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..