Noreast.com Eastern Sound

• As the weather continues to warm, more and more reports are beginning to surface regarding the quantity and quality of fish in Eastern Connecticut this past week. Also, the presence of adult bunker throughout Eastern Connecticut has many anglers predicting a slammer spring once the motherload of migrating bass move into the area.
• As mentioned in my previous report, the presence of adult bunker in Eastern Connecticut this early in the season is considered a rarity - especially over the last decade. These schools are very large and have been spotted throughout the state’s shoreline. Niantic and Mystic have been holding menhaden over the last couple of weeks, while Stonington has even seen its share of bunker in the Harbor and in the Pawcatuck River. Odd phenomenon? Who cares? Get out there and take advantage of it!
• I spent Wednesday night kayaking the Mystic River to see what the fuss was all about. Well, the reports are certainly valid as Kevin Mucha and I were paddling across huge pods of adult-sized bunker. We didn’t have any problems snagging a few heathens, but there were no bass to be found. Five hours of paddling netted only one marked fish for the entire night. In this part of the state, at this time of year, it just seems a bit too early to have the big “followers” we expect when the big bass are present. Simply put, the water temps are still a bit cool. Next time, I’ll hit the Connecticut River.
• Speaking of the Connecticut River, my buddy Kevin hit the mouth of the Connecticut on Saturday evening for a fair pick of “cookie cutter” (24-27-inch) bass on big plugs and various swimmers. The feistiest fish was caught on a Walsh custom-built plug. It’s only a matter of time before this area of the shoreline heats up. For more information about those killer Walsh plugs, please visit www.walshlures.com. You won’t be disappointed.
• For those refusing to wait for the big migratory push in the Sound, there are plenty of fish (in the mid 30-inch range) to be taken in the Connecticut River from Haddam Meadows all the way up to Windsor Locks.
• Captain Blaine Anderson of Anderson Guide Services and Connecticut Outfitters has been nailing bass up and down the river for the last week and a half. He reports fish are inhaling Yum Houdini shads in many spots, especially at the mouths of feeder streams that connect to the main river.
• John Hanecak of Windsor and member of Yakdawgs.com has been fishing the river hard almost every day over the last week and is excited about the action, especially over the last few days. Striped bass to 32-inches have been taking jointed Bombers and other big swimming plugs in shallow water in the Windsor area. A couple of folks have been spooled as well, so there are bigger fish to be had.
• Mark from River’s End Bait and Tackle reported plenty of schoolies for those fishing the lower Connecticut River. “Jigs and Sluggo’s seem to be working especially well.” Mark continued, “Still lots of bunker in the Niantic area near the Millstone outflow. Fluking was decent at Montauk but has slowed down a bit over the last few days, but Greenport seems to be yielding some good fish. Locally, very few people are getting into them at the moment.”
• To the east, the good folks at J&B Tackle provided equally encouraging news. “Schoolies can be caught all along the Niantic shoreline.” The bass are becoming more and more active every day. There are no bass in The Race, but you can catch some decent-sized blues. Inside the Niantic River, there are insane amounts of adult bunker. Fluking is still slow, but if you want to target this species, the fishing grounds along the New York Bight have been generous in 18-20 feet of water. Winter flounder fishing has slowed to a crawl with only a few sharpies still tallying a few here and there.”
• Bill at King Cove Marina and Outfitters appeared very upbeat about the fishing activity along the Stonington and Mystic shorelines. “The bunker arrived in Stonington Harbor this week. They can be located directly in the Harbor, in the channels, near Sandy Point, and up into the Pawcatuck River. We already had some very large striped bass weighed in at the shop. For folks fishing just east of here, there is plenty of bunker to be found in Mystic and Niantic as well. Schoolie stripers can be caught near Sandy Point, Stonington Point, and the inner Harbor as well as Napatree Point and the nearby reefs. Fluking hasn’t been great, but some of our regular customers have reported keeper fluke just outside of Stonington Harbor. (Roland St. Denis, Nor'east Saltwater, Week of May 7 through May 13).