NB Herald, 8/25/05

• Summer heat has slowed trout fishing in most rivers and streams throughout the state. The Farmington River continues to fish well (although flows are low), and the Housatonic River remains slow with many trout in the thermal refuges. Best fishing is at dawn and the early evening hours through dusk. Successful patterns include Needhami, Isonychia, Blue Wing Olives, Caddis, Cahills/Summer Stenonema, Midges,Black Ants, Black Beetles Flying Ants,Stone Hopper and Golden Drake.
• Largemouth Bass fishing remains generally good although catches were off a bit due to the weather. Good reports include Pachaug and Hatch Ponds, North Farms Reservoir, Lake Williams, Lake Lillinonah, and Highland, East Twin, Rogers, Candlewood, Quonnipaug, Congamond and Coventry Lakes. Smallmouth are hitting at Squantz Pond, Colebrook Reservoir, Lake Lillinonah, Candlewood andCoventry Lake. Fishing for the bronzebacks is excellent, on the Shetucket, Willimantic, and Housatonic Rivers.
• Striped Bass fishing has improved with the full moon of last weekend. The best times are during dawn and dusk, including nighttime and daytime periods of overcast low light conditions. The Race and Outer Bartletts are the current hot spots. Other good locations include the Watch Hill reefs, Ram Island Reef, the Sluiceway, Plum Gut, Bartlett Reef, Hatchett Reef, Southwest Reef, Sixmile Reef, the reefs off Branford, Charles Island to Milford Point, the Norwalk Islands and the reefs off Stamford.
• Bluefish are providing the best action of the season. Fishing is most consistent in eastern LIS from the Race to Long Sand Shoal. Other good fishing locations include the Sluiceway, Plum Gut, Bartlett Reef, Hatchett Reef, Connecticut River between the Baldwin Bridge and the Amtrak RR Bridge. Snapper blues have arrived, although they are small, 4-7 inches in length.
• Summer Flounder fishing has also improved on the full moon tides. Gardiners Bay, Montauk and the south side of Fishers Island continue to yield double-digit fluke, some approaching 12 pounds. Other good locations are the Mystic River, lower Thames River, Niantic River, Black Point, and Connecticut River.
• Hickory Shad, a.k.a. "Connecticut Tarpon," fishing remains good in the Niantic River and fair in the Connecticut River and Clinton Harbor. Incoming tides are best. There is very little to report on Bonito and False Albacore. They should be moving into our water with consistency any day.