Squid and Bunker Fuel Improving Striper Action Across Long Island Sound

What's Biting

What's Next

With shortfin squid confirmed in southern New England as of June 9 per OTW Saltwater, the next several days are worth prioritizing if you can get on the water. Squid are a high-energy forage item that activates aggressive feeding in stripers. Expect fish to be catchable on soft-plastic squid imitations, white and pink tubes, and traditional swimmers worked along current rips at first and last light.

The waning crescent moon phase this week reduces nighttime ambient light, which tends to push striper feeding activity toward low-light windows at dawn and dusk rather than concentrating it after dark. Plan your outing around the first outgoing tide of the morning or the incoming surge in the hour before sunset. Dropping water concentrates baitfish against structure and channel edges, a setup that OTW's striper migration reporting consistently highlights as productive for Sound-bound bass at this stage of June.

OTW's June 5 migration map noted water temperatures running a few degrees below normal for the season. A slower warm-up means the transitional spring-to-summer feeding window may extend well into the middle of the month. Bass that haven't fully committed to deep-water summer holding patterns are still catchable in shallower rips and nearshore structure where bait concentrations have pulled them. If water temps are still lagging, targeting mid-column depths on weighted swimbaits and slow jigs will often out-produce forced topwater presentations in the heat of the day.

Fluke season is solidly underway across the Sound. A recent On The Water piece on back-bay fluke in dirty water is worth keeping in mind: June rain events can push freshwater into coves and shallow back bays, dropping salinity and suppressing the bite. After any significant rainfall, shift toward cleaner, higher-salinity water off main channel edges and inlet mouths where fluke tend to stack. Drifting natural or soft-plastic baits along sandy bottom transitions remains the go-to approach.

Weakfish continue to show in the nearshore zone. Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) noted decent numbers appearing in southern New England waters, and the cooler-than-normal water is favorable for continued activity into June. Early-morning soft-plastic presentations worked along grassy edges and channel drop-offs are worth a shot before the tide switches.

Context

Early June in Long Island Sound typically marks the consolidation phase of the striper migration. The bulk of the spring push has passed, fish that wintered in Chesapeake Bay and Hudson River staging areas have moved north, and the population begins spreading into summer residency across the Sound's reefs, rips, and inshore structure. By the second week of June, school-size and mid-range stripers are usually well-distributed along the Connecticut shoreline, while larger fish have typically continued toward Cape Cod and points east.

What stands out this season, per OTW's June 5 migration map, is water temperatures running a few degrees cooler than normal. In a typical year the second week of June brings water temps in LIS into the upper 50s to low 60s along the Connecticut shore. Cooler-than-average readings delay that warming and can push peak surface feeding activity back by a week or more. That is not necessarily bad news: it means the transitional window when fish feed aggressively across a range of depths and structure types lasts longer than usual, giving anglers more time to capitalize on the spring-intensity bite before bass lock into slower summer patterns.

The arrival of shortfin squid in southern New England, confirmed by OTW Saltwater as of June 9, is consistent with typical early-summer forage patterns for the region. Squid are a predictable June fuel source for stripers from Block Island Sound through LIS and into the Vineyard. Their presence alongside bunker and sand eels suggests the bait picture is healthy this year, which supports the improving trend OTW is describing. OTW Surfcasting's Striper Cup coverage from late spring documented solid early-season activity, suggesting the 2026 season is broadly on schedule despite the cooler water readings.

No direct comparative data from CT-specific state agency or charter captain sources was available in this update's data feeds. The regional picture above is assembled from southern New England-wide reporting, and conditions along the Connecticut shoreline may vary from the broader trend.