The Fishing Line 6/3/09

Overview: Fishing Line Message Boards: Striper anglers in Connecticut have to reevaluate their fishing strategies for the upcoming week. A big change has occurred in all parts of Connecticut. Fishermen have to go deep if they are seeking big time bass. Reports from around the state are leaning towards a mid-water column and bottom bite. Most anglers have switched to deep diving plugs or are slowing their retrieves down significantly. Butterfly jigs and diamond jigs are also recommended for the next coming days. Bluefish anglers are finding fish around every river and inlet. Look for the birds and you’ll find a bluefish. Weakfish numbers are still pretty low, but they are available near the Long Island side. Unfortunately anglers are not allowed to bring them back into Connecticut.

Westernmost CT: Bass to 36 pounds were caught this week in the western half of Connecticut. Snag and drop live-lined eels is the best bait on the water for the week. Places like Mid Sound and Hempstead have been crawling with big bass and medium sized bluefish. Shops from around the area have been talking about bass from 17 to 36 pounds as regular daily catches. Bluefish are also following right on the tails on big bass, but most of them are less than 10 pounds. Hempstead has been a very productive area this past week, but most anglers are hush-hush about the exact locations. A report of a 13-pound weakfish came in from this area as well.

Bridgeport to Stratford: Anglers should be going deep for bass this week. Deepwater around this area is swarming with bass with reports of stripers to 32 pounds. Most shops are averaging bass between 22 and 28 pounds for daily weigh-ins. Top baits for the week include live bunker and mackerel on the ocean side and tubing worms in all local rivers. Bluefish have been caught throughout the area, but anglers are being told to follow the herring gulls for the best results. Most bluefish are between 5 and 7 pounds. Not much has been mentioned about weakfish but breeding tiderunners are still being seen at night.

New Haven to Madison: The deepwater trend continues for anglers in search of that first big striper of the year. A majority of reefs are holding bass and the deeper the better. Places like Thompson’s Ledge, Branford Reef and Branford Harbor have been bass hideouts when the rain stopped. Deep water diving plugs are highly recommended. Yozuris and large lipped swimmers would be perfect during day and night. Porgy anglers have also been busy this week, but locations for the larger porgy are limited at this time.

Eastern CT:
CT River and the Race: The CT River has been excellent for big bass during this week. Striper to 30 pounds were reported until the weather turned nasty. The best time for lunker bass now is low light and out going tides. Most guys are using Shimano Butterfly Jigs or diamond jigs for both bass and blues. The best action has been on the outer reefs. Places like the Southwest Reef and Long Sand Shoal are have been great with jigs.

Niantic Bay and Thames River: Bass numbers are starting to look as they should for this time of year. Although big bass are further west many anglers are still taking fish to 25 pounds in this area. Migrating bass have been caught at places like: Bartlett’s Reef, Harkness and the Millstone Power Plant Discharge. Most blues in this area are just over the cocktail size and starting to really frenzy near Bartlett’s Reef. Top lures for the week for both bass and blues are red and white deep-diving Bombers and Sluggos fished off the bottom. The Race and surrounding areas are being fished with Bounders and tins for any remaining bluefish.