On The Water

WEEKEND BEST BETS: Herring are in the major rivers as well as invading western Long Island Sound, and large striped bass are right behind them. It’s time to break out the trolling gear or pick up some chunk bait. Blackfish season is over, so focus on flounder in western Long Island Sound where the best action seems to be at the moment. School bass are moving into the Rhode Island salt ponds and hints of squid are in the air. Trout fishing continues to be good throughout the region with excellent water conditions expected for the weekend. Recent stocking should provide fish for those that venture out.

From The Fish Connection in Preston, Captain Jack Balint reports adult bunker in the Thames River, drawing in some larger fish, generally in the upper areas where the “3-rivers” empty into the estuary. No giant bass have yet been reported, but the number of keeper fish has risen dramatically over the past week. School bass are particularly thick in the Gales Ferry area of the Thames River, but no reports yet of any bluefish, and no reports yet of any squid locally. Flounder fishing in the area continues to be very slow going. The trout fishing however, has been very good in the area, with the Shetucket River and the Yantic River being excellent, producing good numbers of nice trout consistently.

John Hillyer at Hillyer’s Bait & Tackle in Waterford reports a bit of a slowdown in the flounder action over the past week. The action was hot when the weather was hot, then tapered right off. Fishing for school bass is good in the Thames River and around the discharge plume at Millstone. Some bunker have just shown up in the area, so expect to see some bigger striped bass show up real soon at Bartlett Reef and at The Race.

Good numbers of school bass are to be found in the lower Connecticut River, and there are numerous keeper-sized bass mixed in, according to Pat at Rivers End in Old Saybrook. Some larger striped bass are to be found upriver, as far up as Rocky Hill and even to Hartford, chasing herring, with mainly school bass around the CTDEP dock at the river mouth. Bunker have moved into the lower river, so expect a run of large stripers any day now.

Captain Jerry Morgan at Captain Morgan's Bait & Tackle reported that despite the soggy weather, anglers are out and about and taking fish pretty consistently throughout the Madison and Guilford areas. School bass are common all along the shoreline, and some keeper-sized fish are being taken as well. Small bluefish, to about 18 inches, are also in the area and providing some topwater action at times. Flounder fishing remains hit-or-miss, but fish are around for those who are persistent. Trout waters continue to be restocked, keeping trout fishing in the "good-to-great" category, with stream conditions improving with recent rains. Largemouth bass are on the beds in the shallows.

From The Bait Shop in Rowayton, Art reports flounder fishing as “OK,” with best bets for this species in the area around the Manresa power generation facility. School bass are showing up here and there all along the shoreline now, and shoreline anglers are taking fish on a more consistent basis as time marches on. The Housatonic River continues to produce good numbers of decent-sized striped bass.

Chris at Westport Outfitters in Norwalk reiterated that the Housatonic River continues to produce great fishing, with some of his trips finding fish up to 40 inches on 12-plus-inch herring patterns, but other areas are now improving as the bass move into Long Island Sound from the rivers. Along the shore, try sand eel patterns and chartreuse Clousers. Bunker are to be found throughout the area, but the bigger, migratory fish have not yet arrived and so there aren’t as many fish under the bunker schools yet; you can expect this to change very soon. Jamaica Bay in New York is red hot for striped bass at the moment, so expect Connecticut waters in western Long Island Sound to turn on within a week or so.

Rick at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk reports fair-to-good flounder fishing around the Norwalk Islands, but says lots of school bass are mixed in with them. Sand worms and clam chum still reign for this species. Bass as big as 24 pounds are being taken along the shores of Long Island, and fish up to 38 inches are being taken in Hempstead Harbor on chunked or trolled bunker, so there is reason to expect the fishing will improve. There are lots of bunker in the Saugatuck River and Norwalk Harbor now, so watch for the push of big striped bass. Trout were stocked late last week, so trout fishing is excellent throughout the area. The Saugatuck Reservoir is producing good catches of walleye and some big brown trout, both on shiners and/or Krocodile Spoons.

At Valley Angler in Danbury, John reports excellent fishing conditions on Candlewood Lake. Largemouth bass as big as 9 pounds and smallmouth bass to 6.5 pounds have been taken. Anglers coming back into the shop are reporting good numbers of smallmouths in the 5-pound range, and nearly limitless numbers of 3-pounders. John reports that Squantz Pond is seeing big brown trout as big as 5 pounds chasing alewives. [Alan Desbonnet, On The Water]