Connecticut Fishing Report

Matt, at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook told me that things are still steadily feeling more fall like, with more birds and more blitzing fish on small bait. There are still plenty of big bunker schools around that are fueling some blitzes of bigger fish. Big bass are also being taken on GT’s, big topwater plugs, and big spoons. There are peanut bunker, silversides, and juvenile butterfish throughout the Eastern Sound fueling this school bass blitzes, and they soon will be fueling false albacore/bonito blitzes. The false albacore/bonito reports have improved quite a bit from Rhode Island, so it won’t be long before we start seeing them in CT. Let’s all hope they hang around a little longer than last year. Bluefish of all sizes are also still plentiful, with blitzes of big fish throughout the Sound, and great snapper action in the tributaries. Fluke fishing has slowed down, but sea bass action picked up in slightly shallower water, say 40-50 feet. Scup fishing is as strong as ever, so there’s plenty of bottom fishing to hold down the fort until the full fall blitzes take off.

Heather from Black Hawk Sportfishing reported that summer is starting to wind down, but the fishing keeps getting better! Bottom fishing was excellent, with limits of porgies filling the coolers, and some nice sea bass as well. They’re bass and blue trips continue to have huge blues coming over the rails, with a few nice bass in the mix. They are looking forward to fall fishing, and they have a few private charter dates still available! As you may have seen in their Facebook video, the Blackhawk is having a sunset cruise/seal watch on Saturday, September 2. All proceeds from this trip will go to help the efforts in Hawaii after the devastating wildfires. Please join on this trip if you can! Their September trips are posted on our website, so grab your tickets soon for some excellent fall fishing.

When I checked in with captain Mike Roy, at Reel Cast Charters, he told me that he and his crew have still been cashing in on the summer striper bite, as there are still plenty of big fish around. There is also no shortage of big bluefish that will eat diamond jigs on the reefs. They are starting to schedule fall run trips. Despite the weather, the fall run is ready to pop off! There are juvenile butterfish, silversides, bunker, tinker macks, and squid in the area. All that bait is fueling some great topwater activity and should keep the hardtails around when they show up. Captain Mike and his crew still have openings for the fall run, so give them a call to book a spot asap!

Captain Chris, at Elser Guide Service told me that a great stretch of weather has resulted in some awesome blitzes of bass, blues, and Spanish Mackerel in the central/western sound. The bass and bluefish are ranging from 18-35-inches, and the bluefish are still pushing 12-pounds. All of this is coming on light tackle/fly, so there’s no shortage of smiles out there! The 1-ounce Game On Exo jigs have been matching the hatch quite well, and some of the larger fish are still falling for the X-Walk. This topwater activity will only get better by the day, with the rest of the hardtails not being far behind. Chris will be out there all week anticipating those hardtails, and you should do the same, we’re not too far off now!

Joe, at Diorio Guide Service, has continued to find a nice mix of stripers and bluefish, along with slowly improving false albacore and bonito action. Striped bass and bluefish action has been great, whether it’s fishing locally around New London or out around Block Island. The rocky points and reefs are holding loads of bait, and thus are holding plenty of stripers. Most of the bass are coming on live eels or the Joe Baggs Patriot Fish, but they are also starting to get some better fish rising on topwater plugs. Each trip this week has seen better numbers of false albacore, and the latest swell should help to push them even closer to home. It’s shaping up to be a killer fall run once again and Joe still has some dates available. Be sure to reach out before it’s too late.

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Tyler, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk reported that the stellar bluefishing has continued, and things are shaping up for an incredible fall run. Large schools of big bluefish are taking up residence on most of the local pieces of deepwater structure. Working diamond jigs over this structure has been safest bet for finding gators, but they are also hitting umbrella rigs, and will occasionally hit topwater plugs during low-light periods. There are still some bass to be had as well, and they can usually be taken using the same methods as the bluefish. Live baits are also a great strategy for bass and blues, and there’s been no shortage of bunker in the local harbors to snag or net. The sea bass bite seems to have ticked up a bit this week, which is yet another sign of fall fishing. The biggest sea bass are on the deep structure around 11B, but most of the deepish structure in the area is holding fish, as long as you don’t mind culling through some shorts. Weakfish also made a late-season appearance, with a number of anglers reporting them as by-catch while sea bassing over the past few days. Scup fishing is red-hot and is the most reliable bottom fishing bite. They never let you down! Freshwater anglers fishing the reservoir are mainly targeting largemouth, but the trout and walleye activity should start picking up as the temperatures drop.

Connecticut Fishing Forecast

Connecticut anglers can continue to find big bass in their usual late-summer haunts, but there are increasing numbers of topwater blitzes popping off daily. False albacore reports have been spotty throughout CT but based on the number of fish showing up to the east, they’re probably not too far off. The giant schools of small bait continue to grow, so there will be plenty of food to keep the funny fish around. In the meantime, there should be no shortage of striped bass to play with. Big bass are continuing to get more active and can often be fooled on a topwater plug. They are also still prevalent on the reefs; so, you should be able to find them one way or the other. Big bluefish are also still around in good numbers, with the best reports coming from The Race/Plum Gut area to the east, and on the deepwater reefs in the Western Sound. Fluke fishing has ticked down, as that season comes to an end, but the sea bassing has picked up and the scup fishing remains as reliable as ever. The tidal estuaries are as clean as they’ve been all year and are producing strong blue crab and snapper bluefish catches.