Hello Compleat Angler friends! This week we received some much-needed rain in a short amount of time. The rain, along with cooler evening temperatures, has helped drop water temperatures on some of our small rivers and streams around the state. These rivers and streams are dropping back towards low levels quickly, so bring a stream thermometer to check water temperatures if you’re fishing this weekend. There will be a few fish that have fared the hot and low temperatures from Spring Stocking, however trout fishing will be more consistent on the tailwaters. While hatches haven’t been great, the primary hatch has been Tricos is sizes 22-28 during the morning hours. The Delaware River is seeing better Sulphur hatches in certain sections compared to the Farmington. All options will be clear and easy for wading this weekend. On saltwater, the more consistent Striper and Bluefish action is towards the Eastern portion, from Bridgeport to Fisher’s Island. The Prevalent bait is Peanut Bunker in 3”, and further East into Rhode Island and New York you will find large schools of Sand Eels. More Bonito are arriving nearshore, with some entering the sound. Overall, this bodes well for this season’s Fall Run.

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While Striper fishing in the Providence Bay has held up, big fish are now in their summer holding lies, so focusing on the deeper rocky structures during low light hours can result in some good topwater fishing. The bay has been best during low light hours, mornings and evenings. Most of the reefs along the Rhode Island coast are holding Stripers. You may also get lucky finding fish along the beachfronts and rocky coves. Most of the Stripers are on Adult Bunker and Sand Eels, and you may find some Bluefish in the mix, however their numbers are not great. Also noteworthy is the Striper fishing around the rips in Newport, and there are still some large fish to be had in Block Island. There are also Bonito and Bluefish that are keyed in on small bait. The flats are also seeing some nice Stripers keyed in on crab patterns.

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Hello Compleat Angler friends! This week we’ve had a small amount of rain in the Fairfield County area, but it’s not enough to raise flows over average. Water temperatures are still hot with below average flows. Further north received more water on the Naugatuck and Housatonic Rivers which has cooled water temperatures, but flows will be stained temporarily. Fishing during the morning will yield your coolest temperatures, and streamers will be effective with water levels raised. Smallmouth fishing on the Housatonic has also been a great option. The Farmington River has good temperatures for trout fishing; however, hatches have been hit-or-miss. Flows are slightly above average and wadable on the upper section; below the still there will be some stain to the water from the influx of rain. Nymphing with small flies will be the most effective technique when there are no hatches, and there are plenty of trout spread into the faster more oxygenated water. On the Delaware River you will encounter Blue Winged Olives, Sulphurs, Light Cahill, and Isonychia. Most of the hatches will come towards the late afternoon and evening during the sunnier days. On the saltwater things have slowed in the Long Island Sound, some anglers are finding a few Stripers along the North Shore of Long Island and towards Fisher’s Island, however areas further West have slowed with small Bluefish being the primary option.

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