Bunker Overflowing Our Waters - New London Day

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• There are bunkers galore in Niantic Bay, said Capt. Kerry Douton at J&B Tackle, and at times around the mouth of the Niantic River outside the RR Bridge. Kerry also said he's hasn't heard about any larger bass yet from The Race but small boaters caught schoolies from the Millstone outflow, shoreline structure in the bay and up the river around Sandy Point. Flounder fishing up in the river is fair, not as good as last week but fish are there for the catching, maybe not a cooler full but some for supper and a day out of the house.
• Capt. Al Anderson fished up in the Thames River on Tuesday on the west side of the Pequot Bridge down to the sunken barge opposite marker 37. His two-person party landed 71 schoolies to about six pounds casting flies and trolling a fly on lead core line, fishing from about half tide up to about half tide down.
• Prior to that trip, Al made three trips for cod to Stellwagen Bank on his other boat now moored at Green Harbor, Mass., on the south side of Boston. The total for the those trips was 284 cod to 12 pounds on both bait and jigs, at anchor, chumming with cracked clam shells. On two of the days, the party had all they wanted and they were on their way back before noon.
• Al Golinski of Misquamicut is having work done on his boat and expects to be fishing the Watch Hill Reefs by the third week in May. He heard about all the bunkers, some of them in the Mystic River. The Pawcatuck has bass from the small boater from behind C.C. O'Brien's all the way to the mouth below Avondale.
• Capt. Don's in Charlestown reported people trolling the tube and worm in the back end of Quonny Pond catching a few keeper bass plus shorts. Shore anglers landed some blackfish from the breachway rip-rap on worms on the slower ends of the tide. Surfcasters are getting schoolies from the nearby beaches at dusk and daybreak on small plastic lures.
• Over in Stonington, I spoke with King Cove Outfitters that's said a few larger bass were caught all the way up around Potter Hill Dam, a spot you need a Rhode Island freshwater license to fish legally. A few fish were taking surface swimming plugs in the evenings from the dock behind C.C. O'Brien's near the Westerly Route One Bridge. Flounder fishing locally is pretty poor.
• Bunker have moved all the way up to Norwich Harbor said Capt. Jack Balint at the Fish Connection. People were snagging them, then live-lining for some larger fish around Drawbridge Road. During the week, school bass were caught all up and down the river including off the Stone Container. One shore fisherman, who didn't leave his last name, caught two stripers in the upper 30-inch range on Polish Shad and Bomber plugs off the football field by the Greenville Dam. Congrats to John from Enfield on his catch.
• Stephanie Cramer waded the upper Thames River almost in the backyard of her house, catching eight bass from 10-26 inches on Sunday. She heard from her friends about other school bass caught off Horton's Cove and the Sub Base. Bunkers were reported in the Mystic River and down around the mouth off Noank. People fishing from the dock by the drawbridge over the Mystic River caught more schoolies, presumably in the morning and evening.
• Bob's Rod & Tackle said the Thames River is loaded right now with small stripers and a few keepers from the mouth all the way up to the Greenville Dam. Flounder news on the other hand is very poor locally; your best bet is to take a trip over to the Niantic River. Lots of bunkers were sighted in the lower part of the river though no one has seen the start of the squid run but they moved into the famed Causeway on Goat Island at Newport around mid-week so we should see them here soon.
• Matt was minding the store at Hillyers Tackle when I called, saying the flounder run in the Niantic River was just fair now, not as good as a week prior but still fish to be had.
• The best tide has been the end of the flood. The bunkers are in thick as of this report in Niantic Bay as well as lots of small bass caught casting at spots within the confines of the bay and some up inside the Niantic. Blackfish season is closed for the time being.
• Capt. Joey Devine of the Mijoy sent in an e-mail stating there were loads of school bass caught inside Niantic Bay last week, with, we assume, some landed around the Niantic Bridges on some of those days. Joey also said they will make their first trip for bass on May 19, sailing weekends only and also on Memorial Day, the 28th.
• Sherwood Lincoln of East Lyme was working on his boat looking forward to the start of the fluke season and maybe some diamond jigging in the Middle Race. The only fish he saw during the week were bigger blackfish caught from shore between the Niantic Bridges — on the last day of blackfish season.
• Mark at River's End heard about the first rod and reel fluke from Montauk, the biggest of that trip nine pounds. Lots of school bass are in the lower Connecticut River from the Baldwin Bridge to the mouth, hitting mostly jigs and small plastics. Shore anglers landed small bass on worms from the DEP Docks or casting small lures from the Causeway on the ebb tide on the other side of the river. (Tim Coleman, The Day)