Watch Hills Reef, the race are the Hot Spots
By Tim Coleman
Published on 8/28/2009
Take your choice: head to the Watch Hill Reefs for some good surface fishing for bass and blues or go to the Race where the blue fishing has also been generally good to excellent, all since the passage of the swells from Hurricane Bill.
This past Sunday evening Capt. Ben DeMario took his smaller boat out to the Watch Hill Reefs to find the sky full of birds and the rips full of bass and blues chasing bait. The next morning Ben and Al Golinski used live bunkers in the same waters for 18 bass to 36 pounds. Al told me later it's been a while since they had that many fish in a few hours fishing.
Don at King Cove in Stonington reported the reefs “on fire” from Monday through Wednesday, either fishing on the surface or down deep with weighted bunker, often nicknamed yo-yoing. Don also had reports of some larger bass caught at night, presumably with eels on a three-way rig.
Porgy catches are good on most local reefs plus the scup are mixed with sea bass down along the Rhode Island beaches and over on the west side of Block Island. A few bonito were caught prior to Bill but nothing since, Don said.
We got a lot of reports of surface feeding around Sugar Reef said Captain Allen Fee at Shaffers, adding they've sold lots of poppers and plastic lures because of it. You can still catch blackfish in state waters until the end of the month but be advised that species is closed in nearby New York.
Porgy fishing is good in Fishers Island Sound and mixed in are some sea bass, most too small to keep. Clamming remains open and around 4 p.m. on Tuesday there was a snapper blitz at the Masons Island Bridge, great fun for kids of all sizes and ages.
Capt. Kerry at J&B told me the blue fishing in The Race has overall been good since Bill went past; the kind of fishing locals have come to expect from The Race. Bass are there during the day but all the blues makes it hard for bass to get to the lures first.
Fluking is closed in state waters but for those with a larger boat, you can catch huge porgies and keeper sea bass at the West Ground and Hooter buoy on Block Island's west side. One offshore boat, out after Bill went by, returned with four wahoo trolling the area just north of the tip of Block Canyon. Another had a catch of mahi and two keeper yellowfin tuna, also on the troll.
Porgies are about the main fish right now said Red at Bob's Tackle. Along with them, crabbing is fair to good in both the Thames and Mystic Rivers. Try trolling the tube and worm for bass in the morning at Goshen Reef or the south side of Fishers if the latter spot isn't full of weed.
Joe Balint at the Fish Connection said you might catch a 30 to 35-inch bass in Norwich Harbor out from under the bunker schools. Further down the river expect small blues and much smaller bass, mostly on bait on the bottom. Bait dunkers are catching a mix of porgies, small bass and throwback fluke at the Fort Trumbull pier and at Avery Point two shore access spots for those without boats.
The Hel-Cat sent in their regular report stating the blue fishing was excellent with the exception of one day with extreme currents. This coming Saturday night is their first trip for ocean blues, leaving at 6 p.m. and returning around 3 the next morning. Their daily schedule remains the same, leaving at 9 a.m. and coming back around 3 in the afternoon.
Pat down at River's End had a good fish tale for us. One of his customers fished from shore at the Westbrook Town Beach, slowly reeling a popper along, catching not only a bluefish but also fluke on the top water. Bunker come and go from the lower Connecticut River, proving darn hard to find on some days for striper bait.
Tim Coleman is the Day's saltwater fishing columnist.
By Tim Coleman
Published on 8/28/2009
Take your choice: head to the Watch Hill Reefs for some good surface fishing for bass and blues or go to the Race where the blue fishing has also been generally good to excellent, all since the passage of the swells from Hurricane Bill.
This past Sunday evening Capt. Ben DeMario took his smaller boat out to the Watch Hill Reefs to find the sky full of birds and the rips full of bass and blues chasing bait. The next morning Ben and Al Golinski used live bunkers in the same waters for 18 bass to 36 pounds. Al told me later it's been a while since they had that many fish in a few hours fishing.
Don at King Cove in Stonington reported the reefs “on fire” from Monday through Wednesday, either fishing on the surface or down deep with weighted bunker, often nicknamed yo-yoing. Don also had reports of some larger bass caught at night, presumably with eels on a three-way rig.
Porgy catches are good on most local reefs plus the scup are mixed with sea bass down along the Rhode Island beaches and over on the west side of Block Island. A few bonito were caught prior to Bill but nothing since, Don said.
We got a lot of reports of surface feeding around Sugar Reef said Captain Allen Fee at Shaffers, adding they've sold lots of poppers and plastic lures because of it. You can still catch blackfish in state waters until the end of the month but be advised that species is closed in nearby New York.
Porgy fishing is good in Fishers Island Sound and mixed in are some sea bass, most too small to keep. Clamming remains open and around 4 p.m. on Tuesday there was a snapper blitz at the Masons Island Bridge, great fun for kids of all sizes and ages.
Capt. Kerry at J&B told me the blue fishing in The Race has overall been good since Bill went past; the kind of fishing locals have come to expect from The Race. Bass are there during the day but all the blues makes it hard for bass to get to the lures first.
Fluking is closed in state waters but for those with a larger boat, you can catch huge porgies and keeper sea bass at the West Ground and Hooter buoy on Block Island's west side. One offshore boat, out after Bill went by, returned with four wahoo trolling the area just north of the tip of Block Canyon. Another had a catch of mahi and two keeper yellowfin tuna, also on the troll.
Porgies are about the main fish right now said Red at Bob's Tackle. Along with them, crabbing is fair to good in both the Thames and Mystic Rivers. Try trolling the tube and worm for bass in the morning at Goshen Reef or the south side of Fishers if the latter spot isn't full of weed.
Joe Balint at the Fish Connection said you might catch a 30 to 35-inch bass in Norwich Harbor out from under the bunker schools. Further down the river expect small blues and much smaller bass, mostly on bait on the bottom. Bait dunkers are catching a mix of porgies, small bass and throwback fluke at the Fort Trumbull pier and at Avery Point two shore access spots for those without boats.
The Hel-Cat sent in their regular report stating the blue fishing was excellent with the exception of one day with extreme currents. This coming Saturday night is their first trip for ocean blues, leaving at 6 p.m. and returning around 3 the next morning. Their daily schedule remains the same, leaving at 9 a.m. and coming back around 3 in the afternoon.
Pat down at River's End had a good fish tale for us. One of his customers fished from shore at the Westbrook Town Beach, slowly reeling a popper along, catching not only a bluefish but also fluke on the top water. Bunker come and go from the lower Connecticut River, proving darn hard to find on some days for striper bait.
Tim Coleman is the Day's saltwater fishing columnist.