Large, fresh migratory stripers pull up on Connecticut beaches, the Western Sound sees an influx of gator bluefish, and porgy fishing starts off hot in the Eastern Sound.
by Will Sirotnak
Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt, at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook reports that the striped bass fishing gets better every day. On a recent trip, he found some quality fish staging on a 7-15 foot flat, even after the sun got high. He’s also starting to see more fish with sea lice, so the fresh fish are slowly trickling into the central sound. All the usual suspects are working, SP minnows, Game On X Walks, all sorts of soft plastics, and bucktails. Random and scattered reports of fluke are coming in from across the board, and while it’s hard to pinpoint where they are, the early season bite tends to provide a great chance at getting a doormat. The same can be said about the porgies, although they tend to be much easier to find. Customers fishing the shore are reporting similar results, so things are trending in the right direction.
Heather from the Blackhawk in Niantic finally had some fishing to report, instead of just saying they’re getting ready! They started their season with a squid trip last Friday, and while it wasn’t lights out, they had a good showing of squid, and only expect better results to come. Saturday’s porgy trip was a step in the right direction, and this Sunday’s was exceptional, with nice porgies coming over the rail all trip. Their going to be adding new trips all the time, including weekday after work specials and squid trips. Be sure to check the ticketing website and Facebook for updates. New Tickets for each week will be posted online on Monday night at 8pm, just like in past years. Be sure to check out our calendar so you see what’s coming up!
Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters said that the fishing was pretty good this week. Striped bass are still willing to hit smaller soft plastics on jigheads, and each day they are starting to see more striped bass that are willing to hit topwater offerings. They are targeting resident fish as they wait for some larger masses of fresh fish to show around the river mouths, but they’re seeing more and more fish with sea lice each trip. Most of the fish are school sized to 30 inches with the occasional 15-pound-class fish mixed in. Captain Mike and his team have openings over the next two weeks, which should be primetime Give him a call today to book your spot.
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Joe at Diorio Guide Service just kicked off his 2024 season and was happy to report that the striped bass are in and cooperating. Every day they’re seeing more and more bass starting to move into the tidal rivers and across the reefs in eastern Connecticut. They have seen a recent influx of herring in the area, and the bass have been keyed in on them big time! You should try to match the hatch as best as you can, so large topwaters like the Joe Baggs 7-inch Skipper have been working when the herring are around, and when the fish get finicky, look to smaller soft plastics on a jighead. It’s still early in the season, so the fish are moving around quite a bit, but if you keep hitting the early season spots and searching around, you should be rewarded. The fishing will only continue to get better in the area, as more and more bass move through, and Joe still has a few spring dates available, so give him a shout if you want to get out there!
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Dan at Dan’s Bait Tackle and Charters in New London had the following to report:
“Great news anglers, the saltwater season is off to a great start. Porgies have been reported throughout the Sound from Ocean Beach all the way to New Haven. Limits are being taken on squid strips and sandworms. It seems that the early spring has brought out the best in multiple species. Striped bass are in the mix, as you’d expect, with big soft plastics accounting for the best catches up the rivers and out front. Freshwater fishing has been consistent locally in spots like the Mohegan Reservoir, and trout anglers are reporting stellar results in the Farmington River.”
Captain Chris of Elser Guide Service told me that fishing has been better than in recent years. Chris has been doing well anywhere from Milford to Norwalk this week out front and up the estuaries. He’s been seeing quality bass and bluefish in the Western Sound in all the usual locations, and along most of the adjacent beaches. Norwalk and the points west are starting to give up a decent number of large migratory bass, and even a few bluefish to the west of Greenwich. Casting big topwaters like the Game On X-Walk has been producing in the early morning hours, while trolling or working flutter spoons has been a strong tactic when the fish are down deeper. It’s looking like one of the best setups in years, in terms of early Western Sound fishing, and Chris is fully up and running, so reach out for a fly, spin, troll or whatever other type of trip fits your fancy!
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Connecticut Fishing Forecast
Fishing throughout Connecticut continued to follow a positive trend, moving in the right direction as more and more anglers are getting out and getting in on the action. Striped bass were the most talked about species at the tackle shops this week and for good reason. Striper fishing in the major tidal rivers and even in Long Island Sound ranges anywhere from just getting going to very consistent depending on your location or where you’re fishing. The three big rivers all have fish from the river mouths up to their first major dams. The hottest action seems to be in the Connecticut River where fishing with sandworms has been very good. There are also fish on structure in Long Island Sound proper, ranging from the central/eastern sound to the west. In the far western sound fish are now setting up on deep water structure as well as the harbors and bays they’ve occupied for the last month and more. The American Shad bite in the tidal rivers also remains strong, but won’t last for long, so get out while the getting is good! Both the scup and summer flounder fisheries opened this week and while we’re still a few weeks away from steady reports for both, it seems that enough scup are around to make it worth your while. Reports of squid to the east in Rhode Island are promising and mean that fluke should be hot on their tails. It’s a great time of year with no shortage of choices of species to target. Get out and get in on the spring fever while it lasts.
