FISHING REPORT --- August 6, 2010
STRIPED BASS ---- Bass fishing this week was on a normal downswing for August. The only problem appears that there are less bass to downswing with. Daytime bass fishing even with bait is being pushed over by blues. There strange thing this summer is the random daylight surface blitzes. Surface feeding bass will just start on some reef or rip like it was late fall. These feeds have been taking place by Plum Island, Race Rock, off Cornfield, Hatchetts, Long Sand Shoal and off the mouth of the Connecticut River. Don't go looking for them just be prepared if they pop up. Bartletts has had some more consistent action on early and late day tides.
Long Sand Shoal is still giving up a few nice sized bass on night drifts with a few bass near daybreak, mostly with eels. There's a small population of bunker in the Connecticut River and limited schools in the harbors to the west. There's not any large schools until you hit New Haven.
Tube and worming during the day has been the slow and steady method close to shore from Westbrook to Waterford. Its not hot but it works if you stay with it and can put up with the scup stealing your worms.
Shore fishing for bass has come down to a scattering of schoolies and those at night.

BLUEFISH ---- They certainly have filled in any voids left by the bass. Local reefs such as Southwest have been well stocked if you don't want to run to the also better known hot spots such as the Race and Plum Gut. A lot of the action has been on diamond jigs. Smaller rockpiles such as Cornfield and Cranes also have a few better sized choppers. The mouth of the Connecticut River early and late in the day still has smaller blues blitzing small bait.
There has been a lot reports of small baitfish, either herring or bunker. The back bays seem to be full of them.

SNAPPER BLUES --- They're growing with a 4" average now. As we mentioned in the bluefish report there's a lot of small bait around and it's providing a feast for the snappers. The DEP Piers and the Causeway have been good. The Blackhall River is also a good spot as is any place you can find some moving water. One of the bonuses this year is that both the snappers and blue crabs are good and often found in the same spots.

FLUKE ---- The numbers are slowing down, maybe for lack of effort. We're not getting the reports of catches of 20+ shorts in an outing. Limit catches are not common but chances of catching keepers are getting better. The season end on the 25th of this month so there's still a few good weeks left. Soundview and the mouth of the River are still good bets for numbers and possibly a keeper or two thrown in. At the risk of repeating myself every week you gotta go deep for doormats. 60' is only the starting point.
Travelling to Rhode Island hasn't been worthwhile. The South Shore has been slow and Block still has some remnants of the dogfish parade left.

PORGIES ---- One of the bright spots this year. Its good at most local reefs and even from some shoreside rockpiles. The old standbys of Hatchetts, Southwest and Bartletts are producing some nice sized scup and the smaller reefs such as Cranes are also worthwhile.

BLACKFISH --- We haven't heard the word mentioned this week.

BLUE CRABS ---- An excellent run both for traps and scooping. There's a lot of just short of keeper but enough big ones to make a few good meals. The DEP Piers, Causeway and all the estuaries in the lower Connecticut River are good.

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Pat Abate
Rivers End Tackle
440 Boston Post Road
Old Saybrook, CT 06475
(860) 388-2283
info@riversendtackle.com