Connecticut Fishing Report- August 17, 2023
Stripers enjoy a baitfish buffet in the eastern Sound, scup and sea bass fill coolers for bottom fishermen, and double-digit bluefish take diamond jigs in deep water.
Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt, at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook, told me that things are starting to feel more fall like, with more birds and more blitzing fish on small bait. There are still plenty of big bunker schools around that are fueling some blitzes of bigger fish. The big fish are feeding in small windows that appear to be mostly tidal and time of day dependent, while the smaller fish can be found feeding and blitzing all day long. There are peanut bunker, silversides, and juvenile butterfish throughout the Eastern Sound fueling this school bass blitzes, and they soon will be fueling false albacore/bonito blitzes. Fluke reports have been quieter in CT than RI, but there are a few big ones around, while sea bass and scup fishing remains very steady.
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Heather from Black Hawk Sportfishing reported another solid week of fishing aboard the Black Hawk! It’s like they’re on repeat, with loads of porgies and a good mix of big sea bass to help fill up the coolers. Their Saturday afternoon family trip was successful, with many young anglers spending the afternoon with their families reeling in some nice porgies. They have a few more of these trips on the schedule, so be sure to join them before it’s too late. The bass and bluefish trips were once again excellent, with huge blues coming over the rails all night. They look forward to seeing everyone soon!
When I checked in with Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters, he told me that the summer striped bass fishing has remained consistent, and it remains a good time to go out and catch a cow. There are still a lot of brown sharks in the area, and even some reports of threshers being caught relatively close to home, so you truly never know what you’re going to hook into out there. Mike is seeing big schools of juvenile butterfish on the reefs, and the bluefish tend to be right on their tail. Mike has also seen a big improvement in the black sea bass fishing, which has helped fill the coolers for clients. Captain Mike and his crew still have openings for summer fishing, so give them a call to book a spot ASAP!
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Captain Chris at Elser Guide Service is still finding excellent striped bass and bluefish action while trolling the tube and worm. He is also finding the occasional light tackle bite on the Duratech 13-inch eels on a 1-ounce jighead. Fish are planted in place during daylight hours in their safety zones, but they can be coaxed into attacking a trolled tube, Duratech Eel, or live bunker at any time during the day. Most of the bass are in the 20- to 35-pound range and the bluefish tend to be on the very large side. Chris still hasn’t found any Spanish mackerel locally, but they should be right around the corner. There has been quite a bit of small tailor blues blitzing on top, which are helping to fill the gap until the hardtails arrive. Sea bassing has improved a bit out west, but the bite remains inconsistent.
Joe, at Diorio Guide Service, has continued to find a nice mix of stripers, bluefish, and tuna this week. Striped bass and bluefish action has been great, whether it’s fishing locally around New London or out around Block Island. The rocky points and reefs are holding loads of bait, and thus are holding plenty of stripers. Most of the bass are coming on live eels or the Joe Baggs Patriot Fish, but they are also starting to get some better fish rising on topwater plugs. The tuna grounds have also been fruitful with plenty of bluefin and yellowfin on streaker jigs and occasionally on topwater. It’s shaping up to be a killer fall run once again and Joe still has some dates available. Be sure to reach out before it’s too late.
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Tyler, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, reported that summer patterns persisted on and should continue until things start to cool down a bit. If you’re looking for striped bass, fishing chunks in deeper water at night is the name of the game. Boats heading out at night are finding bass to 35 pounds and bluefish to 16 pounds or so. Diamond jigs in 80 feet of water or so will produce by day but expect more bluefish than bass. Bottom fishermen are finding loads of big scup, plenty of keeper sea bass in 30 feet of water plus and improving fluke reports around Can 26 and out on the north shore.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
The big striped bass remain in their summer patterns across Connecticut, while large schools of smaller bass can be found blitzing on the small bait in the area. Loads of small bait have moved into the Sound, so finding blitzing bass and bluefish is easy, while the false albacore and bonito should be right around the corner. The bunker schools can be found around the river mouths, so the nearby reefs tend to be a safe bet for big bass on live baits, GT Eels, or the occasional topwater plug. Fluke fishing has been challenging, as consistency has been lacking from day to day. That being said, some big flat fish are being taken most days. Sea bass fishing has been going strong, with the best results coming from 60 to 80 feet of water. Scup action is red hot, and don’t forget about summer tautog, which provides another strong bottom fishing option this month. Blue crab reports have improved in the estuaries and will continue to do so as the water cleans up. Flows are starting to clean up in the TMAs, while the lakes and ponds continue to produce a nice mix of bass and panfish.
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