New London Day

• Everyone is watching and waiting for the first large push of striped bass into The Race but as of this writing that has yet to happen, said Captain Kerry Douton of J&B Tackle in Niantic. Kerry heard about one striper caught in Plum Gut but nothing yet from Valiant Shoal or the deep waters of the Middle Race. That situation, though, is expected to change very shortly.
• In other fishing news, fluke arrived at Montauk and Peconic Bay, prompting Connecticut anglers to run over there despite gas as high as $3.89 per gallon at some marinas. The present fluke regulations allow a person to keep four fish per day in New York waters with a minimum size of 191/2 inches. In Connecticut, you are allowed five fish at 18 inches and in Rhode Island, seven fish at 19 inches, this according to Kerry who checked the present, printed laws.
• Small blues are also showing up in Peconic Bay and some of those also found their way into the hot water outflow at Millstone along with schoolie stripers, those also found up in the Niantic River and at various locations along the shoreline of Niantic Bay.
• Capt. Al Anderson made one last trip to Stellwagen Bank on Saturday, fishing the northwest corner for 220 cod and haddock. Of that total they kept 54, releasing the rest. Most were caught on clams or four-ounce Bridgeport Slag jigs, all the fishing at anchor, chumming with 10 gallons of cracked clam shells and another 10 gallons of crushed blue mussels. As of this report there are no bass yet in the Montauk rips. Like the striper situation in The Race, that is poised to change within a week to 10 days.
• Capt. Don's in Charlestown had news about small bass morning and evening at Weekapaug Beach for Doug Gent of Westerly fishing with light rod and small white jigs with plastic worm tails. Squid arrived in Quonny Pond and shore anglers are catching tautog from the channel rip-rap at the bottom of the outgoing tide and slack water. Two of the local kids had short fluke near the Quonny Boat Ramp while casting for striped bass. Tube and worm trollers are getting stripers some days in the back ends of the pond where waters are warmest.
• Moving over to King Cove Outfitters in Stonington, I heard about bass to 33 inches caught from time to time in the Pawcatuck River from Cemetery Cove to Sandy Point. The larger fish took a small popper fished from shore in the cove on Tuesday evening while other small bass were landed in small boats from early morning right through the middle of the day.
• Small bass were caught in the Mystic River, reported Allen Fee at Shaffers Marina. He was out twice this week, catching up to seven around high tide at Sixpenny Island. Others landed them around the bridge by Beebe Cove and further upriver by the train bridge. One boat had fluke at Montauk but nothing yet in closer to home. Seals are leaving their winter haunts in Fishers Island Sound, a sure sign waters are warming and summer stocks of fish are due to arrive this month.
• Bob's Rod & Tackle was happy to talk about lots of small stripers in the Thames River from the Preston Bridge down to the river mouth, caught on worms on the bottom, flies and small lures cast with light spinning tackle. Flounder fishing isn't too bad in the Niantic River and outside in the bay, certainly worth a trip to get enough for supper and a day out of the house. Capt. Jack Balint at the Fish Connection had a customer known only as Fred, caught five hefty flounder from the Niantic River, and saw other boats with two to four fish for their efforts.
• Stephanie Cramer and Bill Kreuger fished in the Thames River on Tuesday from the Pequot Bridge to Horton's Cove, mostly on the flats and channel edges on the west side, for better than 60 stripers, most of them very small, and all caught casting or trolling flies.
• Hillyers Tackle is keeping a close eye on the flounder fishing in the Niantic River in what may be the most productive spot in the whole state as of this report. Matt observed the fishing is good one day for those who chum heavily with best results on the end of the flood tide. The next day though numbers drop off but pick up again the day after.
• Bunkers are in Niantic Bay and squid reported to the east in Quonny Pond. As of yesterday, no bass were yet caught from The Race. If you want fluke, your best chance now is to run over to Montauk or Peconic.
• Sherwood Lincoln of East Lyme is just about done putting bottom paint on his boat readying it for the striper and fluke season. He heard about a lone seven-pound fluke from Isabella Beach and bunker schools in and out of Millstone Point and Niantic Bay. Each time he drives over to Niantic there are about 20 boats fishing for flounder above the road bridge.
• The lower Connecticut River is very good for school bass, said Mark at River's End Tackle shop. People are catching them on small plastic lures from the Baldwin Bridge down to the river mouth. Shore anglers are landing lesser numbers on the beaches adjacent to the mouth. One customer traveled to Greenport on Wednesday for lots of short fluke, keepers to five pounds and increasing numbers of blues as the day wore on. (Tim Coleman)