Share your catch
US

Thames River Fishing Report

Updated Mon, Nov 9, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Thames River: Connecticut's tidal river from Norwich to New London Harbor, fished for striped bass, bluefish and flounder from Fort Trumbull's pier and two public launches.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Next tide
Low 3:42 PM
Air / High
44 / 55 F
Wind
WNW 5 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 8461490, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Monday
9
November 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Thames River feels the season turning: shorter days, grouping fish. Today brings clear skies, wind WNW around 5 mph, rising pressure near 1006 hPa and a high of 55. Tides: high 8:51 AM and 9:18 PM, low 2:55 AM and 3:42 PM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:12 PM-1:12 AM and 10:48 AM-12:48 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Striped bassGood

Spring and fall are the shoreline seasons: ODWC points to windblown points, riprap and dams during the May shad spawn and the pre-winter feed.

BluefishFair

Fall turns the migration south toward the South Atlantic Bight, and fish feed along beaches and inlets on the way. Follow the bait and the birds.

Tomorrow: Similar at 53 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Tue, Nov 10, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Connecticut requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $28.00 for residents, and salt water needs its own licence here. What a Connecticut licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing striped bass here? Check the size and bag limits with CT DEEP before you keep anything. The season dates for Connecticut, read off the agency, are on the Connecticut seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings.

Tides

NOAA station 8461490 (New London, CT). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Mon
LOW2:55 AM0.4 ft
HIGH8:51 AM3.3 ft
LOW3:42 PM0.1 ft
HIGH9:18 PM2.4 ft
Tue
LOW3:34 AM0.5 ft
HIGH9:32 AM3.2 ft
LOW4:21 PM0.1 ft
HIGH10:02 PM2.3 ft

Old Saybrook tide chart: the week and the month β†’

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp44 F
High / Low55 / 42 F
WindWNW 5-18 mph
Pressure1006.2 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 10%
Sunrise / Sunset06:29 / 16:34
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~55 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Which day to fish Thames River this week

The best day on Thames River this week looks like Saturday Nov 14, at 4 out of 5, against 2 today.

Best day this week: Saturday, Nov 14 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Nov 9 β€” Tough

Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Solunar majors
11:12 PM-1:12 AM and 10:48 AM-12:48 PM
Minor period
6:40 AM-7:40 AM
Sun
06:29 to 16:34
Moon
New Moon, 0% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 13 mph
Rain chance
10%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Thames River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall inland; on the coast, during the seasonal migrations

The largest of the temperate basses, a sea-run fish of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that now also lives in reservoirs across much of the country after hatchery stocking. Inland, it follows schools of shad and herring through open water. Spring and fall are the shoreline seasons: ODWC points to windblown points, riprap and dams during the May shad spawn and the pre-winter feed.

Bluefish illustration

Bluefish

Peak harvest: May-Oct, most in Jul-Aug (NOAA)

Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) are sharp-toothed schooling predators that move up and down the Atlantic coast with the seasons and feed in surface blitzes on menhaden, silversides and squid. Fall turns the migration south toward the South Atlantic Bight, and fish feed along beaches and inlets on the way. Follow the bait and the birds.

When to come: the Thames River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Striped bass
Bluefish
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 55 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovNov, ~55 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Thames River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Sun, Nov 8

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at good. High of 59 F, wind to 12 mph.

Sat, Nov 7

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at good. High of 63 F, wind to 10 mph.

Fri, Nov 6

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at good. High of 66 F, wind to 14 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used if we need to ask you about your report. No mailing list, no spam.

Before you go

License

Connecticut requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Connecticut license: All Waters or Marine Waters Only below the demarcation line 500 ft north of Route 1, All Waters or Inland Waters Only above it. The 2026 Angler's Guide gives striped bass a 28–31-inch slot, 1 a day, with an in-line circle hook required when fishing natural bait. Since October 1, 2026, Public Act 26-101 also makes striped bass catch and release only from December 1 to March 31 every year, a change the Angler's Guide predates; check DEEP's saltwater species page before keeping one. Trout in the river: 2 a day, 15-inch minimum, year-round.

Access

Thames River Boat Launch, 1 State Pier Road, New London (state, year-round). Town of Montville Boat Launch, Dock Road, Uncasville. Shore fishing from Pier 4, Fort Trumbull State Park.

About this water

The tidal Thames River between Norwich and New London Harbor, New London County, Connecticut.

Fishing Thames River: the full guide

Tidal from Norwich to the Sound

CT DEEP's 2026 Angler's Guide treats the whole Thames River from Norwich to New London, coves included, as tidal water. The line between the inland and marine fishing districts sits 500 feet north of the Route 1 crossing between New London and Groton: below it you need an All Waters or Marine Waters Only license, above it an All Waters or Inland Waters Only license.

What the shore produces

DEEP's list of shore-fishing sites gives Fort Trumbull State Park in New London, where Pier 4 on the Thames is open to pedestrians 24 hours a day from the Riverfront Walk, with posted rules. DEEP names bluefish, striped bass, summer flounder, hickory shad, scup, tautog, winter flounder and weakfish as the catch there.

Launches

The state's Thames River Boat Launch at 1 State Pier Road in New London sits under the I-95 bridge: trailered, open year-round, with 50 paved parking spaces and a seasonal floating dock. Upriver, the Town of Montville Boat Launch at the end of Dock Road in Uncasville takes trailered and car-top boats and has a fishing pier, according to DEEP's Coastal Access Guide. On the river a 6 mph limit applies within 200 feet of any dock, pier or wharf.

Security zones

Federal rules (33 CFR 165.154) close the water off the Electric Boat shipyard and the Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton to unauthorized vessels. A 500-yard zone around Jacobs Rock off the Coast Guard Academy is enforced during high-level visits and times of heightened security. Keep off these areas.

Common questions

Which license do I need on the Thames?

Below the line 500 feet north of the Route 1 crossing, an All Waters or Marine Waters Only license; above it, an All Waters or Inland Waters Only license, per CT DEEP's 2026 Angler's Guide.

Where can I fish from shore?

Pier 4 at Fort Trumbull State Park in New London, reached on foot from the Riverfront Walk at any hour. DEEP also lists a fishing pier at the Montville launch on Dock Road.

Are there restricted areas?

Yes. 33 CFR 165.154 sets security zones off the Electric Boat shipyard and the Naval Submarine Base in Groton, and a 500-yard zone around Jacobs Rock off the Coast Guard Academy when the Coast Guard enforces it.

Is fishing good at Thames River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Gardner Lake11 miPawcatuck River15 miWood River21 miWatchaug Pond21 miNinigret Pond22 miMontauk24 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Tide predictions
NOAA CO-OPS 8461490 β€” New London, CT
Harmonic predictions, datum MLLW, local time. 12 high and low events returned for today and the next two days. A prediction, not a measured water level: wind and surge move the real thing.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 41.3800, -72.0900 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 6, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 6, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.