July 27, 2026 - 10:34:13
From Colin at Fishin’ Factory 3 in Middletown we heard that bass in local private ponds and public places including Millers Pond in Durham, Black Pond in Middlefield/Meriden, Higganum Reservoir in Haddam, and the Connecticut River are keeping local anglers busy and happy. Colin has been selling these fishermen loads of shiners, so apparently live bait is working well. Anglers fishing out of Harbor Park in Middletown are still contacting plenty of catfish but on dead bait—eel chunks and dead minnows, in particular. Colin has not heard a trout report for quite a while.
July 27, 2026 - 10:34:02
Andrew at Fishin’ Factory 3 said he’d heard the talk of the shop this week was mostly around the wave of brown sharks that’s hit the region, east of the river. Lots of customers looking to target summer stripers are encountering sharks, either chasing and chopping up hooked fish, or, taking the eels meant to catch them in the first place. The bass bite at The Race has slowed down some and reports from there indicate that while there are still fish around, it’s a challenge to get them to bite. Bottom fishing has reportedly been good for porgies and blackfish. All of the typical shore spots have scup and the best fishing has been at Pleasure Beach, Harkness, the Fort Trumbull Pier, Avery Point and Watch Hill. Sandworms, sinkers and rigs are popular purchases for customers in to gear up before heading out to catch some porgies. Blackfish action has been good for folks looking to catch a couple of summer tog and most reports have come from 15-feet of water or less. There has been an uptick in folks coming through the shop looking to do some crabbing in the river and its tributaries. Crab reports haven’t been banner worthy yet but those that are going are getting some. He said that he expects the crab reports to pick up as we head into August and even September which are typically the best times for gathering a load of tasty blue claws. The shop is open seven days a week for the season.
July 20, 2026 - 10:32:59
From Colin at Fishin’ Factory 3 in Middletown we heard that fishing in his locale slowed, most likely because of high heat and poor air quality. Some people, though, did get out, among them a couple of young anglers who caught channel catfish on dead shiners in the Connecticut River at Harbor Park in Middletown, and a few fellows who logged largemouth bass on shiners and phony frogs in private farm ponds and public waters including Millers Pond in Durham and Higganum Reservoir. Colin also heard from few gents who have been catching crappies on small jigs at night in a cove on the Connecticut River, and others who reported taking walleyes and bass in daylight from shore at Lake Saltonstall.
July 20, 2026 - 10:32:45
Andrew at Fishin’ Factory 3 said fishing for stripers and scup has been good while other species make for conversation amongst customers reporting varying degrees of success. There has been an uptick in folks coming through the shop looking to do some crabbing in the river and its tributaries. Crab reports haven’t been banner worthy yet but those that are going are getting some. He said that he expects the crab reports to pick up as we head into August and even September which are typically the best times for gathering a load of tasty blue claws. Tog reports are few and far between though they are selling crabs to quite a few anglers headed out looking for them. Fluke fishing in the sound is a grind, even for the customers they talk to who are catching a few. They did hear some reports coming from Montauk where a few nice flatfish had been caught. The near to mid-shore tuna bite seemed to break up over the last week or more with more customers asking about where the fish are. That said, for the boats making the steam to the canyons, fishing has remained good for yellowfin and bigeye. Striper fishing is still good for the most part. There are school sized fish in the mouth of the river, mostly on the incoming tides. The reefs to the east and west of the river are also holding fish and it sounds like live bait has been the best way to catch them. The Race is still holding strong though the fish there are becoming choosier about when they want to eat. Figuring out which parts of the tide are most productive will result in catching stripers in the deep water rips there and Plum Gut. Porgy fishing is very good from shore. Customers report no problem catching scup at rocky points and piers like Fort Trumbull, Avery Point, Harkness or Pleasure Beach. The shop is open seven days a week for the season.
