Noreast.com, Eastern CT, 7/1

• Fishing over the first half of the week was slow for most anglers as a sharp cold front passed through the region which was immediately followed by a heat wave. When we experience fluctuating patterns like this, it is common to experience a slow bite. All we need now is to settle into a consistent pattern of weather and the bite will most assuredly improve. Judging from some of the late week reports, it appears we are on the cusp of a rebound in the action.
• In Old Saybrook, Pat from River’s End Tackle declared the action slow, but was hopeful of a strong bite leading up to Independence Day. “Bassing has been slow for most of our customers. Some folks are still picking up some good sized fish drifting chunks at the mouth of the Connecticut River, but the numbers continue to dwindle. There appears to be existing pods of bunker in this location, so not all of the bass have decided to leave the area yet.
• “There are some big bluefish around and a few are tipping the scales at 15-plus-pounds. Anglers are catching a lot of striped bass dragging the tube and worm near the mouth, but most fish are small. Southwest Reef, a hot-spot for many over the past couple of weeks, even saw the bite slow leading into the weekend. There were a couple of anglers who scored a half dozen bass in the 30-pound class later in the week, but overall it’s been sporadic at best.” On the fluking front, Pat described the action as “democratic” – meaning everyone is getting their fair share, but nothing extreme.
• Pat offered his personal theory on the bite as related to the full moon. “The trend over the past year has been that the fishing is slow on the front side of the full moon and better action on the back side, so we’re expecting improvement by the holiday.”
• “Trusty Lou” from Hillyers Bait and Tackle also described the first half of the week as slow, but the action improved leading into the weekend. On Friday, a customer arrived at the shop sporting two fat bass that tipped the scales at 36 and 26 pounds. Both fish were caught at Bartlett Reef drifting eels before sun up. On Thursday, a local charter nabbed two 30-pound bass at The Race near Valiant Rock. Black Point continues to hold a nice pick of 30-34-inch striped bass, with some larger fish mixed in, while Millstone has become a gathering spot for 3-4-pound blues and schoolie bass. Hatchet’s Reef, just south of the red can at the drop-off has been a great location to chunk bunker for big bass. There are loads of huge porgies between the bridges in Waterford that have measured out at an amazing 17 inches.
• On the fluke front, many customers are reporting a better keeper-to-short ratio. It appears these anglers are utilizing bigger baits to discourage the smaller flatties from taking their offerings. Sarah’s Ledge has been hot, the red can near Goshen Reef, and the Ruins are all highly productive.
• In Stonington, Bill from King Cove Marina and Outfitters said there was no shortage of fish in the eastern-most part of the state. On Friday, near Watch Hill Reef, Kevin McCarthy, the owner of King Cove, ran into hordes of feeding bass and had a ball catching a nice mix of bass from 25 inches to the high 30-inch range. The fish were apparently feeding on sand eels.
• On Friday, a 25-pound bass was weighed in by a customer who was fishing the same area as Kevin. Stonington Harbor is still loaded with a nice mix of small to large bass and medium sized choppers. The inner and outer breakwalls have been a fairly popular spot to chunk up some bass. Sandy Point continues to hold a motherload of sand eels, which has garnered the attention of the bass and blues.
• Fluking has been very good along Misquamicut and Isabella. During the second half of the week, there were numerous fluke caught exceeding the 20-inch range. Bill explained the anglers “in the know” are doing very nicely with keeper fish, so he knows there is still a nice pick of flounder for the taking. If Misquamicut or Isabella is slow - which is highly doubtful unless you experience a terrible drift or poor weather - try giving Latimer Reef a shot and you won’t be disappointed. (Roland St. Denis)