Northeast Fishing Report 5/29/26

Northeast Fishing Report 5/29/26

May 29, 2026 6 min read

Hello Compleat Angler Friends! Memorial Day left us wet, cold, and miserable. Thankfully, spring is back this week, and along with it, the bite. Fishing in the Sound suffered from the temperature slump, pushing striped bass deep to escape the gloom. As things warm up, they should start moving back close to shore. There is no shortage of bait around, so it's just about being in the right place at the right time (and tide.) Sadly, there has been a shortage of juvenile striped bass mixed in with the larger fish, which doesn’t bode well for this year’s recruitment. Hopefully we will see increased schoolies numbers as the season trickles on, but for right now, we only have big fish to play with.

Trout fishing was buoyed by the change in weather, with more water and cooler temperatures helping to kick off some hatches and spread out wild fish. 

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Northeast Fishing Report 5/22/26

Northeast Fishing Report 5/22/26

May 22, 2026 6 min read

Hello Compleat Angler Friends! Happy Memorial Day Weekend. The cool temperatures and rain have temporarily locked some jaws in the Sound over the last two days, but people are still catching as long as the effort is there. For freshwater, fishing remains top notch, and should continue to improve with next week’s return to warm weather. Trout stocking has reached its final push of spring, but holdovers and wild fish are aggressively taking offerings with increased hatches and better flows. Striper fishing remains steady, with bigger fish filling the Western Sound each day. We are still getting reports of anglers catching bass as far east as the Pawcatuck River in RI. The predominant bait remains to be herring, silversides, and squid, but some fresh bunker pods have started to show up in the Western sound. I saw a very lucky Osprey last night in Norwalk chomping on one that must’ve been 12 inches long! 

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Northeast Fishing Report 5/15/26

Northeast Fishing Report 5/15/26

May 15, 2026 5 min read

Hello Compleat Angler Friends! Despite the cool temperatures and rain, fishing remains top notch, and should continue to improve with next week’s warm weather. Trout stocking is nearing its final push of spring, but holdovers and wild fish are starting to liven up with increased hatches and better flows. Striper fishing in the sound is also on an upswing, with fresh fish filling the Western Sound each day. We are even getting reports of anglers catching bass as far east as the Pawcatuck River in RI. The predominant bait remains to be herring, silversides, and some squid. There are a few reports of spring sandeels in the mix.

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