Connecticut Fishing Report 10/9/19
October 2019 Fishing Report and Blackfish Info:
We are in the peak of the fall run and the fishing is tremendous!
Bluefish– Action! Action! Action! There are currently enough blues in the area we could sink the boat with them if we wanted to. Fish of various sizes have been hitting the deck, blues ranging from small cocktails all the way to true alligators. We’ve been taking them using a variety of methods; trolling umbrella rigs, top water spinning gear and diamond jigging. It has just been sensational fishing.
Striped Bass- The numbers are great! There are more stripers in Long Island Sound this year than we’ve had in the last 5 years combined! We’ve been averaging anywhere from 5 – 20 stripers per trip and leaving them biting. The majority of the fish aren’t as big as compared to years past, but they are mixed in with the blues and the future is definitely bright for the stripers. Find the bunker; find the big fish has been the name of the game. As long as we’re able to keep the 28” minimum size, we should be in good shape for next year. Most of the fish out there right now were born in 2015 and just need a little bit more to reach that magic 28” mark.
Porgies- Great! They are plentiful and just about everywhere. Tons and tons. Just like the blues, we could sink the boat with them. They usually migrate out the week of October 20th, so if you want to fill your freezer for the winter with some of the best fish tacos on earth, than give us a call before it’s too late!
Black Sea Bass- Definitely some nice concentrations of Sea Bass around. They are around in pockets and we usually get a bunch each trip. They move around a lot and aren’t in the same place for more than a few days or so, but if you want to put your time in and target them you can definitely be successful. The fishery is nothing like May and June where they are just about jumping in the boat, but it is definitely good with fish from 15” up to around 22”.
Blackfish- We will start Blackfishing as soon as the porgies leave, usually the week of Oct. 20th but we will probably play around with them a bit before that. It is always exciting Blackfishing as this is the final act of the fishing season and very different than the rest of the fish we target. – Different areas to fish, different methods, anchoring, no trolling, different bait, different lures, different hooks and different weather.
We are definitely looking forward to this season to see how it plays out. There was an EXPLOSION of mussels growing on all the local reefs this summer, (the tautog’s favorite food) so that is very encouraging. The table is set and there is food on the plates. We will be fishing till around Thanksgiving so give us a call to get in on this unique and fun fishery!
-Capt. TJ
