Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt Stone, at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook, told me that the tautog bite is still going strong throughout his area and is garnering the most attention from anglers. Matt continues to find a strong bite in shallow water, with plenty of fish in 25 feet or less. Many anglers are fishing the deeper reefs, but those sticking to the smaller, shallow rock piles are still cashing in. Shore anglers are also finding some nice fish, suggesting that the tautog haven’t moved too deep just yet.
There is also reportedly plenty of great striped bass action to be had. Fish of all sizes, including some cows, are still prowling the Eastern Sound. There have been blitzes, birds, and all the excitement that comes with them! There were still some hardtails from Niantic to Groton last week, but the action seemed a little quieter this week. The fishing remains excellent and isn’t likely to slow down anytime soon, so November should bring another strong week!
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Heather from the Black Hawk in Niantic reports: “Our last bluefish trip of the season was a success! It started off hot, with jumbo blues coming over the rail and into the coolers. Drift after drift, the action continued until it finally started to fizzle out. The blues are getting ready to head offshore for the winter, but we put out the umbrella rigs and were able to land a few more. Unfortunately, we lost some midweek trips due to windy conditions, but when we headed back out at the end of the week, we were happy to find the fishing just as we left it—maybe even better! Last Thursday’s trip produced limits of XL scup, some quality sea bass, and the highlight of the day: blackfish! Many anglers aboard limited out on blackfish weighing up to 8 pounds, particularly those with experience targeting them. The rest of the week and weekend were similar, with plenty of porgies, some nice sea bass, and good numbers of hefty blackfish.”
“We continue to fish every day, as long as Mother Nature cooperates. Our mixed-bag trips will run through November, and then our 12-hour combo trips will begin! We also have a few blackfish-specific trips coming up, so check the website and grab your tickets to join us. Now is the time to fill the freezer for winter! Don’t just read the reports—get out there and make them!”
Captain Joe, at Diorio Guide Service, provided the following report for the week: “It’s been a great week of fishing. The fall run is starting to come to an end for us, but there are still plenty of stripers around, smashing topwater lures like the Joe Baggs Skipper and the Doc. Most of the bass are in the 28- to 36-inch range. We’ve been finding them at multiple depths, from very deep water (60 to 100 feet) to shallower areas in 8 to 25 feet of water.
“When we haven’t been fishing for stripers, we’ve been doing very well on tautog, catching fish weighing 10 pounds or more. Lately, we’ve been fishing in depths of 18 to 45 feet, primarily using Joe Baggs tautog jigs weighing 1 to 3 ounces. When the current really starts moving in deeper water, we’ve been doing better with rigs.
“This will be our last report of the season, as this is our final week running saltwater charters. I want to thank all our clients who have made this an amazing season. If you’re looking to keep fishing, Joe offers trout trips on the Farmington River in the fall, winter, and spring, as well as ice-fishing trips. Contact Joe to set up your trips.”
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Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters said that while striper fishing remains very good, they are beginning to focus more on blackfish with each passing trip. The tautog fishing has been solid, and they caught fish weighing up to around 10 pounds this past week. They plan to continue targeting both species for the remainder of the season. Captain Mike expects to fish through November 25 and still has openings, so give him a call to get in on the late-season action while it lasts.
Anthony, from Game On Lures, provided the following report for the week: “It’s been a peanut bunker party this past week! No matter where I went, it seemed like the whole Sound was flooded with 2- to 5-inch peanuts. Bass fishing has been good for the most part, but when the bite is on, the sheer amount of bait in the area has fueled some pretty epic feeds. Water temperatures are still very warm for this time of year, so I think we have a few more waves of fish on the way from out east.
“Topwaters, small plastics, and glide baits have been working great. Large plastic eel imitations and glide baits have also been very productive at night. The X-Chop, retrieved slowly after dark, has been particularly effective for me recently. Tog fishing has been lights out and should only improve as colder temperatures set in. This past week, the 15- to 30-foot range seemed to be the sweet spot for better fish.”
Captain Chris, of Elser Guide Service, told me that there is still a huge amount of peanut bunker in his area. They’ve been doing well on medium-sized bass using lures like the Duratech Eel, as well as 1-ounce EXO jigs. Topwater action has been inconsistent, but after the full moon, it should pick up as the bait moves out of the estuaries into open water. They are still seeing some bonito and false albacore, but the fish are sparse and remain out of casting range. Chris will be running trips for another week, so hopefully there will be one more push of topwater action out west.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
As we head into November, tautog generally become the main focus for Connecticut anglers across Long Island Sound. That’s the case once again this year, although anglers need to keep an eye on the forecast and pick their days carefully. The fall tautog season is a special time, marking the beginning of the end of the saltwater season in our corner of the world. Let’s hope the weather cooperates a bit better in November than it did in October.
During the weather windows this past week, some anglers continued working shallow rock piles in 8 to 20 feet of water, where the fishing remained productive. However, solid fish are also coming from deeper structure as more anglers begin to transition to those areas.
As for gamefish, the Eastern and Central Sound continue to see large, plentiful striped bass blitzes along the shore and inside rivers. The overall size of the bass may have dropped a bit, with many of these being schoolie blitzes, but there is no shortage of fish. Bluefish action was strong before the blow, too, with small bluefish spread along the coastline and some bigger fish out by The Race. False albacore were still popping up across the Eastern Sound last week, but that action seems to have quieted down this week. Keep a light rod at the ready, though, because the sheer amount of peanut bunker suggests the season isn’t quite over yet.
Flows remain generally low to moderate in the trout streams despite the rain, and fall trout fishing has been productive. Crisp fall mornings, blitzing fish, and that distinct thump of a big tautog will only last so long, so get out there and take advantage of some of the best fishing of the season.