Connecticut Fishing Report- November 9, 2023

Connecticut Fishing Report

Matt, at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook told me that he’s still hearing reports of decent small to slot size bass out front, which is great to see this late into the fall. The fish are moving around quite a bit, so it’s hard to count on them, but there are enough around for most anglers to get a few chances. Most anglers are still blackfishing, and the action has been consistent in depths from 20 to 60 feet. Thirty to forty-foot depths seem to be the hot spot for better fish at the moment, and that should remain the case as the temperatures drop. Despite the temperatures dropping, the fishing should remain strong for the rest of the season, and the fishing pressure should lessen. There are still some nice surprise porgies in the mix and most trips are seeing at least a couple quality sea bass.  

 

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Heather from Black Hawk Sportfishing reports: “We’ve had some nice blackfish over the past week, with some pushing the 11-pound mark! Congrats to several of our anglers who had personal bests this week with some nice togs! On the bottom fishing part of our trips, we are still seeing good action on the porgies. The sea bass fishing had some days better than others, but overall good numbers of quality fish. A few cod have also been showing up to top off the coolers as well! As a reminder, our weekday trips are now combo trips, targeting blackfish, porgies, and sea bass on the same trip. Our regular bottom fishing trips, heading out on Saturdays and Sundays, are for porgies and sea bass. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone soon for some fall fishing!” 

When I checked in with captain Mike Roy, at Reel Cast Charters, he told me that the striper fishing has been inconsistent from day to day, as the fish are moving around, but there are enough around to keep anglers busy on most trips. The bluefish have mostly moved out, but there are still a few straggler albies showing up from time to time. Anglers looking to go bottom fishing are finding some excellent blackfishing as well. The blackfish action seems to be improving every trip, although you still must weed through a lot of short fish and/or try to find some pieces of structure that aren’t heavily fished. 

 

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Dan, at Daniels Bait, Tackle & Charters in New London told me that the weather and tides have been cooperative enough on most days for both shore and boat anglers to find some nice blackfish in the area. 1.5- to 3-ounce jigs tipped with crabs are still getting the job done for both. Scup and sea bass are still mixed in, so filling the coolers has remained relatively easy. There are still enough striped bass in the area to keep anglers busy. Fresh bunker chunks, mackerel chunks, and squid have been working for the bait dunkers, while anglers working small artificials around the peanut bunker schools have also been scoring some nice catches. Large concentrations of school to slot-class bass have been working the shorelines over the past few days, so keep an eye out for the birds! 

Captain Chris, at Elser Guide Service told me that things got tough with some weather cancellations this week, but last weekend was excellent. All of his recent trips have seen an incredible amount of false albacore for this time of year, along with some excellent topwater striped bass fishing. The overall size of the bass has gone down a bit, but the action makes up for it! He’s looking forward to another week or two of strong fishing before he shuts down for the season, so let’s hope the weather cooperates. 

Jesse at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk reports that the fishing for blackfish, striped bass, bluefish, and false albacore was very good this week. The striped bass that have populated the bays and harbors are pushing out into open water along the beaches and inside the islands. There are some bigger fish mixed in and the fishing has been very good. Jesse recommends larger soft plastics, mag darters and SP Minnows if you’re targeting the bass. The local inshore bite for big bluefish continued this week. There are huge schools of blues roaming inside the islands, along the beaches and in the harbors making for some fun fall fishing. The blackfish bite is fantastic too. Anglers fishing in less than 20 feet of water are reporting good fishing and those targeting deeper water also reported some quality fish, a bit of a change from last week. They weighed in a pair of locally caught eight-pound fish this week at the shop and heard of some fish that passed the double-digit mark that came from waters further west. There are some very large sea bass and scup mixed in with the blackfish making for some nice mixed bag fishing. Albies are still around, and they are pushing around in the western sound. If you’re looking to target them, staying mobile is key as the hardtails aren’t likely to be in the same place that they were the previous day. 

Connecticut Fishing Forecast

Connecticut anglers have also still been focusing on blackfishing, with temperatures in the Sound staying warm enough to keep the bite spread out through a number of depth ranges. Weeding through shorts is still a reality, but the overall quality keeps improving, and with the water temperatures starting to drop, the bigger fish seem to be starting to chew. There is still no shortage of mixed sized striped bass to play with, but they seem to be moving around quite a bit from day to day. If you’re looking for better concentrations of smaller fish, the river mouths are starting to see fish stage up before the winter. False albacore are still showing up, mostly across the Western Sound, so hardtail enthusiasts should look to get out asap before the fat albert lady sings. Freshwater anglers are reporting an uptick in trout action in the lakes and ponds, along with steady action in the TMAs. Pike and carp reports are starting to intensify a bit as well and should continue to improve throughout November.