As we enter a ‘stare-down’ with September and the beginning of the fall run, let’s take a few moments to look back on the summer of 2023 and the fishing it brought with it. Summer 2023 brought an unusual mix of heat and precipitation; pretty much the entire month of July brought with it oppressive heat, and on the days when the temperatures were more manageable, we were inundated with flooding rains. In spite of all this, the fishing held up with awesome tuna fishing, first east of the Cape and then south of Block Island. We also had repeated blitzes of large stripers in the Cape Cod Canal, an amazing run of large bluefish in Connecticut and the best fluke season we’ve seen in many years across southern New England.
Ben G. enjoyed an awesome day of bottom fishing aboard Little Sister Charters running out of Westport Harbor.In early July, Andrew Bonomo seized the opportunity to get on the early tuna bite south of Block Island.August Gorski chunked up this 12-pound smooth dogfish near Todd’s Point off Greenwich, CT.Tim Lyman rented a rod and fished chunk bait from a Plum Island beach for this awesome 48-inch striped bass that was released after the catch.Armindo Ramos (left) with Capt. Jason Colby and one of the many ‘over-slot’ stripers they caught in the Westport River.Rick Mola, owner of Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, CT caught this massive 10.5-pound doormat in western Long Island Sound.The man with the best name in the fishing business, Frank Hammer, hoists a thick western Long Island Sound cow striper.Stephane hopped aboard the Black Hawk running out of Niantic, CT and landed this nice-sized bluefish.Joe Tkacz caught this 38-inch gator bluefish in the Race on a diamond jig.Cody Rice made a trip to the Cape Cod Canal with his grandpa, they had some interesting stories to tell about groups of unscrupulous 20-something anglers crowding young Cody when he was hooked up, but he still managed to make a day out of it and this 40-incher was his best catch.
