Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt Stone at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook reports that there were sparse false albacore pods in the Niantic area this week; the numbers have paled in comparison to the Long Island side of the Sound. However, most of those reports were prior to the blow, so that might change by the weekend. Bonito numbers have been a little more consistent, mainly from the central to western Sound, and some pods of bigger bones around Westbrook/Clinton. The striped bass bite has been excellent, and these cool nights should really fire things up. Matt expects to see some great topwater action, with birds/blitzes picking up as temperatures continue to drop. There have been loads of weakfish caught lately, and not just in the western Sound. Anglers are running into them in better numbers than we’ve seen in decades. Slow bouncing soft plastics, especially in pink, has been the best method to get these weakies to eat. Big bluefish are in certain areas, with The Race/Plum Gut producing the most consistent results. You have a good chance to run into some false albacore out there as well. BHO will be hosting their TogTober event from October 16-19. They already have over 100 anglers signed up, so this year should be the biggest event yet! You can sign up online or in person at the shop.
Heather from the Black Hawk in Niantic reports: “It feels like we’re just repeating the same thing over and over; but what a great week of fishing! Once again, we started the week with a bluefish and striped bass trip, and everyone had their fill of jumbo blues. Mid-week, we saw excellent porgy fishing with easy limits around the boat, again with some sea bass in the mix. Thursday’s weather didn’t cooperate, but despite the rain, our private charter was rewarded with an incredible combo trip. Loads of blues and limits of porgies came over the rails despite less-than-ideal conditions. The weekend was more of the same, with excellent porgy fishing and some sea bass and triggerfish in the mix. Grab your tickets online and come fill the cooler! 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 a.m. 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!”
Middlebank Sportfishing out of Bridgeport provided the following report for the week: “The weakfish bite continues to be excellent! We haven’t seen weakfish in these numbers ever! Scup remain spread out and picky in our operating area, but we are catching enough for a few meals or the freezer. Sea bass have also been in the mix, and the average size is slowly increasing. We will continue our porgy bottom fishing trips through October 13. Our schedule for blackfish will go live in another week or so.”
Captain Nick Pace of Reel Mayhem Outfitters in Greenwich reports that the fishing remains very strong in the western Sound. The Norwalk area is putting up some tremendous bottom fishing at the moment, with jumbo porgies for everyone, and increased numbers of keeper sea bass along with some of the more consistent weakfish numbers that they’ve seen in years. Dropping water temperatures really seem to be making the sea bass and tautog much more active. They have been reeling in some nice tog as bycatch and on scouting trips, which portends well for the opening of the CT season next Friday.
Captain Chris at Elser Guide Service provided the following report: “Bass fishing has been excellent with 30- to 40-inch fish set up in several areas, deep and shallow, as the fall run kicks off in the western Sound. It seems like the cooling temperatures and northeast blow have really driven these bass to feed. We have been casting live eels and 13-inch Duratech eels mostly, and both have been producing very well. Big bluefish are around on the usual deep-water reefs, but they have been sporadic from day to day. False albacore were a no show for me this week, but they were on the LI side pretty thick before the swell, so I’m hoping we get another strong push this week! The bonito are spread out, but there are still enough around that we were able to find them on most trips this week.”
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Captain Chris Oliver of Keepin’ It Reel Sportfishing out of New London had to cancel a canyon trip this week due to the weather, but he relayed that anglers are having some banner days on the midshore grounds south of Long Island for yellowfin. The key has been to find the draggers with the least amount of boat pressure around them, and you should find some hungry fish. Whole or chunked butterfish and UVT jigs have been getting the job done, along with the occasional popper bite. On days with increased boat traffic and a pickier bite, reduce your leader size to 30- and 40-pound fluorocarbon. Make sure you bring plenty of butters so when you run into situations where you need to chunk heavier to get the attention of these yellows, you have a surplus to throw. These dragger bites can produce incredible action; one of their most recent trips saw upwards of 25+ hookups.
Anthony Charnetski of Game On Lures provided the following report: “Water temps are still hovering in the high 60s, so not much has changed from last week. Bass of all sizes are scattered on just about every reef in the area and are taking all the usuals—paddletails, 6-inch X-Walks, Albie Snax, and live eels or bunker are all great options. Since temps have still been on the warmer side, low-light hours are going to be your best bet for a cow. Some giant bluefish have joined the party recently, which have been a blast on light tackle. Albies are still popping up here and there but have thinned out a little bit, while the bonito have held strong and are basically available throughout the Sound. Picky hardtails are loving the 3/4-ounce EXO Jigs. I’m hopeful that we will get another late season push of false albacore once the water temps drop a bit more. The weakfish bite has been pretty lights out in both the western and eastern Sound, which is great to see after being mostly MIA the last few years. Small plastics, like the 5-inch DuraTech Jerkbait, on a light jighead have been working great in shallow bays and over flats.”
Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters said that the amount of bait present in the Sound right now is remarkable and there is a good variety depending on where you’re fishing. His trips have seen everything from sand eels to various sizes of bunker, ranging from tiny peanuts to adults, with anchovies, silversides and butterfish all present as well. There are albies spread throughout the region, though they seem to be a bit more scattered than last week. Striper fishing has remained good with schoolies, slots, and cows around right now. There lots of bluefish too, with many on the smaller end of the spectrum and some big gators on the deeper reefs. Scup and sea bass fishing is good and getting better, though picking through the short sea bass while looking for keepers can be a bit of a chore. They do have some spots open for the fall run and they are now booking fall blackfish trips as well, so give his team a call to take advantage of those spots while they last.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
As we turn the calendar to October, Connecticut anglers are ready for tautog season, but unfortunately, they have to wait one more week. The long-term forecast looks good for the opening weekend, but as we wait, there are still plenty of options for CT anglers. Strong bites for bass, bluefish, false albacore, bonito, weakfish, sea bass and scup can be found in select areas across most of Long Island Sound. The best false albacore fishing has been from the CT River east to the Thames, but they remain sporadic for the most part. There were some larger schools of fish on the south side of the sound before the swell, so everyone’s hoping those fish push in and not out. Bonito can still be found just about everywhere, and while they are common, don’t expect huge numbers. What has been common are large numbers of weakfish. The Western Sound has been a hotbed for weakies all year, and now they seemingly have moved east and can be found just about anywhere. They are often coming as bycatch for anglers bouncing soft plastics for hardtails. The striped bass bite has been strong throughout the sound, and as the fall run starts to kick off, we should start to see some larger schools of blitzing fish. If hunting some bigger fish is more your speed, the Fishers Island and Eastern Sound reefs are still holding plenty, and the same can be said for the usual Western Sound deeper reefs. The backwater estuaries across the state have also been filling up with striped bass of mixed sizes, which is another sure sign of October. Bluefish action has been sporadic, but there are some very large gators being taken at The Race and around Plum Gut. Sea bass fishing sounded better for folks fishing deep water structure around slack tides. Most shops and charter captains mentioned the cool down in this week’s forecast and are anxious to see if it takes what’s been some good fishing and kicks it into another level.