Hurricane Irene is putting a damper on the coming weekend to be sure.  We expect the fishing to be poor in LIS until sometime mid-week as many “close to shore” fish head for the relative safety of the depths to wait out the storm.

Most boat owners who have the means to get their rigs out of the water, are doing so with great haste, the ramp in Niantic was a mess with trucks and trailers this morning.  We don’t recommend anyone head out after noon on Saturday as we may start feeling the wind effects of Irene by Saturday afternoon.

FWBass fishing has been good at Candlewood and Silver lake.

More decent Pickerel reports from Black pond in Meriden.    

This weekend’s  Bluefish Tournament has been postponed to a date in early September.

Sandworm shortages continue.  Fresh bunker, iced and cured with salt is available for purchase.

This past week, the porgy fishing has been excellent.  Many anglers trying to get a few last keeper fluke before the season closes.

Much of the good reports from LIS coming from Outside CT waters, like Block. Josh and Steve tore up the Seabass and fluke Thursday.  See the report  at http://www.ctfisherman.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/1346342.html#Post1346342

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Connecticut River:  Greater Hartford area:

Catfishing is heating up! Last week’s Enfield catfish tourney was won by our close friend, Jaque du Lac.  The cats are def biting. Try your luck in the CT river, target overhangs undercuts and deadfalls with live baits like Ark shiners or dead stink baits like pieces of herring and Hickory shad. Check out the tourney in Portland this weekend.

Also there is some great angling action in Wethersfield, the cove is full of hickory shad. They are great fun to fish for, use a willow leaf behind a drail or try a Kastmaster of Phoebe in silvers or gold.

Lakes and  Ponds: 

Crappie fishing in Bolton is doing well.

Shallow water lakes and ponds are generally pretty warm now, so many gamefish will be found at deeper locations near fresh springs or streams that flow into the lake.  Trout fishing will be best targeting fish at deeper spots.  There are still some Stockie Salmon to be had from Chrystal Lake in ellington.

Farmington River  

River flows are at all time lows so there has not been much going on below the Rainbow dam.  Upper sections will always fish well throughout the summer at the bigger, deeper holes.  Mealworms and Chartreuse Powerbaits are the right choice for spinning gear presentations at this time.

Marine:

STRIPED BASS

Striper fishing is tough again this week with the huge bluefish breakin of tons of terminal tackle.  Best bet is to drift eels at night when the bluefish are historically less active.  All of the reefs are producing once you get a bait down through the blues.

Still no Bunker, really a few here and there.  Most anglers have switched up to offering hickory shad, snapoper blues, or porgy.

Snapper blues are running strong at 3-6 inches this week, the causeway in Saybrook and many other freshwater tributaries to the sound. Try pleasure beach at jordan cove from shore.

Crabbing is doing very well. Wading at night with a long handled net and a headlamp, or soak a trap while you are surfcasting or chunking.

Porgy fishing is cranking with 17” fish not uncommon.  All rocky points from shore and all reefs and rockpiles are excellent places to hookup with these great table fish. 

Blaine jigged up a Blackfish this passed week on a Shimano Vortex Jig, squid pattern in 2 oz while targeting Seabass..

Fluke , Same as last week, but the keepers are a little more available (?) CT Keepers remain rather elusive, with Rhode Island waters producing a great many more legal sized fish than in CT.  Deeper then 80 feet of water with live snapper blues, or giant squid fished whole. There are definitely some doormats to be had but most anglers report going through a whole lotta shorts before getting that keeper.

Josh Bell went out with Jay H and they landed a pretty decent MAKO on a bluefish filet and it hit right at the boat for a little added excitement.  The steaks grilled up great wioth a little ginger, soy, and toasted sesame oil!  Medium rare and juicy, thanks Jay and Josh…

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Water level is consistent at  3 ½ feet.  Fishing has been good for crappie and white perch.

Pike reports have slowed a little since last report

Lakes and  Ponds: 

Dividend pond continues to produce plenty of carp action in the afternoons.

Pickerel catches reported as great from Black pond in Meriden

Silver Lake in Berlin providing good FWB action, live bait and creature baits

Batterson in New Britain/Farmington is seeing great fishing for Black Crappie, White perch, and LMB.  No Walleye reported for two weeks to us.

Farmington River  

River flows are at all time lows so there has not been much going on below the Rainbow dam.  Upper sections will always fish well throughout the summer at the bigger, deeper holes.  Mealworms and Chartreuse Powerbaits are the right choice for spinning gear presentations at this time.

Marine:

STRIPED BASS

It’s true!  A self proclaimed regular-guy, Greg Meyerson,  fishing in Westbrook has most likely broken the WORLD RECORD for STRIPED BASS this past week, 3-waying eels at night during slack tide from a small boat inshore.  The fish was weighted in a tackle shop in Westbrook on a reportedly certified scale at 81.88 pounds. The fish was just 54 inches long.

Beating the blues-fish has become a real challenge with anglers losing lots of gear to the toothy chompers.  Locations like the reefs off Watch Hill, lower Pawcatuck River, the Race, Plum Gut, Millstone outflow, Bartlett Reef, Black Point, Long Sand Shoal, and Cornfield point are still giving up good stripers.  Eels thrown at night is your best bet, and there are reports of some topwater striper bight action out on Barlette’s , imitating a sand eel with a 4 inch pearl slug-go seems to be the ticket.

Not so much Bunker, still seems to be a challenge to get fresh, as the numbers are spotty and the fish seem to be moving around a great deal not holding in any one place for very long.

Snapper blues are starting to show up at 3-6 inches this week, the causeway in Saybrook and many other freshwater tributaries to the sound.

Crabbing is still doing very well, a great way to take a break if you’ve got the “Blues”.

Porgy fishing is doing alright. 

No Blackfish reports with the season closing for 2 months on the last day of this month.

Fluke , CT Keepers remain elusive, with Rhode Island waters producing a great many more legal sized fish than in CT.  Deeper then 80 feet of water with live snapper blues, or giant squid fished whole. There are definitely some doormats to be had but most anglers report going through a whole lotta shorts before getting that keeper.

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The heat wave we experienced this week kept a lot of people indoors.  The CT River water temps have hit 76.

Smallie fishing is alive and well on the Housatonic but the fishing is a little slower than usual (maybe the heat) reports Don D.

Trout fishing in the Farmy is slow too, but for the guys and gals hitting the deeper holes, live bait (mealies & Crawlers) is enticing a few fish to hit.  Time to focus on the catch and release areas, but make sure to take really really good care on any hooked fish.  This climate makes releasing a fish unharmed extremely chanllenging.

Blaine reports that the striped Bass fishing on the reefs has been fair at best.  This is due mostly to the huge amount of bluefish on the rocks that are tearing into everything you might want to offer to a striper. The stripers coming over the rails are quality fish when you can get to them.

Although guys slinging eels are having a better chance at night escaping the attack of the killer bluefish

Snapper blues are still in the 4-5” range with good numbers reported, small spoons, willows, and poppers

Fluke fishing is reported as frustrating, lots and lots of shorts with very few keepers.  Live Mummies are flying out of the shop by the bucket full.

Porgie fishing is doing alright

We don’t think anyone is Blackfishing ??

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Connecticut River:  Greater Hartford area, It’s definitely summer!

Water flows are way down, like 3 ½ feet.  This makes getting into backwater areas in a boat more difficult.  We are starting to hear of some encouraging Pike catches, finally the population seems to be rebounding from the kill off last summer.  Keep your fingers crossed that the environment is kind to the survivors.

Smallmouth fishing in the holes around the channel in Enfield south is a great way to spend some time on the water, try wet-wading in a bathing suit and water shoes. Spinner baits in white and Chartreuse, Keitech, and yamamoto senkos in green pumpkin with flecks of any kind will work well out there.

One Customer, Frank caught 5 LMB in the Haddam area in a few hours dropping a “7” Z finesse worm” in a color he won’t disclose.  Reports of LMB fishing on the CT have been good to excellent. Let’s see how the water temps change things in the coming weeks.

Lyme/Saybrook, the mouth of the CT at the DEP Docks in Lyme is reporting all Blues, blues and more blues. 

Lakes and  Ponds:  Mike Perch spent a day landing 2-3 lber bass at Candie last Sunday.

CARP! Quite a few young people are frequenting the carp tackle wall in the store, most of them are targeting fish in the CT River, the Housatonic, nad at Dividend and Unions ponds.  Pineapple flavoured corn, boilies, and method feed are bringing the big ladies in close.  Many fish in the 20-30 pound range are there for your fighting pleasure.

Very good Trout reports from Mount Tom Pond slow trollin spoons from a john boat, browns up to 17, 18 inches.

Farmington River  Nymphing seems to be the fly-way right now but BWO’s, terrestrials, are all triggering strikes too. Bait fisherman will do well to drift an unweighted mealworm over drop offs and near undercuts on the banks of moving water. Wear polarized sunglasses for a much better view beneath the surface and you can visually target (sight fish) holdovers from spring stockings.

Marine:

STRIPED BASS fishing is good but very frustrating throughout LIS. The usual locations like the reefs off Watch Hill, lower Pawcatuck River, the Race, Plum Gut, Millstone outflow, Bartlett Reef, Black Point, lower Connecticut River (DEP fishing pier), Long Sand Shoal, Cornfiled point.   The BLUEFISH have made (especially live bait) fishing very frustrating.  Bluefish are chomping through a lot of rigs and a lot of bait.  Porgies, Bunker and a few Hickories are around to catch your own bait.

Kayakers continue to consistently pull in amazing numbers of stripers “TUBE & WORMING” around shallow rocks very mear to shore from Waterford to Stonington and beyond.

Bunker still seems to be a challenge to get fresh, as the numbers are spotty and the fish seem to be moving around a great deal not holding in any one place for very long.

Anglers fishing the Jordan’s cove bridge report Snapper blues are starting to show up at 3-6 inches this week.  . And Blue Crabbing and clamming are providing good catches.

Porgy fishing is doing alright.  Porgies seem finicky this year, but persistence pays off. The weird middle of summer Blackfish season has been opened for over a week, but not too many anglers targeting blacks yet.  No one has reported any Blackfish catches.

Fluke , There are definitely some doormats to be had but most success is being had outside of CT waters.  Mummies and “Giant Squid” are the baits producing the most keepers. Areas off Black point, Mouth of the CT river, Two trees are producing Fluke.  Deeper than 60 feet is what we are hearing as the most productive spots.

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Connecticut River:  Greater Hartford area,

Water flows are down a bit, like most summers.

Black Crappie fishing is reported as good, so are catches of yellow and white perch.  One customer told me he heard there were Hickories in the river already and he bought a slew of drails and willows.  We have not corroborated his report however.

Now is the best time to get set and get out lookin for Big Channel Cats.  Night time fishing with stinky baits, or cut up fresh eels.  Focus on rolling your baits under or near the cover of bank overhangs and deadfall logs that line the riverbank.  The biggest cats have the best lair, and can ambush baits from the relative safety of their hideaways.

Lyme/Saybrook, the mouth of the CT at the DEP Docks in Lyme are fishing well this week.    Lots of really big voracious blues to contend with.

Lakes and Ponds:

Beseck reporting good bass and a few pike in the mix, near the hump (6’ of water) just south of the cove that is dammed.

Black pond in Meriden is frustrating anglers with Blue gills galore.  A fortunate few are hitting trout but the evening bite for trout seems to be a hatch on the surface.  Noone reporting getting any of those channel cats that were stocked?

CARP! Iain Sorrel and a few other “mates” reports many, many fish in the 20’s from Dividend in Rockyhill after 4pm, but lots of turtles to contend with also.

Salmon River still fishing well for Trout in the deeper holes.  Crawlers, mealies, and Nymphs for the fly crowd.  The upper Housatonic river is having a great year with plenty of water and plenty of bugs.

Marine: STRIPED BASS fishing is good throughout LIS. Striper spots include the usual locations: The reefs off Watch Hill, lower Pawcatuck River, the Race, Plum Gut, Millstone outflow, Bartlett Reef, Black Point, lower Connecticut River (DEP fishing pier), Long Sand Shoal. 3 way live or fresh bait!   From shore set up a slider rig.  Try to find some fresh caught (not frozen) bunker or stick an eel for the night bite.

Porgy fishing has picked up some, and the weird middle of summer Blackfish season has opened, but not too many anglers targeting blacks yet.

Fluke , There are definitely some doormats to be had but most success is being had outside of CT waters.  Mummies and “Giant Squid” are the baits producing the most keepers.

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CTO and Daiwa teamed up for our first annual customer appreciation day aboard the Black Hawk party boat. We had been planning this for month and weren’t sure how well it would be received. As it turns out, we shouldn’t have worried as the trip sold out in less than 24 hours. For $45, the customers got an all inclusive trip. Gear, rigs, bait, lures, food and drink were on us for the 6 hour trip. Daiwa provided us with hats, shirts and 16 different combos to pass out around the boat for customers to test out. We had every thing from Saltists to Saltigas to Dendoh electric reels and to top it all off, we gave away 2 Saltist 30′s spooled with braid and mounted on Saltiga rods! THANKS DAIWA!!!

The boat left the dock at 4 and we headed out to the Race. It poured the entire way out but our crew were dressed for it. It took a little for the tide to get moving and for the bite to start, but eventually the fish began to eat. It wasn’t fast and furious but it was a steady pick of bass with a few blues in the mix. We used diamond jigs, Daiwa Sacrifice jigs, bucktails and eels. Everything caught… Just about everyone on the boat entered the pool and the big fish won $500 along with a Daiwa rod and reel… That’s about a $900 night!

The conditions were miserable for much of the night, so I didn’t get as much video and pictures as I had planned. Captain Greg even went into extra innings for us and stayed out for well over another hour. We got back to the dock somewhere around midnight.

Greg and his crew couldn’t have worked any harder than they did for us. Everyone was a pleasure to be around and it’s easy to see why the Black Hawk has so many regular customers… THANKS Grag and crew!!!!

Here is a video from the trip:

Connecticut River:

Greater Hartford area,

Time to get set and get out lookin for Big Channel Cats.  Night time fishing with stinky baits like herring chunks.  Focus on rolling your baits under or near the cover of bank overhangs and deadfall logs that line the riverbank.  The biggest cats have the best lair, and can ambush baits from the relative safety of their hideaways.

Heard of a good Pike at Keeney this week also (live bait)

Also, the smallie fishing is reported as great in Enfield/Windsor.  That section of river provides for some excellent wading opportunities.  Try a chartreuse spinnerbait, or a wacky rigged Senko tossed into the current.

And CARP! See Nigel Griffin’s new state record (over 41 pounds) at www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp  Nigel caught this state record near Haddam.  Did you know it is thanks to carp anglers that its now possible to achieve a state record through C&R methods?  Scales must be certified, photos must accompany, etc.  But the good news is you don’t have to kill a fish you may not eat and still get the record.

WHITE PERCH are being caught from Cromwell to Essex on sandworms and grass shrimp

Lyme/Saybrook, the mouth of the CT below the lieutenant still fishing well this week.    4-6 feet of water is holding stripers and blues.  Also some fluke reported from Dock and Dine.

Lakes and Ponds:

About 15,000 channel cats were stocked out by the DEP. These fish were released into Lakewood Lake (Waterbury), Bunnells Pond (Bridgeport), Keney Park Pond (Hartford), Lake Wintergreen (Hamden/New Haven), and Mohegan Park Pond (Spaulding Pond, Norwich), Black Pond (Middlefield), Maltby Lakes 2 & 3 (Orange/West Haven), Lower Bolton Lake (Bolton), Pattaconk Lake (Chester), Quonnipaug Lake (Guilford) and Silver Lake (Meriden).  These cats are mostly 1-2#ers and make for really good eating when batter-fried…

LMB fishing has been fair to good, with spawns over and patterns changing, many successful anglers fishing  deeper and on points and structure where possible.  Baits vary with water clarity and time of day, but Ozmo’s and Brushhawgs texas rigged always seem to produce.

Marine: STRIPED BASS fishing is good throughout LIS. Striper spots include the usual locations: The reefs off Watch Hill, lower Pawcatuck River, the Race, Plum Gut, Millstone outflow, Bartlett Reef, Black Point, lower Connecticut River (DEP fishing pier), Long Sand Shoal.

Josh may have lost the biggest fish he ever brought to the boat.  3 waying some live bait on a reef outside Niantic this poast week. Clearly the fish was “over 50” Josh had the fish by the lip with his bare hands (both hands) when the fish erupted into a burst of energy and did not come across the rail!

Also, a 19# bluefish was boated this week in the mouth of the river on Josh’s boat.

Blaine has been having great success with many of the charter clients lined up to take the tripo of a lifetime.

Porgy fishing is still a little slow, but picking up some.

Fluke , 30-60 feet of Black point has produced a keeper or two, but many Fluke hunters heading for NY or RI waters still.

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Connecticut River:

Greater Hartford area, Striper fishing has slowed some, although live bait ( legal river herring, eels, and sand/blood worms) is still producing quality fish, chances of landing a big feeder are much better at night.  Don’t forget the bug spray…

Lyme/Saybrook, the mouth of the CT below the lieutenant fished very well this week.  It’s a rather late date for the morning bite at the woodlot to be this good. Hit the mouth on the outgoing tide in low light conditions.  4-6 feet of water is holding tons of stripers and blues.  Thursday morning the fish were very selective, many many swirls and follows right up to the boat, but very few actual hits.  Blaine boated a nice fat 34”.  Lures included Lime-Treuse 9” Slug-go unweighted, Heddon Super Spook, Reaction strike revo shads in American SHad, Sebiles, and Pearl Houdinis. 

Haddam, LMB fishing is getting better with water conditions (temperature, clarity, and levels).  Keitech Swing impact in greens and browns,  LC’s swimfish in iceshad.

Hop River:  in Willimantic has been heavily stocked and in seeing very little pressure.  Head out there with some mealies and crawlers or your favorite fly rod.  Joe marfuggi took a 16” Brown and an 18” Rbow in one morning with many other smaller fish C&R in the mix.

Roaring Brook in Glastonbury still holding good numbers of stockies both above and below the route 17 bridge.  Mealie worms with a split shot.

Lakes and Ponds:

Walleye are bighting fairly well in Batterson.  “Large Arkansas Shiners under a slip float near the drop off” is the spot reports Steve Da Motta of Newington.

Trout are fishing really well in Chrystal Lake in Ellington, Black pond in Meriden, and Congamond.  The bite seeming to alternate between the top 4 feet of water and the bottom two feet in the depths.

Marine:

One head boat in New London fished bucktails, and diamond jigs. Fishing has been steady out at the race, valiant rock. One angler caught  52 X 29 inch Striper on a dark green bucktail tipped with black pork rind.

Porgy fishing is Picking up as more and more anglers hit the beaches and rockpiles with Hi-Lo rigs and sandworms.

Also this week some weak reports of keeper Black Sea bass from the Groton area.

Fluke , productive spots are kept very secretive by those in the know.  One Angler took a keeper from the shore at dock-n-dine.  Kayakers at two trees report shorts in 18-27 feet of water on bucktail/squid.

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Great cool nights, a slight breeze, and sunshine.  Low humidity to boot.  The CT river is dropping to normal levels (8ft going to 6 as I write this) and the clarity is greatly improving.  This should prove to be a great weekend to get out there.

Connecticut River:

Dan Emerson reports witnessing a 40 plus inch pike landed on the rock point in Cromwell ON A BLOODWORM!

Perch on Wednesday in search of FWB in the lower river of “Coffee with cream”, and plenty of trees in the water.  Mike did alright found lots of fish, but all the small ones.  The big fish were MIA

71/2 catfish accidentally landed near Cromwell also by a chunking stiper-seeker.

Striper fishing has been challenging mostly due to the weather and water conditions.  We had a few good mornings this past week around Gildersleeve, mostly around dawn and as long as the fog stayed over the water. Top water bight was good, slug-go’s and reaction strike revolution shads too.  Overall the tube and worm and bait crowd is still doing well with good fish reported from Cromwell and East Hartford this week.  The weekend is shaping up to excellent.

Some white perch on sandworms caught this week in Lyme.

Farmington River:  Trout fishing still doing well, water is cold and flows are good to excellent.

Striper fishing has slowed some, mostly because it’s been tough getting out there weather wise.

Salmon River:  Trout Stocked again, and fishing well.  Both fly and bait fishermen seem very happy with the trout this year.

Lakes and Ponds:

Mansfield Hollow is giving up a few pike to live bait (HUGE Arkansas Shiners) live lined from a johnboat.

Guys and Gals hit the Crappie hard this week at lower Bolton on small shiners and crappie jigs tipped with crappie eyes…

Marine:

Porgy fishing is off to a slow start, small numbers but large fish.

Bunker in good numbers reported this week west of Bridgeport, and stripers are following.

Fluke Season is open, reports are slow in state, better form RI and NY. 

Blue fish are appearing almost everywhere now, not in thick numbers but they are making their presence known.

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