Fisherman's World 7/27

• Fluke fishing has been very good. Fishing the Eaton's neck triangle and Eaton's neck by can 13, and the obstruction buoy has been excellent. Many fish are being caught there. The largest fish we weighed this week was 9lb 6oz caught by Tom Cuprys. Also George DiScala Jr. had a 6lb fluke in the same area. Jason Velicky has been hammering fluke up to 7lbs. Mike Hannon has been catching an awful a lot of keepers up to 6.5 lbs. Tom, George, and Jason have all caught there fish at the Eaton Neck's Triangle.
  
• Mike has been fishing between Copp's island and Goose Island in 20-30ft of water. Buck tails with a teaser baited with squid or bunker strips have been the ticket. Also tip with spearing. Baiting buck tails with a strip of squid with spearing has also been good jigged right on the bottom. Also the CT side south of buoy 26 and middle passage in 30ft of water. There are fluke some day’s at peck's ledge, middle passage, and buoy 28 southwest of Great reef. The bait to use is Squid strips, in combination with sand eels or spearing on fluke rigs or buck tails also fresh bunker strips and fluke bellies.
  
• Note to remember: fluke do not bite well, if at all, wind against tide. It is not good to fluke fish with an outgoing tide and an east wind or vice versa. It is best to fish on nice days not windy days. Drifting too fast for fluke is also not productive, over 1.5 knots it gets difficult. If you do not want to travel to far for fluke. There are fluke in the Norwalk harbor in the deep hole a few feet west of the shore country club dock. (Do not fish there when there is a lot of boat traffic on the weekends, the police will ask you to move, during the week its not problem.) Also the hole in middle passage, 40ft, between Shimmons and Shay Island. And the North side and the North west side of peck's ledge light house. Right down the east channel, to Bett’s Island.
• There have been many stripers caught this week. Most of the fish are under 20lbs but lots of action with bass and blues chunking. Can 13; north of Eaton's neck coast guard station, in 30 to 40ft of water has been very good for larger striped bass. Fishing daybreak and dusk sometimes produces bunker schools with still some large bass underneath the schools, with live bunker. Chunking 28c, budd's reef, the ob buoy and between Eaton’s neck and can 13 has plenty of action with bass and blues. Fresh bunker is the ticket but mackerel will also work.
  
• For those of you who like to cast plugs, there have been schoolie bass up to 15lbs breaking in the early mornings south side of goose island, Cockenoe island. There has been a crab hatch of many small crabs. You do not need to see fish breaking you can blind cast plugs in the shallow water in the Norwalk islands and the Darien area. Do not forget tube and worming is still producing many fish. Fishing the same areas that we are plugging in.
• Many blues being caught while chunking for striped bass in the above-mentioned areas, and at times you can find the bluefish breaking, a few mornings at 28c a few bluefish have been breaking. They are liable to come to the surface anywhere. Be prepared to use poppers, rattle traps, and spoons. There has been a large school of bunker near the I95 Bridge in the Norwalk harbor. Some mornings the large bluefish are in the harbor chasing the bluefish. It is a good idea to troll a swimming plug while leaving the Norwalk harbor at 5 mph. (rapalal, or yo-zuri) do not forget we already weighed in a 20lb bluefish in the Norwalk harbor this year, so there are some big blues out there.
• Sea bass and Porgy's- At this time of year chumming is definitely a plus, fish will come right to your boat, clam chum is the preferred bait. There are porgy's 32A off of Stamford, with some nice seabass mixed in. The same is going on at 28C. Try buoy 28 next to great reef the rock pile south of copp's island 42ft of water at low tide. For action on small, short porgy's, with some keepers mixed in, at peck's ledge lighthouse.

Stamford Advocate 7/29

• Fishing was very good on the Sound last week but freshwater fishing is in the summer doldrums. Striped bass and bluefish are offering plenty of action for both shore and boat anglers. Porgy fishing is improving and anglers are still catching some nice fluke. A few black sea bass are also being taken at Sound Reef.
• Capt. Patty Vincoli navigated her way to her husband Phil's so-called super secret spot and came home a winner. Patty caught several striped bass including a 38-incher that weighed 17 pounds. The fish, weighed in at Fish Tales Bait and Tackle, was taken on bunker chunks.
• As usual, Captain's Island is red hot. Last week Guy DiDemcilli caught four stripers and 10 bluefish there, the largest a 37-inch linesider taken using a bunker head. John Windus didn't catch any bass while fishing behind Captain's Island. What he did catch was a bunch of bluefish weighing between 4 and 10 pounds. The choppers were taken on surface poppers tied onto 10-pound test line.
• Brandon Devers caught a pair of striped bass while live-lining bunker in Stamford waters. They weighed 25 and 32 pounds. Gary Feighery has been fishing around 3:30 or so every morning and everyday he has been catching and releasing lots of stripers and bluefish in Stamford Harbor using bunker chunks.
• Frank Wasco has been fishing off Belle Haven in Greenwich where he has been catching between two and eight fish every time. Last week he tried to show Pete Miller how it is done but Pete came home empty handed while Frank returned to shore with a pair of keeper bass.
• Miller did slightly better while fishing with Rich Dombrowski at Sound Reef. Pete caught a pair of sea robins while Rich boated eight stripers and a 22-inch fluke. All were taken on bunker chunks. Later in the week Rich fished at 32A and caught three bass up to 32 inches, nine bluefish and a 20-inch fluke.
• While fishing in Norwalk Harbor, Jimmy Roche caught a bunch of bluefish that were feeding under a school of bunker. Jimmy was fishing in the mid to late morning near the launch ramp.
• Porgy fishing is improving. Mike from Fish Tales caught six very large porgies at Sound Reef despite taking fishing advice from his boss, Vinny. Mike's largest fish was 20 inches and was taken on a strip of squid. Mike also caught a few small black sea bass.
• Bill Kovaks fished for porgies three times last week at the Stamford Cows and caught more than 30 porgies including an 18-incher and a 5-pound blackfish. All were taken on clam strips. Also doing well at the Stamford Cows was Joe Horvath, who caught 16 large porgies using clams strips for bait.
• Tom Cuprys sailed over to the New York side of the Sound to do some bottom fishing and was rewarded with several keeper fluke including one that weighed 9 pounds, 6 ounces. He was using squid and sand eels for bait. Chris Tollarini used sand eels and squid to catch eight fluke while fishing off the "golf course" on the other side of the Sound. Three of the summer flounder were keepers.
• We received a couple of freshwater reports. Anthony Ross, 6, tried desperately to teach his uncle, Dave Krom, how to fish. While working the waters at Cross River Reservoir, Anthony caught a bunch of large sunfish using worms while Uncle Dave caught a cold. Anthony was using worms for bait.
• Scott at Fisherman's Worlds also works at the Saugatuck Reservoir and he said while fishing has slowed a bit at the Reservoir anglers are catching some brown trout and largemouth bass. Scott recommends using shiners and nightcrawlers.
• We had incorrect information in last week's report about a nice fluke Nicholas Santiago caught. Santiago, 7, reeled in a 24-inch summer flounder while fishing from shore at Cummings Park. (Martin Armstrong, Stamford Advocate)

Stamford Advocate 7/29

The phrase "the early bird gets the worm" is appropriate. Fishermen who like to fish from the park area who be well advised to get there early.

Fishing was very good on the Sound last week but freshwater fishing is in the summer doldrums. Striped bass and bluefish are offering plenty of action for both shore and boat anglers. Porgy fishing is improving and anglers are still catching some nice fluke. A few black sea bass are also being taken at Sound Reef.

Capt. Patty Vincoli navigated her way to her husband Phil's so-called super secret spot and came home a winner. Patty caught several striped bass including a 38-incher that weighed 17 pounds. The fish, weighed in at Fish Tales Bait and Tackle, was taken on bunker chunks.

As usual, Captain's Island is red hot. Last week Guy DiDemcilli caught four stripers and 10 bluefish there, the largest a 37-inch linesider taken using a bunker head. John Windus didn't catch any bass while fishing behind Captain's Island. What he did catch was a bunch of bluefish weighing between 4 and 10 pounds. The choppers were taken on surface poppers tied onto 10-pound test line.

Brandon Devers caught a pair of striped bass while live-lining bunker in Stamford waters. They weighed 25 and 32 pounds. Gary Feighery has been fishing around 3:30 or so every morning and everyday he has been catching and releasing lots of stripers and bluefish in Stamford Harbor using bunker chunks.

Frank Wasco has been fishing off Belle Haven in Greenwich where he has been catching between two and eight fish every time. Last week he tried to show Pete Miller how it is done but Pete came home empty handed while Frank returned to shore with a pair of keeper bass.

Miller did slightly better while fishing with Rich Dombrowski at Sound Reef. Pete caught a pair of sea robins while Rich boated eight stripers and a 22-inch fluke. All were taken on bunker chunks. Later in the week Rich fished at 32A and caught three bass up to 32 inches, nine bluefish and a 20-inch fluke.

While fishing in Norwalk Harbor, Jimmy Roche caught a bunch of bluefish that were feeding under a school of bunker. Jimmy was fishing in the mid to late morning near the launch ramp.

Porgy fishing is improving. Mike from Fish Tales caught six very large porgies at Sound Reef despite taking fishing advice from his boss, Vinny. Mike's largest fish was 20 inches and was taken on a strip of squid. Mike also caught a few small black sea bass.

Bill Kovaks fished for porgies three times last week at the Stamford Cows and caught more than 30 porgies including an 18-incher and a 5-pound blackfish. All were taken on clam strips. Also doing well at the Stamford Cows was Joe Horvath, who caught 16 large porgies using clams strips for bait.

Tom Cuprys sailed over to the New York side of the Sound to do some bottom fishing and was rewarded with several keeper fluke including one that weighed 9 pounds, 6 ounces. He was using squid and sand eels for bait. Chris Tollarini used sand eels and squid to catch eight fluke while fishing off the "golf course" on the other side of the Sound. Three of the summer flounder were keepers.

We received a couple of freshwater reports. Anthony Ross, 6, tried desperately to teach his uncle, Dave Krom, how to fish. While working the waters at Cross River Reservoir, Anthony caught a bunch of large sunfish using worms while Uncle Dave caught a cold. Anthony was using worms for bait.

Scott at Fisherman's Worlds also works at the Saugatuck Reservoir and he said while fishing has slowed a bit at the Reservoir anglers are catching some brown trout and largemouth bass. Rit Darragh is one of those lucky anglers. Last week he caught three browns weighing 3, 4, and 6 pounds and a couple of largemouth bass weighing between 4-5 pounds. Scott recommends using shiners and nightcrawlers.

We had incorrect information in last week's report about a nice fluke Nicholas Santiago caught. Santiago, 7, reeled in a 24-inch summer flounder while fishing from shore at Cummings Park. (by Martin Armstrong, Stamford Advocate).

NY Stripers off Huntington not huge, but plentiful

We aren't catching monsters, but stripers are solid on any moving tide in the Eatons Neck Triangle. You'll score best with the linesiders, and some keeper fluke and blues, by dunking bunker chunks around submerged boulders in 30 feet of water. Let the fish swim off with the bait before driving home the hook. "On slack water, set up directly over any bass you mark, lower a chunk to the bottom, and crank up five turns to keep the action going. Read more(Tom Schlichter, NY Newsday).

Connecticut Post: Eastern Sound place for large stripers

• Striped bass: Bass fishing in and around Bridgeport is "kind of at a standstill" right now, says Jimmy at Jimmy O's Bait and Tackle. Sand eels by the ton are swarming in area waters providing the needed forage for the stripers. Recently they have been left unmolested. Waders at Fort Trumbull Beach in Milford had some good nights on medium-sized using mackerel chunks. The Norwalk Island are producing decent stripers, says Rick Mola at Fisherman's World in Norwalk. The eastern Sound is the place for larger stripers. Bass up to 44 inches are been boated at the reefs off Watch Hill, Ram Island Reef, the Race, the Sluiceway, Plum Gut, Bartlett Reef, Black Point, Hatchett's Reef and Long Sand Shoal.
• Bluefish: Seekers after chopper blues are best to head out to mid-Sound and then turn either right or left and hit the throttle. The more time you travel in either direction the more likely you are to find bluefish. Chunking in deep water is producing blues in the 3-7 pound range. After dark, anglers tossing Bombers and Redfins are taking a few. Bob Jadach of Bobby Js Bait & Tackle in Milford reports that blues in the 5-to-7-pound range were very active in 6 to 8 feet of water in the mouth of the Housatonic. To the east, Plum Gut, Bartlett Reef, Hatchett's Reef, Connecticut River from the Baldwin (I-95) Bridge to the breakwaters, Falkner Island area, the reefs off Branford are the best destinations.
• Snapper Blues: Still fairly slow, but Fairfield's South Benson Marina has a fairly steady supply as does the Housatonic River and Milford Harbor. Shiners on a gold hook are doing the best job on the baby blues.
• Fluke: Almost any area beach will produce a fluke or two with a juicy bait on the bottom. Unfortunately many are undersized, but here and there a keeper turns up. The New Haven breakwaters are still yielding nice fluke catches
• FRESHWATER: Largemouth bass: The Department of Environmental Protection reports good largemouth fishing in Lake Housatonic, Upper Moodus Reservoir, Winchester, Silver (Meriden), Wonoscopomuc, East Twin, Quonnipaug, Rogers, Bashan, Gardner, Powers, Candlewood and Cedar (6 lb bass among the catches) Lakes, and Mono, Mudge, Ball, Wood Creek, Somersville and West Hill Ponds. Bass fishing reported as fair to slow at Crystal Lake, Lake Lillinonah, Bantam Lake and Mansfield Hollow Reservoir.
• Trout: Cooler weather brought the trout out of hiding, but flows in rivers and streams areas are still low. West Branch and main stem Farmington, Housatonic, Norwalk, Saugatuck (TMA), Shetucket, Fenton and. Early and late in the day are the best fishing times during the summer. Conditions in the Farmington River Farmington River remain great for fishing. Flows are clear and moderate. (written by Charles Walsh)
  

TheDay - There's Competition For Hot Spots Between Tourists, Regulars

• The summer crunch is here: our towns are crowded with tourists from all over the country, competing with locals when it comes time to get gas during the busiest parts of the day. Included in their travels were lots of fishing trips, taking advantage of near-perfect weather at mid-week.
• Hillyers Tackle advised all looking for keeper fluke to fish in 75-100 feet — or deeper— at places like the Bloody Grounds, Two Tree Channel or off Black Point. Whole squid on a two-hook rig or large smelt or other bigger baits are the ways to get the doormats versus a day with all throwbacks.
• Best stripers catches have been after dark with fish over 30 pounds on the scales as a result. Schoolie bass are around the mouths of the rivers or the rocks at mouth of the Thames taking plugs or small plastic lures. The same could be said for casting around Little Gull on certain days at sunrise.
• Two of the people from the store fished with live porgies around Valiant Shoal during a crowded time on Tuesday evening, catching some large bass. Porgy catches have been good to excellent at White Rock and Two Tree Island. Black fishing isn't too, too bad considering the time of year. Try in the deeper water on some rocky bottom outside Black Point.
• Small to medium blues were the norm from The Race from most of the week along with a mix of blues and schoolies caught at sunrise around Race Rock. Hickory shad can be caught at times in the Niantic River on shad darts or small white grubs on a lead head. Blue crabbing is good right now but the snapper blues just yet are pretty small.
• Capt. Al Anderson said his last two trips offshore weren't all that good. Over the last weekend, he started off catching some schoolies and blues off Southeast Light of Block then went out to 30 fathoms, trolling roughly from west of The Dump back over to south of Block Island for catch of mahi to 16.8 pounds. The next day they trolled down wind in a northeast wind, catching three very small bluefin and lots of green bonito at roughly 14550 x 43750. During the last trip Al said they got three or four mystery hits on the trolled lures, fish that burned off some line then came free each time.
• Fluking was good on some of the weekdays said Capt. Don's in Charlestown, people catching shorts and keepers just outside the pot line in 35-40 feet of water off the Fire District Beach at Weekapaug. There are schoolie bass in Quonny Pond for the small boater and fluke of various sizes moving in and out of the pond.
• Don at King Cove said fluking was steady since last report at all the usual spots plus some keepers from the 23-foot hump off the East breakwater at Stonington. Sea bass catches (very good on the table) are fair to good for a few days then drop off to almost nothing for the next three days. Porgies are almost on any rock pile from Latimer Light to Weekapaug.
• Light tackle boats found lots of bass on times around the Watch Hill Reefs but the fish were feeding on very tiny bait and very hard to fool unless you used a tiny fly to match the forage. Biggest striper of the week was another 50 for Ken Zwirko, this one a 53-pounder fooled with bunker. Not long ago, Ken weighed in a hefty 58-pounder from the reefs.
• Shore anglers are catching some schoolies early in the day at Stonington Point and some blackfish from the Monsanto jetty plus a few keepers on a weekly basis from the Stonington commercial dock.
• Shaffers Boat Livery said they saw steady numbers of fluke coming back from 30-50 feet of water around Isabella Beach, 40 feet at Misquamicut and also a catch of six keepers by one angler drifting off Ram Island. Fluke season closes in state waters on Sept. 5, leaving roughly five weeks of fishing.
• Lots of people are catching lots of porgies from the rock piles in Fishers Island Sound and along the shore in the Mystic River with small blues.
• Folks that like to cast lures from their boats found very finicky fish on the Watch Hill Reefs, small and medium bass on the surface chasing something very small that made them very hard to fool with standard poppers and plastic lures. We have a full moon coming up on Sunday that should produce some larger bass after dark with live eels.
• This writer fished on Wednesday with Capt. Jack Fiora of East Haddam on his 42-footer that he normally keeps in the Mystic River. But the Saturday before, Jack ran his boat up to Scituate, Mass., for fishing and diving up there. On our day we caught a mix of tasty haddock, cusk (great in fish chowder), hake and small cod in 305 feet of water off Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod. Prior to our trip, Jack and friends went diving on the local wrecks, one of them pulling up a 13-pound lobster that took up almost a whole cooler.
• Capt. Brad Glas of the Hel-Cat said the fishing in and around The Race was slow at times last week but as the week wore on, the numbers of blues showed a slow increase along with a jump in striped bass. The evening fluke trips have been “sensitive” to drift conditions. If you get the right drift, the fishing can be fabulous. Biggest fish of the week went to Claude Vinhaterio with a 24-pound striper.
• Bob's Rod & Tackle said the Thames River had been invaded by smaller porgies making their way up as far as Montville. People are catching them on small pieces of worms or squid but not many were big enough to keep. Tube and worm trollers in the river caught mainly schoolies stripers with a few just over the legal limit. Fluke reports are good one day and then very poor for the people unlucky enough to try their hand the next time out.
• You might catch some bigger bluefish in the lower part of the Thames on chunk baits on the bottom said the Fish Connection. Crabbing is good right now in the Thames. One gent stopped by the store on Wednesday morning to say he caught 40 the night before using a light and net to scoop them up. The stretch from Ocean Beach to Mumford Cove has lots of short fluke but keepers to be sure.
• Boaters from Old Saybrook caught medium bass trolling in The Race on the ebb tide this week reported Mark at River's End Tackle. Small and medium blues took diamond jigs and bucktails in The Gut plus some bigger ones were caught chunking from shore at Saybrook Point.
• Mark also got reports about medium and a few large fluke from the edges of the channel along the lower Connecticut River when boat traffic wasn't too harsh. Porgies are around the usual spots mentioned in the reports including the rocky humps off Cornfield Point. Crabbing is fair to very good at the DEP Dock in Old Lyme, Oyster River and around the Causeway. (Tim Coleman)
  

Rivers End Tackle, Old Saybrook

• STRIPED BASS- Its been a better week for bass. School to medium sized bass have been reported from Watch Hill to Plum Gut with acre sized schools finning on the surface. It appears that these fish are feeding on some sort of small crustacean. They're difficult but not impossible to entice. Drifting at Southwest Reef has been good on most morning and night tides with live bait. The Race and Plum Gut have had a better week, though still not up to par. Theres been a few schools of bunker along the Old Lyme to Waterford shoreline and thats been attracting some larger bass to that area. Hatchetts and some of the other local rockpiles have given up some cows on live bunker or hickory shad. Theres been an increase in the shad in both the Connecticut and Niantic Rivers.
• BLUEFISH- The blues at the mouth of the Connecticut River have increased a bit this week both for shore and boat anglers. Saybrook Point is still the center of shore activity with some action at the DEP Piers. Fresh chunks of bunker or shad are best. The Race, Plum Gut and Pigeon are up to par with blues while action at the closer reefs is sporadic. Snappers are increasing at the DEP Piers, Causeway and Saybrook Point, they're in the 4" range now.
• FLUKE- The good not great season moves on. Theres still a fair number of doormats coming from the depths of Black Point and Hatchetts. The River is a little slower this week but still worthwhile if the boat traffic permits. Long Sand Shoal has a lot of shorts. Fishers Island is sporadic, but when its on they have good sized.
• BLACKFISH- A few dedicated anglers are doing pretty well at some of the local reefs.
• PORGIES- Its getting better at Hatchetts, Bartletts, Hens and Chickens and Cranes Reefs. Still not a lot of numbers but big sizes.
• BLUE CRABS- Now theres a lot of keepers. The best is the back coves of the Connecticut River, particularly at night. Some fair catches are coming from the DEP Piers again best at night, Oyster River and the Causeway.

Westport Outfitters 7/27

• Despite some pretty hot days and rapidly increasing water temps, the fishing remains quite strong. Our charters over the weekend all produced fish on both light tackle, flies and some trolling. It is in our opinion that the fish are definitely beginning to settle into a pattern and slowly starting to set up on some local structure which is good news for the T&W crowd. If you are struggling with mastering this technique, marked lead core may be the answer to your hang ups.
• The Mill Pond continues to fish decent, with sparse amounts of sand eels but rather more silver sides and small crabs being the bait of choice. As we mentioned last week, your best bet may be to hold off until the wee hours of the A.M. versus the dead of night since these fish are not moving back into the shallows until the water cools down a bit. For the spinning crew, you should also try filtering in the new Storm Crabs which are unbelievably lifelike.
• Our own Captain Rick fished farther west early in the week after the weather pushed through and came up with a few keeper stripers around Execution Light and the Greenwich area off of Captains Island. The larger blues are also beginning to show their ravenous selves over the past week. Get put early to avoid the chomper bight!!
• Get the kids out this weekend for some snapper fishing. We have pre packages small rods and all the snapper poppers and little kast masters for hours of enjoyment.
• With these unstable weather patterns and fronts pushing though, the fishing may become a bit spotty this weekend and always remember to keep a close look at the sky.
• I myself was out in Missouri all week celebrating Ranger Boats’ 40th Anniversary and had the chance to fish the legendary White River. This true tail water was quite the fishery and its reputation did not let me down. It’s amazing to see a river go through such dramatic transitions in a matter of minutes. Barely a trickle at 5:A.M. and then turning into a roaring river by 6:00 once the power generation gets turned on. Armed with a 5 WT we got into some healthy bows up to 23 inches on Wednesday fishing small scuds and a few emergers as well as even some dry fly ant patterns on the bank. If you are ever in need of a trip while in the lovely town of Branson Missouri, drop the shop a call.
• THE MONTAUK REPORT
• Our good friend Captain Dean Kardamis aboard The "TEASER" reports that the offshore shark fishing is staying pretty consistent, with two or three sharks per trip about average, although there have been occasional 10 shark days. He has also seen some nice bluefins but you need to be there at first light to get into them.The next offshore target will be the yellowfin and long fin tunas. Mahi's will be showing up as well very soon. Fluke fishing has also been off the wall, with lots of fish, especially out in the rips, but lot's of shorts (19.5 in NY). It’s amazing how good the fishing can be when everything gets thrown back. Bass fishing has been consistent but lots of smaller fish these days.

Noreast.com, Western Sound 7/22

• The western Sound continues to produce a variety of fish of all shapes and sizes! The snappers have made their way into the Sound and are the perfect size for a fluke to inhale. There are also a few stray bass cruising the edges of the bunker schools that can be found in just about every harbor of the western Sound.
• The big story is the bluefish, which are now keyed in on these massive schools and starting their early morning blitzes on a daily basis! John from Hudson Park B&T weighed in a beefy 15-pound bluefish caught by Jerry Gatto. Jerry also landed a few keepers while fishing working schools. There has also been an upswing in the porgy activity on the local rock piles and points. Some surf fishermen have been scoring keeper scup right from the beaches.
  
• The really good news from John was about the early morning and evening activity on plugs and poppers. “Hit the rocks early with some plugs, poppers and bucktails for some awesome light tackle action,” John said. John carries a full line of tidal tails bucktails and lures, so stop in and see John for all the tackle you need to get in on the awesome bite we have going on in the western Sound right now.
• Captain Joe from Moontide Charters did very well with the bluefish while drifting with the bunker schools off City Island. “The bluefish are on the hunt off City Island, Hart’s Island and Hewlett’s looking for an easy meal,” Joe said. Joe also did some fluking before switching over to blues with mixed results. “We had plenty of action, but the short to keeper ratio wasn’t very good,” Joe said. Joe also didn’t score any bass this week, but there were a few reports on some keepers. Give Captain Joe a call to get in on some great western sound fishing.
• John from Glen Cove Sports reported on plenty of fun to be had with a variety of fish in the western Sound right now. “We have cocktail blues, schoolie bass, porgies and fluke spread all over the western Sound,” John said. Bill Mueller limited out on scup to 3.2 pounds while fishing clams off the local points. Gerald Vitale and his son Robert limited out on fluke over two consecutive days. The first day was constant action on bucktails with fish to 26 inches, while the second day produced fish to 26.5 inches, all taken on squid and spearing. Joanne Davis drifted up her limit of fluke to 3.5 pounds off Prospect Point. Jimmy V. tossed plugs at the edges of the bunker schools in Hempstead Harbor and landed 8 bluefish to 12.8 pounds. Anthony D. landed over 28 keeper bass over a three day stretch (keeping only his limit) while fishing between Cooper’s Bluff and Oyster Bay.
• Captain Steve from the Molly Roze reported that there are monster humpback porgies holding off Rye, Larchmont and the local points. “We saw some really big porgies this past week off Prospect, Matinecock and Playland,” Steve said. There are also some very big bluefish holding under the massive schools of bunker that can be found all over the western Sound. There are also a few keepers still holding underneath the working schools, despite the warm water temperatures. There is also some very good skinny water action in and around the local rock piles in the early morning and evening. The snappers have started their trek into the Sound, and they are just the right size for a monster fluke to inhale! Give Captain Steve a call to get in on some of this great mid-summer action in the western Sound.
• Blaise at Duffy’s B&T reported some very good fluke fishing in and around the Glen Cove area. Jerry Greenwald landed seven fluke, with three keepers in the mix, to 4.10 pounds, along with a 2-pound porgy. Brian Swiezbin (age 8) was out fishing off Prospect Point and landed a 4.5-pound fluke and a 6.5-pound bluefish. Al P. fished the same area and landed a 4.7-pound fluke while drifting a squid/spearing combo. John Laiosa (7 years old) landing a 5.8-pound bluefish and a 3-pound fluke while fishing right inside Manhasset Bay. Marty Hill also did well fluking by landed his limit with fish to 5.2 pounds. Stop in and see Blaise and Diane for all of your western Sound fishing needs.
• Captain Chris from the Island Current Fleet also reported an upswing in the bottom fishing this past week. Dorsey Futrell got in on some of this awesome fishing with Captain Dan right outside Oyster Bay. Captain Brendan was out on Sunday with Jesus Cancel and hammered the bluefish in the morning and wrapped up the day with a few keeper fluke coming over the rails. Friday, Dono Electric booked the Island Current II and had an absolute ball pounding away at the bluefish while drifting with the bunker schools. Thursday, Perry Pietsanas did well with the bluefish in the morning and fluke in the afternoon. Pat Lyons and his group headed out that same night and landed a mess of bluefish while fishing the bunker schools right outside the City Island Bridge.
• John from Jack’s B&T was happy to report that the bluefish have set up camp right behind his shop! “The blues are pushing the bunker schools all around City Island,” John said. There are also a few bass still holding in the area with most keepers feeding the early mornings and evenings. The porgy bite has been very good off Rye and Mamaroneck, along with any other place where there are no bluefish! The fluke bite was a little picky this week, but John expects the bite to really pick up going into the full moon at the end of the month.
• With all the bait holding in the western Sound and the cool nights we are experiencing, John is optimistic that the bass will stick around for another few weeks before moving through the area. With the beautiful weather and red-hot fishing there is no excuse not to get out and go fishing! (Craig Koproski)

Noreast.com, Western, CT 7/22

• The reason the sport of fishing is so great is because anglers get to experience so much diversity in the species of fish pursued, as well as the many different opportunities the season brings to catch them. A perfect example is how western Connecticut anglers have transitioned from chasing monster size striped bass to now enjoying the huge influx of fluke that have invaded the local waters. Adding to the thrill is the growing population of marauding bluefish, which are just inhaling everything in sight, daring anglers to hang on for dear life.
• At Jimmy O’s in Stratford, Jimmy Orefice was raving about the fantastic fluke action taking place in his area. “There are tons of fluke here now,” Orefice said. “They are all over Fairfield and Southport Beach, with just as many throwbacks as there are keepers.” Eric Monk and Jay Castro found some of those keepers as they limited out at Fairfield Beach on fluke to 21 inches, using a bucktail tipped with squid as their bait of choice. Scott Gibbons caught five fluke to 21 inches with a squid and bucktail combination at Jennings Beach, while Jay Christie and Joe Palmer took their limit of flatties to 22 inches at Fairfield Beach, using squid and killies. Joey Cuban limited out on fluke at Southport Beach, while Travis Herman enjoyed non-stop bluefish action at Fairfield Beach, where he used pencil poppers on the surface. Joe Bercuzzi fished Stratford Harbor with live eels and took a 30-pound bass, and Joe Rodriguez tried a change of pace at Penfield Reef, where he fished the rocks with sandworms for his limit of blackfish to 5 pounds.
• Bobby Jadach of Bobby J’s in Milford said that a variety of fish are ready for the taking with porgies taking up residence at Charles Island and Middle Ground, while fluke can be had at Can 9 and between the first and second wall of West Haven Harbor, and bluefish are all over New Haven and Black Rock Harbors. Jason Jadach ignored all of those fish and demonstrated that striped bass are still present as he ventured over to Can 18 where he used bunker chunks to nail a 17-pound striper.
• At Ted’s Bait in Bridgeport, Bryan Karchman was all about the blues, blues and more blues as he cried the blues about the bluefish being everywhere. Alex Auer added to the bluefish saga by taking a 9-pound chopper as close as the South Benson Marina, with the fish devouring a bunker chunk before being landed. Dave Toth and Phil Stein combined 13 striped bass that they caught at Can 18. The smallest fish was 34 inches and the two keepers they took weighed 30 pounds apiece. Tracy Crosby tried the freshwater route and fished the Saugatuck Reservoir with a live shiner on the bottom where he promptly caught a trophy 9-pound walleye.
• Nick Massaro of Fisherman’s World in Norwalk had a nice mix of news with anglers getting a little bit of everything, along with a nice milestone for a novice to the sport. Ted Zakar had his stepdaughter, 20-year-old Daniella Echyarria, out fishing Buoy 18 with him, where she caught her first fish ever, an 18-pound striped bass that gulped down a bunker chunk. Welcome to fishing and I am sure she is hooked now. Jim Christianson caught a 27-pound bass at Buoy 28C on a bunker chunk, while Eric Christie reeled in a 44-inch, 35-pound bass that was caught in Stratford Harbor on a bunker chunk. Dave McKee found the fluke at Copps Island and promptly landed five flatties to 23 inches using squid strips, while Jason Valicky caught the fluke of the week, a 10-pound fish, which was taken on a squid strip. Jimmy Roach rounded out the array of fish caught by engaging in non-stop action with bluefish to 12 pounds. The fish were caught using jigs in Norwalk Harbor.
• At Westport Outfitters in Norwalk, Eric Johnson said the buzz about Mill Pond dissipated without any real evidence that the fish had moved to deeper water and was supported by Patrick and Pete Viviano who still were taking bass at first light up to 30 inches. Sand eels are definitely dispersing with some but the silversides are right behind them, so don’t give up on the inshore seen just yet. Bill Sullivan and family was out fishing and caught blues to 14 pounds on tubes, as well as a few stripers, just shy of keeper length. All the fish were taken around the Norwalk Islands.
  
• The fluke bite continues to be strong off of Copps Rocks, outside of the islands on the traditional rigs tipped with sand eels or sandworms. Captain Chris ventured east, fishing the mouth of the Housatonic Rover with more keeper bass on chunks than he could count, which were caught in only eight feet of water. The pier is hot, producing a few large bass up to 34 inches on mackerel chunks and fresh bunker, with some taken on the higher tides, and the snappers continue to infiltrate the local waters.
• Mike Noyes of Sportsman’s Den in Cos Cob had some excitement take place in his area with 15-year-old Jared Sabanski getting the scare of his young angling life when he tangled with a 3-foot brown shark. Sabanski was fishing a live bunker when the brown grabbed hold and took the youngster for a ride. The shark broke water several times, sailing three feet into the air before crashing back down to the surface. The fish was ultimately reeled to the boat, leaving Sabanski with his first fishing tale that he can tell for a lifetime. In calmer events, J.P. Bowgin caught a 23-pound bass from shore at Todds Point while fishing with a bunker chunk, while Austin DeStanik continues to do well from Captains Island where he caught a 21-pound striper on a bunker chunk.
• At Pete’s Place in Stamford, Pete Miller told of Gene Barry and Dam Ambruso catching four big bass in Stamford Harbor. The duo reeled in a 36, 38, 39 and a 44-inch striper, which were caught on bunker chunks. Rich Dombrowksi also fished bunker chunks in Stamford Harbor where he caught five bass to 38 inches and 12 bluefish to 8 pounds. Ed Mellet, Wynn Mellet and John Crimmons combined for three bass while fishing Stamford Harbor.
• The Mellets were visiting from South Carolina and Wynn caught his first bass ever, a 30-pound fish. Michelle Syr represented the ladies well with a 32-pound bass caught with a bunker chunk in Stamford Harbor, while Joe Horvath proved why he is a sharpie at this sport with 12 bass that were caught at the Cows using bunker. (Rob Caluori)

Noreast.com, Eastern CT, 7/22

• Although the bite has been off over the last couple weeks, the days leading into the weekend showed signs of improvement throughout the eastern Connecticut shoreline.
• Mark Beers of Block Island Tackle in Westbrook described the reef action as “very good,” especially over the latter part of the week. Long Sand Shoal has been highly productive for stripers and fluke, especially near the “W” can. Crane Reef has produced a reliable bite consisting of 30-40-inch stripers.
  
• Plum Gut, the Sluiceway, and Six Mile Reef have also been very accommodating for local anglers. As of Friday morning, Southwest Reef was “absolutely loaded” with large blues and bass, according to Mark. For the surfcaster, the entire Westbrook shoreline over to Pilot’s Point is loaded with schoolie bass and small to medium sized choppers. The main concern for anglers in this part of the state is finding live bait. Although there were reports of juvenile and adult bunker at the mouth of the Connecticut, fresh bait has not been easy to find.
• On a side note, if you are in the area, I strongly recommend you take a run down to Mark’s establishment. For folks familiar with the shop, it has changed greatly, and for the better since Mark took over the operation. You won’t find a nicer man in the industry.
• At Rivers End, Pat had mixed reviews when we discussed the local bite. The bass have been a finicky at times, but still can be found if you work hard enough in the typical haunts. At The Race, trollers are picking up bass and blues, but still complain that the day and night drift has been “off.” Along the shoreline, anglers employing the tube and worm have done fairly well trolling the rocky structure and nearby reefs.
• Fluking has been strong throughout the region. Isabella and Black Point continue to yield a steady pick of keeper fluke. While fishing Black Point, focus on water depths in the 70-foot range. The Connecticut River has also produced a surprising amount of keeper fluke over the last week, but by no means can the river match the production of the aforementioned locations. Anglers are also picking up medium to large sized bluefish in the river fishing bunker chunks under dark skies.
• Over at Hillyers Bait and Tackle, Jim was optimistic of a good bite leading into the weekend. The striper bite, according to Jim, has been very good at Valiant Rock, Race Rock, the Sluiceway, Bartlett’s Reef, Hatchet’s Reef, and the waters around Harness Memorial Park. Diamond jigs, bucktails, umbrella rigs, dead-sticking bunker, and tube and worm have all been effective during the daylight hours. At night, drifting bunker and eels has been the method of choice for most anglers fishing these locations. There is also no shortage of blues, as Millstone Point, Pigeon Rip, and Bartlett’s have all become a nesting ground for these meat grinders.
  
• If you plan on fluking, especially in the Niantic area, you need to start focusing on deeper water. Locals have realized that the fluke have moved from 50-70 feet of water to approximately 100 feet. Peruvian smelt has been the number one bait choice, followed by squid and mummies. The blackfish continue to be cooperating as anglers have experienced a decent bite at Three-Foot Rock, Black Point, Jordan Cove, and between the bridges leading out of Niantic River. Lastly, there is no shortage of porgies at Black Point, White & Black Rocks, and the Bartlett Reef spindle.
• Along the Thames River, most of the bass have moved down towards the mouth. The bunker in Trading Cove has been consistently harassed by a large a contingent of blues - some large - for well over a week. The tube and worm has been especially effective for anglers working the edges of the river and out along the shoreline on the Groton side. Fluking continues to be “decent” at the mouth as well. Check out a few navigational charts and you should have a good idea of where to begin.
• In Stonington, Bill from King Cove Marina and Outfitters claimed of no slow-down in his area of the state. Just this week, several fish in the 30-50-pound range have been placed on the scale at the shop, as evidenced by Dan Territo’s 42.5-pound striper. Watch Hill Reef and many of the other nearby reefs have been teaming with bass and blues, both of which appeared to be honed in on the mess of squid in the area. Fluking continues to be strong, especially at Isabella and Misquamicut. As compared to the folks fishing 30 miles west, anglers in this region have actually begun to fish shallower water in 30-45-foot depths. Temperature variances have much to do with this phenomenon. In Stonington Harbor, there is still a tremendous amount of sand eels working the channel near Sandy Point. Each morning, there is a good chance of finding furious surface activity as bass and blues begin each day by gorging themselves on the local table fare.
• On the charter front, Claire Glas forwarded the details of the action experienced by paying fares of the Hel-Cat II. Fishing this past week showed a slow but sure increase in production on the blues and a quick increase in production of striped bass. The 4pm to 8pm fluke trips are producing better and better each week, but they are very sensitive to local conditions on any given day. Get the right drift conditions and the fishing is fabulous, get the wrong conditions and, well....you get the picture. We had fluke to 6 pounds over the past week. Fish of the Week Award goes to Claude Vinhateiro with a 24-pound striped bass. Since Claude sails with us several days a week, we'll have his free trip waiting for him on the boat. The schedule goes back to normal for the rest of the season: 9am to 3pm every day for blues and bass and 4pm to 8pm every Thursday, Friday and Saturday afternoon for fluke through August 18th.
• Lastly, John Groff of Benmar Charters provided the following report. We made four trips this week and the fish are still cooperating! On Tuesday, Mark and Joe who are regulars on the BENMAR fished for porgies and did quite well. Mark caught two that were so big he is having them mounted!
• Thursday, Bill P. brought out a group of law students who didn't have a lot of experience with saltwater fishing but they applied themselves and as a group, managed to catch 4 keeper stripers and about 15 throwbacks, plus some blues, scup and even a dogfish. Yesterday, the boys from Willimantic Public Works, some of whom had been out with us last year, fished through some bumpy weather and boated 5 keeper bass with 20 throwbacks and a good number of blues. Today (Sunday), our group of four scored 7 keeper stripers, 10 throwbacks, 2 blues, 2 dogfish and 1 fluke while chunking on the reefs right outside the harbor.
• So the season goes on and the fishing has been quite consistent. The bluefish count has been increasing but the stripers are holding their own. Even the undersized bass are really fat and healthy. So far I would say this is one of the best years for stripers in recent history! (Roland St. Denis)

On The Water Magazine 7/26

• Best Bets for Connecticut and Rhode Island: I suggest heading out to Block Island again this weekend, if you can. The stripers are wild out there at the moment, both by day and by night. Go get ‘em. If you can’t, I suggest some fluke fishing anywhere between the mouth of the Narragansett Bay and New York City. The fluke action is hot, and the ratio of keepers to shorts is still not so bad. Alternately, pack up the kids and a bunch of crab lines and nets, and head down to the local river mouth or saltwater cove to do some crabbing. Not only will everyone have a great day at the shore, but you will bring home a heavenly treat for dinner.
• Connecticut: Cheryl at Shaffer’s Marina in Mystic has better news, reporting that fluke fishing is excellent throughout the area. Anglers heading out beyond the Carousel in Westerly are doing quite well, as are anglers heading to Misquamicut. Isabella Beach is still productive for keeper fluke, and anglers are beginning to find nice fish right at the mouth of the Mystic River and near buoy 7. Anglers are picking up keeper fluke along Ram Island Reef as well. Cheryl insists that if you want best results, feed them a “fluke sandwich” of a squid strip and a shiner. She guarantees this will out-fish anything else you drop down as bait. Good bluefish and striped bass fishing is also around, according to reports coming into the shop. Scup anglers are taking some incredibly large specimens out at Latimer Light, and shore-bound anglers are taking some decent fish right at the drawbridge in downtown Mystic.
• The big bunker have moved back up the Thames River and are hanging around Norwich Harbor, according to reports Rennie at The Fish Connection in Preston is getting. Striped bass to 30 pounds are being taken fairly regularly in the harbor on live-lined bunker. Fishing under the cover of darkness produces the big fish. Big bunker are still lower in the river, with good concentrations attracting bass into Trading Cove and Horton Cove in particular. The bunker have also attracted some rather large bluefish, so the action can be pretty intense at times. Reports of sea robin, scup, fluke and other fish all the way upriver to buoy 27 have been coming into the shop regularly.
  
• A true smorgasbord of fish seems to be in the river mouth right now. Fluke are excellent off Sarah’s Ledge all the way to Ocean Beach. Both Groton Long Point and the area around Intrepid Rock are producing good fluke. The Watch Hill Reefs have been alive with striped bass, as has the south side of Fishers Island just off Wilderness Point. Reports say that at the right time, the bass have been thick enough at both places to nearly walk upon. The area from the Sluiceway to Little Gull Island has also been seeing good striped bass fishing. Rennie concluded by saying that this is the best blue crab season in a very, very long time. Lots of big crabs are being taken throughout the area, and most of the coves and marinas along the river are harboring a good collection of keeper blue crabs.
• Peruvian smelt and whole squid (particularly the former) are the key to fluking Nirvana, according to reports that C.J. at Hillyer’s Bait & Tackle in Waterford is receiving. The smelt stay on the hook well, and for whatever reason, the fluke go mad for them. Early morning in 75 to 100 feet of water off Black Point has been producing some very nice fluke, but with lots of shorts mixed. The mouth of the Thames River is also producing pretty good fluke catches, according to angler reports coming into the shop.
  
• Striped bass are on and off, and though The Race is productive, lots of smaller fish have suddenly appeared. Bigger fish are being taken on Bartlett and Hatchet Reef, mainly at night on live eels. Valiant Rock, the Sluiceway at the Cut, and Two Tree Channel are also producing some nice stripers. Little Gull has been seeing some daytime surface action.
• Bluefish are mixed in throughout the region, and sunrise is the most productive time to fish for them. Big scup are consistently being taken on clams, particularly around Two Tree Island and the #6 buoy in Niantic Bay. Although blackfish seem to be heading into deeper waters, crabs and sand worms will still tempt them to the hook.
• A bit further west, Capt. Morgan at Capt. Morgan’s Bait & Tackle in Madison reports that both the bluefish and striped bass are now coming in close to shore, and shore-bound anglers are seeing much better action with both species. Surface action is becoming more abundant, particularly late in the day, and poppers are the “go-to” hardware when fish are busting up the surface. Capt. Morgan also has heard several verified reports of weakfish in the Falkner Islands area, and the best opportunity for these seems to be just south of the island.
  
• Fluke fishing continues to be great, particularly around area from Hammonasset to Guilford. The fish are in very close to shore, so don’t be afraid to try your luck from a shore-bound location. The area just south of the Falkner Islands is also producing good catches of fluke, and the fish are in pretty close there. Inland, Capt. Morgan has reports that largemouth bass are still willing to play, though generally early and late in the day. Trout fishing is tough, but reports from the Salmon River are showing lots of fish still available for those willing to seek them out. Fishing the Salmon this time of year is classic New England “pocket water” fishing.
• Over in Stratford, Chip at Stratford Bait & Tackle is getting lots of reports that things are slowing down just a bit, for striped bass in particular. Despite that, the Charles Island area is producing some nice catches of large scup, and fluke anglers are doing quite well in that are, too. To be productive, night fishing appears to be a must for stripers at the moment. Chip is not getting many reports of bait in the area, and the fish are harder to find. Nighttime anglers are taking good catches of stripers, but bigger fish seem to be hard to come by at the moment. Freshwater reports that Chip is getting suggest that anglers can’t win – the water is low and warm, and when the rains do come, they come so hard that flooding occurs, putting the fishing off.
• In Norwalk, Rick at Fisherman’s World has reports that fishing is still pretty good – maybe even very good. Lots of striped bass in the 15- to 20-pound range are being taken at buoys 11B and 28C; 32A has also been productive. Reports say that the bass are hanging very deep during the day – 80 to 90 feet – but are coming up into much shallower water when darkness falls. Bunker, either live or chunk, is the right bait to be tossing at these fish. Rick has heard reports of schools of bunker in Norwalk Harbor, and if you can locate them and live-line a bunker under the school, you are nearly guaranteed a decent fish. Reports have it that dawn is the best time to play this game. Ten- to twelve-pound bluefish are providing anglers with good action in Norwalk Harbor, particularly late in the day. Fluke are also giving anglers some good action, according to reports Rick is getting, with buoy 11B and buoy 26, and just south of Goose Island to the Middle Passage in 30 to 50 feet of water, being prime locations.
• For fresh water, Scott at Fisherman’s World reports that walleye to 10 pounds are being taken from the Saugatuck Reservoir, but they are few and far between. Evenings are best, followed by early morning. Water levels are dropping in the reservoir, providing lots of good opportunities for bass fisherman. Scott suggests a rubber worm worked along shoreline vegetation.
• For Candlewood Lake, John at Valley Angler in Danbury reports that while fishing is tough, it can be productive for anglers willing to fish deep over structure. White seems to be the most effective color at the moment. John suggests trolling deep with a bit of patience, and you might take some nice trout. Reports coming into the shop are showing the Housatonic River to be red-hot for smallmouth bass, while the Farmington River is producing good catches of trout on a mixed bag of hatches and terrestrial patterns.
• Rhode Island: Striped bass fishing in upper Narragansett Bay continues to slow, according to reports that Tommy at Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle in North Kingstown is hearing. Fish are still around, but as temperatures continue to rise, the jumbo bass are heading down the bay to deeper, cooler waters. In the lower bay, slinging eels at night is proving effective for striped bass along Brenton Reef, Beavertail Point and rocky areas around Newport. Reports are saying that scup fishing is good throughout the area, and that Jamestown is producing some good tautog, even from shore. Fluke fishing continues to be good, particularly if you’re targeting 40 to 50 feet of water along the south shore region. Fishing deeper than that will put you in dogfish territory, according to the reports Tommy has heard.
• Steve at The Saltwater Edge in Newport reports that although both striped bass and bluefish are in the area, the catching is pretty inconsistent at the moment, particularly from shore. The action is better if you have access to a boat, but in either case, early and late in the day are the best times to be seeking fish. Most fish in the area are smallish, according to reports Steve has been receiving, but anglers with boats are finding more and larger fish. Surf anglers are letting Steve know that action along the south shore is also a bit slow, with the occasional bigger fish being found late in the day and into darkness. Fluke fishing remains very good, and the First and Second Beach have both been producing some nice fish. Successful anglers are targeting 30- to 40-foot depths in these two areas. Traditional spots throughout the lower bay area are also producing pretty well.
• Rob at Wildwood Outfitters in Wakefield has been hearing reports that fluke fishing is steady but not spectacular. Lots of shorts are mixed in, and keeper action really depends on where you drop your hook. Fluke fishing is reported to be good along the Center Wall and around the Charlestown Breachway. Striper fishing seems to be improving along the south shore beaches, and bait is beginning to show up more consistently, drawing in the fish. Deep Hole in particular is producing some good stripers, especially late in the day and into the nighttime hours. In light of reports by both recreational and charter boat anglers, Rob suggests Block Island as a best bet for tagging decent striped bass.
• Fishing for striped bass and bluefish along Narragansett continues to be very good, says Mary at Maridee Bait & Tackle in Narragansett. The East Wall has been producing some nice bass and blues, and Pier 5 has been particularly good for scup. The mouth of the Narrow River has been the place to be for striped bass, according to reports coming into the shop. Lots of decent sized bass are coming in from the river mouth, particularly late in the day and into darkness, and other fish of various sizes are being found, too. Bluefish are mixed in, mostly smallish, but Mary has no reports yet of snapper blues in the area. Fluke fishing remains very good, although shore-bound anglers report that the action is pretty sporadic overall. By boat, the Center Wall has been excellent, particularly in 40 to 60 feet of water. Reports say fluke angling is good all the way from the Center Wall to the Matunuck area.
• Fluke fishing remains red-hot in the Charlestown area, according to reports Steve at Breachway Bait & Tackle in Charlestown is receiving. The action from shore is slow, but it is a different story by boat. Several fish up to nearly 10 pounds have been weighed in, all taken off the Charlestown area beaches. Bass and blues are prevalent in the breachway, and Steve reports that anglers do best when fishing clams by day and eels by night. Chunk bait is another good tactic, either day or night. A few reports have come in noting that snapper blues are just beginning to show up.
• Capt. Don at Capt. Don’s in Charlestown reports that the Quonny Breachway is stuffed to the gills with baby bunker. These miniature menhaden are coming into the breachway with the tide, mainly at night, and are drawing in lots of hungry fish. Tube-and-worm rigs seem to be the most productive way to go for striped bass at the moment, and Capt. Don claims that no one using a tube and worm (not even a first-timer from a landlocked state) is coming back without fish. Live-lining either scup or menhaden on the Watch Hill reefs is taking some large fish. Reports say that anglers are taking some huge scup from shore at the Fire District Beach, and fluke are being targeted at 40 to 50 feet all along the beach. More keeper fluke are being taken in the back of Quonny Pond, probably a result of the baby bunker showing up just recently.
• Bass of nearly 50 pounds are being taken out on Block Island, says John at Twin Maples on Block Island. The jumbo bass are being taken by boat on live eels at Black Rock at night, and they have been found in close. While Black Rock has produced the most big fish, the Southwest Corner, Old Harbor Point and Southeast Point are all generating decent catches of good-sized stripers. Early or late in the day is good, but using eels under the cover of darkness is best. A boat improves your odds, but shore-bound anglers are still doing quite well. John reports that surf anglers fishing Needlefish plugs are doing incredibly well, even though it’s traditionally a fall season lure on the island. Fluke angling is still good, but anglers are reporting 10 shorts to every keeper. The keeper fluke are decent-sized, with fish being weighed up to 8 pounds (3 to 4 pounds is typical)
• written by Alan Desbonnet, org published in On The Water Magazine..

Norwich Bulletin

• Striped bass: Joe Balint of the Fish Connection said the menhaden have once again moved up the Thames River to Norwich, where local anglers who are able to snag a fish or two and fish them as live or chunk baits are cashing in on stripers ranging from 35 to 40 inches along with some bluefish. The bulk of the bunker in the river are concentrated between the Pequot Bridge and Dow Chemical.
• Bluefish: Race, Plum Gut and the Millstone Power Plant Outflow are the local hot spots, but bluefish are showing up everywhere. Most are small- to middle-sized fish, but there continues to be some 10-pound-plus fish being caught randomly throughout the region. Balint said he's seeing bigger blues coming from the middle reaches of the Thames, where the menhaden are holding, between Dow Chemical (Buoy 27 area) and the Pequot Bridge.
• Fluke: This week, as waters warm, there seems to be a few more fish moving into the eastern end of Long Island Sound, where Shaffer's has seen more fish coming in from Mystic River, while HIllyer's and Fish Connection are weighing in summer flounder caught off Groton Long Point, Vixen Ledge, Sara Ledge, Ocean Beach, Two Tree Channel and Niantic Bay.
• Porgies: Not many people are targeting this species yet, but those who are finding them around pretty much any reef or rock pile. Reports of both size and numbers of scup came from Jordan Cove, Bartlett Reef, Cornfield Point, Hatchet Reef and the Mystic River.
• Blue crabs: Reports of excellent crabbing are coming from Barn Island, Stonington, Mystic, the lower Thames, lower Connecticut River and Niantic Bay. Many are throwbacks, but it looked like there was a molt recently, so the percentage of 5-inch keepers should be better.
• Bait: The primary bait in the region is sand eels, with adult menhaden present in the major rivers and estuaries.
• Freshwater Fishing is productive, but no one is bragging about it very much. None of the shops have seen a big bass, pike or walleye in a couple weeks, but customers are all reporting catching bass, sunfish and catfish from area lakes.

Captain Morgan: Nightime Crabbing for Striped Bass

• A few days of much-needed rain preceded a great fishing weekend, albeit a bit windy/choppy one. Inshore rivers and streams absorbed water, giving trout and bass a little more breathing room, while the Sound and its estuaries got a good soaking, stirring shellfish beds and activating feeding among other sea life. There were more turtles’ heads popping the surface and below, blue crabs were feeding and being caught by the new Crab Trapper.
  
• Fishing in the salt pond was as diverse as it gets. Striped bass could be found searching the offshore reefs, inshore narrows, and in the tidal rivers. Their feed varied from eels, seaworms, chunks, soft baits, and freshly caught finfish as well as crabs. Artificials like the Polly Chute, Grim Reefer, or Magnum Burner–trolled or cast–produced fish even during daylight hours as did simple T/W combos. Although in many parts of the Sound, bait isn’t as concentrated as this time last year (give it one to two more weeks), there are scores of bluefish both in/offshore.
  
• Whether around the Thimbles, out at Faulkner’s, or The Six, blues are foraging in concentrated schools, voraciously feeding under diving gulls. Flip a tension lure or live image kroc for some really good fun! Anchoring on some of the local reefs will net you limits of scup, many of which are dinner plate size plus. Some of those same reefs can also produce excellent blackfish/tautog.
  
• Weakfish are showing up south of Faulkner’s and being caught while drifting for stripers or seabass. Fluke fever is still rampant. More and more mini-doormats are showing up feeding in shallow inshore waters and heading for tidal rivers. Shore catches are up as anglers drift the flats, shoals and channels. Colors and combo rigs are changing almost daily, causing those in the know to shift gears and re-rig–however choices of tide, location, drift, and bait are the key factors.
  
• Both clamming and crabbing continue to be good in the Madison/Guilford area. East River, Route 146, and the Hammo are holding large jimmies and small sallies. Traps are producing good catches while scooping is average and throws/nets better. So far, this season is better than the last few years. Take advantage of it!

CT DEP Weekly Fishing Report #13 7/25

• LARGEMOUTH BASS fishing is reported as good in most areas. Areas to try include Lake Housatonic, Upper Moodus Reservoir, Winchester, Silver (Meriden), Wonoscopomuc, East Twin, Quonnipaug, Rogers, Bashan, Gardner, Powers, Candlewood and Cedar (6 lb bass among the catches) Lakes, and Mono, Messerschmidt, Mudge, Ball, Wood Creek, Somersville and West Hill Ponds. Bass fishing reported as fair to slow at Crystal Lake, Lake Lillinonah, Bantam Lake and Mansfield Hollow Reservoir.
• SMALLMOUTH BASS reported to be fair at Lake McDonough, Highland Lake, Coventry Lake, Gardner Lake and seasonably good at Candlewood Lake (recent catches include a number of catches in the 4-5 lb range). It’s prime time for Smallies on the Housatonic River, also some fair action reported from the Tariffville section of the Farmington River.
• NORTHERN PIKE fishing is reported to be very good in Mansfield Hollow Reservoir, Lake Lillinonah, Bantam Lake and Pachaug Pond.
• Anglers are catching KOKANEE by trolling (slowly) West Hill Pond at 4-5 colors of lead line using beads and corn, or still fishing at night with a lantern & corn/meal worm combination between 40-50 feet in the deep holes.
• Some WALLEYE catches are being reported from Lake Saltonstall and Squantz Pond.
• PANFISH season is at its peak with the arrival of hot summer temperatures. Now is the time to get the family out and experience the fast-paced action of fishing for panfish. Locations to try range from your neighborhood pond to larger water bodies such as Lake Waramaug, Mamanasco Lake, Lake Hayward, Billings Lake, Silver Lake, Tyler Lake, Babcock Pond, Coventry Lake, Mudge Pond, West Side Pond, Aspinook Pond and Dog Pond. Try poppers on a fly rod for some excellent action.
• TROUT: Rivers & streams - With the recent cooler temperatures, trout fishing picked up in a number of areas. Despite last week’s storms, flows in many areas are still somewhat low. Good reports last week from the West Branch & main stem Farmington, Housatonic, Norwalk, Saugatuck (TMA), Shetucket, Fenton and Natchaug Rivers. Early and late in the day are the best fishing times during the summer.
• Farmington River Farmington River conditions continue to be great for fishing. Flows are clear and moderate (about 285 cfs at Riverton, plus an additional 20 cfs from the Still River). Morning West Branch water temperatures have been in the 55-58 °F range. Recent successful patterns continue to include Needhami (#22-28, early morning), Stenonema (Cahills #12-14), Isonychia (#10-12, evening), Blue Wing Olives (#22-28, mid-late afternoon), Sulphurs (Vitreus #16-20) duns (#14-20, morning;
• afternoon to early evening for spinners), Caddis (tan #14-18, all day; green #22-26, evening), Midges (#22-32, morning), Black Ants (#8-10, hot mornings in fast water), Black Beetles (#16-18), Flying Ants/Termites (#18-22, when hot & humid after a rain) and Golden Drake (Potomanthus, #10-14, late evening).
• The Housatonic River also continues to be very fishable. Morning water temperatures have been in the low 70’s °F. Flows are clear and currently somewhat low (despite the recent storms), about 250 cfs at Falls Village and 460 cfs at Gaylordsville. Hatches include Alder Caddis (can still be found, #10-12, afternoon-evening near overhangs), Blue Wing Olive (#18-26, early morning; spinner fall in evening), Isonychia (#10-12 evening), Light Cahill (#12-14, evening), and Tan & green caddis (#14-20, early morning & evening). Midges and stoneflies are located at the mouths of streams. Hellgramite nymphs are producing thanks to the recent rain. Don’t forget streamers (morning & evening) such as White Zonkers, Wooly Buggers, Muddlers, Micky Finn, and Grey/Black Ghosts (#4-10, with a red throat).
• Lakes & Ponds – Good reports for trout from Crystal Lake in Ellington (16 trout for one angler by 9:30am), Wononscopomuc Lake, Squantz Pond, Highland lake, East Twin Lake, Ball Pond and West Hill Pond.
• Connecticut River – The river continues to clear following a rather murky weekend.
• NORTHERN PIKE fishing has been excellent, with action is reported in most coves, downstream from Hartford to Haddam.
  
• Some large STRIPED BASS are still being caught in the lower river (on live eels, hickory shad and scup).
  
• CATFISH (some over 10 lbs) are consistently being taken on frozen cut bait in the upper river.
• STRIPED BASS fishing for school stripers is fair in the tidal rivers. Larger stripers can be caught off the usual spots: the reefs off Watch Hill, Ram Island Reef, the Race, the Sluiceway, Plum Gut, Bartlett Reef, Black Point, Hatchett Reef, Long Sand Shoal, Cornfield Point, Southwest Reef, the rip off Duck Island, the reefs off Branford, New Haven Harbor including the breakwaters, Milford Harbor-Charles Island area, Bridgeport Harbor, Stratford Shoal/Middle Ground area, and the reefs around the Norwalk Islands.
• BLUEFISH fishing remains good throughout LIS. Bluefish spots include the Race, Plum Gut, Bartlett Reef, Hatchett Reef, Connecticut River from the Baldwin (I-95) Bridge to the breakwaters, Long Sand Shoal, Sixmile Reef, Southwest Reef, Falkner Island area, the reefs off Branford, Stratford Shoal/Middle Ground area, Penfield Reef, and the Norwalk Islands.
• SNAPPER BLUEFISH fishing is on the slow side.
• SUMMER FLOUNDER (fluke) fishing remains good with doormats in the 7 lbs. range being reported. Fluke spots include the Stonington area off Sandy Point, lower Mystic River over to Latimer Point, south shore of Fishers Island (Isabella Beach), Twotree Island Channel (Waterford), Niantic River, Black Point area including the “Bloody Grounds”, lower Connecticut River, Long Sand Shoal, Hammonasset Beach, New Haven Harbor, Charles Island to Stratford Point, outer Bridgeport Harbor (buoy 18), and off the Norwalk Islands.
• SCUP and TAUTOG fishing remains good on the local reefs.
• HICKORY SHAD can be caught in the Niantic River between Rte. 156 and the railroad bridge and off the DEP Marine Headquarters fishing pier (lower Connecticut River) in Old Lyme.
• BLUE CRABBING is steadily improving in the tidal creeks.

The Fishing Line

• Vince's Overview: Striper fishing has improved throughout the Sound with 40 inch plus fish showing up in the most popular spots. Sand eels are being chased in a number of areas and the bunker keep moving and are proving to be a constant challenge to find. Porgie season opened up June 1st and blackfish (tautog) season on June 15th, while the winter flounder season is now closed. For the largest fish, western CT shops are still sending boaters westward to New York around Hempstead, Cold Spring Harbor and Captain's Island in Portchester for stripers and Pt Jefferson / Mt Sinai for fluke. Eastern CT anglers can also shoot over to RI from the Watch Hill Reef to Pt Judith and Montauk where the striper and fluke fishing has been very good. Remember, if you fish NY waters for fluke that the state law is 19 1/2 inches, not 18 as in CT.
• WESTERN SOUND, GREENWICH TO FAIRFIELD: Stripers in the western sound, the fishing in western CT is okay, but unpredictable from day to day. Larger, migratory bass are being taken at night from Throgs Neck up to Captain's Island in Portchester, NY. While we await the arrival in western CT of the migratory bass, you can troll for stripers from the 32A buoy over to Hempstead with tube & worms, bunker spoons or shad umbrella rigs. We have a lot of sand eels attracting schoolie stripers and some larger stripers in the 20- to 25-pound range being taken on live bunker and chunked bait outside of the Norwalk Islands. Westport Outfitters reports that there are plenty of adult bunker in Norwalk Harbor with a few fish pushing them around at day break and at dusk. However, for the most part the Norwalk Islands are hit or miss, so you need to be in the right place at the right time.
• The area east of Norwalk has had an influx of sand eels especially in areas like Penfield Reef, Burial Hill Beach, Old Mill and Calf Pasture Beach. Since stripers have keyed in on them, it is important to fish imitations that closely resemble them, especially dark green ones, which seem to produce the best. Look around Slates Point and inside where the Millpond pours out, as well as Penfield Reef and the backside of Copps Island for sand eels, bass breaking the surface and / or terns working this area. Westport Outfitters also reported that the mouth of the Saugatuck River on the incoming tide has produced some very nice stripers in the last few days with excellent results for light-tackle and fly-fishing anglers who can imitate the green-hued eels.
• Fluke - with all the sand eels showing up from Compo Beach to Penfield Reef, we are starting to see some fluke action. A few good-sized fluke can be found in the middle passage of the Norwalk Islands and at Green's and Pecks Ledge. Some reports claim fish up to 7 pounds have been caught in the Norwalk area. However, the best bet continues to be a trip to the North shore of LI in the Mt Sinai / Port Jefferson near Can #9 and of course at Montauk.
• Bluefish - bluefish have been active in the area west of buoy 32A, west of Greenwich / Stamford, off of Todd's Point and mid-sound near Smithtown Bay. Look under the bunker schools as they are mixed in with the bass. Porgy - from Western CT, your best bet is to shoot over to Crane's Neck about 15 to 20 feet off shore and it helps to chum for them. Blackfish - we have some reports of tog action around the Goose & Duck Islands, as well as the Kelsey breakwater.
• Bridgeport to Madison: Striped Bass - we have reports of reports of some very large 25-30 pound fish on chunks off of Stratford in the vicinity of "Can 2". Bobby J's in Milford reports the bunker have moved out of Milford and are now in New Haven harbor and the West Wall. Joe at Fisherman's Paradise says that striper fishing around Branford has also thinned out in the last few days as the bunker have become hard to find.
• Fluke - we have reports of good fluke action in West Haven and over at can 9 from Bobby J's. With all the sand eels in the area, anglers are having good results with the Berkley Gulp sand eels, which can be set up on bucktail rigs along with squid strips. Bigger fluke are moving closer to shore according to Capt. Morgan’s in Madison, who recommends that you focus on the mouth of the tidal rivers and around Tuxis Island. Joe at Fisherman's World says nice sized flats have also shown up in Branford Harbor, but larger fluke will be found over at Port Jefferson and Cans 9 & 11 on the LI side.
• Bluefish - blues are taking chunks and jigs around Faulkner Island and a lot of bluefish are reported in the Housatonic and the area around Stratford, where anglers are taking them on swimmers, poppers and cut bait catching blues up to 10 pounds. Joe at Fisherman's Paradise reports that the sandbar in the Housatonic has been producing some harbor blues and blues up to 12 pounds are being caught at the Tomlinson Bridge in New Haven.
• Porgies - Captain Morgan’s Tackle in Madison reports large porgies are being taken on the rocky humps off Goose Island. Blackfish - Captain Morgan’s also reports a lot of blackfish action from rock jetties. Sea worms may make better bait right now, but with all the scup around you’re better off using green crabs. Joe at Fisherman's Paradise reports anglers are doing well around Branford in the breakwaters and some large togs are being taken at Beacon, Brown's and the usual wrecks in the Branford area.
• EASTERN SOUND: Old Saybrook & Connecticut River to the Race:
• Striped Bass - Pat at River's End says that there have been a few good sized bass in the lower Connecticut River and says that anglers have had success at the mouth with live eels, chunks and live bait over the past week. Schoolies are running along the Old Lyme to Old Saybrook Shoreline responding to tubes and worms during daylight and casters getting a few during low light. He recommends switching during the daytime to live/fresh bait or tube and worm or over at the Race, which is loaded with stripers, using diamond jigs.
• Bluefish - Rivers End reports there are some blues in the lower river running up to 15 pounds this week. Fresh chunk bait has been the best producer for both shore and boat blue fishing, while jigging has produced some good results at Plum Gut and Pigeon Rip, mostly on the flood tide. Fluke - River's End reports a few good sized fluke are being taken in 80 feet of water off of Old Lyme.
• Niantic Bay & Thames River: Striped Bass- Bunker and bass are still thick around the mouth of the Thames with some very large bluefish in the mix. Since the stripers are focused on the bunker, they are snubbing anything that does not look like them. Bartlett Reef and the Millstone discharge are also producing large bass in the last few days, which have been spotted chasing hickory shad in the early morning. Shane at Hillyer's in Waterford reports large striped bass are being taken on the inner and outer sides of Bartlett Reef and that striper action is still good in the 23 channel in Niantic Bay, around Millstone and Blackport's 45 foot hole, at Hatchett's Reef and inside the bridges on the Niantic River. We continue to hear reports of larger fish being taken off the south side of Fisher's Island and Dottie at Ken's Tackle points to the Eastern and Bluff Point areas in Groton at the mouth of the Thames for larger stripers. Trolling a tube-and-worm along the beach areas like Ocean Beach is still producing nice sized stripers.
• Fluke - We have reports of big fluke being taken in the warm water discharge area near Millstone and in deeper waters off Black Point. Hillyer's says the fluke action is also hot in Niantic from the red can south of White Rock out to the 23 Channel in 40 feet of water and at the Sea Flower and Horseshoe Reefs near Groton. The areas around Gales Ferry, Ocean Beach, Seaflower Reef and Intrepid Rock have been producing keeper sized fluke, as well as from Ocean Beach over to Seaside in 20 to 25 feet of water where they are chasing squid and sand eels. Bob's Bait & Tackle reports keeper sized fluke continue to move into the Thames.
• Bluefish - a lot of 3 to 4 pound bluefish are being taken in the Millstone area both from shore and boats, Joe at the Fish Connection reports that a lot of large bluefish are being caught off the golf course and the east end of Fishers Island. Bob's Tackle reports lots of blues in the Thames, some as large as 10 pounds.
• Porgies - Shane at Hillyer's reports that anglers continue to find large scup between the bridges in the Niantic River. High Rock and Low Rock are also producing some nice scup and we have reports that scup are also being taken in the Thames now.
• Blackfish - Hillyer's reports 8 to 9 pound fish taken between the bridges on the Niantic River, as well as near Millstone at the High Rock and Low Rock. Bob's Tackle reports with the warming water that a few blackfish are still around the mouth of the Thames, but most are starting to move to deeper water. They suggest you look around Hatchetts Reef and Two Tree Island.
• Mystic River to Watch Hill: Striped Bass- The Mystic River is still producing large stripers and we continue to hear reports of stripers caught on the local reefs - Sugar, Watch Hill, and Wikipee - up to 50 pounds. The bunker have moved out of the Pawcatuck River and hickory shad, which had been in the Mystic River, have been sited over there. The main bait outside of the rivers has been sand eels, which are packed into the backside of Napatree Point, where they are attracting mixed sized stripers. Cheryl at Shaffers in Mystic says that the charters are reporting good results trolling on Valiant Reef around the East and Middle Clumps and near Latimer's Light using live eels for bait.
• Fluke- Hillyer’s Bait & Tackle in Waterford reports that fluke can be found in about 50 feet of water along the Misquamicut Beach area of Rhode Island and at Isabella Beach on the south side of Fishers Island is red hot for fluke. Fluke catches are picking up, but small bluefish in the area make it difficult to get bait down according to Hillyer's, who report that Black Point and Isabella Beach on the south side of Fishers Island are the hot spots. They recommend whole squid to attract larger fluke. Anglers have been catching fluke to 9 pounds on the south side of Fishers Island near Isabella Beach, in Barley Field Cove and off of the beaches at Misquamicut near the Carousel generally in about 50 to 60 feet of water. Some anglers have found fluke in the Mystic River and off the Stonington breakwater and the Monastery, but drifting without too much boat traffic in the area is generally difficult. Other spots with good reports of keeper-sized fluke include the area between the Pink House and the Old Reef in about 40 - 50 feet of water and inside the can on the Watch Hill Reef.
• Blackfish - Shaffers in Mystic reports anglers are catching blackfish off of Mystic and Stonington, but warns not to drift into NY waters, where blackfishing is closed. Bluefish - Cheryl also reports a lot of harbor sized fish have moved into the Mystic River where they have been chewing up everyone's tackle. She said the action on the causeway bridge has been particularly hot. A lot of bluefish up to 10 pounds are also reported along the Watch Hill Reef. Jim Gray says they are mixing in with the stripers now, so start using hard, non-plastic rigs. Porgy - larger "humpback" porgies up to 16 inches are turning up around Mystic, particularly at Latimer and Watch Hill Lights with some 2 plus pound fish taken from shore on sandworms at Watch Hill Point. Porgies can be found over the rockpiles from Misquamicut to Charlestown, RI.

Blueclaw crabbing is red hot NY Newsday

There's little doubt summer heat and humidity can take a bite out of local fishing prospects, but blueclaw crabbing is a powerful exception to the rule. In fact, over the past two weeks, crabbing action has exploded across Long Island's south shore from Jamaica Bay all the way east past Shinnecock Canal.

• Crabbing in Jamaica Bay has been "fantastic" around the North Channel Bridge with blueclaws taken in box traps on outgoing tides. He attributed the great action to a mild winter, which improves survival rates for blueclaws as they hibernate in the mud from late November though early May.
• Crabbing has also been excellent around Bay Park, said Bob Greco at Long Island Outdoorsman in Rockville Centre. "Many people use chicken for bait," he noted, "but bunker is better because it releases a fish-oil slick crabs easily detect." Greco recommends trying for crabs early in the morning because that is when you'll have the least competition from other crabbers.
• Both the Jones Beach and Captree Piers have also been hot spots for blueclaws, reported Forrest Clock at Captree Bait and Tackle. "People are leaving Captree with more than a dozen crabs apiece," Clock said. "Some use drop lines, others toss traps and a few simply walk the docks using nets to scrape crabs off the pilings. Bunker and chicken are working equally well," he added.
• "Not only are the crabs plentiful this summer," John Montione at J&J Sports in Patchogue said, "they are big."
• Montione has seen blueclaws delight fishermen from Oakdale east to Union Avenue Dock in Center Moriches. "Sayville to Bellport is a crabber's Mecca right now," he said. "Try outgoing water at the Blue Point Avenue Dock or the South Ocean Avenue Dock in Patchogue, where everyone is welcome."
• Mantione also suggested using bunker for bait and crabbing along shadow lines where, he said, the biggest crabs lurk.
• On the East End, Ken Morse of Tight Lines Bait and Tackle in Sag Harbor believes crabbers should try Shinnecock Canal when the locks are closed, or hit Mecox Bay, Sag Pond, Georgica Pond and Bullhead Bay.
• Morse pulls on a pair of waders and patrols shoreline edges with a long-handled crab net after dark. He wears a headlamp to free his hands, and seeks out blueclaws at midtide because that is when they come closest to the beach.
• New York State law requires hard-shelled crabs to measure at least 4.5 inches across the shell from point to point. Softshells can be kept at three inches. Crabs carrying orange eggs on their underside must be released. Some municipalities require town shellfishing permits, residency, or both to crab.
• "There is a 50 crab limit in New York State," Morse said, "but no rules stating you must take home every one you catch."

TAKE NOTICE CONNECTICUT REGS:
Blue Crab Minimum shell width (Spike tip to spike tip)
5 inches - Hard shell 3 1/2 inches - Soft shell
Daily creel limit: None Season: May 1 - November 30

Fisherman's World

• Striped bass fishing is still holding up pretty good with fish from 28 inches to 28lb. There have been some nice fish caught under bunker schools. From Green's Ledge, Darien to Greenwich, snagging the live bunker (usually at daybreak or rainy days) and letting them back into the schools or throwing chunks into the schools. You can also anchor in the area and fish with fresh bunker chunks. Also 11B, 28C, and the deep reef's between 28C and Budd's reef, some days are holding blues and striped bass with some big bluefish for this time of year, 13-14 lbs. Chunking on the bottom with fresh bunker and fishing sinker slides (aka fish finder rigs). Change weights according to the tide, use minimum weight to hold to the bottom. Change the bait frequently, because the fish are attracted to the smell of the bait. Also on the north side of 11B in approximately 80ft of water, three-waying worms have been productive. That is fishing with a 3-way swivel, a sinker, 3 ft of flourocarbon leader, eagle claw style hook and drifting the worms on the bottom you can catch bass up to 120 ft of water this time of year and during the summer months.
  
• Trolling for bluefish mid-sound with wire line or mono has been producing a number of bluefish with some bass mixed in between Norwalk and Smithtown bay. Also between Stamford and Llyod's neck. If you see bunker schools around, troll around them there are many fish in that area. And as usual tube and worm fishing in the Norwalk islands seem to be good, these fish seem to be smaller with a few keepers mixed in. Also some big bluefish near the launching ramps, in Norwalk, (across from Fisherman's World) under the bunker schools.
• Fluke fishing is still good at times if you can still find the fish. Jason Velicky did just that, he caught a 9 lb 10 oz fluke. Fishing the Eaton's neck triangle and Eaton's neck by can 13 has been excellent. Also there are fluke someday's at peck's ledge, middle passage, and buoy 28 southwest of Great reef. The fish at Eaton's neck tend to be larger. Fluke fishing has slowed down off of buoy 26, south of Copps island, but they will be back. Last year the run started in August with fish up to 11lbs. The bait to use is Squid strips, in combination with sand eels or spearing on fluke rigs or bucktails also fresh bunker strips and fluke bellies. Note to remember: fluke do not bite well, if at all, wind against tide. It is not good to fluke fish with an outgoing tide and an east wind or vice versa. It is best to fish on nice days not windy days. Drifting too fast for fluke is also not productive, over 1.5 knots it gets difficult. There has been excellent diamond jigging for blues, and bass at the OB buoy and 11B, but remember it is better to jig during the full and new moons because the tides run much harder and the diamond jigs work a lot better.
• Porgy- At this time of year chumming is definitely a plus, fish will come right to your boat, clam chum is the preferred bait. Alex Alison ,who works at Fisherman's World on Saturday mornings , did excellent in approximately 44 ft of water, approximately a mile south of Copp's island on the rock pile, very large porgy's. The south side of Smith's reef and some at Green's Ledge. Sand worms and clams are good bait.

Hartford Courant

• NOTICE: The thermal refuge areas on the Housatonic, Naugatuck and Shetucket rivers are closed to fishing and will reopen Sept. 1. No fishing is permitted within 100 feet of the mouths of posted tributaries to these rivers.
• TROUT: WHERE TO GO: Rivers and streams - Farmington River: West Branch, Housatonic River, Naugatuck River, Natchaug River, Coginchaug River. Lakes and ponds - Crystal Lake, Alexander Lake, East Twin Lake, Highland Lake, Wononscopomuc Lake, West Hill Lake, Beach Pond, Long Pond.
• WHAT TO USE: River and stream anglers have had their best success using worms and corn/meal worm combinations. Farmington River hatches include: Needhami (#22-26, early morning), Isonychia (#10-12, evening), Blue Wing Olive (#16-20, #24-26, cloudy days, mid-late afternoon), Ephemerella dorothea (Sulphurs duns #16-20, Riverton mainly, morning; afternoon to early evening for spinners), Caddis (Tan #14-18, all day; green #22-26, evening), Midges (#22-28), Nymphs. Hatches and patterns on the Housatonic River include: Alder/Zebra Caddis (#10-12, afternoon-evening, near overhangs), Ephemerella dorothea (#14-16, evening), Blue Wing Olive (#18-26, early morning, spinner fall evening), Isonychia (#10-12, evening), Light Cahill (#12-14, evening), Tan and Green Caddis (#14-16, early morning, evening), Midges (#20-26), stoneflies, Golden stonefly, Streamers, White Zonkers, Wooly Buggers, Muddlers, Micky Finn, Grey or Black Ghosts (#4-10).
• LARGEMOUTH BASS: WHERE TO GO: Upper Moodus Reservoir, Quaddick Reservoir, Wononscopomuc Lake, East Twin Lake, Bashan Lake, Gardner Lake, Candlewood Lake, Lake Waramaug, Beseck Lake, Middle Bolton Lake, Wyassup Lake, Mashapaug Lake, Pickerel Lake, Crystal Lake, Kenosia Lake, Messerschmidt Pond, Ball Pond, Mudge Pond, Ross Pond, Long Pond, Batterson Park Pond, Black Pond, Hatch Pond.
• SMALLMOUTH BASS: WHERE TO GO: Lake McDonough, Candlewood Lake, Highland Lake, Coventry Lake, Mashapaug Lake, Bashan Lake, Housatonic River, Farmington River, Connecticut River (Enfield).
• CATFISH: Connecticut River.
• KOKANEE: West Hill Lake.
• NORTHERN PIKE: Lake Lilinonah, Bantam Lake, Quaddick Reservoir, Hopeville Pond, Pachaug Pond, upper Housatonic River, Connecticut River (Hartford, Salmon River Cove, Haddam Meadows).
• PICKEREL: Mashapaug Lake, Highland Lake, Wononscopomuc Lake, Winchester Lake, Wood Creek Pond.
• WALLEYE: Lake Saltonstall, Coventry Lake, Squantz Pond.
• SALT WATER:
• BLACKFISH: Latimer Reef, Bartlett Reef, Black Point, Hatchet Reef, the Brothers, Southwest Reef, Branford reefs.
• BLUEFISH: Watch Hill light, Bartlett Reef, Black Point, Niantic River, The Race, Plum Gut, Hatchett Reef, lower Connecticut River, Long Sand Shoal, Six Mile Reef, Branford reefs, Stratford Shoal, Penfield Reef, Norwalk Islands.
• PORGY: Bartlett Reef, Black Point, Hatchet Reef, The Brothers, Southwest Reef, Branford reefs.
• STRIPED BASS: Pawcatuck River, Watch Hill reefs, Ram Island Reef, Mystic River, Thames River, The Race, The Sluiceway, Plum Gut, Bartlett Reef, Niantic River, Black Point, Hatchett Reef, lower Connecticut River, Long Sand Shoal, Cornfield Point, Southwest Reef, Duck Island rips, Branford reefs, New Haven Harbor, Charles Island, Milford Harbor, Bridgeport Harbor, Penfield Reef, Stratford Shoal, Norwalk Islands.
• SUMMER FLOUNDER: Napatree Point, Sandy Point, lower Mystic River, Fishers Island south shore, Twotree Island Channel, Niantic River, Black Point, lower Connecticut River, Long Sand Shoal, Hammonasset Beach, New Haven Harbor, Charles Island, Bridgeport Harbor.

TheDay.com - Find Your Spot; They're Out There

• Offshore fishing is picking up, said Capt. Al Anderson. He caught blue sharks around the 14500 x 43750 area and also spent two mornings catching and releasing some 45-pound bluefin from 43820 down to 43790 south of Block Island, the latter trips now about a week ago.
• Al caught the bluefin trolling Zucker Brushes and Tuna Burners back in the fourth wave, going about 7-8 knots. Just prior to this report he talked with lobstermen who saw both mahi and tuna jumping in cleaner, warmer water south of 43700 south of Block Island, that news and others indicating a jump in prospects for offshore catches in the coming week.
• On the inshore scene he made some evening trips for bass to the North Rip of Block Island, landing a total of 65 fish, fishing roughly from 6-10 p.m. on a flooding tide.
• Al Golinski of Misquamicut had seven bass to 30 pounds in the boat when I spoke with him yesterday morning via cell phone. He had live scup for bait, busying unhooking bass and watching his radar at The Race on a day with thick fog. Earlier in the week Capt. Ben DeMario took out his girlfriend Abbey Moose from Pennsylvania on her very first striper trip. She got out to a very good start, landing a 41-pounder on a live scup on the Watch Hill Reefs.
• Capt. Don's in Charlestown literally got quite a shock from Wednesday's storm when a bolt of lightening hit the building causing damage to it and the house next door. On the fishing front, there's been lots of bait just outside the beaches on some morning and good numbers of scup in Quonny Breachway for those without a boat. Fluking has been best in 40-45 feet from Quonny down past Charlestown Breachway.
• Over at King Cove, Bill told me about people catching small and medium bass in the morning from the Watch Hill Reefs on poppers and fly rods. When brought aboard the fish spit up very small squid. Porgy catching is good from Latimer Light over to the Napatree Point bell. Largest striper of the week was a 38-pounder caught by Dan Territo on live bait.
• Capt. Allen Fee at Shaffers Marina said prior to Wednesday's storm, his slip customers found small blues on the east side of Mason's Island and very finicky schoolie stripers on some mornings on the Watch Hill Reefs. The bass were up on the surface feeding on tiny bait and very exceedingly hard to fool with standard casting lures.
• Best chance of keeper fluke is to run down to the Pink House at Misqauamicut and to fish in 40-50 feet once there. You might find some keepers from Ellis to Cormorant Reef or maybe around buoy 7 on the north side of Ram Island if you have a very small boat or it's a foggy morning.
• Allen also said it's probably a good time to toss a live eel into the rocks on the south side of Fishers Island either early in the morning or after dark, just watch for the fog rolling in on a dark night if your boat doesn't have radar. Big porgies are on most of the rocky humps in Fishers Island Sound and shore anglers landed a mix of small stripers, porgies, small sea bass and a few blackfish on sandworms from the Mystic River Park.
• Fluke news is rated either very good or poor said Red at Bob's Rod & Tackle. One group of two anglers had a 7-pounder and two 5s fishing a “secret” location not far from the mouth of the Thames River but others came back to the store saying they caught only throwback after throwback. Norwich Harbor was full of bunker one day with blues after them. Shore anglers at both Eastern and Avery Points landed stripers on live eels after dark.
• Capt. Joe Balint had the duty at the Fish Connection, saying the ratio of short to keeper fluke is running about 5-to-1 for those that fish to fish along the eastern Connecticut shore from Harkness over to Groton Long Point. A few fluke were also caught by shore anglers dunking bait along the Thames River as far up as buoy 27.
• Bunker might be found anywhere from Trading Cove to Montville with blues and smaller bass after them. It looks like a good season for blue crabs judging from the amount of crab traps being sold.
• Stephanie Cramer is back with us. In her latest e-mail she said a small bass tagged in New London on Nov. 11, 2004 was recaptured in the Delaware River on April 7. No length or weight was given by the person that caught the schoolie the second time but Steph added the bass that mass at the mouth of the Thames in the late fall do not all end up going up into the river. Some head to the Hudson, others further south.
• She along with Bill Kreuger and Paul Johnson were on one of Capt. Al Anderson's evening trips. Together they landed 23 bass from 26-29 inches and one blue trolling flies on their fly rods in the North Rip at Block Island. All the fish were tagged and released.
• Retired charter captain Howard Beers reported for Hillyers Tackle. He said Tuesday and Wednesday were good for bass in The Race for both charter and private boats using live bait. Fluke news was very mixed, either very good or pretty downcast over the higher minimum sizes preventing some from taking home many keepers. One fellow came in to buy some crabbing equipment after seeing several of them around the pilings by his slip in the Niantic River.
• Sherwood Lincoln of East Lyme said he and his neighbor Richard Wick came in fourth in a fluke contest over the weekend that spanned five states. Their top fish weighed 9, 7, and 6 pounds, the combined weight good for $1,000. Sea bass catches aren't bad, mainly on wrecks and rocky humps off Falkners Island.
• River's End said crabbers in the Lieutenant River and around the Causeway had blue claws as big as 8 inches this week. Chunkers caught blues in the lower Connecticut River including several from the DEP Dock yesterday morning. Small blues pop up on the surface in the Sound and a few anglers with numbers of seldom-fished wrecks are catching medium and large sea bass to the west of Old Saybrook. Porgy catches are good and expected to remain so through the summer at spots like Cranes and Hens and Chickens. (Tim Coleman)