After an extensive wait, ice-fishing season is slowly getting underway in Connecticut’s northwest hills. There are a small number of shallow lakes and ponds in higher elevations and protected areas that have an ice cover ranging from a few inches to over six-inches thick. Several anxious anglers braved frigid conditions over the weekend to walk on water for the first time since last winter. Photos of northern pike, chain pickerel, largemouth bass and yellow perch are popping up on online forums, whetting the appetite of many skeptics who were beginning to think there would be no local ice at all this year.
After the extreme cold temperatures on Wednesday night, there should be a couple more hardwater options this weekend, but safety needs to be the utmost priority early on and throughout the season. Snow is in the forecast, so checking ice conditions can get a little trickier than usual. Be sure to touch base with local tackle shops that should have a good bead on where anglers are currently ice fishing. Regardless of any report, you still need to test ice yourself before blindly walking on a frozen body of water, so don’t leave home without a spud bar and ice picks.
For those that just cringed at the thought of fishing atop a block of ice, a shrinking list of open-water options remain viable. Cod fishing reports dropped off in quantity and quality from last week, but the bite could bounce back any day and headboat trips will continue all winter long. Sea herring and mackerel continue to fall for Sabiki rigs on light-tackle combos. Open-water trout fishing is still worth going, although icing along river banks and rod guides could become more of an issue as winter presses on. Holdover striped bass fishing in the Housatonic and Thames Rivers is another possibility, but even those reports have been few and far between.
Rhode Island
Headboat trips for codfish are the only steady type of saltwater angling throughout the winter, but recent outings have been tough locally. Capt. Mike of the Frances Fleet reported that Monday and Sunday’s trips to the cod grounds off Block Island were a bit slower than last week, but could have been worse with the roaring southwesterly winds for two days prior. There were a few nice cod around with the biggest over the weekend just under 20-pounds and Monday’s high-hook around the 10-pound mark. Mike noted that there were a lot of undersized throwbacks in the mix as well. Jean of Seven B’s reported similar results from their weekend trips – slower than last week with lots of dogfish and throwbacks getting in the way of the keeper cod. Both outfits should be sailing this weekend unless high winds get in the way. Be sure to call their offices the night before to double check.
Peter at Saltwater Edge told me that anglers are still pulling out sea herring and mackerel from the Newport area. He said to cast and retrieve Sabiki rigs during an outgoing tide along Fort Adams and Castle Hill area for your best chance.
Unfortunately, ice fishing is not really an option in Rhode Island at the moment. There may be a couple of shallow ponds in the northern reaches of the state that are close to being ready, but none of the shops I spoke with recommended trying. That being said, fishing for trout and salmon in open water can be productive. Beverly from Big Bear Hunting & Fishing Supply reported that customer Fred Soulliere landed a 24-inch, 6.5-pound brown trout from Carbuncle Pond last week on a Kastmaster. In addition, RI DEM recently stocked 100 Atlantic salmon and 500 rainbow trout in six ponds across the state too. The salmon average between 2 and 4 pounds and were stocked into ponds in Coventry and Lincoln. The trout, weighing an average of 3 to 5 pounds, were released into ponds in Coventry, Lincoln, North Kingstown, South Kingstown, and Tiverton.
Connecticut
The main fishing chatter this week was about the first Connecticut ice fishing trips of 2012. Blaine Anderson at Connecticut Outfitters has been receiving reports all week from customers stocking up on bait. There are likely a few more fishable spots you can add to this list, but places that Blaine felt confident sending ice anglers included Wood Creek, Dog Pond, Tyler Lake, Park Pond, Bigelow Hollow, and Burr Pond. Fishing live shiners under tip-ups is an easy and fun way to connect with some fish through the ice. Jigging with small lures tipped with live grubs like spikes or wax worms is another great tactic at icing a wide array of species. Give Blaine or Gary a call at their shop to get the latest ice-fishing reports before your trips this weekend. Even though the places above have supported numerous anglers since last weekend, be sure to take safety precautions, like spudding your way onto the lake and drilling some test holes. Also, regardless of the ice thickness, always wear your ice picks over your outer layer. If you aren’t familiar with what a spud bar or ice picks are, you may want to read up more on ice safety before venturing out.
There are some open-water options to think about too. Chris at Stratford Bait and Tackle said that everyday customers are coming in for more Sabiki rigs for the sea herring stacked near the mouth of the Housatonic River. Chris noted that an outgoing tide from Bond’s Dock is a good combination. Nick from Fisherman’s World echoed the sea herring action and said the dock in front of the Maritime Center along the Norwalk River is up there with any of the good spots. He agreed with outgoing tide and said when it aligns with dusk or dark, even better.
Holdover striped bass reports were few and far between this week, which may have been a result from lack of effort due to the cold. Joe at The Fish Connection said the Norwich Harbor has stripers, but no one is really knocking them dead at the moment. Your best shot for them there is on the western side of the harbor near where the Yantic River dumps in. There are a few seals in the area so fish are around. It’s a slow pick with soft-plastic baits like shad bodies and Super Flukes on jigheads.
Best Bets for the Weekend
If you even remotely call yourself an ice fisherman, you know what the best bet is for this weekend. With the winter we are having, there is no guarantee what the next several weeks will hold so get out while you can. The list of options in Connecticut may be small right now, but at least we have options. Stop by your local tackle shop that sells ice gear and stock up on some live shiners. Set up some tip-ups and do some jigging while you wait for flags to pop. Yellow perch fillets never tasted so good than fresh through the ice. Be safe and have fun out there.
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