Fishing Reports

Hello Compleat Angler Friends! While the summer doldrums are definitely here to stay, fishing remains consistent for striped bass out East and on the reefs in the Sound. Smaller fish are being spotted between Montauk and Newport, which is a great sign given the state of the striper fishery. Trout fishing has slowed in most rivers with the exception of the Farmington, which, thanks to being fed by cold water, is producing a solid bite.

Hello Compleat Angler Friends! That midweek "nor'easter" wasn't as disruptive as originally forecasted, and in fact, lit up a pretty solid striper bite in addition to the full moon. While some rivers are certainly still blown out, flows should start to return to more manageable levels by the end of this weekend, and with cooler temperatures and drier air on the way, heat- and angler-pressured trout will get a well-deserved respite. A reminder: although trout may always be the goal, giving them a much-needed break is a good idea. Heat-tolerant species such as largemouth, smallmouth, and carp can be an amazingly fun substitution during summer months. So tie on a craw pattern, hit a creek or a local pond, and enjoy! 

Hello Compleat Angler Friends! We hope you survived the deluge from earlier this week. Massive rainstorms across the state have blown out rivers and left basements flooded and spirits dashed. Thankfully, the inclement weather ushered in some cooler, bighter weather, so fishing should steadily improve throughout this weekend and into next week. Despite the rain, heat, and humidity, we've heard some great reports from our regulars about the Farmington River, which has stayed cool thanks to the dam. The Sound is still finicky, with out east being the reliable hotspot for stripers. Still, big bass can be found in the early evenings and at night, as they push up from the reefs to feed.

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Hello Compleat Angler Friends! Things have been hot, hazy, and quiet this week. With the freakishly poor air quality thanks to the fires up north, staying off the river might be wise. While trout are still being taken on local rivers, switching to species better equipped for the warm water conditions might be more ethical. Think smallmouth, largemouth, carp, and even panfish. Nothing fights harder than a solid bluegill on a butter stick! Striped bass are still playing hard to get in the Sound, not unusual for July, but hopefully the recent new moon cycle shook things up for the better. 

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Hello Compleat Angler Friends! We hope you had a fun and restful July 4th! Fishing in the western Sound has slipped into the summer doldrums, while the recent rainfall has helped improve the trout and smallmouth bite across our rivers to the north. The evening dry fly bite has been very productive on rivers such as the Farmington, and for stripers, the eastern sound is still reliably producing quality bass, although they are starting to push deep with the warmer temperatures. 

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Compleat Angler Friends, we have have a special edition of this week's fishing report, authored by our very own Pat Huban of Albatross Fly Fishing. Pat has been on the hunt for striped bass nonstop since April, and has some unique insights into how this season is shaping up. Enjoy.

Hello Compleat Angler Friends! The rain gods have answered our prayers, and flows are finally back up after a long dry spell. The increased water has kicked off some nice bites on the Farmington, the Delaware, and in local our rivers for trout, but striped bass in the Western Sound are harder to come by. Anglers are having success out East near Fishers Island and Watch Hill, where bass are feeding heavily on sand eels and squid. 

Hello Compleat Angler Friends! We hope you have been enjoying the warm weather, although some rain would be nice. Striped bass have flooded the Sound and are chewing on everything from squid to bunker to sand eels. Recent reports have been a bit slow, possibly due to the storms we've had overnight, but anglers are still finding them deep and shallow. Small sand eel patterns have been working well on the flats, while hollow and bunker patterns are dominating the deeper structure. 

Freshwater has understandably slowed in our local freestones, as water levels are dangerously low, but the Housy, Farmington, and Delaware systems still have willing fish that have been keyed in on Sulphurs. 

Hello Compleat Angler Friends! Summer weather is here, and with it a boxed bag of emotions. On the one hand, the heat feels wonderful, but on the other, the increased temperatures are starting to shut down the trout bite in some of our local freestones. The good news is that striped bass fishing continues to improve as more fish settle into their summer haunts. There is a plethora of bait around, from squid to bunker, and even sand eels. The best bite window is early morning and evening near the usual hot spots, but always look for water moving from point A to point B. 

Hello Compleat Angler Friends! After a wild previous weekend, we are back into a nice pattern of summer weather. Southwest breezes, sunshine, and high temps are going to dominate the forecast for the next few days, so take advantage before the rain sneaks back up! Trout fishing has started to fall into its summer pattern, with dry fly and nymphs landing a majority of the fish. Freshwater largemouth and smallmouth are eating with more regularity, especially as they move off beds and into their summer patterns. Their ocean brethren, the striped bass, seem to have finally shaken off the cold weather from the last two weeks, and are taking a variety of offerings in the sound. 

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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. 

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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