Connecticut Post

Striped bass — Bunker schools continue to show up here and there from Milford to the New York line. Sometimes there are bass under the school, sometimes not, but they are always worth a try. Tube and worm trolling is a good way to cover a lot of water in search of bass, but chunks of fresh bunker on the weighted hook remain the top bass taker. With the bunker gone, bigger fish have moved into shallow water in search of crabs and lobsters. Most of the cows are hooked at night as they cruise the shallows.

Bluefish — Time to break out the wire leaders and bite-resistant lures as the bluefish picture took an upward turn this week. Plenty of those smaller Taylor blues about with bigger choppers still hanging out in mid-sound. Poppers and swimmers are doing the trick on the blues. Waders with light tackler for fly rods should look for a fish to break, cast to where the splash happened. Often the reward is a vicious smash from a feisty, if diminutive, blue. Then get ready for a bracing fight punctuated by breathtaking acrobatic jumps (by the bluefish, not the fisherman). One small blue makes a great meal for two people. Just slather the skinned filets with mayonnaise pop them on a hot grill and in five minutes you are in dining high. And no, bluefish are not a particularly oily fish. If you want oily, eat a false albacore.

Fluke — The bite seems to have shifted north to Connecticut shore from Long Island's. Eric at Westport Outfitters recommends Middle Passage, the shoals and Sunken Island off Fairfield Western shore. Snapper blues — Not many report from the Connecticut side as yet, but some big school were spotted off Long Island's north shore, so it won't be long before they are here. Porgies — Bigger porgies are being caught off Milford and Penfield Reef. Sandworms are the top bait. Chumming is almost a must.

FRESHWATER

Trout — Good early summer trout fishing can be found in the West Branch of the Farmington River and in the Saugatuck, Salmon, Housatonic, and Naugatuck rivers. Thanks to cooler temperatures and a rainstorm on Wednesday, conditions should remain good through the weekend, although storms Thursday may roil the water in some streams.

The return of hot weather predicted for the weekend is not good news for trout fishermen. The Department of Environmental Protection recommends Blue Wing Olive flies mid-to-late afternoon and Pale Evening Duns and Sulphers after that. In the upper Housatonic, Light Cahills and tan and green Caddis are the call for early mornings and evenings. The refuge areas (posted places were cold water tributaries empty into larger rivers) in the Housatonic, Naugatuck and Shetuket rivers are now closed to fishing. They reopen on Sept. 1.

Largemouth bass — Good to excellent fishing is reported in lakes Housatonic, Lillinoah, Saltonstall Plymouth, Bantam and Candlewood.

Smallmouth bass — Bull's Bridge in the Cornwall area of the upper Housatonic and the Tarrifville areas of the Farmington as well as the Colebrook Reservoir and Highland and Gardner lakes, are all reporting smallmouth action. (Charles Walsh, Connecticut Post).