Noreast.com, Western, CT 7/1

• It seems like the reports for the week are starting to sound like a broken record, where the same news keeps coming in over and over and over again. But it is hard not to shout from the rafters, especially since this is probably one of the best bass fishing seasons of recent memory. In essence, everybody is catching stripers, and blues, and fluke, and porgies, and anything else that is inclined to jump on the hook, and this week has been no different.
• Chris Fulton of Stratford B&T in Stratford has echoed the same sentiments about the state of the fishing season and to prove his point explained how he weighed in the fish of the week at 2:30 a.m. (yes, that is pretty early in the morning) when Keith Covotos came calling with a 54-inch, 42.8-pound bass that he took on a bunker chunk at the BH Buoy. At first, Covotos thought he had his first 50-pounder ever, but while the fish had the length to support the weight, it just did not have the girth, not to mention an empty stomach. Milton Santos was on the troll in the Connecticut River with a tube and worm where he promptly hooked a 21.04-pound striper, while Ed Goodwin resorted to dragging bunker spoons in 40 feet of water at Middle Ground where he caught a 41 and 31-inch bass. Kevin Cornell resorted to the conventional chunking method at Buoy 18 where he used bunker to catch three stripers to 20 pounds. Bob Coyole picked up a 20-pound bass in New Haven Harbor where he was fishing with bunker chunks. And then added several bluefish to the mix, along with a 3-pound fluke.
• With all that is going on with bass and blues, anglers should not forget to register for Nor'east.com's Flukemania Smackdown Tournament taking place on July 14 and 15. There is $20,000 in guaranteed cash prizes and the entry fee is $25 per angler. There is a $500 bonus to the first place winner to the angler that is a Noreast.com Club member. The winner will be decided by heaviest weight of one fluke measuring 20 inches or longer. For more information, call the hotline at 1-866-610-2246.
• At Bobby J's in Milford, Jason Jadach had good news about the fluking in the area and said that the mouth of the Housatonic River is producing well. Pat Devine had a nice day there and caught seven keepers to 7 pounds using squid on a small bucktail, while Carl Schneider also fished the mouth of the river for 10 keeper fluke to 5 pounds using the same bait. Joe Gilbert joined the growing crowd for five keeper fluke to 5 pounds using squid and killies on a 1-ounce bucktail. Al Day also did well at the river with three keepers to 3.5 pounds, also using squid and killies on a 1-ounce jig.
• Brian Karchman of Ted's Bait in Bridgeport did not have much action on the saltwater side but did talk about the excellent largemouth bass fishing that is taking place at Lake Mohegan. Frank Garfano cashed in on that news and worked buzz baits for a 4.90 and a 5.10-pound largemouth bass.
• At Westport Outfitters in Norwalk, Eric Johnson said the near shore fishing continues to provide fly and light tackle enthusiasts with good action for schoolie bass and small bluefish. Anglers are catching fish up to 22 pounds using bunker chunks with areas up and inside the mouth of the Saugatuck River on the incoming tide producing nicely. A 34-inch bass was taken there by Nick Randme. Sand eels are still the main food source for shallow water stripers and bluefish and there are plenty of adult bunker in Norwalk Harbor, with a few fish pushing them around at daybreak and at dusk. There are some very large, 25-30-pound bass taking chunks in the vicinity of Can 2.
• At Fisherman's World in Norwalk, Nick Massaro had a mixed bag of results with good shore reports as he spoke of Jason Bernstein catching a 22-pound bass at Calf Pasture Beach on a bunker chunk, while Nick Randamere nailed a 15-pound striper at the mouth of the Saugatuck River, and Dave Redford took bass to 40 inches with bunker chunks at Fairfield Beach. Scott Martin cleaned up on the fluke at Norwalk Island where he used a squid and bucktail combination to catch 14 fish to 24 inches, while Kevin Valachi made the trip to West Atlantis and was rewarded with a 60-pound bigeye tuna while drifting chunks at night.
• Armen Borgus of Hiller's Hunting and Fishing in Norwalk said that the bass action is still solid around the islands and that 2.5-pound porgies and blackfish to 7 pounds are being taken on the shoals. Mark Hiller traveled a little further south to the Cows where he floated some chunked bunker for a 30 and a 35-pound striper.
• At Sportsman's Den in Cos Cob, Mike Noyes said that the fluke fishing is really picking up at Todds Point and Hen and Chickens with fish to 4 pounds the norm. Squid strips and spearing are the ticket to get these flatties to rise and take the bait. Andy Lyons left the fluke alone to pursue stripers and caught a 36-inch bass on a pencil popper while fishing at Matinecock Point. He also landed several bluefish to 10 pounds. John Windus, along with the father and son team of Jay and Austin DeStanik, fished mid Sound with pencil poppers where they caught 30 bluefish between them.
• Vincent Mirizio of Fish Tales in Stamford had a few good reports, starting with Louie Marroquin catching two blackfish, both 19 inches at the Hopson Street Pier using clam strips. Phil Vincoli was fishing in 40 feet of water in Stamford Harbor with bunker heads and caught a 36.1-pound bass, while Henry Alexandre hit Dolphin Cove for a 30.5-inch striper that inhaled a clam strip. Jason Monet had a big day trolling tube and worm at Rye and caught four bass to 28 inches and four bluefish to 25 inches. Francisco Ordonez took a 38.5-inch striper with a bunker chunk at Cobblestone Reef, while Kenny Byxby and Gene Barry teamed up for five bass and four bluefish that they caught at Porgy Reef using bunker chunks. (Rob Caluori).