Rivers End Tackle Fishing Report 5/26/06

1. STRIPED BASS- The Connecticut River hasn't been the place to be this past week. Its still high and muddy. The reports from up north have not been too promising, at best we still have a few days to go before it clears up. The bunker have moved out of the River, the herring are still here. What bass we're lacking in the River are being made up for in the Race and Plum Gut. Drifting with bucktails and diamond jigging has been paying off big time. Most of the action has been days. East Rip has had some good bass on eels and bucktails. The squid have been strong in the Eastern Sound up through Rhode Island and beyond. Watch Hill and its surrounding reefs have been good.Theres been some on and off worm hatches in the RI ponds with some good weather conditions for them coming up after todays storms.
2. The shore fishing from the Connecticut to the Thames Rivers has been on the slow side. The only action on the DEP Piers has been on worms. Napatree Point has some schoolies on the bay side.
3. BLUEFISH- They're in the Race and Gut but not that thick yet. Some are also at Southwest Reef.
4. FLOUNDER- Few reports this week. Last day of the season is on May 30th
5. FLUKE- Fluking on this side is picking up slowly. Niantic Bay had a good start to the week with some mixed sizes of fluke bot no doormats reported. Montauk has had a mixture with shorts dominating the catch. Greenport has a bigger size mix than Montauk. It appears that the doormat migration has passed Mattituck and Fishers Island. The best strategy seems to stay on the front edge of the migration.
6. PORGIES- Season opens in Connecticut on June 1st. We had a few reports of jumbo porgies being caught in Peconic Bay and RI on fluke rigs. The NY season opens on July 1st.
7. BLACKFISH- Season is closed until June 15th.
8. BLUE CRABS- Its still too early but theres some optimism for a good season. Chesapeake Bay is having an early and good start to the crab season. One of the best runs in a few years. Give it a few weeks.
9. Rivers End Tackle, 440 Boston Post Rd, Old Saybrok. This week we'll be open Monday through Friday from 6am to 7pm. Weekends from 5am to 5pm. Memorial Day we'll be open from 5am to 3pm.