May 4th Salt Report

[Mark Steiner]

Salt Fishing Report -- May 2, 2015
We're off to a late start this year due to the cold water temps but things seem to be picking up fast this week with consistent reports of schoolies being caught on most of the piers in the lower Connecticut River. Reports from boat fisherman have just started to come in with one angler catching 60+ schoolies yesterday in the lower river on lead head/rubber baits.
Reports from the Housatonic River have been good to very good for stripers for some time. They're getting them both upriver and near the mouth now with decent numbers of keepers in the mix. We've heard of herring upriver near one of the popular spots and they should be hitting pencil poppers soon if not already.
The first fresh migratory schoolie stripers were caught at the West Wall in Rhode Island and we even heard of small bluefish being caught there as well.
There are lots of bunker along the CT shorline including the Thames River, Niantic, Westbrook, and New Haven Harbor. They're probably in the CT River as well, but we haven't heard anything solid confirmation yet.
A few winter flounder have been caught in the Niantic River and we've heard of good Flounder fishing reports from some of the tackle shops further west of us. Locally we just haven't heard anything.
Fluke and blackfish are closed in CT but open in RI. Fluke season opens May 17th in CT this year.

Courtesy of River's End in Old Saybrook

[Capt. Bob]

Went for a boat ride in Niantic bay in the fog and found water temps at 51 deg. In the outer bay and 55 in the niantic river. I spoke to Matt Hillyer at Hillyers Bait and Tackle for the following report. Stripers have been hot in the lower CT. River , Housatonic and Thames. The flounder fishing has picked up this week with the warmer temps. I have had great luck over the years fishing the sides of the channel Boats Inc. to the back end of the Niantic river. Anchor up in a breeze to stay out of the shallows, chum pot with a hook attached with clam chum or cat food, rabbit pellets, and a sash weight occasionally thumping the bottom will increase your chances. The water temps rise about 2 degrees a week so I expect the fishing to bust loose in 2 to 3 weeks in the sound for Stripers and the flounder fishing to be strong till it closes June 1 st.
Matt expects the Fluke to show up around the opening on he 17th, strong at Montauk and the backside of Fishers Island, they will also be in the Niantic bay drifting from Milestone to Black Point. Let the games begin.