Connecticut and Rhode Island Fishing Report 12-1-2011

Despite what the calendar says, the surf fishing in Rhode Island is still going strong.  The driving force behind the inshore bite is herring – lots of them!  It’s hard to believe for December, but big bluefish and schoolie striped bass are still running the beaches from Point Judith to Watch Hill.  In addition, hickory shad and even mackerel are hitting small offerings in the mix.  In Connecticut, the blackfish bite in Long Island Sound remains solid when the weather cooperates.  In addition, the Thames River striper bite is showing signs of improvement in Norwich Harbor.  In freshwater, pike and crappie are the names of the game in the Connecticut River, while salmon, walleye, and smallmouth bass are other worthy options elsewhere. 

Rhode Island

The beaches and breachways of South County are still very much alive as we begin the last month of the year.  Gannets continue to put on an impressive show, dive-bombing herring right in the wash at times.  Peter at Saltwater Edge happily told me there are plenty of fish cashing in on the melee too, specifically chunky bluefish up to 10-pounds.  The go-to lures to capitalize on the action have been Polaris poppers in blue or white patterns.  Swimming plugs, bucktail jigs, or tins with teasers in front have also been working well.  Mixed in with the herring are mackerel and hickory shad, so light-tackle anglers are also hooking up with Sabiki rigs and shad darts, especially near the mouths of inlets.

OTW contributor Dave Pickering had a great day in the suds on Tuesday.  He and one of his sons slammed over 20 bluefish ranging from 4 to 8-pounds on surface poppers.  When the lights turned out, Dave switched spots and baits and started catching keeper bass.  On a 9-inch Slug-Go and black Deceiver teaser combo, he landed 4 stripers between 28 and 32-inches.  Not a bad outing at all for very late November!

There are other options out there for those who haven’t winterized their boats yet.  Captain Thom at Quaker Lane Outfitters told me that the tautog fishing is still good, that is if you can get to them.  With water temperatures still in the mid to low 50’s, blackfish can be found in relatively shallow water, as well as the deeper stuff too.  Soaking green crabs amongst the rocks off Newport, on the east side of Point Judith Light, or along Ragged Reef off Weekapaug are all good bets.  Occasionally, blackfish anglers are catching codfish as bycatch on crabs, especially in 35 to 85 feet of water.  For a steadier pick of cod, the East Grounds off Block Island’s Southeast Light have been giving up 5 to 10-pounders mostly on jigs.

Connecticut

For the late-season holdouts, there are still really good blackfish opportunities in Long Island Sound.  Andrew of Fishing Factory III has customers doing well on shallow water rock piles east of the Niantic River using half green crabs on blackfish jigs.  He said even though the calendar tells us we should be targeting deeper water, the water temperature says something else.  Andrew noted that many a limit has been taken from as shallow as 10 to 15 feet deep lately.  Joe at The Fish Connection agreed with the shallow water sentiment.  He noted that a handful of diehards are trailering their boats each trip for plenty of 3- and 4-pounders near Seaflower Reef, the Clumps, and Horseshoe Reef.  Mark at River’s End gave a report from two customers who recently landed about 50 blackfish between them, with several in the 3 to 5-pound range.  He suggested Black Point and Southwest Reef as good spots to try.  In the western Sound, Jason of Bobby J’s Bait and Tackle and a few friends took advantage of the mild weather Sunday and got their limits in the Milford area donning T-shirts.  They found some good sized tog too, with 4 over 8-pounds and the biggest tipping the scales at 9.2.  If your boat isn’t winterized yet, it may be worth giving a few more shots before the season closes December 6^th.

Unfortunately, the Connecticut shoreline is not experiencing the same flood of herring as Rhode Island’s south shore is at the moment, but it could still very well happen.  Cappy of Captain Morgan’s Bait & Tackle said anglers are plugging away near tidal rivers and catching schoolie striped bass, many in the 25- to 28-inch range.  He recommended eels at night and topwater plugs or bucktails for daylight fishing.  Joe from The Fish Connection shared that his customers are not seeing the numbers of stripers that usually spend the winter in the Thames River just yet.  However, there were some larger bass in the 25- to 30-pound class capitalizing on bunker schools in the Norwich Harbor recently.  Mark at River’s End reported some fly anglers are hitting schoolie bass around the mouth of Connecticut River.  In the western Sound, Nick at Fisherman’s World is holding out hope for a late herring surge, yet anglers are diamond jigging 11B and the Obstruction Buoy for schoolies.

In freshwater, the fall stocking of Atlantic salmon is complete with nearly 900 fish ranging from 3 to 18 pounds put in overall.  Joe at The Fish Connection heard of a few 8- to 9-pounders caught in the Shetucket River before Tuesday night’s rain brought up water levels.  For fly fishermen, he suggested swinging brightly colored Woolly Buggers, Black Ghosts, Deceivers, Mickey Finns, or even epoxy minnow flies like those you would throw to false albacore.

In the Connecticut River and its coves, there are some great northern pike and calico bass opportunities right now.  Andrew of Fishing Factory III caught a couple hundred golden pond shiners for his shop using a Sabiki Rig on Wednesday morning.  They are selling like hotcakes to pike anglers fishing them under floats in coves like Chapman’s Pond.  Artificial lures are also producing pike, such 7-inch pink Slug-Gos or large chartreuse spinner baits.  Gary at Connecticut Outfitters said many of the coves are hosting great crappie fishing currently too.  He likes to fish small marabou jigs tipped with pinhead shiners like a drop-shot rig.  Another go-to crappie lure has been the Road Runner jig, which has a little spinner blade for added attraction.

Lastly, John from Valley Angler spoke about a few shore anglers landing walleye off the beach at Squantz Pond.  They have been using shiners under a bobber and targeting where the bottom drops off.  John also talked about decent Candlewood smallmouth bass fishing in 25 feet of water.  He suggested looking for steep drop-offs or road beds and using the drop-shot method and Jackall Crosstail Shads.

Best Bets for the Weekend

The mild spring-like weather is gone, but the bluefish in Rhode Island don’t seem to be in a hurry to go anywhere with all the herring around.  If you are looking for a fun way to close out your 2011 saltwater fishing season, this is it!  With chunky blues pushing baitfish on the beach and gannets diving all around, it’s a sight to see.  Give South County a shot this weekend and bring a bag full of topwater plugs, tins, swimmers, and teasers.  They may not be the largest you caught all season, but when’s the last time you caught a bluefish in December?