Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt, at Black Hall Outfitters provided the following report: “The blackfish bite is going strong. Some anglers are sticking fish as shallow as 15 feet, but the better action has been from 40 to as deep as 80 feet. Plenty of keepers are being caught and some really nice fish in the double-digits are in the mix. Striper action has been looking strong—the bigger fish seem to be hanging around deep spots near rips. They’re responding to vertical jigging tactics and are typically topping out around 38 inches. There are still surface feeds locally as well, and most of those fish are between 24 and 30 inches. You might also find some good action around the mouth of the Connecticut or Thames rivers, where stripers often stage in the late season before heading inland to winter over. Happy Thanksgiving from the whole crew at Black Hall Outfitters!”
Heather from the Black Hawk in Niantic provided the following report: “We had some up and down fishing this week. We lost the early part of the week due to the weather, which is to be expected this time of year. However, once we started up midweek, we had some great fishing for a few days! Wednesday and Thursday showed limits of sea bass, and a nice mix of blackfish as well. Some of the regulars had their limit of tog. There were some porgies in the mix, and even a triggerfish! We are seeing some cod as well, which are all released as the fishery is closed this year. Later in the week, fishing was a bit tougher. On Saturday, we stayed late and put in overtime, but it still was one of our less productive fall trips. A reminder that trips this time of year are very weather dependent, so get your tickets ahead of time so we can contact you in case of any weather-related concerns. Also, we will have our annual ‘Small Business Saturday’ gift certificate sale on November 29. Shop in your community this holiday season and support the local tackle shops, toy stores, bookstores and restaurants.
Captain Nick Pace at Reel Mayhem Outfitters out of Greenwich had another week of strong blackfishing, although he mentioned that they are getting harder to find. If you’re looking to get one more trip in before the season wraps up, Nick suggests fishing the deeper water wrecks in the Western Sound, as the water temperatures have dropped below 50 degrees, and the fish are generally hanging in 60 feet of water or deeper. Despite the bite being tougher, they were able to put together a full boat limit or close to it just about every time they made it out, so you should have one more shot to score a good one before it’s all over!
Max, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, said the blackfish bite was really heating up as more anglers were able to get out with settled weather over the past week. The forecast doesn’t look promising for the end of the season this week, but we still have a couple more days. The local wrecks are consistently giving up keeper fish to 8 pounds. Locally, the best action has been in 30 to 50 feet of water or deeper if you find a good snag. Places like 28C have been holding some big tog and slammer sea bass, but unfortunately, the sea bass season is closed for the year. Shallow water bites have really tapered off for tautog, bhere are still plenty of stripers along the beaches and nearshore structure, he added. Norwalk Harbor has been holding bass to 40 inches and soft plastic baits have been crushing it there. The Housatonic is also a no-brainer right now, as stripers stack up outside the river before pushing upstream. A good way to find those bigger fish is to locate the shad and throw some larger plugs. The shop also has a big sale all month, with up to 25% off many of the most popular rods on the market.
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Anthony Charnetski from Game On Lures provided the following report: “Even though the season is winding down, there is still plenty of good fishing to be had. There are a ton of jumbo tautog being caught recently. Unfortunately, the tog season closes on Friday, so make those final outings count! Deeper structure has been producing the most consistent action but with the mild weather there have still been some solid fish in shallow. Holdover striped bass have invaded the local rivers and they are chewing! Occasionally, they can be found blitzing on the surface and soft plastics, like the 5″ and 7″ DuraTech Jerkbait rigged both weightless and on a jighead, have been my main players. Blade baits, swimbaits and glidebaits have also been working in certain scenarios. This is also my favorite time of year to target trophy largemouth and smallmouth. The bite has been phenomenal recently and the fish have been fattening up for winter. Most lakes in the area are still hovering between 40-45 degrees so jerkbaits, football jigs, A-rigs, swimbaits and blade baits are my go-to options. Hope everyone has a great week and we want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving from the Game On crew!”
Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters said water temps have dipped into the low 50s, and the tautog action should remain very good through the end of the season on November 28. The fish are a little deeper now, so start at a minimum of 30 feet and move out from there until you find a good bite. Stripers are still active and available, and while most of the fish are schoolies and slots at this point, surface feeds are unfolding. A 5-inch Fin-S Fish on a light jighead has been one of the top producers for these bass. He said they’ll be fishing through the weekend and wrapping up for 2025. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
The only thing holding back Connecticut anglers from excellent tautog fishing is the persistent wind forecasted for the next few days, and the season ending abruptly on the 28th. The bite is good right now though, with steady keeper action coming in 40 to 100 feet of water, along with a sharp increase in double-digit fish being reported. Hopefully, as you’re reading this, you’re getting your gear ready for one more tautog trip before your Thanksgiving dinner. The weather may not be perfect, but it’s worth a shot for one more great trip! The water has cooled down quite a bit, so look to some deeper structure and be willing to bounce around.
Fall run fishing for stripers has mostly wound down, but there’s been an uptick in reports of school bass moving into the rivers. Numbers of mixed-sized bass have been feeding in the Housatonic and Connecticut rivers, and around the Niantic Bay area. While tautog fishing will hold over saltwater anglers until the end of season, holdover striped bass will keep us occupied through the winter months.
Freshwater anglers saw much better trout results in the TMAs this week, as we finally received some much-needed rain and flows improved.