Eastern LIS, T. Coleman 6/19/09

Capt. Howard Beers at Hillyers in Waterford said they got mixed reports on the fluke opener with some getting easy limits of three fish at 19.8 inches per person and others that caught almost nothing. People were fishing from Millstone over to Two Tree Channel with more keeper-sized fish in 60 to 70 feet both east and west of the Bartlett's Spindle. Biggest to date were a 4.9-pounder by Joe Sullivan and a 5.6-pounder by Joe Stephano.

Joe Balint up at the Fish Connection told me the fluke results were pretty poor on Monday from Ocean Beach to Vixen Ledge but as the week went on, numbers improved greatly with fish from 20 to 23 inches in the coolers for those in smaller boats fishing closer to shore. One gent snagged a bunker from shore at Brown Park then live-lined it for a 43-inch striper. Others used eels from shore along Scotch Cap Road, catching more bass on a weekly not daily basis.

There was one reliable report on fluke, said Red at Bob's in Uncasville. During the first part of the week three locals fished off Niantic for 30 fluke total, nine keepers. They kept most other details of their catch secret, as most fishermen are wont to do. Shore anglers are catching porgies from the rocks along the lower part of the Thames and on the rockpiles near the river mouth in small boats.

Capt. Allen Fee at Shaffers reported two locals that keep a boat at Gwenmoor Marina fished Misquamicut on Wednesday, landing lots of short fluke and two keepers. Dana Pollard of Mystic stayed closer to home, landing three keepers around buoy 7 on the north end of Ram Island in a few hours, saving some gas to boot. Dave Rossetto of Mystic went over to Southwest Ledge off Block on Sunday, trolling up 12 medium and larger bass on wire line. Another is catching smaller bass in the evenings casting lures around the shoreline on the east end of Fishers and at times around Race Rock.

Capt. Kyle Douton at J&B in Niantic said their charter boat bagged another 50-inch bass, this one on Wednesday night, drifting a dark bucktail with pork rind. Bass fishing out in The Race has been up and down with the flood better right now than the ebb said Kyle. One boat made a run to the West Grounds, catching keeper sea bass and some shorts, than area not far from the trolling spots for stripers at Southwest Ledge.

Hel-Cat in Groton saying the fishing is on a “steady build” for the week with bait producing more fish than in the past weeks. Jigs are still the top producer so bring them along by all means but please keep in mind the fish are still very sensitive to time and tide, normal for this time of year.

River's End down in Old Saybrook fluke from just off Soundview and the Sand Shoal. [Tim Coleman, TheDay]