Fluke bite builds in eastern Long Island Sound as CT stripers dodge sharks

What's biting

What's next

With the new moon bringing stronger tidal flow this week, expect the improving fluke bite J&B Tackle describes around Cerberus Shoal, Sarah's Ledge, Two Tree Channel, Black Point and Hatchetts Reef to keep building through the weekend. Moving water tends to get fluke feeding harder on the drift, and shops report more anglers reaching limits than a few weeks ago.

The striped bass picture is more mixed. Tartan II and J&B Tackle both point to increased shark activity pushing bass off some of their usual spots, which lines up with Black Hawk's report of a brown shark showing up on a porgy trip. If that pattern holds, expect stripers to concentrate around structure and deeper water where sharks are less of a nuisance rather than open flats. Anglers working the river mouth and bridge areas, as AW Marina describes, may find more consistent action than open-water approaches for now.

Bottom fishing should stay a reliable option regardless of the shark situation. Black Hawk's limits of porgies with sea bass and triggerfish mixed in suggest structure-oriented species are holding strong, a pattern that typically continues into late August while water stays warm.

Keep an eye on the bait migration too. The regional video forecast notes bonito pushing into nearby Rhode Island waters and a continuing fluke bite spreading through eastern Long Island Sound, both signs that baitfish are moving and predator activity should stay elevated through the coming week. If bonito keep working west along the shoreline, CT anglers near the Sound's eastern reaches could start seeing them turn up in local reports soon.

Plan around the new moon's stronger currents for the best drift-fishing windows on fluke and bottom species, and check with local shops before committing to a striper trip in case shark activity has pushed fish elsewhere.

Context

Late-summer conditions on Long Island Sound typically bring a transition period, with striped bass action softening as water warms and bait patterns shift, while fluke, scup and black sea bass activity often peaks through August before tailing off into September. What Connecticut shops are describing this week fits that seasonal rhythm: fluke improving per J&B Tackle, porgies at limits per Black Hawk, and stripers described by Tartan II as having paused after a stronger early-season run.

The elevated shark presence several Connecticut and Rhode Island sources mention this week is a recurring late-summer story in the region rather than a new development this year. Reports from Rhode Island shops in the same feed describe similar shark pressure disrupting striper fishing around Block Island, suggesting this is a broader Southern New England pattern this month rather than a Connecticut-only issue.

There isn't enough environmental data in this report to say definitively whether water temperatures are running ahead of or behind a typical mid-August pace for the Sound, since no live buoy or gauge readings were available this cycle. Based on the angler intel alone, the season reads as roughly on-schedule: bottom fishing strong, fluke building, and stripers in their usual late-summer lull.