Conn Post

1. Congratulations go out to the Milford Striped Bass Club for winning the Interclub Bluefish Tournament last weekend. The club's 15-fish limit, weighing 146.6 pounds — a mere four pounds more than second place Stratford Boat Owners Association — illustrates how well Long Island Sound's bluefish population is faring. Anglers can go out and catch several bluefish weighing seven to 10 pounds with little difficulty.
2. Since the tournament, some of the better bluefish action has been found in Greenwich Harbor, around the mainland points between Darien and Norwalk, off Manresa Island, Buoy 11B, in the trough between Penfield Lighthouse and Fayerweather Island, at the mouth of Bridgeport Harbor, in the Housatonic River between the Route 1 Bridge and Stratford Point and throughout New Haven Harbor, especially near Sandy Point, the Quinnipiac River mouth, Morris Cove and Lighthouse Point. Heather Volosin of Milford caught a nice 11.30 pound bluefish last week on a fresh bunker chunk.
3. Striped bass are also grabbing bluefish baits in the above areas, as well as at Bartlett Reef, Millstone Point, Black Point, Southwest Reef, the mouths of the Branford and Farm rivers, the rocks off Bradley Point, Pond Point, Milford Point, the shoals along the former Remington Gun Club, around Buoy 20, both the east and west ends of Seaside Park, Penfield Reef, Frost Point, Sheffield Island, Peach Island and Buoy 28C.
4. Chick Michaud of Milford weighed in a 26.16 pound striped bass last week at Stratford Bait & Tackle. Pat Gombos of Fairfield picked up a 29.80 pound striped bass off Georges Rock on a fresh bunker chunk. Al Rosenthal of Fairfield caught an 18.55 pound bass around the old Fairfield Dumping Ground.
5. While saltwater anglers are enjoying excellent bluefish and striped bass action, sweetwater casters are catching largemouth bass with relative ease. The bass have been falling for soft plastic worms, jerkbaits and live minnows. Field reports show good largemouth bass fishing in Mansfield Hollow Reservoir, Moodus Reservoir, Lake Housatonic, Lake Saltonstall, Candlewood Lake, Powers Lake, Quonnipaug Lake, Lake Waramaug, Bantam Lake, the Bantam River, Bashan Lake, Highland Lake, Winchester Lake, Park Pond, West Hill Pond, Beseck Lake, Ball Pond, Messerschmidt Pond, Hop Brook Flood Control Impoundment and Long Meadow Pond.
6. Elsewhere in freshwater, northern pike reports are fair to good at Lake Lillinonah, Bantam Lake, Winchester Lake and Pachaug Pond. Walleye are consistently cooperating at Lake Saltonstall and Squantz Pond. Steve Dunn of Stratford tried his luck at the Saugatuck Reservoir, where he hooked a 4.70 pound walleye on a Krocodile Spoon. Crappie catches are very good from Silver Lake, Highland Lake, Dog Pond, Park Pond, Lake Zoar and Pachaug Pond.
7. Back on the Sound, fluke fishing is steadily improving. Large cut strip baits, whole squid and live snappers appear to be the ticket for catching big fluke at the mouth of the Mystic River, the lower Niantic River, the mouth of the Connecticut River, between the breakwaters in New Haven Harbor, at the mouth of the Housatonic River, in Bridgeport Harbor, around Penfield Lighthouse and off the eastern end of the Norwalk Island chain. Michael Fillipino of Fairfield took top fluke honors this week with a 14.25 pound fluke. The big fish was caught off Fayerweather Island and certified at Ted's Bait & Tackle. Fillipino's fluke was only four ounces shy of the state record. [FRANK MCKANE JR.]