New England - Connecticut Fishing Reports

Max at Fisherman’s World said the good bass fishing has shown no signs of slowing, with many customers reporting excellent action for high quality fish. Stripers are spread throughout the area covering everything from the beaches out to the islands to deep water structure and beyond. The largest fish in the area are holding around the deep water reefs and areas like 28C, Cable and Anchor, Green’s Ledge, 11B, Eaton’s Neck, Can 13 and the OB Buoy all have fish. Mojos, bunker spoons, flutter spoons, Diamond Jigs, topwater lures, big metal lips, soft plastics and live/dead bait are all taking fish depending on time and tide. Bass in the 36- to 42-inch range have been common and make for a blast on topwater lures. There are also good numbers of fish from 45 inches and up, making for some serious catches of cows. Inshore fishing has been good where there are bunker scattered around the south side of the islands. SP Minnows and Yo-Zuri Mag Darters as well as chunks and sandworms from the beach have worked well for surf fishermen. If you’re looking for local fluke, Max recommended trying cans 24 and 26 off Sherwood Island in 20- to 30-feet of water. Action has been spotty so far but it is starting to pick up. Bucktails tipped with fluke bellies, squid, smelt and spearing are all good bets as is Gulp. More steady action can be found along the north shore at Port Jeff, Smithtown Bay and Eaton’s Neck where customers fishing in 20-feet of water around clouds of bait are reporting keeper-sized fish. Scup fishing is also better across the sound. Fishing in deeper water, say 30 to 50 feet, with plenty of chum, has been effective for some good-sized porgies. Sea bass has been a bit slow to start but if you’re looking for a few big ones, fishing the deep water reefs wrecks is your best bet. Targeting 50 to 80 feet plus, with Diamond Jigs or butterfly jigs is a good way to find them. The shop is open seven days a week.

Bobby J’s told me striped bass fishing is very good and getting better as the next few weeks offer the best action of the season. There is bait and bass throughout the region from the harbors and beaches out to deep water structure and over in the mouth of the river. The largest fish can be found, for the most part, along the deep water ledges. Boaters headed out to deep water structure are finding quality bass in the 20- and 30-pound class with flutter spoons, soft plastics, glide baits and topwater lures. Inshore fishing has been good as well, albeit for fish a class just a bit smaller. Anglers casting from the beach with plugs and others soaking chunks are catching bass from slot to the mid-30-inch range. The river mouth has some fish during certain times and tides. Shore anglers are still waiting for a good push of porgies though a few more are showing up as bycatch for fluke anglers. Fluking is a slow pick of mostly shorts with a few keepers sprinkled in. There is bunker, lots of squid and some mackerel. The shop is open six days a week closed Mondays.

Captain Morgan’s emailed over their report to say, “Anglers who never felt the run of an over-40-inch striped bass hooked up this past week, and they will not soon forget such an experience. Whether pulling one up from the depths of The Race or fighting one from shore, the deep pulses of a cow diving into the ebbing tide or the powerful run over a flat will put stress on your forearms. The ensuing battle will piece a story together with an ending that can conceivably imprint as a core memory, that lasts a lifetime. Large fish have been stacked! Areas where bluefish have moved in offered more of a challenge. Jigging, trolling and three-waying was needed in order to get below the choppers. Other times, topwaters and soft swimbaits triggered striper responses. Chunk baits, live eels and bucktails rigged with trailers were generally productive in the areas where those yellow-eyed devils have not invaded. Warmer air and water temperatures did improve concentrations of fish in the Sound resulting in better porgy and black sea bass numbers. Scup are gaining momentum as larger slab porgies begin to mix in with smaller ones, go deep for those slabs while nearshore catches remain on the smaller side. Sea bass orientation is similar in that most sea bass caught near shore are short while keepers remain deep. Currently we are looking at about an 18:1 ratio of shorts to keepers. Fluke catches are up, but be prepared to go through plenty of shorts. Try the back bays, where channels drop along clean sandy edges, or perhaps old favorites like Isabella and Long Sand Shoal. Fish hi-lo rigs, drift-spinner setups or bucktail/squid combos. And yes, dogfish along with early striped sea robins have moved in and delight in taking your chunk baits. Not only is the inland freshwater fishery very active, anglers are out on the lakes, ponds rivers and streams participating in the action. Even though some rivers/streams need refreshing, all species of fish are making do as their Springtime life cycle is keeping pace. Trout are more than holding their own especially, the stocked waters. Bass, toothy critters and panfish are having a banner season! For more, head over to Captain Morgan’s fishing blog to read about other going’s on. We are open for business as usual and still unloading weekly deliveries to meet demand. To accommodate, we are fully stocked with natural, artificial (including flies) and live baits, to fill your fishing needs - including servicing rods and reels. Gift Certificates, too! Time permitting, we will do our best to assist anglers who have difficulty acquiring licenses on line. If you are looking for popular productive spots in the Sound and want to set up your electronics for your specific fishing needs, swing by the shop and check out one of our marked and recently updated charts for sale. Captain Morgan’s (an Authorized PENN Premium and Daiwa Tournament Dealer) is on a 7 day spring hour schedule while supporting the fishing community. Calling ahead and leaving a message is advisable. Pay us a visit at 21 Boston Post Road, Madison and you will see why, as a seasoned full-service fishing outfitter, we say, ‘We don’t make the fisherman, we make the fisherman better.’”

Captain TJ Karbowksi at Rock and Roll Charters said the solid striper fishing soldiers on with bass in the region ranging from school-sized on up to some true cows. They have been sorting fish of all sizes on the way to catching boat limits of slots. There are bunker, squid and butterfish in the area making for plenty of bait to keep the stripers around. The bunker they are seeing range from medium to adult sized and interestingly have been scattered throughout the water column for the most part, rather than balled up. Black sea bass fishing continues to pick up steam and he told me they had a limit on board when we spoke. There have been a few scup mixed in with catches but they haven’t seen a consistent bite for them just yet. With the warmer weather it’s starting to feel like summer fishing and the bites are setting up nicely for the season. He’s reserving dates now for the season so give Captain TJ a call and grab your spot now.

Matt from Black Hall Outfitters emailed over their report to say, “Really good bite. Bass moved in heavily, lots of big fish on the shore spots, reefs, and river systems. Topwater spooks, glide baits, spoons, diamond jigs, bucktails, live eels and big soft plastics are all producing good fish. Bluefish are mixing in as well. Sea bass remains slow, fluke is just starting to get good and guys out east are finding some good ones. Porgy fishing is still slow but, slowly improving.”

Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters said very good striped bass action continues into June and they are seeing lots quality fish across many different types of structure. Big numbers of fish can be found from river mouths and bays, on out to some of the reefs and also holding on deep water structure. They are seeing fish range mostly from slot-size and larger with some big fish in the mix. Bunker and butterfish seem to be the two most prominent bait species this week. He also mentioned that they started catching some bluefish in the 10- to 12-pound class over the weekend. A variety of presentations have been effective depending on where they’ve been fishing. Soft plastics, top water lures and flutter spoons are all working well. They have some openings over the next couple of weeks and we’re heading into a prime part of the season. Captain Mike and his team are already booking prime dates for the season and it’s never too early to lock yours in so give him a call to book a spot now.

Andrew at Fishin’ Factory 3 said striper fishing continues to dominate the conversation at the shop. Most customers have been bass fishing whether in the river or out in the sound. The bite in the upper river is starting to wind down but reports they heard from anglers fishing with bait from shore or plugs from boats said the lower river bite was solid. They’ve also heard from customers fishing some of the reefs outside the river and to west who have had good striper action as well. The bite going at The Race and Plum Gut is no secret and it sounds like paddletails, bucktails, flutter spoons and Diamond Jigs are all catching fish. The bass in the deep water rips seem to be running from around slot size to the 20-pound range and the first reports of bluefish there also came in over the past few days. More consistent bluefish action can be found at the Millstone discharge. Word of a bit better sea bass fishing made its way into the shop over the weekend but overall, that bite has been off to a slower than average start according to most anglers who have been in buying rigs and bait. There are a few scup around but the most consistent action is still over in the Peconics. Fluke fishing has been tough for just about everyone who’s been trying. The shop is open seven days a week for the season.

Chris at The Saltwater Edge reported a very good week of squid fishing around the islands and out front along the beaches. The squid fishing is often wrapping around this time of year but with water temperatures still on the cool side the fishing has been holding up very well. There have also been a lot of sand eels moving in around the bay with birds, bass, and blues feeding heavily on them. Striper fishing is holding up well with some big fish up in the bay and around the islands and some smaller fish in the 15 to mid-20 inch have also started to move into the area. Reports were good this past week for black sea bass which are being found on deeper pieces of structure around the mouth of the bay. Fluke fishing has been a struggle so far this season and it doesn’t seem many have moved into the area just yet.

Heather at The Blackhawk office reports, “The story of the week was the squid. Wednesday night was good, with many full buckets and happy anglers. Saturday night, though, was hands down the best squid fishing we have ever seen on the Black Hawk! Double and triple headers is an understatement! Buckets were overflowing with some anglers filling four buckets! We even ran out of buckets and started filling fish baskets; just absolutely incredible fishing. You had to be there to fathom it. We're adding a squid trip for Wednesday night so grab your tickets and join us! Porgy trips during the week were up and down, with some Monday being the best of the week. Other days were slower, with some better hits of fish now and then, but overall not what we're hoping for at this time of year. Hopefully this warmer weather this week helps with that! The bass fishing, however, was excellent. Our private charters during the week did some combo trips where they spent part of the day porgy fishing and part of the day bass fishing, and they were not disappointed. Lots of big bass that were released, and several keepers within the slot limit was the story on these trips this week. Friday afternoon's ‘after work special’ was the same, with some nice keepers and many big fish. We're still booking some charters for the summer, so email the office to get your date on the calendar. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!”

Tim at J&B Tackle emailed over their report to say “Striped bass fishing in our area has been incredible; bigger fish are becoming more aggressive as the week progresses. Big fish are being caught from the Connecticut River and to the east, Plum Gut, Hatchett Reef, Black Point, Bartletts Reef, the Race, Fishers Island and Watch Hill. The Plum Gut, Race and Watch Hill areas are the best places to catch your personal best. Topwater action has been good at Watch Hill and is improving during slack tide in The Race. Bunker are becoming more prevalent as the targeted baitfish, which explains the success with flutter spoons. On Tuesday, I had another great trip fishing the 5.5-ounce Soft Mack Attack swimbait. Using the same method: drop to the bottom, reel up two cranks, and alternate between fast and slow jigging; most strikes came on the pause. Be sure to set the hook when you feel any bump, whether you are clearing the bottom or hooking a fish. Most common lures this week continue to be the Soft Mack Attack, three-way bucktails (chartreuse and white), Tsunami heavy flutter spoons (white and silver), Docs, Skippers, Yo-Zuri Mag Pencils and Shimano SplashWalks. Glide baits like the Nessie and Chop Blocks continue to be a great option for topwater fish and around structure. For offshore, some very interesting warm water patterns are beginning to appear to the east. This is definitely good news to go along with the new bluefin regulations announced last week. It's only a matter of time before that first window appears. Time to get fresh topshots and tuna gear ready. For JB Tackle events, we have the Tri-State Canyon Tournament: fish it, visit or watch the live stream weigh-ins. Great location and atmosphere for all to enjoy. JB Tackle is open Monday–Saturday open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.”

Captain Mike on the Tartan II said he was excited to be back on the water and they seemed to pick things up right where they left them last season. Their trips so far have focused mainly on stripers and scup. He said the bass bite hasn’t been hot and heavy but instead a steady pick of quality fish. Scup fishing has been very good so his crews are enjoying some early season mixed bag action. They will run charters as scheduled with open boats on Tuesdays and Thursdays for bottom fishing as well as open boat striper trips on Fridays at 4 p.m. They expect another great year on the eastern sound so give Captain Mike a call now to book your prime dates.

Karen at AW Marina said it was all about the bass. Striper fishing has been lights out for many customers whether they are fishing from shore or by boat. The best bite going right now is out in the deep water rips of The Race and Plum Gut. These rips are loaded with bass and bait and there are plenty of boats as well as the bite is no secret. There are bunker and butterfish keeping the bass busy and flutter spoons, Diamond Jigs and three way rigs with bucktails and paddle tails have all been effective. The size of the fish has been good if you’re looking to keep one or tangle with a fish in the 20-pound-plus range, with a few much larger mixed in. There were a few reports of bluefish showing up in the last few days as well. There are some bass being caught around the mouth of the river on sandworms intended for scup. While the porgy pounders are hopeful, Karen said they aren’t catching more than a short scup here or there just yet. Fluke reports are slow. From what she’s heard from most customers, heading to the south side of Fisher’s Island and picking through shorts is your best bet to finding one or two to bring home to the table. Karen was putting away an order of Gravity Tackle eels when we were talking and the shop is loaded up with all the striper and bottom fishing tackle you need. The shop is open seven days a week for the season.