Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt, at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook, provided the following report for the week: “The fall run is definitely picking up across Long Island Sound. I got my first solid report of a bird and bait blitz yesterday with bluefish, bonito and stripers under it. Bottom fisherman are reporting decent sea bass fishing, but you have to weed through a lot of small fish. Anglers that are still targeting fluke are still in the same pattern of many short fish, with a few nice ones in the mix if you put some time in. Stripers are biting really well on eels and top water. Overall, the Eastern Sound seems stronger than the central/western at the moment, especially with the first few whispers of albies coming into the sound. I don’t know of anyone who’s gotten one in Connecticut yet, but they are close. Spanish mackerel have been actually pretty heavy in the Eastern Sound as well, which is a nice bonus species to target.”
Heather from Black Hawk Sportfishing in Niantic reports: “We are ready for some fall fishing! We had some great trips this week, and some that were a little pickier. Our porgy trip on Labor Day started off with a bang, with jumbo porgies, some nice sea bass, and even a fluke coming over the rails. It slowed a little as the day went on, but it was still a great day of fishing. Midweek trips were excellent as well, with jumbo porgies, some sea bass, and a decent showing of triggerfish. Our fluke trip on Thursday was, to be honest, not great. We put in the time and effort, but the bite never materialized into what we were hoping for. Friday’s After Work Special showed some unbelievable bluefishing. Rods bent the entire trip, with some jumbo blues to 20 pounds, with some smaller ones in the mix as well. A perfect way to end our After Work trips for the season! We’re now into our fall fishing schedule. We continue to fish every day, with all bottom fishing trips (6 days a week) leaving at 6 a.m., and our bass and blues trip leaving at 7 am. Check the website or give us a call if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing everyone soon for some great fall fishing.”
Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters told me that the fall run is off to a great start, we have some hardtails both bones and albies moving through. Striped bass fishing has been excellent, and they are seeing a variety of sizes of fish on most every trip. They’ve had everything from schoolies up to cow sized bass and the presence of those smaller fish is usually a pretty good indication that the fall run is on. Another sign of the season is the vast amounts of small bait in the eastern sound. Half-inch peanut bunker, silversides and bay anchovies are all present. Captain Mike said this full moon should move some fish around and he expects to see more and more topwater blitzes on the other side of it. There are blues in the mix as well so keep an eye out for those. They’ve seen some bonito around but not many albies just yet, though, that could change any day. Reports of hardtails to the east have intensified, so it really should be any day now! They do have some spots open for fall run fishing so give his team a call now to take advantage of those spots while they last.
Anthony, of Game on Lures provided the following report for the week; “The local bite has continued to improve as the fall run kicks off. Peanut bunker have been pouring out of the estuaries and have been firing up some awesome topwater feeds. One odd ball thing that happened this week was getting into a pretty large pod of Jack Crevalle in local CT waters! I’m assuming the recent hurricane blew them in, but it was surreal to see them thriving so far in the sound! There have been a ton of smaller bass around the local reefs which is great to see but the larger class of fish have been a little thinner than years past. That being said there are still some really nice fish being caught locally. 13″ DuraTech Eels, topwaters, small fluke style baits and EXO Jigs have all been working well. Low light hours have still been the ticket to getting into some bigger fish. Rumors of local albies have started to circulate, however I think we will see the mass arrival of them in the next week or so. There have been some solid feeds going on very close to the RI border so be on the lookout this weekend! The 3/4-ounce EXO Jigs have been money for picky hardtails. Bottom fishing has continued to improve and should only get better from here on out. Using larger baits for fluke and seabass has been the ticket to targeting keeper fish. The next month or 2 is the best it gets so get geared up and get out there!”
Captain Chris of Keepin’ It Reel Sportfishing, provided the following report from his offshore trips this past week; “The last couple of trips we have been traveling far to the eastern canyons. We have seen some lights out big eye and yellowfin bites. On our most recent trip the abundance of yellowfin was unbelievable, you could catch them anyway you wanted chunk, jig, or troll it didn’t matter. At one point the bite was so crazy that we couldn’t count to 4 before we were tight using the UVT Shorecatch pink glow jigs. Multiple trips with limits of yellowfin topped off with some nice big eye! Hopefully the fish start moving more to the west, so that we are not traveling as far. Either way the fishing is absolutely lights out and we will keeping getting out whenever the weather allows.”
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Joe, at Diorio Guide Service, reports that the fall run appears to have turned on in a big way! He is seeing very strong striped bass fishing, with good numbers of bass in the 44-46-inch range. These bass can be found from 8-30 feet of water for the most part and are eating Joe Baggs Block Island Eels on a jighead or live eels. With the north winds this week, Joe is starting to see more bait start head towards the mouth of the river. This should only get these fish fired up even more. On another positive note, the albies are here! Who knows how long they will stay, but Joe has been doing very well with them this past week. Hot lures for them have been the Joe Baggs Resin jigs as well as albie snax. Joe anticipates that fishing will only continue to get better as we are heading into the peak of the fall run. He still has some fall dates available if you’re looking to get out!
Middlebank Sport Fishing reports that the fall run has begun in their neck of the woods as well! There are loads of porgies around, which continue to fill buckets and coolers. There has also been a major increase in weakfish action this past week in shallow water. The numbers are good, so if they’re on your bucket list, now is the time! This weekend will be our last weekend for our 4 PM afternoon trips, and they wanted to thank anyone who joined them on one of these trips this season. They will continue to sail daily be reservation through October 9th, when they will adjust their schedule for the start of blackfish season. Check their Facebook page for daily updates and reports. Tickets can be purchased online at Middlebank Sport Fishing.
Captain Chris, at Elser Guide Service told me things are starting to get going in the Western Sound. Small bonito have been in a few specific areas and 2-3lb blues are in the same areas feeding on abundant small baits. The bulk of the fish are still on the Long Island side, and the recent winds has made it difficult to head that way, but things are looking calmer for the weekend. False albacore reports seem to be better on that side, and hopefully they start to fill in as the winds settle. The bigger bass game is still mostly a nighttime game, but you should be able to find some quality fish at just about any time on the tube and worm. The lure of choice right now is the 3/4oz pink and white Exo jigs, the bones can’t resist them!
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
Increased numbers of bonito and Spanish Mackerel have joined the topwater party across most of Connecticut, as things start to feel more fall-like, and anglers patiently await the false albacore arrival in the sound. The small bait exploded this week and has fired up some tremendous blitzes of bonito, striped bass, bluefish, and even some Jack Crevalle! False albacore reports have been quiet across the state, but we’re starting to hear about some sightings in the Western Sound on the Long Island side, and right along the Rhode Island border on the eastern side. Bonito reports, while not always consistent, have been coming from just about everywhere in the state. There also seems to be increased numbers of Spanish Mackerel as far east as Niantic this week. For those looking for bigger fish, the popular late summer reefs and rips are holding bigger bass and the occasional gator bluefish. A lot of these bass are feeding in shallow water, so live eels and large soft plastics have been getting the job done. Shark sightings have gone down a bit, but there are still a good deal of brown sharks and threshers around, so if you have some heavier gear, be sure to bring it along! Scup are coming from just about every piece of structure, regardless of depth, while the sea bass season has fired up nicely as the water starts to cool, albeit short fish still dominate the catch.
Fall fishing took a turn for the better this week, as topwater feeds of bass, and bluefish have started to explode throughout the sound, along with a few more bonito and Spanish Mackerel entering the mix this week. Striped bass are being caught throughout the sound and in its major tributaries. The late-summer reefs are holding quality fish, with anglers taking them on the tube and worm, along with live eels. There have been quite a few more topwater feeds of striped bass throughout the sound this week as well. The usual hotspots around Fishers, Bartletts, The Race, The Gut, Middleground are all holding blitzing fish, but you’re bound to run into them closer to home as well. These fish are feeding on juvenile butterfish, silversides and peanut bunker, all of which have become very plentiful. Bluefish of mixed sizes, Spanish mackerel, and bonito have joined the party as well, and can be found sporadically around throughout the sound. False albacore are just starting to show themselves sparingly in Rhode Island, so we should some entering our waters at some point this week, if they haven’t already 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 the deeper structure.