Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt Stone, at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook, told me he’s hearing of an excellent tuna bite south of Montauk. A variety of presentations are working, including the UVT Chief, RonZ, jigs, and topwater when it’s called for. Inshore, stripers are early- and late-specific — don’t go at midday and wonder why there’s no fish around. Sea bass are being caught in 70 feet and deeper, while fluke are coming from 50 feet plus on squid and bucktail rigs. Metal jigs like Streakers or SKs are effective for sea bass. There are loads of porgies on all the hard structure, with anglers catching on bait and small metals from both shore and boat.
Heather, from the Black Hawk in Niantic, reports: “We had some ups and downs this week with Mother Nature, but overall, a good week of summer fishing! As usual, lots of porgies with some sea bass, triggerfish, and fluke filling in the coolers as well. The highlight of the week was our Thursday fluke trip — it was what we’d been waiting for! The first drift we had three fish over 7 pounds, the next drift several keepers and a 9-pounder, and then the third drift, an 11-pounder! From there on, we picked on the keepers and shorts, with bent rods all day. Plenty of scup, and some sea bass and triggers to fill in. We had our annual WARM Center sunset cruise on Saturday night, and while Mother Nature didn’t cooperate with the sunset, we did see some seals and enjoyed a nice night out on the water for a great cause. We have two of these trips left, and we continue to fish every day, so grab your tickets and join us!”
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Captain Mike Roy, at Reel Cast Charters, said it’s all about targeting the biggest bass they can right now, as large stripers are settled in on structure. Not much has changed week to week, and this pattern will hold until the start of the fall run. Using electronics to locate small pockets of big fish is the best way to get on what could be your biggest bass of the year, and fishing with live bait is the best way to entice one to bite. While live bait is the top producer of the cows they’re encountering, artificials like soft plastics are very effective as well — Fin-S Fish and Slug-Go’s are versatile lures that can be fished throughout the column. They’re seeing tons of very small bait all over, as well as some peanut bunker. Captain Mike said they continue to see lots of brown sharks just about everywhere they’re fishing. He has some openings over the next couple of weeks, so give him a call to book a spot now.
Geno, from Total Tackle in Old Saybrook, said there are a few local bites keeping his customers busy. Local striper fishing is still on the slower side, though there are a few fish around. Better bassing is happening on the reefs adjacent to the river mouth, where live eels have been the ticket for fish posted up on that structure. Sharks have been a steady presence just about anywhere bass or blues have been caught. Bottom fishing is steady for the most part — both sea bass and fluke anglers are reporting similar results, a lot of short fish, but some very nice keepers mixed in if you keep after it. Scup fishing has been good too, consistently for anglers working Crane’s and Hatchett’s Reefs. A nice addition this week has been local interest in snapper fishing, a welcome sight after a slow bluefish season. Anglers are also taking advantage of some good blue crabbing in the CT River. Nearshore tuna action is garnering attention this week, with the area south of Montauk being a hotspot for rec-sized fish. The fishing can be up and down day to day, with some reporting a tough bite, but there are fish to be had without traveling too far. The canyons were also fishing well for yellowfin and a few swords. The shop is open seven days a week: Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Captain Chris Oliver of Keepin’ It Reel Sportfishing out of New London, also noted that the midshore tuna fishing remains consistent south of Montauk. Overs and unders are being caught regularly. The 5- to 7-ounce UVT Chief head with white or pink tails still seems to be his go-to, especially when the fish want something slower. The canyon fishing started off slow this week, with his last trip to East Atlantis running into some big seas — they still managed to pick off 5 smaller-class yellowfin, along with a ton of quality mahi. Captain Chris is hoping this full moon will make the midshore and canyon bite turn on in a big way!
Anthony Charnetski, at Game On Lures, sent over the following report for the week: “The bass bite has still remained pretty consistent over the last few weeks. There’s been a nice influx of schoolie and slot-size bass on some of the inshore reefs and points, though it’s still been mostly a low-light/nighttime deal. There’s also been a ton of small silversides and other rain bait around, which is starting to fuel some fun topwater action again. The 13-inch DuraTech Eel, topwaters, and glide baits have been the main players for quality bites. More cocktail-sized bluefish have also been feeding on the small bait, especially around the mouths of the CT and Thames. Your best shot for targeting larger bluefish is some of the deeper, faster-moving reefs. The 1-ounce EXO jig has worked well for catching cocktail blues but has also been effective when bass are keyed on smaller bait. Sea bass have been spotty, but the bite should improve as fall progresses — 50 to 80 feet still seems to be the target zone, and I’d recommend using larger-than-average baits to cull keeper-sized fish.”
Captain Ben Burdine of Apex Angling provided the following pre-fall run report this week: “The transition from summer to fall has started, with nights getting cooler and water temps dropping. Bonito and some Spanish mackerel are inshore and we’re patiently awaiting the arrival of the first albies. We’ve been catching albies nearby offshore while fishing for bluefin over the past week, but those albies caught on heavier gear ‘don’t count.’ The bluefin fishing is very good, with fish getting closer and closer to Block and Montauk — some just a few miles from typical striper and fluke spots. Mahi have finally moved in and covered up the lobster pots and flotsam, but they’re mostly still undersized. Bookings for the fall are underway, but there are still plenty of prime dates available, so if you’re interested in booking for the fall run, albies, or tuna, don’t wait until it’s too late.”
Captain Chris of Elser Guide Service told me that he’s finally seeing smaller bass in his area that have moved in on the peanuts, so the fly and light tackle action is back for the season. The western Sound area has also seen an influx of small bluefish, also feeding on the peanuts. While they may be small, it’s nice to see better numbers, and maybe a few big ones will show up for the tournament this weekend. The tube and worm is still a top producer for 20- to 30-pound bass, but those fish have spread out, so it takes some searching to dial in a bite. There have also been some better topwater blitzes in the mornings, with loads of smaller bass and bluefish hitting light tackle offerings. There’s been no sign of bonito or Spanish mackerel yet, but they should show up any day now, and Chris will continue to be on the hunt for them.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
September is one of the better months to fish in Long Island Sound. Gamefish start gearing up for their migrations, and that activity often shows up 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 has been up and down through the recent weather changes in Connecticut, but things are starting to trend for the better in a big way throughout the state. Striped bass are being caught throughout the Sound and in its major tributaries, with the eastern Sound reefs once again leading the charge. The central to eastern Sound also saw many more surface-feeding striped bass on juvenile butterfish and peanut bunker. The western Sound has also rebounded a bit since the storm, with a solid bass bite on the troll and eels, along with some great numbers of blitzing school bass and bluefish on sand eels. Things have been mostly quiet on the bluefish front, despite the big tournament this weekend — that said, the numbers seem best to the west, while the Race/Plum Gut area is holding some better gators.
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, from shore or boat, while the sea bass bite holds steady 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 it.