Rivers End 7/706

1. STRIPED BASS- Theres a few big bass around the mouth of the Connecticut River and adjacent reefs. We have more bunker at the mouth than we have had in many years, and where the bait is the bass aren't too far away. The bunker are thick enough to snag at times but I wouldn't rely on that, gill nets are getting most if the baits. Live baits be it bunker, hickory shad or porgies are scoring at Long Sand Shoal, Hatchetts Reef and Black Point. While we're on big bass, please don't kill your limit. Theres nothing wrong with eating bass, but dragging in cows to the dock every day is overkill. Theres been schoolies along the Old Lyme shoreline at dusk as well as out on Hatchetts Reef. Tube and worm and chunking have been productive during daylight hours. Schoolies are also behind Napatree Point during low light and dark with a few keepers mixed in.
   
2. BLUEFISH Theres some schools of small blues Mid-Sound feeding on what appears to be small butterfish. Closer to this shore theres some medium to large blues at the mouth of the River, sometimes hitting on the surface, more likely to hit on chunks. Blues are in Plum Gut favoring the incoming tide. The Race has a better shot at them on both tides.
   
3. FLUKE- Still short. Theres some reports of etter sized fluke at Fishers, Montauk and off the RI Beaches, however most reports from those areas are short fluke mixed in with dogfish. The River and Soundview have fluke, mostly sub-legal.
   
4. PORGIES- Spotty action on most of the local reefs. They're not as many as previous years where they were on the entire reef. Its important to find them on the depth finder before anchoring up tide of them. If you want to hold on to the school, put out a chum pot. Hatchetts and Black Point have had some good reports.
   
5. BLACKFISH- Fewer reports came in this week.
   
6. BLUE CRABS- Good reports of smaller crabs with enough keepers to make it worthwhile are coming in from the Oyster River and the tributaries coming into the Connecticut River. It seems like a better year than last.