On The Water Magazine

• Best Bets for Connecticut and Rhode Island: If you’re hankering for “technical angling,” head up to the Farmington River to toss “no- -see-ums” to some nice trout. On the other end of the spectrum, grab a charter offshore to the canyons, where both the lures and the fish are big; tuna, marlin and shark appear to be ready play. Along the shore, it sounds like a morning, evening or overnight game if you want to target larger striped bass, though there seem to be plenty of opportunities for light-tackle angling throughout the day and around the region. While all the above sound interesting and fun, it is hard to resist the siren call of the bonito that are showing throughout the region. If you choose to pursue them, chances are I will be out there with you.
• Connecticut: At The Fish Connection in Preston, Jack reports that bonito have not yet been seen around the Watch Hill area. However, he has been seeing them pretty regularly on his charter trips and plans to target them in the future. Reports are also coming into the shop of bonito appearing off Pleasure Beach and Harkness Memorial, albeit inconsistently. Striped bass are still thick in the Thames River, and Jack expects that the big stripers will stick around for the bunker that are still in the river. Norwich Harbor has a large school of bunker with some good-sized stripers hanging around underneath. Outside the river, bigger stripers are being taken at The Race, with diamond jigs and big bucktails leading the way for size and numbers. Reports from fresh water are meager, but they suggest that the Shetucket River is still fishing o.k., and that the Farmington is still fishing very well.
• Shane at Hillyer’s Bait & Tackle in Waterford could provide no bona-fide sightings of bonito in the area, except for a few at Valiant Rock, but he concedes that the timing is about right for them to start appearing at local beaches. Fluke fishing reports are still good, and the deep water (75-100 feet) around Black Point seem to be the most productive spot. Best baits are squid, Peruvian smelt and/or a large lake smelt, according to Shane. If you want striped bass, the jumbos seem to be coming from Bartletts Reef during nighttime hours, and eels are the ticket to the big ones. The Sluiceway, Little Gull and the Millstone discharge are all producing lots of striped bass and bluefish in the small- to medium-size range. In all cases, early and late in the day is best if you can’t fishing during the night. Scup fishing and blue crabbing both remain excellent in the area.
• As the heat has been cranking up along eastern Long Island Sound, the bluefish are getting more active on the surface and snapper blues are becoming more frequent. Captain Morgan at Captain Morgan’s Bait & Tackle in Madison reports that many of the bluefish are in the small to medium range, but they’re loads of fun on light tackle. There are reports of big striped bass around the reefs just offshore, with 30- to 40-pounders being taken late, early and in darkness. Bonito have been reported at Falkner Island and at the rip at Hammonasset. Captain Morgan says these speedsters are still inconsistent, providing in-and-out action to give anglers a quick thrill and a preview of what may come later. Captain Morgan also has reports of weakfish at Falkner on the incoming tide. As the heat bears down, fluke are reportedly moving into many of the river mouths and tidal creek inlets, making angling from shore for this species a pretty good option. Captain Morgan reminds everyone that the WICC Bluefish Tournament will take place on August 25 and August 26; there are some pretty hefty prizes, so consider registering.
• Bert at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk reports that bluefish on the surface are causing havoc throughout much of the Norwalk area. The most consistent spots to catch the surface action are at the 28C- or 11B-Buoy, or at Sheffield’s Reef. Most of the fish are in the 8- to10-pound range. Stripers are still around, but they are holding deeper and are tougher to take by day; tube-and-worm rigs and umbrella rigs seem to be the best bet at the moment. Bert has heard good reports from anglers drift-fishing for fluke at the 26-Buoy in 30 feet of water and at Sheffield Reef in 40 feet of water. Big scup are all around, and the 28C-Buoy is especially productive. Bert reports that the anglers going the deepest are bringing in the biggest fish.
• For the Candlewood Lake region, John at Valley Angler in Danbury says an amazing amount of fish are still being taken, despite the heat and humidity. The heat also tends to keep anglers in air-conditioned places, which means that the angling pressure and crowds are kept to a minimum. Walleye to 8 pounds are taking alewives and trout shiners pretty consistently from Squantz Pond, and trout in the 3- to 5-pound range are also being caught there regularly. Candlewood Lake is producing some serious largemouth bass action for anglers working the shoreline weed beds, while smallmouths are lurking deep along the humps in the middle reaches of the lake – sounds like there is something for everyone! John is also hearing reports that the deep water in the north end of Ball Pond is producing some large trout, and that the Farmington River is fishing superbly. Keep in mind that the “bugs du jour” are teeny-tiny things requiring flies in size 28 or smaller. John hears that the trout prefer these wee hors d’oeuvres served on 9X tippet coming off 12- to 15-foot leaders.
• Rhode Island: Reports coming into Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle in North Kingstown say that the action in the upper region of Narragansett Bay has slowed to a typical late summer crawl as water temperatures have climbed over the past couple of weeks. At the shop, Tommy is hearing reports of scattered bluefish and striped bass, but they’re generally found in the lower reaches of the bay early, late and during darkness. Tommy is also hearing that the fluke are heading south into the deeper waters of the lower bay.
• Earl at The Saltwater Edge in Newport concurred with reports of fairly slow action, even in the lower bay areas, and particularly to larger fish. Earl did report lots of small bait in the area, and baby bunker are showing up more regularly now, so expect this bait to attract bigger fish. According to reports Earl has been receiving, if you get out early or late in the day, there is decent light-tackle action to school bass and some small bluefish around the Newport area. From just outside of the bay, Earl has been receiving lots of reports of mahi-mahi, mainly small ones, hiding under items as small as candy wrappers. The reports are coming from just a few miles outside of the bay entrance, so it may be a decent year for this species if you have a boat and a sense of adventure.
• Offshore, way out by Hydrographer’s Canyon, is red-hot for a whole variety of species including yellowfin and albacore tuna, and white and blue marlin. Rob at Wildwood Outfitter’s in Wakefield has reports of bait thick enough to nearly walk on, and the fish are feasting on them. A bit closer to home, Block Island is producing good striper fishing over much of the island shoreline, and the south-facing shore of the mainland – particularly around Black Point and Burrows Point – is also producing well. The best action to the biggest fish on the south shore is happening under cover of darkness with chunks of fresh cut bunker. Fish to 40 pounds are not uncommon, according to what Rob is hearing. Charlestown Breachway is also giving up some nice stripers at dawn to anglers fishing eels. Striped bass anglers tossing plugs into the surf are also doing well along Moonstone Beach early in the day. Rob has heard unverified reports of bonito at the Center Wall, but they are not difficult to believe, given that bonito seem to be turning up everywhere. While fluke fishing has slowed in some spots, reports from anglers near the Jamestown Bridge and at Seal Rock suggest otherwise.
• There are lots of big striped bass at the docks in Galilee, and although anglers are hooking up using cocahoes and clam bellies, the fish have been wrapping themselves around the pilings and cutting lines. Mary at Maridee Bait & Tackle in Narragansett suggests fishing from a boat at the pier so that you can direct them away from the pilings after hooking up. Worth a try, it sounds to me. Otherwise, Mary reports that the slowdown reported in Narragansett Bay has crept down to the Narragansett Beach area as well. Fishing has slowed as the heat has increased, and successful anglers are plying their wares either early or late in the day, or during darkness. As expected, eels are the bait to use. Fluke fishing seems to holding steady, according to reports Mary is getting, and fish to 25 inches are being taken at the Center Wall, near the lighthouse and in front of Scarborough Beach.
• Fluke – quite a few of keeper size – are now being taken from the beaches in the Charlestown region, according to reports Steve at Breachway Bait & Tackle in Charlestown is receiving. Steve also hears that fluke catches by boat just outside the beaches continue to be good. Big bluefish have moved into the Charlestown Breachway, providing some intense action, and bonito have just begun to show up outside and inside the breachway. The bonito schools are still pretty scattered, but they appear to be taking up summer residence once again. These are the kind of tourists anglers love! Striper fishing continues to be good, and the best catches are coming from just off the beaches, by boat, early and late in the day or during darkness. Need I say eels work best?
• Captain Don at Captain Don’s Bait & Tackle in Charlestown also reports bonito in the area, specifically around the Weekapaug and Quonny breachways. Captain Don has also heard a few reports of small bluefin tuna in The Race, a bit farther to the west. Striped bass fishing continues to be good, with tube-and-worm rigs being the most productive method for bass both big and small. Captain Don reports that the Quonny Breachway is alive with striped bass, especially nearing the end of the tide. Reports are also good for fluke anglers dropping their squid or mummichogs into about 65 feet of water just off the south shore beaches. More reports are trickling into the shop saying that keeper-sized fluke are being taken in the back end of Quonny Pond; these fish must be coming in with the warming waters in the pond.
• Bonito have turned up in the Coast Guard Channel on Block Island, according to reports that John at Twin Maples has received in the past few days. John suggests using small Deadly Dicks or Yo-Zuri L Jack lures, and be sure you have at least 100 yards of line on your spool to handle the fish’s first run. John also has heard reports that while the south end of the island is still producing good catches of striped bass, the bait has moved to West Beach near the Transfer Station. The best time for these fish is during darkness. John also reports an interesting tidbit for shore anglers who want to sight-fish for stripers in the 20-25 pound range: fish are feeding on small clouds of shrimp in the trough coming off the beach face. John recommends a 2-inch Storm Shad or a tiny Fin-S Fish freshwater lure.
• Sea bass, scup and fluke fishing remain steady all around the island, although there are many short flukes to each keeper. He suggests targeting both scup and sea bass from the bell at the harbor entrance to Graces Cove. (Alan Desbonnet).