Connecticut and Rhode Island Fishing Report 2/23/2012

The mild weather we’ve been experiencing lately has been spreading cases of ‘spring fever’ to anglers across the region.  Ice-fishing equipment is getting packed away and swarms of anglers are uncovering boats and dusting off open-water gear.  From freshwater fishing for trout, crappie, perch, pike, and smallmouth bass to holdover stripers and codfish opportunities in the brackish and saltwater scene, there are a bounty of ways to achieve a tight line this weekend.

Rhode Island

This is the last weekend to take advantage of trout fishing in Rhode Island waters before a six-week closure leading up to Opening Day on the second Saturday of April.  With the spring-like weather as of late, several of anglers are hitting local ponds and streams for a quick dipstick.  Dave at River and Riptide reported that the Wood River continues to fish well for trout.  Fly fishermen drifting small weighted nymph patterns like pheasant tails and fuzzy hare’s ears are picking up a smattering of rainbows, browns and brookies.  Dave pointed out that the Wood River is running rather low and clear, so a stealthy approach and light tippets can help your cause.  Another freshwater option would be taking advantage of the hefty rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon stocked in a number of ponds last fall, including Barber, Carbuncle and Meadow Brook.  A productive method for this is suspending live shiners or garden worms under a float or fishing them on bottom with split shot.  A more active technique would be casting and retrieving artificial lures like Rooster Tails or Kastmasters.

In the salt, taken as a whole, this winter’s codfish season has been much slower than the last two, but Captain Chris of the Island Current said the last two winters were exceptional so it’s not a fair comparison.  The unusually mild winter this year has water temperatures a whole 8 degrees above normal, and that’s why Chris believes cod catches are down and dogfish and ling numbers are up.  That all being said, there are decent codfish opportunities to be had right now off Block Island and you never know, the next month or so could see an uptick in quantity and quality.  Last weekend and this week so far featured mixed results for those targeting cod on the East Grounds.  Saturday was a tough day and Sunday was too until the afternoon.  Monday saw better fishing with the high-hook reeling in 8 codfish, though most anglers took home 3 to 5 cod a piece averaging 8 to 10 pounds each.  Tuesday improved slightly with the high-hook landing 12 cod and the majority of anglers landing about 5 to 7 fish a piece.  Wednesday’s heavy southwest blow kept the boats at bay and the wind forecasted for the rest of the week looks questionable.  Whatever outfit you choose to sail with, whether it’s Island Current, Seven B’s, Frances Fleet, or Drifter Charters, give them a call the night before to make sure the trip in question is still on.

Surf fishermen in the Ocean State received some good news this week.  Steve Medieros from Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association reported that RI DEM has filed an official regulation change that will amend the ban on felt-soled wading boots, removing the reference to “marine waters.”  Felt-soles will remain prohibited in all of Rhode Island’s freshwater waterways.  It goes to show that letters, emails and phone calls to the right people can go a long way.

Connecticut

Freshwater reports rule this time of year in Connecticut waters, although they usual involve ice fishing.  There is very little if any fishable ice left in the state, but open-water options are plentiful.  The calico bite has been hot all week long in Connecticut River coves such as White Oaks and Chapman’s Pond.  Andrew at Fishin’ Factory III said that small jigs tipped with pinhead shiners are the way to go.  He also mentioned that the pike bite has been hit or miss for shore anglers in the Haddam area, but boat fishermen are faring better in the coves mentioned above by floating big baits or casting large in-line spinners.  Further south on the Connecticut River, a pile of white perch are setting up in Hamburg Cove according to Mark at River’s End.

Many rivers and streams across Connecticut are running at very manageable levels and fishing well for trout.  I spent President’s Day fly fishing the upper Trout Management Area (TMA) of the Farmington River and caught and released three nice holdover trout while nymphing and one more on the surface.  During the morning hours right now, look for trout feeding on top on winter caddis flies and be prepared to scale down to light tippet sizes.  Subsurface offerings that produced for me included tungsten-bead black stone flies in size #14 and green caddis larvae in size #16.  Joe at The Fish Connection said the Salmon River TMA recently received a fresh batch of stocked trout, which are responding well to anglers swinging Woolly Buggers and other streamer patterns.

Update From the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP):

SPRING TROUT STOCKING BEGINS EARLY – To take advantage of the mild winter conditions, DEEP began the 2012 spring stocking season early this year, releasing more than 12,300 brook, brown and rainbow trout into a number of designated Trout Management Areas (TMA). Among the fish stocked this February are over 1,500 trophy-size trout (12 inch and larger fish) including 125 broodstock. (all these areas are open for catch-and-release fishing during the winter and early spring). Last week (2/17) the Salmon River TMA (2,170 fish) and the Yantic River TMA (1,500 fish) in eastern CT were stocked. This week, the Moosup River TMA (800 fish), Hockanum river TMA (1,200 fish), Willimantic River TMA (815 fish) and the Hammonasset river TMA (1,410 fish) in eastern CT and the Naugatuck River TMA (1,450 fish), Sleeping Giant TMA (Mill River-Hamden, 1,050 fish) and the Mianus River TMA (1,160 fish) in western CT were stocked.