Conn Post Frank McKane 7/15/05

1. Fishing throughout the state is generally good. Saltwater anglers can catch almost every native gamefish on Long Island Sound. Over the past week, striped bass, bluefish, blackfish, porgy, weakfish, fluke and black sea bass found their way.
2. Largemouth bass action is red hot where many bass casters reported double-digit catches over the course of a day's outing. Some of the best bassing activity is coming from both the upper and lower Moodus reservoirs, Mansfield Hollow Reservoir, Ball Pond, Beardsley Park Pond, Lake Kenosia, Mamanasco Lake, Pierrepont Pond, the Saugatuck Reservoir, Squantz Pond, Bashan Lake, Lake Saltonstall, Stillwater Pond, Beseck Lake, Black Pond, Dooley Pond, Bantam Lake, the Bantam River within White Memorial, Messerschmidt's Pond, Hop Brook Flood Control Pond, Tyler Pond, Lake Stibbs, North Farms Reservoir, East Twin Lake, Highland Lake, Quonnipaug Lake, and the lakes on the Housatonic River system, including Lake Lillinonah, Lake Zoar and Lake Housatonic.
3. Smallmouth bass are equally active on Candlewood Lake, Bashan Lake, Lake Zoar, the Shepaug arm of Lake Lillinonah, Hogback Reservoir, Mashapaug Lake, Squantz Pond, the upper Connecticut River, and the Housatonic River north of the Candlewood Lake water feed tubes. Both bass species have been attacking topwater lures, tube lures, plastic worms and live minnows.
4. Striped bass and bluefish are whacking bait chunks, trolling rigs, swimming plugs, casting spoons and drift rigs, such as the tube-n-worm. Locally, anglers are enjoying these fish off Calf Pasture Beach, Sherwood Island Beach, Compo Beach, around Sunken Island, in Southport Harbor, off Penfield Reef, deep inside Black Rock Harbor, Bridgeport Harbor, around Buoy 18, Buoy 20, in the lower Housatonic River between the Merritt Parkway Bridge and the river's mouth, south of Charles Island, in New Haven Harbor and throughout the Thimble Island chain.
5. Bottom fishers are scoring well with porgy, blackfish and black sea bass. Sandworms are the best bait for all three species. The better bottom fishing is east of New Haven off the Stonington reefs, in Two Tree Island Channel, around Black Point, off Sound View Beach, the Westbrook shoreline, Six Mile Reef, the Branford Beacon, Kimberley Reef, Townshend Ledge, the New Haven Harbor breakwaters and Middleground lighthouse.
6. Now that summer is in full swing, walleye have fallen into their warm-weather patterns where they mainly feed at night or on cloudy, rainy days. After dark or just before dawn, visit Coventry Lake, Squantz Pond, Gardner Lake and Lake Housatonic for walleye. Along with the above lakes, the Saugatuck Reservoir and Lake Saltonstall are stocked with walleye. You may visit these two private reservoirs on rainy days, but night fishing is prohibited. Nightcrawlers and live minnows are the preferred walleye baits.