Overall impression of quality of CT saltwater fishing

[castingkid]

Long time lurker here. Thinking about making a move for work in the next year or two. Have been out of the Northeast for over a decade but grew up NY/NJ area.

I don't want to go back to NY or NJ, but want to be within striking distance of saltwater fishing, such that I could do it at least once a week. I have a 1 yo son now and want to show him the way  and spend time on the water. 

 

I like CT location-wise because there is plenty of Li sound and RI, which I haven't fished but heard good things.

 

What are people's thoughts about CT fishing in recent years? Stripers and blues reliably coming through? How is fluke and tog?

Necessity of having a boat to access high-yield fishing opportunities?

 

Any other thoughts about living in CT or any kind of advice is welcome.

 

Thanks!

Edited December 24, 2022 by castingkid

[Good2Go]

Well, everything runs in cycles. We had no blues for a couple years and they came back this year. Stripers were also good here altho you hear their future is iffy. I had a good year tho. About 5 years ago we were catching a ton of shorty sea bass, and sure enough a year or 2 later we had a good fishery for them. Tautog run likewise, some years 20 shorts for every keeper, last year 2021, we were able to limit out on several trips. Fluke have been hit or miss. For years. You just need to find the spots were they lurk, and then keep your mouth shut about it. Most of my fishing has been by boat. You can also use a yak in most places just wear your protective gear and use your head. I'd start on shore at many of the state parks and get familiar with the area before investing in a boat. Good luck, and Merry Christmas!

[castingkid]

12 mins ago, Good2Go said:

Well, everything runs in cycles. We had no blues for a couple years and they came back this year. Stripers were also good here altho you hear their future is iffy. I had a good year tho. About 5 years ago we were catching a ton of shorty sea bass, and sure enough a year or 2 later we had a good fishery for them. Tautog run likewise, some years 20 shorts for every keeper, last year 2021, we were able to limit out on several trips. Fluke have been hit or miss. For years. You just need to find the spots were they lurk, and then keep your mouth shut about it. Most of my fishing has been by boat. You can also use a yak in most places just wear your protective gear and use your head. I'd start on shore at many of the state parks and get familiar with the area before investing in a boat. Good luck, and Merry Christmas!

Thank you! Very helpful info. 

[z-man]

Shore access is pretty limited. Boat fishing is good for seabass porgies and tog. Everything else isn’t too great anymore. 

[Fergal]

Ahh, cycles!

[GrahamN]

Some decent shore spots once you figure them out. But crowds can be an issue at times

Access to a kayak opens up a world of new opportunities and countless spots as long as you're willing to put in the time 

Boat I would imagine is the same, but can't speak from experience 

The drive to RI isn't bad and opens up more shore spots ( and obviously more boat/kayak spots )

Fish come and go through the year, and time has to be put in to find and follow them 

 

[MakoMike]

The state will tax the s hit out of you.

[tcal4404]

Depending on where in CT, shoreline access can be a big problem but the town you live in could provide great resident access. Bought a kayak last fall and had my best saltwater fishing year in '22. A lot of very productive inshore structure in SW CT. Stripers in the spring, porgies in the summer (I didn't find many fluke or seabass), blackfish/stripers/bluefish in the fall. Towns further north had banner Albie bites as well this past year. LI sound provides a lot of great fishing opportunities that expand exponentially once you leave the shoreline.

[CWitek]

I grew up in Greenwich.  Fished there from my preschool days in the late 1950s until I moved to Long Island in '83, but still come back to fish with a friend a number of times every year.  This is what I've seen.

 

The cool-weather fishing is nothing like it was years ago.  Winter flounder used to be everywhere, now they're just about nowhere.  Smelt disappeared in '69 and never came back.  Tomcod have all but disappeared.  Tautog/blackfish were better this year than in the recent past, but to call the fishing "good" demonstrates a short memory.  As a 12-year-old kid, I could catch more decent blackfish from shore at the town beach (fishing in May, June, and October) than people are catching from boats on a "good day" today.  In the early '70s, I'd come home from college for Columbus Day weekend, and needed to take five or six dozen green crabs to get me through the morning fishing from my boat.  And it wasn't a morning of little fish; while most were between 2 and 5, people were catching a few over 10.

 

The May mackerel run disappeared in the mid-'80s.

 

Striped bass are neither good nor bad.  The consistent fishing that we had through the early '70s,m with fish of all sizes neither extremely abundant but also not scarce, hasn't been repeated.  The mid-'70 to late '70s saw ridiculous numbers of big fish--I was working in a tackle shop at the time during the summers, and people who had no idea how to fish were catching 30s and 40s by acciodent; still remember weighing my first 50 in '74, only to have someone put a 63 on the scale the same week.  Then came the collapse and the rebuilding, with a lot of fish during the early 2000s, although the consistency across all size classes was never really restored.  Things have tapered off since then, but there are quite a few bass in late spring, we've been seeing a good pencil popper bit in late summer, and fishing has been decent in the fall.  Folks who fish bait, or troll on deeper structure a little bit to the east, have had fairly regular action on larger fish.

 

Bluefish are a memory.  There was some good action on decent fish--8 to 12 pound stuff, with a few larger--in late summer this year, and scattered spurts throughout the year, but nothing like what we had from the 1970s through, perhaps, the late 1990s or 2000, when acres of bunker clogged the harbors and bluefish would blitz them, turning the water white and making the water roar like a waterfall.  Now, happy bunker are flipping in the sailboat moorings, taking more casualties from the ospreys than from the blues.

 

There are a few weakifish around; more than there were five years ago, fewer and smaller than there were in the '70s and '80s.

 

Fluke weren't regular visitors in the western Sound, at least over the course of my lifetime, until the early '70s.  They probably peaked in the early 2000s, in terms of both numbers and size.  Now, there are a few around, but with the overall popuilation smaller than it was a decade ago, you have to work fairly hard for legal fish.  Black sea bass are also a relatively new arrival, although the old-timers used to talk about catching them back in the '50s.  However, they were never as abundant as they are now; even so, most of the legal fish are taken early in the season; the western Sound pieces get picked over pretty quickly.  Porgy fishing is reliable, but doesn't get really good until you get to or east of Stamford.

 

Again, my comments are limited to the western Sound.  It's bee a long time since I fished east of Stamford.

 

And I'll second the comments regarding shore access.  There is some, but it's often restricted.  Greenwich Point, for example, offers very good shore fishing for a variety of species, but it is not open at night.

[puppet]

I would not say it is better or worse than anywhere in the northeast.  I will say all of the northeast has suffered an agressive decline over the last decade and a half.  This is not a cycle, but there are cycles in nature.

 

Some of my farorite spots have gone from healthy ecosystems to comparatively void of life. All that said, it is probably no different than NY/NJ.  We have to work harder to find the pockets.

 

The biggest difference you will find is beach access.  I would rate it poor compared to RI, LI, NJ,  and MA.

[gman1253]

On 12/27/2022 at 10:58 AM, CWitek said:

I grew up in Greenwich.  Fished there from my preschool days in the late 1950s until I moved to Long Island in '83, but still come back to fish with a friend a number of times every year.  This is what I've seen.

 

The cool-weather fishing is nothing like it was years ago.  Winter flounder used to be everywhere, now they're just about nowhere.  Smelt disappeared in '69 and never came back.  Tomcod have all but disappeared.  Tautog/blackfish were better this year than in the recent past, but to call the fishing "good" demonstrates a short memory.  As a 12-year-old kid, I could catch more decent blackfish from shore at the town beach (fishing in May, June, and October) than people are catching from boats on a "good day" today.  In the early '70s, I'd come home from college for Columbus Day weekend, and needed to take five or six dozen green crabs to get me through the morning fishing from my boat.  And it wasn't a morning of little fish; while most were between 2 and 5, people were catching a few over 10.

 

The May mackerel run disappeared in the mid-'80s.

 

Striped bass are neither good nor bad.  The consistent fishing that we had through the early '70s,m with fish of all sizes neither extremely abundant but also not scarce, hasn't been repeated.  The mid-'70 to late '70s saw ridiculous numbers of big fish--I was working in a tackle shop at the time during the summers, and people who had no idea how to fish were catching 30s and 40s by acciodent; still remember weighing my first 50 in '74, only to have someone put a 63 on the scale the same week.  Then came the collapse and the rebuilding, with a lot of fish during the early 2000s, although the consistency across all size classes was never really restored.  Things have tapered off since then, but there are quite a few bass in late spring, we've been seeing a good pencil popper bit in late summer, and fishing has been decent in the fall.  Folks who fish bait, or troll on deeper structure a little bit to the east, have had fairly regular action on larger fish.

 

Bluefish are a memory.  There was some good action on decent fish--8 to 12 pound stuff, with a few larger--in late summer this year, and scattered spurts throughout the year, but nothing like what we had from the 1970s through, perhaps, the late 1990s or 2000, when acres of bunker clogged the harbors and bluefish would blitz them, turning the water white and making the water roar like a waterfall.  Now, happy bunker are flipping in the sailboat moorings, taking more casualties from the ospreys than from the blues.

 

There are a few weakifish around; more than there were five years ago, fewer and smaller than there were in the '70s and '80s.

 

Fluke weren't regular visitors in the western Sound, at least over the course of my lifetime, until the early '70s.  They probably peaked in the early 2000s, in terms of both numbers and size.  Now, there are a few around, but with the overall popuilation smaller than it was a decade ago, you have to work fairly hard for legal fish.  Black sea bass are also a relatively new arrival, although the old-timers used to talk about catching them back in the '50s.  However, they were never as abundant as they are now; even so, most of the legal fish are taken early in the season; the western Sound pieces get picked over pretty quickly.  Porgy fishing is reliable, but doesn't get really good until you get to or east of Stamford.

 

Again, my comments are limited to the western Sound.  It's bee a long time since I fished east of Stamford.

 

And I'll second the comments regarding shore access.  There is some, but it's often restricted.  Greenwich Point, for example, offers very good shore fishing for a variety of species, but it is not open at night.

Pretty much agree .... SW CT shore access is very limited & it has gotten worse as towns have placed greater & greater parking restrictions. Forget getting in another town's beach/ park between Memorial Day & October as most require a permit (hefty fee for non-residents if it's even available).  

 

I think that Sandy did a number on our sand population since I (or my friends) have not seen the clouds of them since Sandy. Near shore decent sized blues are a distant memory. So are decent sized stripers unless you go out 2AM & only in certain key areas at the right tide at the right time of year.  Again this is post Sandy.  I now usually use a 7wt unless the wind is narly due to the usual trout sized stripers we now have. AGAIN from shore.

 

Yak or boat will help greatly....

 

I still come up for 2 months in the summer - live in FL now. Of course, the fishing here from the beach has been dismal due to the County "re-furbishing" the beaches with tons of sand last year.....

 

Maybe you should check into Costa Rica ? (;-)

[msrief]

On 12/24/2022 at 10:01 AM, castingkid said:

Long time lurker here. Thinking about making a move for work in the next year or two. Have been out of the Northeast for over a decade but grew up NY/NJ area.

I don't want to go back to NY or NJ, but want to be within striking distance of saltwater fishing, such that I could do it at least once a week. I have a 1 yo son now and want to show him the way  and spend time on the water. 

 

I like CT location-wise because there is plenty of Li sound and RI, which I haven't fished but heard good things.

 

What are people's thoughts about CT fishing in recent years? Stripers and blues reliably coming through? How is fluke and tog?

Necessity of having a boat to access high-yield fishing opportunities?

 

Any other thoughts about living in CT or any kind of advice is welcome.

 

Thanks!

CT is fast becoming the state of CanItaxit.

[MikeAck]

On 1/3/2023 at 2:22 PM, gman1253 said:

 Near shore decent sized blues are a distant memory. So are decent sized stripers unless you go out 2AM & only in certain key areas at the right tide at the right time of year. 

In the areas that will produce in the state and along the shoreline, be prepared for crowds. There are very few secret spots anymore. It comes down to what gman said, it comes down to the right time of day, key spots, tides, and time of year. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to hit on all four... Oh and add in current weather, past recent weather, wind, water conditions, lure/plug selection, proper presentation at the right spot, at the time of year, at the right tide that coincides during the overnight... Like I said, limited.

Edited February 3 by MikeAck

[brushfly]

I also think there's different fishing between western Ct./ LIS and middle to eastern CT/ LIS in that the farther east you go the better chance of hooking up with albies/ bonito as well as fishing deeper water wrecks and such closer to Fisher's Island. At least that's the way it runs here on the LI side. 

[gman1253]

1 hour ago, brushfly said:

I also think there's different fishing between western Ct./ LIS and middle to eastern CT/ LIS in that the farther east you go the better chance of hooking up with albies/ bonito as well as fishing deeper water wrecks and such closer to Fisher's Island. At least that's the way it runs here on the LI side. 

Agree... the farther east the better.

 

ALSO -- my friends & I noticed a huge drop off of sand eels in the spring after Sandy in western CT. That absolutely played a role in quantities & sizes of fish post Sandy.