Connecticut Post- How will cold affect Bluefish haul?

• Erik at Westport Outfitters calls this week and next the "transition to fall," with the peanut bunker and snappers getting bigger by the day. "The water clarity is remarkable for this time of year," he said. "It's kind of a smorgasbord of fish for the angler right now." Some of Erik's charters resorted to deep trolling around Penfield Reef, where they found plenty of big choppers lurking. "Bluefish, bluefish, bluefish" is how Brian at Ted's Bait & Tackle in Bridgeport described the angling scene at St. Mary's. Most of the blues taken there went for drifted or weighted bunker chunks, the fresher the better. Occasionally, a school will show on top where they can be picked off with poppers and swimmers.
• Jason at Bobby J's in Milford seconded the hot bluefish action. Al Day nailed two blues in the 12-pound class fishing chunks behind Charles Island. The surface feeding schools are still raiding the shores near Bradley Point in West Haven.
• Trolling periwinkles in the Housatonic River, from the end of the Milford breakwater to the Merritt Parkway Bridge has been very effective this week.
• Striped bass — The bass picture is, in a word, slow, but dawn waders at the shore access spots in Westport and Norwalk and Fairfield are taking lots of stoolies and the occasional keeper thanks to then gin clear water. The reef behind Charles Island produced at least one 38-inch linesider this week.
• Bonita — Greenies between six and eight pounds have shown up in the Norwalk Island especially around Peck's Ledge. They should be racing off the Stratford beaches soon.
• Fluke — New Haven Harbor and the breakwaters were the hot spot for Jason Jadach and his brother this week. They took fish weighing 6.34 and 6.2 pounds off the bottom.
• Porgies — The action is all at Middleground, where Sean Lalond took a 2.28-pound porgy.
• Blue crabs — Mill River in Fairfield, Indian River in Milford and access points in New Haven Harbor are making for a banner crabbing season.
• Snapper blues — They are getting bigger and bigger and therefore more and more fun to catch. The snappers are biting shiners and Castmasters at the Fairfield Boat Basin and from the town dock at the end of High Street in Milford.
• FRESHWATER Largemouth bass — The state Department of Environmental Protection reports good to very good largemouth fishing in many areas. Areas to try include Bantam Lake (recent catches include 6.3 and 5.0 pound bass), Candlewood, East Twin, Winchester, and Mashapaug lakes, Lake Zoar (4.5-pound bass among the catches), and Pachaug (mixed reports), Burr and Squantz Ponds.
• Smallmouth bass — Good to fair catches reported from Lake Housatonic, Lake Zoar (3.9-pound smallie among the catches), Candlewood, Gardner and Squantz Pond. With cooler temperatures, action for river smallies on the Housatonic has slowed somewhat, but is still rated good to excellent. Some good action also reported in the Farmington River (Tariffville area).
• Northern pike — Catches reported from Lake Lillinonah, Bantam Lake and Pachaug Pond. Sunfish — Excellent summer time action happening throughout the state. Use worms, grubs, jigs or small poppers for them in any local pond or lake where fishing is permitted. Yellow perch — Jumbos are being taken from Candlewood Lake. (Charles Walsh)