New England - Connecticut Fishing Reports

Max at Fisherman’s World said that fishing in the region is red hot for stripers. The bass bite is ‘lights out’ from the inshore grounds out to the local reefs and beyond for fish of all sizes including some true cows. The most popular areas have been 11B, 28C and the OB Buoy but the fish are spread throughout the region. On the deep water reefs trolling and casting are working equally well depending on what the tide is doing. Anglers trolling bunker spoons and mojo rigs are catching big bass as are those throwing topwater plugs and big metal lips. Fish on the reefs are chasing both bunker and mackerel and finding the bait is a good first step to getting on the bass. The largest fish, into the 40-pound class seem to be holding on the deep reefs but fish of all sizes are scattered throughout the area. Inside the islands, bass are taking SP Minnows and Yo-Zuri Mag Darters and reports from customers fishing with chunks and sandworms from the beach have been good as well. Fluke reports have been spotty on our side of the sound. More consistent 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. Bucktails with Gulp, spearing, squid or smelt are all effective but the key to catching is fishing around the schools of baitfish. 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 knotheads fishing the deep water wrecks is your best bet. The shop is open seven days a week.

Bobby J’s said that the bass bite just keeps getting better locally and beyond. Much like the last week or two, fish are spread throughout the region from the beaches to the reefs and the river. Boaters headed out to deep water structure are finding quality bass in the 20-pound class with chunks, flutter spoons, soft plastics and topwater lures. Anglers casting from the beach with plugs and others soaking chunks are catching bass from slot to the mid-30-inch range. There are still plenty of bass in and around the river, though the mouth is now fishing better than the upper reaches. There is an insane hickory shad run this season and just about every beach and harbor is loaded with them. Fast and fun fishing has been the norm most evenings for anglers fishing with spoons, small lures and flies. Fluke fishing has been slow. There are a few regulars picking away at a few keepers but for the most part, anyone after flatfish has been catching shorts. One good sign for the region is the amount of bait around. There is bunker, lots of squid and even a few mackerel. Sea bass and scup haven’t shown yet but should in the next couple of weeks. The shop is open six days a week closed Mondays.

Captain Morgan’s emailed over their report to say, “Momentum gained! Although Spring has all but been typical, fishers found a way to work around it capitalizing on the influx of the season’s multi-species migrations. Still leading the list of the most active and catchable fish is striped bass. From shore or onboard a vessel, the bite continues to raise eyebrows. The recent run of over-the-slot 40-inch linesiders has passed all expectations especially, during the rare Full Blue Moon cycle. Those caught and released from shore continues however, the reefs have been steadily gaining notice. Trolling, Tube/Worming, three-waying and jigging are all catching stripers. Consider Six Mile, Southwest Reef and Faulkner’s to name a few. Scattered schools of menhaden are darting in/out of channels and bays making for ideal forage as shad and other members of the herring family are proving productive baits. Hard and soft swim baits are being used effectively in tidal rivers and along the shore as well as spoons. Bluefish are chopping around but the volume and density of them is not necessitating the jump to wire leaders just yet if striper fishing. Black sea bass are running on the short side pretty mush throughout the Sound. It won’t be long before worthy ‘knotheads’ start showing up on the grounds. During the past week, scup made inroads, but their favorite nearshore rocky bottoms and humps need a little more time for thoughts of recreational anglers filling a cooler become a reality. But now is the time to look to deep water sites for some real humpbacks. Chilly temps appears to have been keeping summer flounder farther out. Shy of a few small catches, that migration into the sound.is no hurry to get to the rivers. Meanwhile baitifsh will be the driving force to crank it up as mid-Sound temps warm up. Super-sized winter flounder have occasionally been caught in June from lower tidal rivers as they tend to seek cooler water. With near shore water still on the cooler side, chumming up some mussels and clams while baiting a hook with a seaworm might not be a bad idea. Meanwhile frogs, bugs and jigs are doing it to largemouths as smallies key on searching jerk baits and hair jigs as well as other cold water forage imitations. Trout are preferring inline spinners, swimmers and scented baits. All three will not turn away from live worms along with numerous fresh and brackish water species. Casting to points and steep rocky banks including nearshore shallow pre-spawn/spawn spots. For more, head over to Captain Morgan’s fishing blog to read about what else is going 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 (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 striper fishing is as good as it gets where he’s been fishing. Bass from keepers to 30-pounds have been common catches making for plenty of big smiles and sore arms. There are bunker and butterfish around and finding schools of either baitfish is a good bet if you’re looking to catch some bass. Black sea bass action is starting to heat up and they are starting to see more and more legal sized fish with each trip out. He said he expects to see good fishing for sea bass for the next few weeks and the season ahead. Scup are still scarce though there have been a few mixed in here and there. Water temperatures have been hovering in the mid to upper 50-degree range for the time being. 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, “The bass bite is definitely getting better. We're selling a lot of jigs and spoons as well as a lot of large paddletails with heavy jigheads. Guys are also using Eels with some success. No word on ground fish yet, but that should happen as the water warms.”

Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters said they are seeing more and more big bait on their trips and it’s been fueling some very good bass fishing. Bunker, big butterfish and various sizes of whiting are all present in our waters and finding the bait has meant finding the fish. A variety of presentations have been effective depending on where they’ve been fishing. Bunker have been inshore an on some reefs while the butterfish and whiting have been closer to deep water structure. Soft plastics, topwater 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 that the best bites they are hearing about have been for striped bass. Whether they talk to customers who’ve been fishing the river or heading out to reefs or The Race, bass fishing has been very good. The Connecticut River continues to produce fish although the mouth is now fishing better than upriver. With that said, customers are still reporting taking fish locally on sandworms. The mouth is coughing up fish on docs, swimmers and plastics from school sized to the 30-pound class. The reefs are fishing well with bait, flutter spoons and soft plastics and The Race has been red hot on certain tides with spoons. Reports of bluefish came in from the warm water discharge at Millstone and the mouth of the Thames River. Fluke fishing is a grind. They got a few reports of keeper sized flatfish this week but no one was scraping up more than a few here or there. Isabella seems to be a popular spot but the fishing by no means can be described as good yet. A few reports of sea bass came from the waters off Clinton, that bite should heat up soon. Scup reports are scant save for the headboats sailing to the Peconics. The shop is open seven days a week for the season.

Over at The Saltwater Edge they continue to hear reports of good fishing for striped bass up inside of the bay and around the island. The fish are a bit more spread out now so you might need to spend some time searching but there are plenty around. Along with striped bass, anglers are catching some nice sized bluefish. Fluke reports are starting to pick up along the south shore and inside of the bay. There have also been reports of better fluke fishing south of Block Island. There have been some keeper sized black sea bass around along with plenty of short fish. It seems to be a bit slower of a year for weakfish so far, but a few are being reported from areas around the islands. Scup fishing is starting to pick up a bit and will only get better from here.

Heather at The Blackhawk office reports, “We had some ups and downs this week, but that's fishing!  Our Memorial Day porgy trip was slower than we'd hoped, and we picked away all day.  Our Wednesday morning porgy trip started off hot, then slowed down a bit as the tide turned and the red weed started and made it hard to keep the rigs clean. Friday's porgy trip had a good shot of big fish at the end of the day, which was great to see.  We lost Saturday's trip to the heavy wind.  Sunday's trip was better than expected after the stormy conditions Saturday, with a good number of porgies getting into the coolers. Special thanks to Sacred Heart School, who joined us on Tuesday for a special seal watch field trip.  We saw a ton of seals and the kids had a blast!  We can't wait for next year! Our Calamari Safari squid trips were good, especially Saturday night.  After the windy day, we were treated to calm seas and full buckets of squid.  We've added a new trip for Wednesday night at 5 p.m., so come join us! Our After Work Special on Thursday was fantastic, with plenty of bass up to 27 pounds, all released unharmed. We had so many big fish we couldn't get through them to get the slots. The rods stayed bent all evening. We'll be adding more of these trips soon, stay tuned and join us! 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 is in full swing in our area. Consistent bass over 20 pounds are being caught from the CT River east including all the local spots: Plum Gut, Hatchett Reef, Black Point, Bartletts Reef, the Race, Fishers Island and Watch Hill. The CT River from the mouth north is still not as productive as it has been since receiving the latest rain. I made two trips to the Race this week fishing the last two hours of the flood tide and catching over 20 bass well over slot size, including a couple over 40 inches. I caught all my bass by jigging, with the majority taken on a Fish Lab 5-½-ounce Soft Mack Attack swim bait. Drop the Mack Attack to the bottom, reel up two cranks, and alternate between fast and slow jigging. Strikes came during the bottom pause of the jig. Be sure to set the hook when you feel any bump, either to clear the bottom or to hook a fish. Three-way bucktailing was the other method that caught fish on my two trips. Several customers have come into the shop reporting a topwater blitz on different days. This is not uncommon at the beginning of the first run as bass will chase bait up and disappear quickly. Last year the topwater action also seemed spotty, until the first week of June when it lasted longer, starting at the end of each tide and extending into the very beginning of slack tide. Most common lures this week were three-way bucktails (chartreuse and white), Tsunami 9-inch heavy flutter spoons (white and silver), Docs, Skippers, Yo-Zuri Mag Pencil and Shimano Splash Walk when the topwater bite lasted. Glide baits like the Nessie and Chop Blocks continue to be a great option for topwater fish and around structure. We have heard of a few more keeper fluke being caught locally this week with a few shorts mixed in. Most are being caught in shallower water. All in all, catching quite a few shorts is a promising sign this early in the season. For freshwater, largemouth bass are post-spawn throughout the state. Fish can be found near docks, submerged trees, and shade lines, as well as patches of lily pads. Schools of bass fry are relating to cover with parental fish close by (observed by forward facing sonar). Water temps are averaging 70 degrees and above. Target subsurface/deep weeds, trees, and rocks. Many fish follow glide/swim baits out of cover. Large Texas rigged curly tail worms slow rolled on the bottom should become effective with the continued heat. Top water lures have been working well in shallow areas. Large schools of alewives are still present in local lakes. Lures that have been working include glide/swimbaits (match the hatch), frogs, top waters, Texas and wacky rigged worms. Saturday June 6, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., the Penn Tour Van will be at the shop promoting the Pure Fishing Sales Event. The van will give away free shirts, hats, samples and free Berkley X9 line fill with the purchase of a Penn inshore reel. JB Tackle will use this date as our Memorial Day Sales event rain date, offering in-store specials and super sales on leftover rods and reels along with current demo rods that have never been used. Come down before or after fishing to get some great deals. The event continues to grow; as more information becomes available we will post on Instagram and Facebook. JB Tackle is open Monday–Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.”

Captain Mike at 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 told me the best bite going locally is for striped bass. Whether you’re fishing from shore or a boat the bass fishing is keeping most of her customers busy. The shore crowd is catching linesides from the Fort Trumbull Pier and there are also bass coming from the structure adjacent to the mouth. The boaters she’d talked to were catching both bass and bluefish in the mouth. Other folks had been heading out to the Race and Valiant Rock where the striper fishing is lights out one day and tough the next. Still, there seem to be lots of fish in that area. Karen also said she’d heard a report from Watch Hill of stripers of various sizes gorging on sand eels. There are plenty of squid in the region and to the east as well and there have been a few reports of bunker around the river mouth. Many customers are patiently waiting for the arrival of porgies to local water but they will likely have to wait another week or two and for the water to warm up a bit. She suggested taking a trip on one of the headboats that have been consistently catching scup over at the Peconics. Fluke reports have been hit or miss to start. Most have come from the south side of Fisher’s Island where short fish have been the norm. The shop is open seven days a week for the season.