On The Water 5/14/09

Best Bets for the Weekend: Bluefish are moving into the region and providing light-tackle action, while larger stripers are making their entry and are being caught regularly on drifted chunk baits. This action will improve over the coming week as more fish move in, so be out there to greet them. Flounder continue to be hit or miss, but if weather cooperates, give it a try. Trout waters have been restocked throughout Connecticut, and the Wood River in Rhode Island was float-stocked recently as well, so trout fishing throughout the region should be excellent. The walleye in the Saugatuck Reservoir appear to be on the prowl both day and night, so consider a bucket of live shiners and a trip to that body of water. The Farmington River sounds like an interesting place to toss some flies at fish.

Captain Jack Balint at The Fish Connection in Preston reports big bunker in the Thames River, though he says they are scattered. Some keeper fish are being taken under the bunker, but no jumbo fish reported yet. A few bluefish have turned up at Bartletts Reef, and Millstone area has good numbers of blues to 6 pounds. For trout, Captain Balint reports the Shetucket River and Yantic Rivers as top producers, with Amos Lake a best bet for stillwater fishing.

The Niantic River is still producing some O.K. flounder fishing according to Howard at Hillyer’s Bait & Tackle in Waterford. Bluefish are moving into the area, though the major throng appears to be along the Long Island shore at the moment. Striped bass fishing continues to improve, with the mouth of the Connecticut River on the outgoing tide producing some fish. The upper Thames River is also worth a shot.

Pat at River’s End in Old Saybrook has reports of some bigger bass in the Connecticut River, to 25 pounds, but no enormous fish yet. The fish are in shallow water and are being taken on shad-style baitfish imitations. Pat considers the run up the river to be at its peak for the season. There have been reports of bluefish in the Millstone area, and the action is due to light up any day now. The flounder fishing continues to be slow.

Captain Jerry Morgan at Captain Morgan’s Bait & Tackle in Madison reports a big push of bluefish working their way into Long Island Sound although most are on the smaller side and are often mixed in with school bass. Striper fishing in the river mouths continues to be good, but bass are showing up on the reefs and anglers are beginning to take bigger specimens on chunk bait drifted over the reef face. A run of weakfish into the area has taken a few anglers in the West Haven area and around Falkner’s Island by surprise. Flounder fishing remains slow, particularly because of unrelenting winds. Fish are still close to shore but should be moving off soon as the water warms. Inland, the Hammonassett River and Salmon River continue to produce very good trout fishing, and that trend should continue through the weekend as restocking occurred recently.

Overall, fishing has been good in the Stratford area according to Chris at Stratford Bait & Tackle in Stratford. Striped bass up to 20 pounds are showing up on a more regular basis, and some jumbo stripers to 40-plus pounds have been taken below the Derby Dam on the Housatonic River. Anglers fishing at night, using chunk bait are doing most the damage. Bluefish are also showing up and adding to the mix of available species. The Saugatuck Reservoir is producing some large brown trout, to 9 pounds, on live shiners. Several have been taken in the past week or so. Walleye, generally elusive in the reservoir, have taken to hitting spoons by day, with several 5-pound fish taken in this manner. Most trout waters have just been restocked, so trout angling should remain excellent.

Rick at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk reports striped bass to nearly 30 pounds being taken pretty consistently between Hempstead and Rye, N.Y. on bunker chunks. This action is improving steadily, and anglers should expect a push of jumbo bass in the coming week. Small bluefish in the 4- to 5-pound class are also moving into the area and providing good light-tackle action. Rick reports flounder fishing as continuing to be O.K. Can 9, on the incoming tide, has been one of the more productive spots of late. Two 10-pound walleye have been taken recently from the Saugatuck Reservoir on live shiners at night. [Alan Desbonnet, On The Water]