Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt Stone, at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook, reports that the striper bite is heating up, although it could be inconsistent from day to day, trip to trip. Anglers are finding some big bass locally on soft plastics, spoons, and eels, but on other days they’re struggling. Matt doesn’t think they’ve gotten their full push of local bunker yet, so if/when that happens, things should start to get a bit more consistent. No word on any fluke or porgies yet, but it’s been pretty cold, so I imagine that will change within the next couple weeks. Bluefish reports have been quiet as well, but they will inevitably show up any day now, as there have been a few scant reports from the east and west.
Heather from the Black Hawk in Niantic provided the following early season report: “We had some beautiful weather days this week, and some good fishing too! Wednesday’s private charter did a bit of a combo, catching our first striped bass of the season before switching over to porgies and getting plenty for dinner. It was a great day on the water. Our weekend trips had the best weather days so far this year. The fishing was a bit of a pick each day, with some flurries now and then, so we put in some overtime to make sure everyone had enough fish to go home with. We had some weakfish in the mix as well. Friday night’s Calamari Safari was a success! We managed to pick away at them all night, with everyone taking home a nice bag of squid. Unfortunately, we lost Saturday’s trip due to the wind, but we are looking forward to getting back out there Monday night. We’ll be adding more trips too, so stay tuned, grab your tickets and join us. The next few weeks is the time to fill up the freezer with squid—don’t wait until it’s too late! As always, we continue to book private charters. Contact the office to get your date on the calendar. We look forward to fishing with you soon!”
- Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain in Connecticut
Captain Chris at Elser Guide Service told me that the bass fishing has kicked into high gear in his neck of the woods. Per usual, some days are red hot and others are a bit tougher, but the amount of bait should make things fairly consistent. He’s seeing mackerel, bunker, and sand eels all over the Western Sound, and that has equated to bass from 20-inches to 30-pounds. There has been no need to troll, with all the fish coming on topwater plugs, like X-Walks, and 3- to 4-ounce jigs like the A47 and 3-ounce Exo jigs from Game On Lures. The Exo jig can be worked a bit like a flutter spoon, which is another top producer, especially on the weaker tides. Chris is mostly booked up, but has a few openings, especially on Mondays, so if you are looking to play hooky and get out on a Monday morning, give him a shout!
Captain Ben Burdine of Apex Angling out of Fairfield told me that striped bass season is definitely entering prime time for western Long Island Sound on the backside of the recent new moon, and he expects it to remain full throttle for the next few weeks. His anglers have caught stripers up to 46 inches on topwater plugs this week, with a ton of fish averaging around the 38- to 40-inch mark. Water temperatures have finally increased to more typical levels for this time of year and, subsequently, the first bluefish of the season were caught on Tuesday. More bluefish are expected to arrive and congregate in Long Island Sound, which typically provides the best topwater and sight fishing of the year. Look for the warmest surface temperature in open water, and you’ll tend to find bluefish. On flat calm days, keep an eye out for sunbathing or “finning” bluefish.
Anthony Charnetski at Game On Lures provided the following report for the week: “Bass continue to file into the Sound and people are catching them from Greenwich to Stonington. The average size of fish has been on the larger side for this time of year, with some big bass already being caught very close to shore. The average fish on recent outings seems to be in the mid-30-inch range with a few schoolies. Deeper reefs are holding the better populations of fish that are willing to chew. I’m starting to see more bunker on each outing but still much thinner than years past. The 6- and 8-inch Game On X-Walk in the mornings, and flutter spoon once the sun gets high, has been the deal. Weightless soft plastics, paddletails, and bucktails have also produced fish. Some bluefish have started to pop up, but it seems to be just a few single fish here and there. Sea bass season has also opened up and it is off to a slow start, but I expect it to pick up as the water warms; a few buddies caught some this past week and reported that using large slow-pitch jigs on humps in 70 to 90 feet of water was the ticket for a few keepers. The freshwater bass bite has also remained strong and fish are in all stages of the spawn. The shallow bite has been the most productive choice, but after this heat wave, I’m sure fish will soon start moving offshore to their summer areas.”
Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters told me that striper fishing is very good right now. We are in the midst of the peak of the spring run, and now through the next few weeks offers some of the best action of the year. Fishing with artificials has been consistent for stripers in the 20-pound class with some running larger. There are bass feeding on a variety of baits across various types of structure, which makes for fun fishing with an assortment of lures. They have been getting fish on everything from soft plastics to flutter spoons. Captain Mike and his team are already booking prime dates for the season and it’s never too early to lock in yours, so give him a call to book a spot now. They have some openings over the next couple of weeks.
View this post on Instagram
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
Fishing throughout Connecticut continued to follow a positive trend as more anglers get out and join the action. A quick increase in temperature has coincided with an uptick in activity for most available saltwater species, so summer fishing is truly knocking on the door.
Striped bass continue to be the main target throughout the state, and their range continues to expand. The tidal rivers are still holding plenty of fish, but anglers dunking sandworms are doing better than the plug throwers, with the water still being high and brown. The reefs throughout the Sound are loaded with fresh-arriving and hungry bass that will hit just about any offering, whether it’s a live bait, or a casted or trolled artificial. The bite in the Western Sound improved with reports of big bass from Fairfield to Greenwich, which is likely due to the area holding more bunker than the Eastern Sound at the moment. If you can find and live-line bunker, that is always a safe bet. Big flutter spoons also seem to be getting the job done and they can be fished in a variety of conditions, along with the usual topwater offerings and the ever-steady soft plastics fished weightless or on a jig.
Both the scup and summer flounder fisheries opened last week, and sea bass is now open! While early reports for all three species have been quiet due to cool water, we should have a plethora of bottom fishing options as the water temperatures start to tick up. If you’re looking for sea bass this weekend, try jigging deep humps in 70 to 90 feet of water for those knothead keepers. Reports of squid to the east in Rhode Island are promising and indicate that fluke should be hot on their tails. In the meantime, your best shot at good flatfishing in the Sound is closer to the North Shore of Long Island, to the southwest. It’s a great time of year with no shortage of species to target this holiday weekend!