Shore fishermen enjoy casting to bluefish and Spanish mackerel, striper fishing is steady in the eastern Sound, and bottom fishing for sea bass, scup and even triggerfish has been productive.
Matt, at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook told me that we’re in a bit of a transition period in eastern Long Island Sound. It’s getting a bit harder to find larger bass, but there are plenty of slot class fish and schoolies all over the balls of small bait. If you’re looking for larger bass, large topwater offerings and live eels or scup have been producing well on the usual reefs, especially during the dawn or dusk hours. Bottom fishing has been more of the same, with a decent pick of fluke, scup, and sea bass on the deeper water structure. There have been a few albie reports from Rhode Island, but nothing happening in the Sound just yet. This current windy weather pattern may help send some in from the east.
Heather from Black Hawk Sportfishing reports that September is here, and they have continued to see consistent fishing this week. The bonus porgy season has started, and they have seen loads of porgies coming over the rails, along with a nice mix of sea bass and triggerfish. Their after-work trips are still producing loads of big bluefish, and those trips are starting to wind down, so be sure to grab a spot soon! They will also be fishing for bass and bluefish on Mondays at 7 A.M. for the remainder of September and into October. They will continue to post new trips on Monday nights at 8 P.M., so be sure to check their website and grab tickets before they run out!
Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters reports that the fishing has remained good in his neck of the woods, and it looks like we’re heading towards a strong fall run. The number of striped bass seems to be improving, and they big fish are starting to be more willing to hit a large artificial offering. Topwater plugs at low light periods have been producing well, while live baits continue to fool the larger fish after the sun comes up. There are still a ton of bluefish around, and they are big, which is providing some great light tackle action. Sea bass action continues to improve as the water cools, and it’s a great way to finish off a trip. Give Captain Mike a call soon to set up a fall trip before he’s all booked up!
Joe at Diorio Guide Service had another strong week of fishing, both offshore and inshore, with a nice mix of striped bass, bluefish, and yellowfin. Locally, they had some great trips targeting stripers and bluefish, with multiple stripers to 35-pounds on most trips. The bass have been mainly falling for live bait but will also hit a Joe Baggs Block Island eel on a jighead or the Doc. Finding a deep structure rip with some bait around it has been the key to big bass and bluefish for Joe. The rest of Joe’s time has been spent targeting yellowfin. The bite has been electric whenever he’s been able to get out, with fish from 40 to 90 pounds, with the most coming on popper and/or jigs. Joe is looking forward to targeting albies, bonito, and stripers this week, so be sure to book a trip with him before it’s too late.
Fisherman’s World in Norwalk reports that the bluefish action has intensified even more following the conclusion of the tournament. Word is that there are some of better bluefish blitzes that the area has seen in years. The bluefish are showing up for both shore and boat anglers, and they will eat just about anything you throw their way. The striped bass fishing has gotten a bit more consistent, with the best action coming during low light periods for both shore and boat anglers tossing topwaters, swimming plugs, and tins. Your best shot at daytime action tends to be diamond jigging around the usual deep water structure in the area. Sea bass fishing has picked up a bit, but remains relegated to deepwater structure as well. There have been a few reports of Spanish mackerel in the area, with the better reports coming from across the sound. Fluke fishing is a grind, but you can still find some keeper flatties in the area around the plentiful bait schools. Scup fishing is as strong as ever, with shore and boat anglers scoring some hubcap scup on sandworms and/or clams. The offshore reports have been stellar when anglers have been able to get out, with plentiful yellowfin south of Block Island and out at the Canyons.
Daniel’s Bait, Tackle and Charters in New London reports:
“What a great holiday weekend! While we had some rain here and there, the long weekend had some productive moments as anglers prepared for the upcoming fall run. Night fishing was a reliable for striper and blues, with live eels warning their keep during this moon cycle. Chunk mackerel or bunker was a favorite of many visitors this weekend, who reported a very active bite during evening high tides. There are swarms of bait fish amassing on both sides of the mouth of the Thames – so snapper poppers have been effective for landing limit bluefish with peanut bunker added to the trailing tube. Albie fishing is fun this time of year using deadly dicks, and top water bass are still crushing swimming minnows in Bone color thrown from (or towards) shore, especially if you can find a bait school. The Race continues to produce for those after bluefish. Eight, ten, even 12-ounce diamond jigs have been the presentation of choice. Swap out the treble with a single VMC hook and you’re in business.”
The recent northeast blow seems to be helping things out for those hunting hardtails, although it may stall the incredible offshore fishing that is still going on.
Connecticut waters have no shortage big striped bass , but the big fish remains a low light/nighttime bite. Fishing after dark has worked out well for those that are doing it, with some big striped bass being reported from CT surfcasters and anglers drifting eels on the shallow reefs. The resurgence of bluefish also continues, with strong reports of 12-15-pound fish from Norwalk to The Race . Rumors of a few bonito/false albacore have come in, but it is far from confirmed just yet . It wouldn’t be surprising to see an uptick in albie reports this weekend following the blow, similar to what we’re seeing in Rhode Island. Local surfcasters continue to find success across the eastern sound, with most reporting the bite is more than tide/bait dependent than time dependent. Fluke fishing seems to have improved this week , with better reports from throughout the state, while the sea bass action has gotten a bit better as the water starts to cool down. The blue crabbing has also been very strong in the lower CT River tribs and the Western Sound tribs for those looking for a nice change of pace closer to home , and there should be no shortage of snapper bluefish in the same locations .
Sign up for our FREE Fishing Reports Today!
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.
Copyright © 2022 On The Water, LLC. All Rights Reserved