Connecticut and Rhode Island Fishing Report 12-8-2011

After a memorable late-season burst of activity, things have quieted down along South County beaches.  Even still, there are a couple straggler bluefish and striped bass around for those not willing to hang up their gear yet.  However, the main focus in the Rhode Island saltwater scene is codfish, black sea bass, and blackfish.

Blackfish season has ended in Long Island Sound, but schoolie stripers and sea herring are beginning to show in better numbers in rivers and harbors along the coast.  For freshwater anglers, pike and crappie fishing remains strong in Connecticut River coves.  And freshly stocked salmon and trout were cooperating in rivers and streams before the latest deluge brought flows back up.

Rhode Island

After an excellent November and a better-than-average start to December, the fat lady appears to be singing in the South County surf.  Peter of Saltwater Edge informed me that the number of birds, baitfish, stripers, and bluefish are all dwindling.  A few holdouts are still plugging away in the Charlestown area for a small fish here and there, but he said the amount of anglers has dropped drastically from just a week ago too.  Who can really complain though?  Several veteran surfcasters claimed it was the best November they can remember, and it even spilled over a few days into the last month of the year.  OTW contributor Steve McKenna admitted that it’s probably over for him until spring, but he phoned a few friends that went out Sunday and Monday for minimal results.  If you want one last bluefish or bass to round out your season, pack some topwater poppers, metal-lip swimmers, white bucktail jigs, or Cocahoe minnows on small jig heads.

The groundfishing, on the other hand, seems to be picking up steam.  Captain Mike of the Frances Fleet reported some fine action around the East Grounds off Block Island earlier in the week.  On Monday and Tuesday trips, plenty of keeper cod up to 15 pounds kept everyone onboard busy.  Almost all codfish action came on clams, with a few falling to jigs.  They reported a staggering amount of short cod too, which is encouraging to hear.  There is an impressive number of black sea bass in the mix as well, with most anglers going home with their limits.  Captain Mike also noted that Monday’s blackfish trip went very well with tog up to 10 pounds, but the show stealing cod around 15 pounds were a welcomed surprise on a mix of clam and crab baits.

Wednesday’s rain brought up the levels of local trout streams, but as they recede over the weekend there should be some willing trout to play around with.  Dave at River and Riptide told me that Wood River proper and its tributaries, the Flat and Falls rivers, were all fishing well before the rain, with a mix of native brookies and stocked rainbow and brown trout.  He recommended dredging the bottom with nymph patterns like tungsten-bead Hare’s Ears.  Dave also pointed out that it’s still hunting season, so don’t forget to wear plenty of blaze orange when hitting the woods. 

Connecticut

Except for a report of a few schoolies hitting soft-plastics along Waterford beaches, most of what little striped bass action going on has been in rivers.  Mark at River’s End said some fly anglers are hitting schoolie bass at the mouth of the Connecticut River on white bunny flies.  Jack at The Fish Connection reported that the Thames River has stripers, yet it seems slower than normal so far.  He mentioned that shore anglers are catching in Norwich Harbor using 7-inch Super Flukes in white or Arkansas shiner patterns on ½-ounce jig heads.  In the western Sound, Nick said there are bass feeding on herring in both the Housatonic and Norwalk rivers.  Some anglers are catching herring (sea herring, not river herring) on Sabiki rigs and live-lining them for the occasional striper.

In freshwater, the recently stocked broodstock Atlantic salmon were hitting epoxy flies in the Shetucket River according to Jack at The Fish Connection, but it may be a day or two before flows come back down to reasonable levels after the rain we received this week.  The same goes for the Hammonasset River TMA, which Cappy of Captain Morgan Bait and Tackle said was producing some nice stocked trout lately and there’s always the chance of a sea-run brown there this time of year too.

Blaine at Connecticut Outfitters has been focusing on the pike and crappie bite in the Connecticut River coves.  This past Monday he caught quite a few slab crappie in depths ranging from 14 to 20 feet.  Blaine was using a slip bobber set about 8 feet down on average and a 1/64-ounce Lindy Little Nipper tipped with a pinhead shiner. A small split shot was added above the jig to help it get down quicker.  The biggest crappie went about 16 inches, and he kept a few smaller ones for a tasty dinner.  In between, Blaine kept busy by tossing large swim baits for northern pike with a few takers. 

Blaine and company at Connecticut Outfitters are also keeping a watchful eye on the long-range forecasts in hopes of ice making temperatures.  Unfortunately for those chomping at the bit, it looks like were still a couple weeks out for safe ice on shallow-water ponds in the northwest corner and longer for the deeper lakes.  In the meantime, mark your calendars for an informative seminar at their shop on December 17th.  One of the biggest names in ice fishing, Brian “Bro” Brosdahl, will be on hand for a presentation you won’t want to miss.  It’s a good way to get back in the ice fishing groove after a long layoff, so call the shop to reserve your seat.

Best Bets for the Weekend

Take a break from Holiday shopping this weekend and treat yourself to a codfish and black sea bass or blackfish trip aboard a headboat.  The East Grounds off Block Island are loaded and all those mouth-watering fillets will come in handy this winter.  If you’re looking for a Connecticut option, try the schoolie bass and sea herring bite in the Housatonic or Norwalk Rivers.  Bring a light-tackle rod with a Sabiki rig for the herring and a bigger rod for live-lining them or to throw soft-plastic baits as a backup.