Connecticut and Rhode Island Fishing Report 12-22-2011

Happy New Year – The next Fishing Forecast will be published on Thursday, January 5, 2012.

 

Today marked the official start to winter, although Mother Nature is toying with ice anglers across southern New England.  It looks like we’ll have to wait a bit longer before the masses can venture onto any frozen lakes or ponds.  In the meantime, there are a few saltwater opportunities like catching herring, mackerel and holdover stripers in rivers and harbors, as well as codfish, black sea bass, and porgies from headboats.  In freshwater, most waterways have come down to reasonable flows and several Connecticut and Rhode Island locales are hosting decent trout and salmon fishing thanks to recent stockings.

Rhode Island

Bottom fishing for cod, black sea bass and porgy is and will continue to be a decent choice for anglers looking to bundle up and fill their freezers. Headboats from Frances Fleet and Seven B’s are making multiple trips each week, but be sure to call their offices to double check on sailing status.  On Saturday, Captain Rich of the Gail Frances reported a nearly full boat-limit of sea bass with some surpassing 5 pounds and another near limit of scup, including a few hubcaps over 2 pounds.  The codfish were less cooperative over the weekend, with the pool fish weighing in at just under 10 pounds.  Anglers managed to pull up a dozen cocktail bluefish and a pile of big ocean perch to round out an action-packed trip.  On Sunday, Captain Matt of the Frances Fleet reported another slow day of cod fishing, yet the hot bite for sea bass and scup continued.  Both bait and jigs have accounted for the catching, with bait having a slight edge lately.  Hopefully the codfish bite will step it up a notch when the black sea bass and scup seasons close at the end of the year.

For light-tackle action closer to home, Steve at Saltwater Edge said anglers are plucking out Atlantic herring, mackerel, and the occasional squid from Goat Island Causeway and the commercial pier in Newport.  All that is needed for this type of fishing is an ultra-light rod and reel combo and a Sabiki rig with a bell sinker attached on the end.  There are also a few holdover striped bass and, surprisingly, lots of pogies kicking around in upper Narragansett Bay.  OTW contributor Dave Pickering found his first 4 winter bass of the season, two of which were keepers, in the Providence River over the course of 8 trips so far using 4-inch Zoom Super Flukes on jig heads.  He had hoped the fishing would be better with all the big menhaden still hanging around, which are so thick at times they are getting snagged on his retrieves.

In freshwater, RI DEM’s Division of Fish & Wildlife will be stocking 100 Atlantic salmon and 500 rainbow trout in six ponds across the state over the next two weeks.  The salmon average between 2- and 4-pounds and will be released into ponds in Coventry and Lincoln.  The trout, weighing an average of 3- to 5-pounds, will be stocked into ponds in Coventry, Lincoln, North Kingstown, South Kingstown, and Tiverton.  If there isn’t skim ice covering the ponds, a good presentation for these fish fresh out of the hatchery would be meal worms, Power Bait, or live shiners under a float.  You can also try casting and retrieving lures like small spoons, Rooster Tails or Rapalas.  RI DEM also noted that, under a new state regulation, anglers may not wear felt-soled footgear in any state waters

Connecticut

Holdover striped bass or Atlantic herring are the only saltwater species worth targeting in Connecticut waters at the moment.  Joe at The Fish Connection said shore and boat anglers are getting a few, not many, winter bass in Norwich Harbor on a mix of chunked baits and soft-plastics on a 1/2 or 3/8-ounce jig heads.  The Housatonic River is fishing better for holdovers, especially upriver near the Sunnyside boat launch.  Captain Ian Devlin and a client braved the cold on Sunday morning to catch and release about 40 bass on a variety of offerings.  The soft-plastics baits that worked included 4 to 6-inch Hogys, Albie Snax and Al Gag’s Whip-It Eels.  On the fly rod, sinking lines with weighted Clousers in white over olive patterns also put fish on the boat.  The retrieve for either method was crucial, with low, slow and random pauses being the ticket.  The stripers mostly ranged 18 to 23-inches, with a handful between 25 to 28-inches.  The surface water temperature was about 39-degrees.  Ian also mentioned that a number of western Sound harbors are experiencing decent Atlantic herring action on Sabiki rigs.

In freshwater, the Shetucket and Naugatuck Rivers have come back down to decent flows and are providing anglers with more chances at broodstock Atlantic salmon.  Andrew at Fishin’ Factory III has customers making the trek to the Shetucket, swinging flashy, single-hook lures or flies for the salmon.  For trout fishermen, Cappy at Captain Morgan Bait & Tackle spoke highly of the Hammonasset Trout Management Area (TMA).  He said fly anglers are dredging the bottom with nymphs or stripping classic Woolly Bugger patterns.  The bait crowd is holding their own drifting live shiners or garden worms.  Also giving up some nice trout is Lake Quonnipaug in Guilford.  Cappy suggested running live shiners under a float, like a slip bobber so you can adjust depth, or try casting and retrieving a Rapala Countdown.

The Connecticut River coves remain one of the better spots for panfish and pike.  Last Sunday, Blaine of Connecticut Outfitters had the pleasure of taking out Brian “Bro” Brosdahl, a renowned panfish guru, who gave a great ice fishing seminar at the shop the day before.  The water had a surface temperature of 37 degrees and they found fish suspended 2 feet off the bottom in about 12-feet of water.  They used small Northland tungsten jigs and tipped them with tiny plastic Impulse Mayflies.   The bite was slow and steady, but they eventually pieced together a nice batch of crappie and yellow perch, with a big 36-inch surprise pike on ultra-light tackle.

Best Bets for the Holidays

Many of us will have a little time off over the next week or two, so hopefully we can sneak some fishing in between the Holidays.  Get while the getting is good in Rhode Island Ponds and target the freshly stocked Atlantic salmon and big rainbow trout.  For a saltier option, try hopping on a headboat in Rhode Island and taking advantage of the last days of the black sea bass and porgy seasons, all the while having a chance at codfish.   Holdover striped bass fishing is another fine choice, especially since our rivers and harbors remain relatively ice free.  The best bet by a landslide is the lower Housatonic River in Connecticut.  Try slowly bouncing soft-plastic baits in the 4 to 6-inch range on jig heads between the Derby Dam and the Sikorsky Bridge.