New England - Connecticut Fishing Reports

Jesse at Fisherman’s World said they’re still seeing and hearing of good late summer action though this week they did get some reports of local hardtails, a sign of the coming fall run. Several customers reported seeing and or catching both Spanish mackerel and bonito, hopefully a good sign for the coming funny fish season. Striper fishing is still good, on the local reefs at night with live and plastic eels. There are some fish to be caught early mornings on topwater lures as well, but the largest fish, in the 30- to 40-pound class are coming for customers fishing while the sun is down. Snapper blues have really come into form in the last week or two as they seem to be everywhere through the region. Snappers are in the harbors, river mouths and estuaries as well as along the shoreline. Otherwise for blues, there is a mix of sizes around and some are very large. Topwater feeds have been common throughout the day for large choppers, 15-pounds and larger. The waters around 28C and Middleground have had the biggest concentration of better sized blues. The weakfish bite going on in shallow water, 20-feet or less has been pretty good. Jesse said customers reported doing well with keeper sized fish on peanut bunker and pink gulp and epoxy jigs. Fluke fishing is the same. Lots of short fish with a few keepers here and there for dedicated anglers fishing in 40-feet of water or less. Scup fishing is very good. Boaters targeting hard bottom with clam chum in 30-feet or less are doing well. As are shore anglers fishing from popular spots like Calf Pasture Beach and Sherwood Island. The shop is open seven days a week.

Bobby J’s said it’s still business as usual in the region as water temperatures have been slow to move. Fishing for stripers, scup, small blues and weakfish all have their times and tides that will produce good fishing. Local anglers continue to wait with bated breath for hardtails to show locally but that search continues. Scup fishing has been the best most consistent bite in the area for the last few weeks. The fish can be found along rocky structure from the shoreline out to 20-feet or so and the action has been lights out. There are some sea bass and fluke to be caught as well, though they are mostly showing as bycatch from anglers targeting the porgies. They have heard of several 17-inch sea bass and fluke to 23-inches from customers who are scup fishing. Striper fishing is unchanged. There is good fishing to be had at low light and overnight portions of the tide. The best bite is still with live or plastic eels being the ticket to tangling with bass in the 30-pound plus class. There is some topwater action as well at first light. There are harbor blues running the beaches, chasing peanut bunker from Bridgeport to West Haven. Inside the river mouths and harbors there are plenty of snappers as well. There is a decent weakfish bite going though they are running on the smaller side this year. Customers report doing well in 35-feet of water but having to pick through lots of 14- to 17-inch fish to find a few larger ones. While there have been some local sightings of Spanish mackerel, confirmed catches are harder to come by. The shop is open six days a week closed Mondays.

Captain Morgan’s emailed over their report to say, “Finally, a little cool down bringing nearby water temperatures down to 72 degrees. However, we’ve been losing 1-2 minutes of daylight each day bringing us closer to what might materialize into a decent fall run. Meanwhile the shark population has not made any meaningful attempt to turn snouts south giving the striped bass fishery a chance to recoup. On that note, brown and sand tiger shark hookups are still making waves affording anglers quite the thrill without having to venture offshore. Chunking remains the name of the game. While Atlantic menhaden schools are still on the lean side - bouncing in from time to time - we have been catching small bluefish off Faulkner’s. Even snapper blues are getting more into the act. Weakfish catches continue to be steady at around 16 to 19 inches, while anglers are looking for hardtails that have made their way into eastern and western Sound. So far, action on that front has been improving with Atlantic bonito as bait moves in and temperatures drop. Without question, the bottom fishery has captured much of the audience. Porgy action is very good, as some of the jumbos that have escaped the dragger’s nets have made it closer to shore to join the smaller fish found on most pronounced bottom structures. Black sea bass catches are steady but fishing shallow hooks mostly short fish while deeper waters will generally limit a keeper creel limit. We are seeing young generational fluke in the high teens to low 20’s caught a varying depths and plenty more bottom fish other than the larger sharks. Dogfish, toadfish, grey triggerfish, northern kingfish/pufferfish, skate and stingrays, for the most part, make up that group. It’s peak season for blue crabs - both hard and soft shells! Wet a line inland for some outstanding fishing in rivers, lakes and ponds that will easily stretch out well past September’s upcoming trout and salmon stocking program. Bass, trout, toothy predators, panfish, carp, cats and more are actively feeding. 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 although a few of the mornings this week started to feel like fall they are seeing solid rinse and repeat action for bluefish, scup and sea bass. He said he anticipates some changes to come in the next couple of weeks as water temperatures start to cool and fish start to move around. He’s hoping the bass show back up to region as they’ve been all but absent for the last several weeks. Whatever bite they lack in bass is made up for by the copious amount of harbor blues that currently populate the area. Though they are running on the smaller side, the number of fun-sized blues caught each trip is making for sore arms and big smiles. Scup fishing is fantastic in both size and quality. They are catching as many porgies as they want every trip and the size of the fish making their way into the box has been impressive. Sea bass fishing is good if you can find the pockets of keepers. Captain TJ and his crew are fired up to get into some fall run fishing and if this season is anything like the past couple they expect to see good action for stripers, blues, scup and eventually blackfish. He’s reserving dates now for the coming fall season so give Captain TJ a call and grab your spot now.

Matt from Black Hall Outfitters emailed over their report to say they are hearing, “albies showed in Connecticut waters on Wednesday which is awesome. Large anchovies and squid were their preferred grub at least the first few days. One-ounce Game On EXO Jigs and Hogy Epoxy Jigs in pink, silver, and gold were working. Beyond the funny fish action, fluke and sea bass action is still solid 50-feet of water and deeper. The sea bass bite seems better than fluke but still the expectation for either species should be to pick through shorts. There really is no “easy button” for keepers this year for either species. Try big squid baits for both species along with metals for sea bass. Stripers have been on and off. There is better action earlier and later in the day. There are still plenty of large 45-inch plus stripers around and they will be through a lot of September if it stays warm. Eels are great this time of year for easy bites. Try smaller stuff for smaller fish, like swimbaits, mag darters, SP minnows, etc. Porgy are running well right now. Some really big fish coming on hi low rigs and clams and squid.”

Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters said they are just about ready to switch gears from targeting exclusively large striped bass and get into fall run fishing. They will transition into looking for surface feeds of stripers, bluefish and hardtails over the next few weeks. Topwater action is already gearing up as they’ve been on the false albacore bite for the last week or so. Along with the funny fish, captain mike said they’ll be using tins like the Shimano Current Sniper are well as soft plastics Like Fin-S Fish on jigheads to target stripers feeding on the surface. They have an opening this coming Saturday and it’s time to book your spot now for fall run action. Captain Mike and his team have availability over the next few weeks and the season ahead so give him a call to book a spot now.

Geno from Total Tackle said the big news this week was the arrival of false albacore to the sound but that headline was closely followed by reports of very good late season fluke fishing. Albies are in the sound and he heard from customers who said they’d seen pods of them from Soundview east to Black Point and beyond. Fishing has been a challenge but tins and epoxies are getting it done. He said he’s loaded up with Game On Exo jigs, Hogy, 24/7 and Johnny Jigs for anyone looking to gear up and chase local speedsters. Reports of good late season fluke fishing have filtered in from more than a few customers. The biggest he’d seen was a 28-inch doormat that came from deep water. One thing folks still targeting flatfish have noted is the abundance of small squid in the area. Beyond funny and flat fish, other local bites have been slow to get going. Geno said he expects that once water temperatures begin to drop a bit they will start hearing more, particularly about striped bass around the river. Right now, the river has plenty of blue crabs and snapper bluefish to keep folks busy locally while they wait. Crabbing has been steady and snapper fishing has continued to improve, though this most recent round of rain might take a couple of days to clear up. 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.

Andrew at Fishin’ Factory 3 said it was albies, albies, albies, at the shop this week with a few reports of good fluke fishing mixed in. False albacore fishing in the sound heated up this week with customers reporting action from Watch Hill west to nearly the Connecticut River. Others saw albies around the south side of Fisher’s Island and The Race and he said once they are in the sound they can be just about anywhere in a day. The shop was selling tons of tins, epoxy jigs and gear as hardtail fanatics were looking to get in on the action. There is so much bait around locally, Andrew said he hopes the funny fish stick around for a while. Other customers who were less concerned with running and gunning reported a surprising late season fluke bite. Reports came from in the sound, the Rhode Island beaches Block Island and Montauk. The mouth of the river and its tributaries picked up this week as blue crabs and snappers seemed to be more abundant, or easier to catch. The shop is open seven days a week for the season.

Over at The Saltwater Edge there was a lot of buzz around false albacore moving into the area earlier in the week. Reports were good throughout the week with anglers reporting catches of up to a dozen albies along with a few greenies and bluefish. Fishing for striped bass is starting to pick back up locally with more bait around and bass feeding heavily on the baitfish in tight to the beaches. Tautog fishing is producing a few keepers along with some short fish. Not many anglers are still targeting fluke, but there are still some nice ones around especially in deeper areas outside of the mouth of the bay. Seabass reports are holding up well and there are still good numbers of scup around. Offshore, anglers are still reporting bluefin tuna south of Block Island and there have been more mahi showing up around the windmills.

Heather at The Blackhawk office reports, “We had a busy week with some great people and some great fishing trips!  Our bottom fishing trips had good numbers of porgies, with some nice triggerfish and sea bass in the mix as well.  Some trips produced limits of porgies for those who wanted.  Our last After Work Special of the year, on Friday afternoon, had some nice blues coming over the rails for our dedicated anglers! One of our favorite trips of the year was on Wednesday; it was our annual veteran’s trip with the Northeast Saltwater Fishing Club.  We love taking this group out, it's the least we can do to thank them for their service.  The veterans had a great trip reeling in the porgies all afternoon. Thank you to all the people who worked so hard to put this trip together! Now is the time to come fishing and fill the freezer for the winter!  Grab your tickets and join us!”

Ed at Hillyer’s Bait and Tackle said he heard from customers in to buy tins and epoxy jigs that were headed out to chase around local false albacore. He said he’d heard of fish from Watch Hill to Black Point and on the south side of Fisher’s Island. Other customers reported good fluke fishing. Some were getting them locally in deep water while others were getting flatfish fairly shallow along the Rhode Island beaches. Locally, there are snappers and scup to be caught from the rocks. Scup fishing is decent everywhere from the local rocks east to Watch Hill. A few customers are still picking away at local fluke but others are making the run to Montauk or Block Island where there is more consistent action for keeper sized flatfish. A few legal sized sea bass are being caught in deep water off of Black Point and at The Race. A few customers reported catching stripers in and around the moth of the Thames River.

Tim at J&B Tackle emailed over their report to say, “The albies are officially here. Great fishing at Watch Hill with the first push of fish reported at Seaside and Bartlett’s Reef on Wednesday. Prime locations to watch are Avery Point, Sarah's Ledge, Ocean Beach, Harkness, Seaside, Niantic Bay and Black Point. Traditionally albies are here through October with the next four weeks being the best. Locate breaking fish, establish their pattern and set up to intercept them. Have plenty of Joe Baggs long cast resins, Hogy epoxy jigs, Deadly Dicks, Yo-Zuri Monster Shot and Crystal Minnows, Shimano Current Sniper, Albie Snax and 4-inch Ron-Zs on hand, so you are prepared when they get finicky. Moderate action medium or medium heavy rods help cast the lighter lures. Lighter reels with smooth drag are best suited for the initial run. Fluke and black sea bass fishing had a great push two weeks ago but slowed down last week as the temperatures started to drop in our local waters, at Cerberus Shoal and around Montauk. Striped bass fishing is getting better around dawn and in the evening. Look for some blitzes around reefs and other structure as a lot of bait is entering the area some of these may start happening during the day as we are getting into the fall season. Bluefish have shown up throughout our area, with several large fish in the mix. Fish can be found at Watch Hill, Montauk, The Race, Sluiceway, Black Point, Rocky Neck, and Plum Gut. Guys from the shop got into some good topwater action at Vixen Ledge on Labor Day afternoon. Plenty of fish are working in Niantic Bay, and there are a lot of snapper blues in the Niantic River by Golden Spur and Keeney Cove. The snapper blues create a great opportunity to introduce younger anglers to fishing using Kastmasters. For offshore fishing, bluefin and mid shore activity continues to be challenging with some good action at the end of last week. Habbs, CIA and Block Island in the area of the wind mills had a good bite last Friday (9/4/26), turning on for relatively short periods of time. Coimbra Wreck had yellowfin and bluefin. Several boats caught fish using poppers between the wind mills and high flyers with a jig bite at Habbs and CIA. Most anglers finding success with bluefin have been using; Ron-Zs, UVT Chief, pink jigs and stick baits. Both jigging and bait fishing have been producing when the fish cooperate. The lanes have been holding mahi, including many fish weighing more than 20 pounds. Mahi activity has been good, but yellowfin action has slowed considerably, with very few bites being reported. The local canyons from The Dip to West Atlantis have experienced similarly slow fishing. Some yellowfin have been caught over the past four to five days, along with a handful of swordfish caught at night. Veatch Canyon has been the best for catching bigeye and yellowfin tuna. A small pocket of water holding in the southeast corner of Atlantis has also produced yellowfin and multiple Blue Marlin. With offshore conditions changing quickly, call JB Tackle for the most up-to-date fishing report before heading out. JB Tackle is open Monday–Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.”

Captain Mike at Tartan II told me good fishing continues for his crews mostly for bottom fish though, they’ve had a few surprises this week mixed in. They aren’t seeing as many sharks around this week as they have during the past few. They are seeing albies pop up here and there though with one funny fish being caught on a clam meant for scup. The bottom fishing has stayed fantastic for both scup and sea bass. The scup they are seeing are both numerous and large making for some lights out action. Sea bass fishing has been good with a mix of sizes but plenty of keepers to fill up the fish box. The fall run is coming and Captain Mike and his crew are looking forward to another great fall fishing season. 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. so give him a call now to book your prime dates.

Karen at AW Marina said she’d heard from happy customers this week who had caught stripers, scup and fluke locally as reports for fluke and albies were good as well if not a bit further from the shop. The Fort Trumbull Pier registered a week with catches of scup, a 26.5-inch fluke and a 47-pound striped bass all hauled over it’s railings. Many customers are now targeting stripers in the river with bait and saying it’s the best bass fishing they’ve had locally in years. Some customers have been jigging their own baits and deploying them live lined or chunked while others have been in to buy frozen baits, mostly bunker and mackerel. An angler fishing for scup this week had welcome surprise when he tied into a large, 26.5-inch fluke. Scup fishing from the pier has also been steady with a few customers reporting catches of a dozen nice sized porgies. Sandworms, clams and squid have all been popular choices for those looking to produce some porgies. Beyond the pier, some customers had been out chasing albies with reports coming in from both east and west of the river as well as the south side of Fisher’s Island and Montauk. Karen said she is loaded up with epoxy jigs and tins and was putting away a fresh order of Deadly Dicks when we talked. Fluke fishing isn’t just good locally as she’d heard reports from Montauk and Rhode Island of steady fluke action for good sized flatfish.