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Fishing Reports
LOOKING TO UP YOUR GAME OR FIND SOME NEW IDEAS TO TAKE YOUR FISHING TO THE NEXT LEVEL? CHECK OUT OUR COMPLEAT JOURNAL FOR TIPS, TRICKS, AND INFO FROM THE FIELD.
Northeast Fishing Report: 9/17/2021
Greetings Compleat Anglers! Cooling temperatures means that things are trending in the right direction for trout anglers out there. While there is not much going on right now, if the weather cooperates, we should have some decent trout fishing in about a month or so. All but a few of our rivers are still too warm and most have opted for chasing saltwater species. For good reason too, as the saltwater fly fishing has been awesome lately. False Albacore are up and down the East Coast in solid numbers. The meat of the run is in Massachusetts and eastern Rhode Island, but Montauk is seeing strong numbers that are building by the day. Striper blitzes are also a common occurrence as they gorge on Bay Anchovies. Big Blues are around as well. It is all starting to happen. The other big news is the start of the Salmon Run in upstate New York as big Kings and Silvers have started their migration upstream to spawn and the fishing has been good! Many of our anglers are headed North to get in on the action. Read on for more...
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Northeast Fishing Report: 9/10/2021
Greetings Compleat Anglers! We feel for the trout anglers out there. Even with good amounts of precipitation across the Northeast, the water is too warm to ethically trout fish. It looks like that will not change anytime soon as water temperatures remain in the high 60s and low 70s. However, many have transitioned into saltwater and are doing very well. The early push of False Albacore saw many fly anglers getting their first fish of the season. The hot spots have been the Cape, Islands, Rhode Island and Montauk. The fishing was lights out last week. Since then, a few good storms have stunted the run. We are hearing that many of these fish have vanished. Until the water clarity improves it could be a grind out there. Montauk will be a safe bet this weekend as it tends to recover faster. Striper blitzes are a common occurrence and filling the void nicely. Blues are still a great option and with some larger fish around the Race, these gators are great "filler" fish as conditions recover. Read on for more...
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Northeast Fishing Report: 9/3/2021
Greetings Compleat Anglers! The Hardtails are here and the fishing has been on fire. It seems like it didn't matter where you were, there were False Albacore feeding aggressively on the surface. Confirmed Albies are in Nantucket, Martha's Vineyards, the Cape, Rhode Island, Montauk, and Niantic. Anglers have been struggling from shore, but boat anglers have been getting on them. We are seeing good numbers and good distribution, which is a great thing. There is not one real "hotspot." With the fish everywhere, angling pressure has spread out making it much easier to get on and stay on fish. The Striper blitzes have started as well. They are feeding on Bay Anchovies making them a great filler fish in between Albie blitzes. There are Blues all over with some gators mixed in. It's all starting to happen! Trout anglers, however, have been struggling as there are few good options available and those that are can be very crowded. Most trout anglers are giving the fish a break or targeting warm water species such as Large or Smallmouth Bass. Read on for more...
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Northeast Fishing Report: 8/27/21
With the migration of the Hardtails on every saltwater fly angler's mind, we are all anxiously waiting to see how Hurricane Henri will impact our fly fishing. It is still too early to tell how things will shake out. While things will certainly recover, most are wondering how long it take. The water has been churned up and is quite turbid. While that will stunt things a bit, the fishing has been good off of Nantucket and the Vineyard. Bonito and False Albacore are in and if you are willing to spend the time searching, the hardtail action should be great. Things in the Western Sound things have improved quite a bit. The Hurricane helped cool down the water, which brought Bass and Blues into fly casting range for shore-based anglers. Mornings and late afternoons have been seeing lots of fish in tight and willing to take well-fished flies. Most of the trout streams are still too warm to fish despite the water we received. The one exception is the Delaware, which got a good shot of rain and will certainly improve. The streamer bite was good early in the week and as the water clears, expect the dry fly fishing to improve considerably.
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Northeast Fishing Report: 8/20/21
Greetings Compleat Anglers! As Tropical Storm Fred ripped through the Northeast yesterday, the days proceeding it were stellar on the salt. Out to the East of our shop it has been lights out. From Massachusetts to Montauk, there have been wide variety of fish to catch in a wide variety of locations. Out around Nantucket and the Vineyard, Bonito have moved in en masse and fly anglers have been putting up some great numbers and fish up to 10 pounds. There have also been some False Albacore caught already. The Bonito have trickled down into Eastern Rhode Island but are difficult to pin down. It's still a little early. Stripers and Blues of all sizes have been keeping fly anglers busy too, and Spanish Mackerel are becoming more numerous by the day, even down in the Western Sound. It's all starting to happen!
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Northeast Fishing Report: 8/13/21
Greetings Compleat Anglers! Saltwater fly fishing has been great this past week and looking forward, things will only begin to improve. We are at the beginning of the best two months of saltwater fishing in the Northeast, and it is all starting to happen. The smaller "rainbait" are balling up in huge numbers and attracting the attention of Bass, Blues, Mackerels, and Bonito. Surface Blitzes are becoming more common by the day with Stripers being the frontrunner in terms of popularity and numbers. They are all over the place and while they are notoriously picky on these smaller bait, fly anglers have a serious advantage being able to throw tiny imitations that will get bit. Montauk, the Cape, and Rhode Island are all seeing big schools of blitzing fish in the mornings and afternoons so now is the time to get out there. On the Freshwater side of things, the trout fishing have been poor across the board and it would be best to give the trout a break for the next month. Read on for more...
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Northeast Fishing Report: 8/6/21
Greetings Compleat Anglers! We've seen some spectacular fly fishing off of Montauk, Rhode Island, and the Cape this past week. The New Moon tides, cooler temperatures, and cloudy conditions are ideal for this time of year. The fish have responded positively and are on the feed. Bluefish, Stripers, Bonito, and Mackerel are all up for grabs. Blitzes are common and larger fish are in tight and feeding, which makes them a possibility for both shore-based and boat anglers. Our trout fisheries have been a different story - it is tough fishing across the board. The water has been low pretty much everywhere and the cooler temps coupled with overcast cloud cover have only moved the needle slightly. Read on for the details...
Northeast Fishing Report: 7/30/21
Greetings Compleat Anglers! A difficult week for most fly anglers out there, especially those targeting trout. While the rivers have come down, many are quite warm. Even the tailwaters are getting up there. The fish are spread out and hunkered down trying to make it through the warmest water of the year. As such, most anglers have opted for other species or are focusing on a few key fisheries that are still fishing well. The saltwater side of things has certainly had its moments over the past week but is tough as well. The saving grace has been the larger Blues out East that have provided awesome action on the fly. Smaller Blues are numerous all along the coast as well and are almost a sure thing. The poor tides have stifled the Striper bite in a big way. The Striped Bass are lethargic and finicky making them a secondary target for most throwing a fly. Read on for the details...
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Northeast Fishing Report: 7/23/21
Greetings Compleat Anglers! Fishing has been tough for the trout fly anglers the past week. Very high water and dangerous conditions kept most off the water. The Farmington for example, is unfishable. With many of our better rivers in flood stage, we recommend staying off the water. If you do venture out there, a flotation device is strongly recommended. Please be careful out there. The Delaware is too high to wade, but the drift boats have been doing very well with very little competition from other anglers. The Saltwater side of things has been very good to excellent this past week. While the Western Long Island Sound has been a bit tough, out East is a different story. Blues, Bass, and Bonito are all up for grabs if you know where to go. Read on for more...
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Northeast Fishing Report: 7/16/21
Greetings Compleat Anglers! Well, if you were hoping to cast a fly for trout last week, you were likely disappointed. The Tropical storm caused major flooding across the Northeast and all of our rivers from the small creeks, to larger rivers blew out in a big way. The repercussions of the torrential rain are still being felt as many tailwaters are releasing water to get the reservoirs down. While the high water is a slight nuisance at present, it should be very beneficial for the trout over the coming weeks. And the tropical storm did have a positive effect in the short term too, as the saltwater fly fishing was lights-out last week. Water temps along the coast were brought back into the low 70s and the big Stripers really responded. We are on the back side of that good push of fish though, so expect tougher fishing ahead. Read on for more...
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Northeast Fishing Report: 7/9/21
Greetings Compleat Anglers! We finally received some much needed rain in quantities that made a difference. While many of the smaller rivers across the Northeast are still too warm, the tailwaters are looking very good. A recent stocking on the Farmington means that it should be fishing well, provided the water does not get any higher. And the saltwater fly fishing to the East of us has been crazy good. Big fish and strong tides means that, depending on the weather, fishing should be awesome over the next week. Read on for more...
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Northeast Fishing Report: 7/2/21
Greetings Compleat Anglers! This past week saw the saltwater action shift to the East. Montauk, Rhode Island, and the Cape are seeing some spectacular fly fishing right now. The large, migratory Stripers have moved in and are very accessible on fly at the moment. These fish are feeding on a wide range of bait depending on where you are fishing. Sandeels, Squid, Mackerel, and Bunker are all on the menu. The trout fishing has been tough this past week. The rivers are warming up and many of the trout fisheries across the Northeast are too warm to ethically fish. Tailwaters are the only viable options and the crowds have reflected that. Read on for more...
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