Hello Compleat Angler friends! The most significant change this week is an improvement in the local trout streams and ponds due to Fall stocking. The water remains low but there is some scattered rain in the forecast this week which should improve conditions. The consensus these days is that a stealthy approach to wading is critical. Streamer fishing also continues to produce well. The bass fishing has picked up in the coves as they push bait into shore, so look for blitzing fish in the mornings and evenings. After the stormy weather the Albie fishing has proven tough, but some of our anglers are finding them in deeper water towards the middle of the sound. New York Salmon fishing has seen the most concentration of fish from mid-river up, with some small pods of fish still trickling in, with some reports of steelhead pushing through the system as well. If you’re wade fishing in the salt, a good bet is Rhode Island so focusing on the jetties there should give you the most success. I hope everyone is continuing to have a great Fall fishing season! Read on for more…

Rhode Island

Rhode Island is the place to be for Hardtails, and the bite continues to be good. The False Albacore are in thick and peppered all over the place. Shore-based fly anglers have been getting into fish by consistently blind casting the jetties. Boat anglers have also been having a ton of success. There have been a few hot-spots and if you locate one of these it is almost a guarantee you will find them. Now is the time to put in some hours on the engine and hunt down those hardtails. Striper blitzes and rafts feeding on tiny bait have been a regular occurrence in the mornings and afternoons, and this week we are hearing reports of bigger bass being brought to hand. Cape Cod has been seeing some of these larger bass. The main forage has been young-of-the-year bunker and anchovies. These baitfish are small. By that I mean an inch or less, so smaller Albie-style flies are key. These fish have been super picky and will not hit anything larger. You must “match the hatch” perfectly here to have any shot of a hookup. I can’t stress that enough. The Bass will be more forgiving with fly selection but size is more important for those Albies. The best spots to focus on are the mouths of bays and inlets, as well as jetty walls. October is the bulk of the migration so now is the time to get out there. A wide variety of flies and colors will work early in the morning, but as the sun comes up in the afternoon, or if it’s a calm day, it’s important to downsize your fly. Everything from smaller Deceivers, Surf Candies, to Bonito Bunnies will work so don’t be afraid to experiment. The fish will tell you what they want. Back to the Stripers, the salt ponds, inlets, and back bays are still producing good numbers of fish. This is a great time of the year to sight fish for Stripers on sunny days. Block island has been seeing some gator blues as well as some large albies. They have been found mostly in deeper water making them a more viable target for the boat anglers. The nighttime bite is by far the best with fish in the 30-inch range a common occurrence on the fly. There are a ton of options off Rhody at the moment. Whether from shore or boat, the fly fishing is great right now.

Connecticut

Local Rivers

This past week we have seen an improvement in our local river and ponds. The state has started their Fall stocking program. The water levels, however, remain low so try focusing on deeper pools. The streamer fishing will be good, so try some wooly buggers, as well as a variety of nymphs. Once the fish become educated, fishing smaller, 18-20 zebra midges for instance, will help your catch rate. For our Stillwater folks, a lot of the ponds have been stocked, which means now is a great opportunity to take the kids fishing.

Naugatuck

With the lowering temperatures of fall officially underway, Connecticut Fish and Wildlife stocked Atlantic salmon on the Naugatuck and Shetucket. The Naugatuck and Shetucket were also stocked with trout. Since these fish are recently stocked, try a variety of flashy streamers, hot spot nymphs, mops, ect until the fish become educated. For Atlantic Salmon try wooly buggers in pink and purple, as well as your traditional salmon patterns: Blue Charms, Grey Ghosts, ect. The fish will vary in size from five to ten pounds. We recommend a 9’ 6-8wt rod with a sink tip line or polyleader to get the fly into their zone. For those of you that are new to the Atlantic Salmon game, fish them like you would any other Atlantic salmon fishery, but don’t be afraid to upsize your fly experiment with nymphs. For a fun sightfishing opportunity on the sunny days look for fish sunning themselves in the tail-out of pools. An increase in flows will tend to spread them out. During the colder mornings, a slowly swung streamer is a good strategy. The water is down to 83.9cfs in Beacon Falls, which is below average. As a reminder, fishing is catch and release until 12/6 with a single hook fly. Please report any poaching to law enforcement, 860-424-3333.

Farmington River

The fishing on the Farmy continues to be good, with some having a tougher time than others. DEEP stocked the river between New Hartford and Unionville, and now they have also done the upper river, so try fishing junk flies in these sections until the fish become educated. Think wooly buggers, mop flies, and general attractor nymphs with hotspots. Now is also a great time to fish streamers as the fish are getting ready to start spawning and are looking for a high calorie meal. The West Branch Riverton gauge is reading 80.2cfs from the dam release with the Still adding 16.2cfs, so the water is clear. For dry fly anglers, trout are continuing to rise, and most hatches are occurring late morning into the afternoon. The Isos and Cahills have been trickling out in the C&R section and popping in the late afternoon. You can expect fish to be rising in the mornings on BWOs and assorted small caddis. Small flies down to size 24 seem to be the norm. Terrestrials are tapering off this time of year. Small nymphs will also continue to produce. For you Trout Spey anglers, swinging wet flies can be productive, but don’t be afraid to throw larger intruder style patterns. There is no shortage of options as far as techniques go. The conditions are good this week, with potential rain and temperatures in the mid 60’s so look for more bug activity in the afternoons. Once the leaf fall starts this can make conditions tough, as there is a lot of debris in the water. I would recommend getting to a favorite spot early in the morning to find good water or try fishing on a weekday if you have the chance. Remember to not high or low hole anyone. Let’s be respectful to other anglers. Good luck! Keep in mind: Please report any suspicious activity and poaching to DEEP by calling 800-842-4357.

Housatonic River

The Housatonic is at a 361cfs, allowing for wadeable flows. The fishing has been great since the stocking, and many anglers are using a variety of techniques to bring numbers of fish to hand, with streamers producing exceptionally well. Focusing on areas by the park and TMA should result in some fish. Bass fishing continues to be good, so now is a great time to fish for both species. The most prevalent hatches will be Blue Winged Olives and Isonychias. There have been some great Isonychia hatches now so definitely have some in your box. Our anglers have reported that the state has stocked a significant number of Tiger Trout. Now that the temperatures are dropping and with the anticipation of winter it’s a good time to think about Pike fishing. These fish should be aggressive so look for them in coves with weed beds as well as ledges. 8-10wt rods are standard with some form of sinking, intermediate, or sink tip line with a large streamer. Some good flies are Flashtail Whistlers, larger EP Flies, and Deceivers. A floating line with a popper can also work in shallower sections.

Please report any poaching to the DEEP by calling 800-842-4357.

Saltwater

Big bluefish have moved into the area, so now is the time to target bluefish in the teens. Our anglers are having good success on poppers. Since the stormy weather has passed the Albie fishing has been a hit or miss, with some guys finding them in the middle grounds. The good news is that the water visibility wasn’t heavily affected by the blow. One hotspot for bass is the mouth of the Connecticut river. Look in the morning for blitzing fish around the Westport area as well. Schools of Bluefish and Bass have also moved in towards the Southport area. Larger bass activity has been reported, especially during the evenings. The back bays and salt ponds should see plenty of fish pushing in on the rising tide and feeding on the falling, with the primary forage being peanut bunker and bay anchovies. At night look to fish some darker and larger flies to stand out, your EP Peanut Butters in purple and black, as well as a Black Tabory Snake Fly. Dawn and Dusk have also been great producers so time those with the falling tide and you should have good shot at locating feeding Stripers. Some days are good while others are a bust but in general the fishing has been consistent. There has also been increased surface activity early in the mornings with smaller fish blitzing on Silversides and other assorted small bait. That is especially true out toward Niantic where the fishing is significantly better than the Western Sound. There are some Albies out there with Bluefish reported in the mix. Some smaller harbor Blues have mixed in with the Bass blitzes and larger Gators out in the middle. It seems that the Larger Blues have increased in number over the past few weeks and have been providing some exciting tease-and-switch action. But again, lower light hours are key so get up early or stay out late. It makes a big difference. Tidal fluctuations are also becoming far more important. The strongest tides of the month are when you should really focus your attention for shots at larger fish. However, as long as the water is moving, you will have feeding Stripers (provided you are in the right area). Any decent effort to locate Stripers has a high probability of success. Just remember that it may take considerable effort to locate them. If you are running around the area this weekend, keep your eyes open for blitzes and/or birds working bait. Please report any poaching to the DEEP by calling 800-842-4357.

New York

Salmon River

Not much to report in the lower section, with the occasional fresh pod of fish entering the system. It seems most of the King run has tapered off. Focusing on the mid-river to upper-river (Pineville to Altmar) is your bet for salmon. Some of our anglers have had good success with Cohos this season, with reports of them still trickling in. With a dam release this week, the flows are at 1300cfs. Steelhead are also starting to run, with reports of hookups in the lower section of the river, as well as an occasional brown trout being brought to hand. If you do decide to head up to the Great Lakes, any of the tributaries should have fish in them at this point. Average flows have opened up most of the river for easy wading. A wide variety of Egg flies and Woolly Buggers will take fish. Larger and brighter is better, especially for kings. Now is the time to start stocking up/tying your steelhead patterns things like Estaz Eggs in a variety of colors and Stoneflies. The fishing will continue to build until mid-October so now is the time to get in on the action. Look to transition to steelhead from mid-October and into the winter. For our serious winter anglers having a good pair of half-finger gloves is a must!

The Catskills

We are facing low water conditions on the Delaware at the moment. West Branch flows are at 232cfs at Hale Eddy, while the East is 308cfs at Fish’s Eddy. In general, the most prevalent hatches continue to be BWOs, while the larger bugs hatching are Isonychias and Cahills. There will be varying degrees of hatching depending on what system you are on. Look to fish Olive nymphs in size 18-24. For dry fly anglers, Olives in the same sizes are most of the hatch, with a few Isonychia, Cahills, and Caddis popping towards the evening. Flying Ants have tapered off. As such, you will want to bring a good variety of flies and be prepared to switch them often. The Willowemoc and Beaverkill temperatures have improved for trout and bug activity. The Catskills are a great option right now as the fall progresses. Another positive is that crowds seem to be dwindling. The streamer fishing has started to pick up, so definitely spend some time fishing sinking lines, even in lower flows. For our wading anglers using Trout Spey rods, now is a great time to swing larger patterns.

Saltwater 

The Albies have been a hit or miss lately, but the mornings have been the best. Some mornings the fish have been up and down quickly crashing on bait, so if this is the scenario, instead of running and gunning, wait for the fish to come to you. 10wt rods are the standard out here, with either full intermediate or sinking lines. Bluefish are also in decent numbers along the north side. The North Rips by the lighthouse and Gardner’s Island are the two hot-spots that historically get the highest concentrations of fish. Be sure to check the other rips that form when the tide starts moving. The Albies have been on small Anchovies, around 1” in length, but as the season progresses look to throw adult Anchovy imitations. The Long Island side of the Sound seems to be turning on out toward Orient Point. Fisher’s Island has a ton of bay anchovies with Bass feeding on the surface, so your best bet is to check the coves when you have a good tide pushing in tight to the shoreline. The bass are starting to push in and take over where the Albies left off. The name of the game is covering ground to find the schools. Montauk has proved to be tough this past week but the Albies remain over by the lighthouse. The Stripers are moving inshore and offshore to feed on the numerous baitfish species abundant in the area at the moment. The key is to fish during low light hours. These fish are far more active at night. You can get schoolies throughout the day but those fish over 30” really begin to shut down when the sun gets high. When it comes to flies, try black and purple for low light conditions and white, tan/white, and olive/white for brighter conditions. You will certainly want some very small patterns if you do find those larger Bass Blitzes. They are almost certainly on micro-bait. The beaches are seeing good action in the mornings and afternoons. The salt ponds and inlets are also a very good option as well for sight fishing opportunities. Most of the larger fish seem to be taken by boat anglers as these fish are hanging around deeper structure. Teasing fish up with a popper and then throwing the fly has been the most productive way to get these fish.