Eastern Connecticut, Noreast Magazine

• Over the last week, the bite has certainly improved throughout eastern Connecticut. With reports of bunker slowly making their way eastward, the fishing should remain consistent for the foreseeable future.
• In Madison, I spoke with “The Captain” at Captain Morgan’s Bait and Tackle. He reported steady action with lots of nice fish in close to shore. The porgy bite has been outstanding along many of the nearby rock piles and reefs. It is not uncommon for some of these bait stealers to measure out at 16-17 inches.
• Bassing has been very strong for anglers using live bait, especially for those three-waying eels under dark skies. The bass have been biting consistently at Charles Reef, Falkners, and along Hammonasett. At Falkners, anglers are also hooking into chunky 11to12-pound weakfish along the south side of the Island.
• The bluefish are everywhere - along the beaches, reefs, and in the harbors. As of Friday, there were still no reports of bunker, but further west in Branford, small pods of bunker have begun to make an appearance. For folks looking for white chins (blackfish), there is no shortage of blacks along the many rocky humps and reefs in the area. This week, fish up to 10 pounds were weighed in at the shop.
• Locals are also experiencing a decent fluke bite with fish up to 9.5 pounds along the Madison and Clinton shorelines. Sand eels still remain thick in the area, so as long as they remain, the predators should keep themselves busy. Catch of the week: A trigger fish was caught by a local angler along Charles Reef.
• Mark Beers of Block Island Tackle in Westbrook was incredibly pleased with the fishing – especially by those wetting the lines under dark skies. In terms of striped bass, fish up to 42 pounds have been weighed in at the shop, including a 50-inch “racer” bass that was caught on Thursday morning. This week’s hot spot is definitely Southwest Reef, followed closely by East Rip at the end of Long Sand Shoal. In these two locations, there is no shortage of bass willing to take live eels, bunker, or shad. Ben Doherty of Rum Runner Charters spoke with Mark and reported that he easily limited out fishing these locations throughout the week. Mark couldn’t stress enough that the key to success is using live bait.
• Surfcasters are also having some success fishing the beaches and rocky outcrops along Westbrook and Old Saybrook. As expected, shorts far outnumber the keepers, but there are still some very nice bass to be caught by a patient angler. At times, it is difficult to get the lure or bait down to the bass without having “Ol’ Razor Lips” devour your offerings. At Cornfield Point, it is not uncommon for anglers to get into a mix of good sized bass and bluefish.
• On Friday, a boat angler tallied three 12-pound blues from the rip that forms along the Point. For summer flounder, the most productive location has been the west end of Long Sand Shoal. Although you’ll have to pick through the shorts, there are plenty of 20 to 25-inch fish to be taken.
• In terms of blackfish, Hen’s and Chickens and the wreck off Southwest Reef have been incredibly productive, especially over the second half of the week.On a side note, my guide service partner, Kevin Mucha, and I fished just west of the Connecticut River on Sunday morning. As we dragged our kayaks out on the sandbar, we noticed thousands of 1-inch peanut bunker lying on the bar. It appears the bunker were trapped on the bar with the very fast and receding full moon tide. This is a good sign as this is our first encounter with “peanuts” in eastern Connecticut. Judging from the schools we saw on Sunday, the inshore action should intensify with the presence of these tasty little morsels.
• On Friday, Pat Abate of Rivers End Tackle forwarded the following report: It’s been a better week for striped bass. Small to medium-sized bass have been reported from Watch Hill to Plum Gut with acre-sized schools finning the surface. It appears these fish are feeding on some sort of small crustacean. They're difficult but not impossible to entice. Drifting at Southwest Reef has been good on most morning and night tides with live bait. The Race and Plum Gut have had a better week, though still not up to par. There have been a few schools of bunker along the Old Lyme to Waterford shoreline and that’s been attracting some larger bass to that area. Hatchett’s and some of the other local rock piles have given up some cows on live bunker or hickory shad.
• There has been an increase in the shad in both the Connecticut and Niantic Rivers. The blues at the mouth of the Connecticut River have increased a bit this week both for shore and boat anglers. Saybrook Point is still the center of shore activity with some action at the DEP piers. Fresh chunks of bunker or shad are best. The Race, Plum Gut and Pigeon Rip are up to par with blues, while action at the closer reefs is sporadic. Snappers are increasing at the DEP Piers, Causeway and Saybrook Point; they're in the 4" range now.
• The good, but not great fluking season moves on. There are still a fair number of doormats coming from the depths of Black Point and Hatchett’s. The River is a little slower this week but still worthwhile if the boat traffic permits. Long Sand Shoal has a lot of shorts. Fishers Island is sporadic, but when it’s on, there are good-sized fish to be had. Not much to report in terms of blackfish, but a few dedicated anglers are doing pretty well at some of the local reefs. The porgy bite is getting better at Hatchett’s, Bartlett’s, Hens and Chickens and Cranes Reefs. The numbers aren’t there, but the sizes have been outstanding.
  There are a lot of keeper blue crabs to be caught! Your best bet is to hunt in the back coves of the Connecticut River, particularly at night. Some fair catches are coming from the DEP piers at night, Oyster River, and the Causeway.
• In Stonington, Don Michaud of King Cove Marina and Outfitters reported solid fishing, especially along the local reefs. Watch Hill Reef, Napatree Point, and Sugar Reef have all yielded cow bass to anglers dangling live bait. Misquamicut Beach has been the most productive location for fluke, especially in 30 to 50-foot depths. Inside the harbor, the water temps along Sandy Point have risen above 70 degrees, making this location more of a nighttime location for anglers looking for bigger bass and blues. I fished this location twice this past week and experienced slower than normal activity. Just beyond the east breakwall in “the kitchen,” pods of schoolie bass have been seen blitzing sand eels on top just about every day this week. This is a nice opportunity for light tackle enthusiasts to get into some frantic action under the warm summer sun. (Roland St. Denis).