August 24, 2026 - 10:22:33
Andrew at Fishin’ Factory 3 in Middletown did not have a great deal of freshwater fishing information, mostly news of continued good action with channel catfish on chunk eels and bluegills in the Connecticut River at Harbor Park in Middletown and Eagle Landing State Park in Haddam. He also mentioned selling loads of Whopper Ploppers and phony frogs, an indication that topwater bassin’ in local private and public ponds including Millers Pond in Durham and Higganum Reservoir is still good. Nothing last week from trout fishermen, but a few carpers reported catching buglemouths in the Connecticut River.
August 24, 2026 - 10:22:20
Andrew at Fishin’ Factory 3 told me the first thing most customers were talking about this week was tuna. The nearshore bluefin bite south of Montauk has just about anyone with a viable craft to get there trying to get in on that bite. Jigs and poppers have been the ticket and there seems to be a lot less trolling going on then there was last season. He said customers are hoping the action holds on for another couple weeks as the action has been reliable. Beyond the bluefin bite, other action they’d heard about in the shop included nuisance sharks, scup, some sea bass and bonito and bluefish beyond our boundary. The wave of brown sharks has tamped down enthusiasm for most folks who would seem to rather not fish for linesides as opposed to watching them get chopped in half. Scup fishing is good from boats and decent from shore. The hotspots may have slowed down a touch this week but dedicated porgy pounders were still getting some. Sea bass activity has picked up some. A few customers report catching them locally while others are running over to Block Island where bringing home a limit is more of a sure thing. If you’re looking for bluefish or bonito, Andrew suggested heading to the south shore of Rhode Island. There are some big blues just over the state line between Napatree Point and Charlestown breachway. Bonito can be found along that stretch as well, though they aren’t around in big numbers, the size of the bones is impressive. Andrew mentioned he’s starting to hear a bit more about snapper blues and crabs around the mouth of the river, but not a lot of either. The shop is open seven days a week for the season.
August 17, 2026 - 10:50:33
“Tough pickin’s.” That is how Rich at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk described fishing at Saugatuck Reservoir. Best reports came from shiner fishermen targeting largemouth bass and panfish with early morning and late evening the best times to fish and midday being very slow. Seems as if most reservoir regulars are looking forward to September, at which time action should improve markedly.
August 17, 2026 - 10:50:21
Andrew at Fishin’ Factory 3 said that over the course of the beautiful weather weekend he’d talked to customers in to buy everything from nightcrawlers to spreader bars and tuna jigs and just about everything in between. Hot bites he’d heard about included scup and tuna while reports for bonito, fluke and bluefish were mostly mixed. Porgy fishing has been very good from shore for customers casting sandworms and porgy rigs from rocky outcrops, jetties and piers from Hammonasset to Watch Hill. Avery Point and the Fort Trumbull Pier remain popular destinations for many folks he’d talked to. Other customers had their sights set much further away as they were in to buy jigs and spreader bars meant for bluefin tuna, reportedly chewing hard south of Montauk. Sharks are part of the conversation just about everyday around the shop as continued encounters provide fresh blood in the water, so to speak. Striper fishing is tough but there are a few nice fish coming from the reefs if you can managed to play keep away from the brown sharks. Word of bluefish at The Race was fairly common this week, another site of regular shark activity. Fluke and sea bass reports have been similar. Dedicated anglers are scratching away, fishing deep for both species. Reports of bonito from the Rhode Island shore have been common, but not lights out. Andrew mentioned he’s starting to hear a bit more about snapper blues and crabs around the mouth of the river, but not a lot of either. The shop is open seven days a week for the season.
