New England - Connecticut Fishing Reports

I talked to Tyler at Fisherman’s World who told me that local action is on the upswing and will only get better for the next month or more. Striper fishing is the best game in town right now and it’s not even close as fish are spread out everywhere from inshore harbors and bays out to deep water structure. The freshest fish in the region are likely to be found on the deep water reefs like 11B, Can 13 and the OB Buoy. These schools of fish seem to be on the move as they’ll be around an area in the morning and gone in the afternoon or vice versa. Tyler said that trolling mojos, umbrella rigs and bunker spoons is the best way to locate bass once you see something promising on sonar. If you do find a pile, diving swimming plugs are a good bet as well as topwater. Many of these fish are of high quality, in the 40-inch class. Another encouraging sign along the deep water reefs is the amount of bait currently present. They are seeing and hearing reports of bunker, mackerel, squid, spearing and rainbait. Tyler said that he expects fishing in the area to become more consistent with the arrival of the coming new moon as there are still good reports of fish coming from the west, say Captain’s Island to the Weather Buoy to Hempstead. Once those fish collide with the bait things should set up nicely and incorporating flutter spoons and big soft plastics into your repertoire will be a good idea. If you’re looking to fish from shore, there are plenty of bass in tight as well. Shore anglers reported catching on both bait and plugs this week. The Housatonic also continues to fish well, especially at night. On the fluke front, No one had caught one as of when we talked, but if you’re looking for a local fluke he suggested trying shallow, in 15-feet of water or less with small bucktails or spearing. If you want to look a bit deeper, cans 24 and 26 are always good early season bets for flatties. The best bet now and for a couple of weeks though will be heading to the north shore along Eaton’s Neck or in Smithtown bay. The same can be said for early scup, where fishing in 30 to 50 feet around Lloyd’s Neck with lots of clam chum is the best bet.

Bobby J’s said for the most part, it’s all about bass right now as the bite continues to fire up. They talked to customers who caught fresh stripers with sea lice mixed in with resident fish and overall, the quality seemed to be getting better on the whole. They got some fresh bunker into the shop a couple days this week and reports back from anglers fishing chunks were very good for fish into the 20-pound plus class. Aside from bait fishing, plastics on jigheads have been a staple while topwater plugs and metal lips have their times and places as well. The local water temperature ranges from 51 to 54 degrees, depending on time and tide and fish can be caught throughout the area on a variety of types of structure. The local beaches have fish and the river continues to fish well. Most of the action there is now coming from the lower river, say below the 95 bridge down to the mouth. They hadn’t heard any fluke reports just yet but there were customers in gearing up to get ready to head across to the north shore to try to find some flatfish. Trout fishing is still going strong with lots of customers reporting really good action anywhere the state had stocked. Some of the more pressured waters are getting a bit tricky but overall water levels and temperatures are ideal to get out and snare a few trout. The shop is open six days a week closed Mondays.

Captain Morgan’s emailed over their report to say, “Laser-focused on striped bass, anglers are hitting the suds, bays and tidal rivers looking to capitalize on the Spring run. Hooking up is a carryover from last week only more of it. The menu has not changed much (live, fresh frozen and artificial), but feeding has cranked up. Over-the-slot 40’s have turned some heads with most of the action having been slot and throwbacks. The shoreline has seen linesiders around 24 to 29 inches on swimmers, paddletails and flies. Many of these fish are just in from their salty journey and gorging on menhaden and river herring, along with some hickories. The western Sound has been seeing some limited fluke activity by the sand waves on the New York side. Best attempts at the early migrators would be squid on either a Hi-Lo or three-way drift rig If you’re hungry for scup, wait a bit longer until water temps hit about 55 degrees when feeding activity picks up, even though you can find porgies already in shallower water. Little by little, the Sound is beginning to fill as baitfish, like bunker are schooling. Likewise, freshwater is maintaining its recent reputation as being extremely active. Trout continue to top the list, but arguably, bass anglers are insisting that bucketmouth and bronzeback catches make the case for them. Cranks, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, jigs and soft plastics are being worked from drop-offs into the shallows as the pre-spawn/spawn fish become more and more aggressive. Many local lakes and ponds are showing off formidable chain pickerel caught on both hard and soft baits. Additionally, there is no letup of quality black crappie being caught on small jigs, twister tails and worms, either. Yellow perch and other panfish are making for excellent fish-fries or just plain fun. On one hand all things fish are finally coming together and on the other hand, we are into the middle of May already. Read on in Captain Morgan’s fishing blog! As we look forward to an exciting fishing season, 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 seven day spring hour schedule while supporting the fishing community. Calling ahead (203-245-8665) 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 boat was in the water and they’re all set to start fishing next week on Saturday the 16th! The crew is fired up to get back on the water and start bending rods and making memories. He told me he’s looking forward to the season ahead and some of his returning groups were already booking their favorite dates. 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, “Many more bass reports here. Smaller fish mostly coming on sandworms, SP Minnows, glidebaits like the Berkley Nessie 7 and 9, Bucca Trick Shad, Mag Darters, and NLBN paddletails. No bluefish to report yet but I imagine they'll show their ugly heads soon.”

Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters said the spring fishing really cranked up since the last moon and should get even better with the coming cycle. They are seeing an increase in larger fish, mostly in the 20-pound plus range. There is no shortage of bait in the area as they are seeing masses of river herring and even some bunker around. 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 led his report this week with shad again as the bite has been very good for many customers coming through the shop to reload on willow leaves and weights. The action has been consistent with some days producing fast fishing. Mornings and evenings have been best but the lunch break crowd has been getting in on the fun as well. Andrew said that a willow leave fished behind a drail weight of a half to three quarter-ounces seemed to be the most popular way to catch one of these hard fighting fish. The striper fishing in the river continues to improve and while fish are spread from the mouth to the dam, the fishing in the lower river seemed to outpace other sections. Reports came into the shop of good fishing on artificial lures like soft plastics and glidebaits for fish in the 20-pound-plus class. Upstream, sandworms were still the bait of choice for most anglers, especially those fishing locally. There are still fish to be had around the tributaries as the herring run continues. There haven’t been many reports of striper action in the sound from the river to east yet but some of the structure adjacent to the river is now holding fish. Andrew said he expects more reports of fish from the Connecticut to the Thames after this next new moon. Beyond bass fishing, a few customers had been in to gear up and head out on party boats pointed toward the Peconics. If you’re looking for some early season scup, that would be the best bet to pound some porgies. Local trout fishing is still keeping lots of folks and families busy and the action has been excellent as the state continues to stock fish. Worms and shiners are working as are lures like Rooster Tails and Thomas Bouyant Rough Riders. The shop is open seven days a week for the season.

Chris at The Saltwater Edge heard reports of some nice-sized bass being caught up inside of the bay by both boat and surf anglers. There was a decent south wind for most of the week which tends to push the bait and bass within range of surfcasters who were able to land some quality fish. The larger bass are feeding on adult bunker and herring so larger soft plastics and topwater plugs are fishing well. Squid are starting to show up around the islands and should be spreading out along the beaches soon. Tautog reports are still a little slow, but they can be caught if you are willing to put in the time. There hasn’t been much for talk of fluke showing up in the bay yet but fishing seems to be picking up around Block and Montauk so they should show up locally soon.

Heather at The Blackhawk office reports, “We've had some up and downs with the porgy fishing since we started. This weekend was no exception. Friday was a tough day on the scup grounds, as we had a pick of fish on each spot, but it never materialized as we expected. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful spring day on the water and everyone went home with some fish for dinner. Saturday and Sunday, though, were totally different! Both days were a ‘one drop stop’ as we produced limits for some, and everyone caught for the entire trip. It was a great feeling to get back to what we are accustomed to! It should only get better from here! We also had a solid showing of short fluke that were all released, but a good sign that all the species are waking up from the cold winter! Friday's squid trip wasn't what we'd hoped for, but we're looking forward to better trips in the coming days. Stay tuned and we'll post more trips soon! We're still booking charters, with only a few spots left for the end of May and early June. Summer dates are also filling fast, so be sure to email the office to get your date on the calendar soon.”

Tim at J&B Tackle emailed over their report to say “I was able to get out today (Friday 5/8/26) with JB Pro Staff guide Captain Joe Diorio and can confirm striped bass are officially here. We caught several quality striped bass in the 30- to 40-inch class. We also had more than a dozen striped bass short-strike our topwater plugs, and double that number followed our lures and plugs to the boat. Josh Rayner JB Pro Staff and kayak guide reported that he had striped bass of all sizes and one about 42 inches. He also saw a few striped bass in the mid 30- to 40-inch class. Joe and I caught our fish on the 7-inch Doc and 6.75-inch Joe Baggs Skipper. Josh was catching on the Nessie around herring along with small to medium weightless soft plastics and jigs. Fish are being caught in the CT, Niantic and Thames River along with reports in the sound. This coming week should see more activity on the local reefs prime for wire lining with parachute jigs with an Osprey pork rind trailer. Stock up now because the spring run has begun. Freshwater fishing has been great with water temperatures between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit, which is prime for largemouth spawning to begin. Look for bass moving into shallow water (flats or tops of steep banks, sometimes under the cover of trees or docks) between 1- and 5-feet deep and forming beds. Some bass may still be in prespawn stages so fish can be found throughout the water column. Largemouth bass can be caught on jig head minnows, jerk baits and Texas rigged soft baits. Glide baits like the Berkeley Nessie or Bucca Trick Shad are great for matching Alewives which are still spawning. Trout continue to be stocked; check the State of CT DEEP website for stock dates and locations .Most productive baits for catching trout are the Berkley PowerBait, rooster tails, Mepps spinners and spoons, live night crawlers and mealworms are also good options. JB Tackle is open Monday–Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2p.m.”

Captain Mike at Tartan II said they were getting some last minute things done on the boat but for all intents they are ready to fish and can’t wait to get out after it. They will start running again on Memorial Day weekend and many returning clients are already booked up for the early season bass bite. They will run open boat on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 7 a.m. and the rest of the week will be private charters. 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 that there were some bites going locally but so far this spring overall angler effort has been off to a slower start. While they aren’t hearing a slew of reports, they are hearing some good ones and she expects things to pick up greatly in the next week or two. She said the coming new moon should push more bass into the area and she wouldn’t be surprised to start hearing reports from The Race. There are some stripers to be had in the river for the time being though with schoolie to slot fish falling for plugs and sandworms. One consistent bite she’s hearing about from customers is for out of season blackfish that are quick to suck up the same sea worms fished from rocky structure and piers. She said that a few folks were few gearing up to get on head boats headed over to the Peconics to fish for porgies, stripers and the occasional weakfish. They will be in the shop most weekdays and on weekends for the next couple of weeks and will post their hours on the Facebook page for the season. In the meantime, they continue to stock up with tackle for the season so stop by to gear up and grab a license.