Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt, at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook, provided the following report for the week: “The bass bite is on fire after the storm. Lots of great reports from the eastern sound, including the Connecticut River mouth area. Topwater is working very well along with glide baits like the Game On X-Chop. Eels and GT Eels also producing. Bonito are still kicking around the eastern sound, but albie reports have been non-existent. Water temperatures dropped quite a bit and could have sent them packing from those north winds. No news on groundfish yet. Our upcoming TogTober Tournament runs from October 22-25, and the single biggest tog wins it. Last year, first place was $4,000 and second was $1,000, and we had 154 anglers. There is a big raffle and after-party on Sunday the 25th at 3 p.m. Fish anywhere, but it must be weighed in at the shop; details on our website. Sign-up is $50 for the main tournament, $20 for optional calcuttas. You can do it online, by phone, or in the shop.”
Heather from the Blackhawk in Niantic reports: “Once we got back out there after the storm, it was like we never left! The porgy fishing picked up right where we left off, with jumbo porgies coming over the rails! Our trips on Thursday showed some of the best scup fishing of the season, with an easy full boat limit and some nice sea bass in the mix as well. Friday and Saturday also showed good porgy fishing for our awesome anglers. We continue to fish every day. Starting next week, with the opening of blackfish, we will have crabs on board for our “mixed bag” trips. Our famous 12-hour combo trips start in November, so get ready for those! Now is the time to come fill the freezer for winter! Get out there and join us!”
Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters said fall run fishing is on, with striped bass on the move through the region. The storm seemed to shake the bass up, and they can now be found both on structure and chasing bait at any time of day. Blitzing fish under birds have been a common sight this week and lures that imitate the small bait they are feeding on have been effective. Shimano Current Snipers as well as soft plastics on jig heads have worked well for slow sized fish while larger cow sized bass have been falling to live eels. The albies seem to have dispersed since the storm, but they are seeing schools of bonito around. They plan to target tog as well later in the month and into November and if the past couple of years are any indication, fishing should be good. They have openings for fall run fishing and it’s time to book your spot now, so give Captain Mike a call.
Geno, from Total Tackle in Old Saybrook, said they’ve heard about improvement to the local bite since the storm. Striper fishing has picked up locally and beyond, with many customers reporting good fishing during and after the blow. There are fish in the river as well as outside, heading in both directions. There is bait, mostly small bait and peanut bunker, and if you can find it, chances are you’ll find the bass with it. All kinds of presentations have been effective, including topwater, swimmers, tins and epoxies, plastics as well as live bait like eels. There are also schools of small harbor bluefish around, harassing the small bait as well. Geno said there is a lot of excitement for the upcoming blackfish season, and they are hosting a tournament. It will run from October 17th through November 8th. The main tournament is decided by the combined weight of each angler’s two heaviest blackfish. There is no minimum weight requirement. Each blackfish must measure at least 16 inches and meet all applicable state and federal fishing regulations for the region. Fish may be caught anywhere in compliance with applicable state and federal fishing laws. All weigh-ins must take place at Total Tackle. To see more details and register, visit their Instagram page or website for full details. The shop is open seven days a week; Monday through Friday they are there from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.; on Saturday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Captain Joe, at Diorio Guide Service, provided the following update for the week: “This week was absolutely insane fishing. We targeted stripers all week long, and it was nonstop. Topwater, subsurface, it didn’t matter; they ate everything that came in front of their face. Lots of really big fish as well! Multiple fish over that magic 50-inch mark as well. We have been fishing 5 to 30 feet of water near structure and fast-moving water. At first light, we have been doing very well fishing topwater lures like the Joe Baggs Skipper. As the sun gets higher in the day, we have been doing very well using live eels. This upcoming week we will be targeting more stripes but also start targeting Tautog as well. We should also really start to see more all-day topwater action as the water continues to cool.”This is absolutely my favorite time of the year. We have about 1 month left. Contact Joe to book your dates.
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Anthony, from Game on Lures, provided the following report for the week: “Things haven’t changed much since last week, although temperatures are finally dropping after the cold nights. Bass are just about everywhere throughout the sound and rivers. The bite has remained great, but the fish have certainly been on the move and not sticking to one area for long. A lot of the bait in the system is on the smaller side, but that hasn’t deterred these fish from hitting a larger profile. Glide baits like the new X-Chop have been a staple for me on the last few trips and have produced some better than average fish. Straight tail plastics, topwaters, and live eels have also been working locally. As water temperatures fall, we should continue to see bass filtering into the system and more surface activity. Some Bonito are still kicking, but it seems like the albies are truly a needle in a haystack. I’ve heard reports that Montauk and some areas of RI have had some large pods since the blow, but nothing consistent. It’s tough to say whether we will have a late push of them locally, but it always pays to have an EXO Jig tied on just in case! Blackfish season opens this Saturday, and it should be phenomenal on both shallow and deep structure. Stop by your local tackle shop. Stock up on crabs and get out there!”
Captain Chris, of Elser Guide Service, told me that the weather once again took away several trips this week, but when he was able to get out, he found some big bonito in the 5-8-pound range, along with loads of striped bass, both of which were gorging on peanuts. It was nice to finally start to see light tackle bass in the 26-33-inch range, and there are much larger fish in the mix as well! Both false albacore and bluefish still remain elusive across the Western Sound.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
Strong fall fishing has continued across Connecticut, and the day most fall anglers have been waiting for is here, with the opening of blackfish season. Bottom fishermen across the state will be out in full force looking for blackfish this weekend, and there will be no shortage of sea bass and scup in the mix, as they are still in their late-summer patterns. We’re tracking some potential windy weather next week, but the opening weekend looks like a great one! In terms of gamefish, the eastern to central sound is still seeing some pretty large blitzes of mixed-sized striped bass feeding on anchovies and peanuts. Light tackle and fly anglers are still cashing in consistently, but don’t be afraid to throw some bigger offerings into the mix to try and cull out some bigger bass. The larger rivers like the Connecticut and Thames are seeing some strong late-season bass fishing as well, which tends to happen pre-migration. False albacore reports have been almost non-existent in CT, but bonito numbers are holding strong, both to the east and west. For the freshwater enthusiasts, the fall trout stocking program is firing up, and flows are great. This is a great time to keep a fly rod or ultra-light in your car and quickly hit a local trout stream for the fish or the fall scenery.