there, but nothing like years past. Some smaller pods of bonito have been popping around all throughout the Eastern Sound, but we haven’t gotten a big push of them yet. EXO jigs are getting it done on the bonito when you can get within striking range. Bottom fishing is steady, but similar to the last few weeks, it’s tough to cull through the short sea bass and fluke. We’re still waiting to hear the first couple albie reports from the east, but I’m hopeful the Cape/RI will get a good push in the next week. Whether we see them locally is another story, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed!”
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Jesse at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk reports that fishing has been pretty good and should only get better as the next few weeks mark the start of fall fishing. Rumors of bonito to the east are a sure sign of fall action and while they haven’t shown locally, it’s been a strong bonito year so far and hopes are high that they’ll head west. On the funny fish front, Jesse said if the albies show, it’s generally in the second or third week of the month. The local reefs are still holding bass and bluefish, but there’s a better bite at Middle Ground. Live eels and soft-plastic eels have been effective, but topwater lures should start to produce again as the water cools. Brown sharks are still an issue there, so beware. Summer tog fishing was good for many customers and hopefully that bodes well for the fall season as the summer season closes 8/31. Jesse said the best fishing was in 20 to 50 feet of water and he expects to find them right there where they left them come October. Sea bass fishing only stands to get better, and focusing on deep wrecks will be the best route to find keepers. Scup fishing is fantastic everywhere. Customers reported good action from docks and piers, Calf Pasture Beach and Sherwood Island. There are lots of snappers around right now and currently, they are topping out at 4 inches.
Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters told me that fishing has been very good, especially for large striped bass. The bulk of their fishing right now is being done with live bait, both eels and bunker meant for specific large fish in the usual haunts. With that said, he noted that this week they’d started to see some topwater action with schoolies pushing bait around on the surface. As we look ahead, September should bring the best action of the year, the stripers will be more aggressive and hitting topwater lures regularly. We should also have plenty of bluefish in the area. Peanut bunker are key to the fall run and hopefully, once we find the peanuts, it will be game on. As always, we’re also hoping for a good run of albies and bonito. They still have some openings this month, so take advantage of those spots while they last!
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
The month of September is one of the better months to fish in Long Island Sound. Gamefish start to gear up for their migrations and the evidence of that activity can often be seen in the form of blitzing fish, aggressively tearing through bait on the surface. This is one of the most exciting times of year for our region and a good reminder of just how quickly the season can fly by.
Striped bass fishing had been up and down throughout the recent weather changes in CT, but things are starting to trend for the better big time throughout the state. Stripers are being caught throughout the Sound and its major tributaries, with the Eastern Sound reefs once again leading the charge. Areas from the central to eastern Sound also saw many more striped bass feeding on juvenile butterfish and peanut bunker on the surface. That same area is also starting to see a few Spanish mackerel and bonito, which is usually a great precursor to the false albacore season. The Western Sound has also rebounded a bit since the storm, with a solid bass bite on the troll and eels, along with a few reports of macks and bonito as well.
The scup bite is as consistent as ever, with no shortage of hubcaps throughout the Sound. Scup are coming from just about every piece of structure, regardless of depth, while the sea bass season has kicked into gear on deeper structure. The late summer tautog season ends this weekend but is usually very productive. If you have a chance to get out in the next few days for a late-summer white chinner, you should capitalize on that.