We got pretty spoiled last week from insanely warm weather, but it was a nice taste of what’s to come. Temperatures dropped to more seasonable levels after last weekend and angling effort seemed to mirror the cold snap. Better fishing days are around the corner, though that shouldn’t deter you from opportunities worth trying now. For stripers, holdovers are growing increasingly aggressive and small fresh fish are slowly moving in. Spring cod fishing remains hit or miss, but keepers up to 20 pounds are still hitting the deck. In addition, winter flounder and blackfish seasons kick off in Connecticut waters this Sunday. Freshwater reports have been good across board, including bass, pike, crappie, white perch, and even bowfin.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
The cool down following last week’s unseasonable warm spell seemed to slow progress in the inshore saltwater scene. Peter of Saltwater Edge said local water temperatures actually dropped a few degrees this week, yet fresh stripers are slowly returning and holdovers that have been here all along are acting up. Some more sea-lice-laden bass were reported along the walls out front of Point Judith and from south-facing beaches in Newport, but nothing en masse. The most encouraging news he shared was the impressive amount of river herring in local runs.
In Narragansett Bay, the Narrow River, and to an extent “out front,” Captain Thom of Quaker Lane Outfitters said anglers are catching schoolies on early-season favorites like Cocahoe Minnows, white bucktails, and rubber swim shads. Thom noted that it’s mostly a daytime bite, tide doesn’t matter all that much, and a southwest wind is ideal. As a friendly reminder, when targeting small bass, try using single hooks instead of trebles and pinch down barbs to minimize the impact on our future “cow” hopefuls.
Cod reports off Block Island were rather inconsistent again this past week. Capt. Frank of the Frances Fleet said their boats did a “cross country” tour of the local cod grounds, testing virtually all of the regular zones. He said there seems to be a scattering of cod in many areas, yet none are really bunched up. Perfect examples of the up and down fishing trend would be last Thursday and Friday’s outings. While Thursday’s trip was reportedly as quiet as things get on the local cod scene, the very next day was outstanding with most anglers taking home 4 to 7 market-sized cod each and 2 anglers easily attaining their limit. Friday’s pool-winning fish was around 20 pounds with some others in the teens sprinkled in. A couple codfish fell to jigs this week, but once again skimmer clams were the ticket to the best numbers and sizes. Using a pink teaser above the main offering helped on some outings. Capt. Frank reported more and more bait in the form of herring and mackerel are in the area and that water temperatures are on the rise. He believes there is quite a body of codfish to the south and east and is optimistic for great fishing in the upcoming weeks.
In case you missed it, some saltwater regulations have changed for recreational anglers. Fluke’s (summer flounder) bag limit will increase by one fish to eight per day with a minimum size of 18.5 inches and an open season of May 1 to December 31. Scup’s bag limit for individual anglers will double to 20 fish per day at a minimum of 10.5 inches. Twenty-three days have been added to that season, which now runs from May 1 to December 31. Scup regulations for party boats require an 11-inch minimum with a 20-fish limit from May1 to August 31, a 40-fish limit from September 1 to October 31, and a 20-fish limit from November 1 to December 31. For black sea bass, the bag limit has been increased to 15 fish per day with a minimum length of 13 inches. Three weeks also have been added to that season, which runs from June 15 to December 31. For a full rundown of saltwater regulations, visit RISAA’s website: http://www.risaa.org/regs.html.
In freshwater, trout fishing is on hold for another three weeks until Opening Day on April 14th. Thankfully there are lakes and ponds that are trout-free and totally fishable right now. Dave at River & Riptide has customers experiencing success wading places like Worden and Johnsons ponds to fly fish with small, brightly-colored saltwater patterns for aggressive pike and bass. An assortment of slowly retrieved lures will also do the trick, as will live baitfish under a bobber or sitting on bottom.
Connecticut Fishing Report
Fishing for striped bass seems to be on the minds of many anglers at the moment, judging by the amount of people I saw on the Housatonic River over the weekend. Whether they are holdover bass or a mix of new and old, fish are spread pretty well from the Derby Dam to the mouth, and even outside of the river. Chris at Harbor View Bait & Tackle told me black Keitech swim baits and Diawa SP Minnows remain effective after dark and white Slug-Gos or Zoom Flukes are killer during daylight. He said the average fish lately has been about 26 inches with some going well over the 30-inch range. The whole Thames River system has bass throughout it as well. Joe at The Fish Connection said his grandson has been doing well in shallow water coves where bass are following after herring. He has been casting unweighted soft-plastic baits from his kayak with good results. Joe also noted that below the Greenville Dam in the Shetucket River is worth checking for bass too.
The Connecticut River is offering striped bass options as well and much more. Andrew of Fishin’ Factory III said a lot of his pike and white perch customers switched over to targeting schoolies this week and are catching their share on sandworms in the Cromwell to Haddam stretch. Pat Abate of River’s End echoed the sandworm’s effectiveness for striped bass in the Connecticut right now, particularly for shore-bound anglers near the mouth of the river.
Blaine at Connecticut Outfitters fished a few Connecticut River coves on Monday and pounded crappie with some white perch, largemouth and pike sprinkled in. He was focusing in 3 to 6 feet of 54-degree water, using small jigs tipped with pinhead shiners with and without a float. Blaine also informed me that there have been lots of bowfin reports from the coves, which are a pretty interesting looking fish. They have been taking bait off bottom and even spinnerbaits.
Winter flounder and blackfish seasons open this Sunday and Mark at Hillyers gave me a few suggestions on where and how to find them in eastern Connecticut. For winter flounder, he said clammers have been seeing them in the inner bay of the Niantic River, so that could be a good place to start. For bait, try using whole clams or sandworms on bottom. With early-season blackfish, focus in the rocky shallows at places like Black Point, Harkness and Rocky Neck. Mark also pointed out that sandworms can outshine crabs for bait this time of year. Another salty fish that is showing up is the hickory shad. Cappy at Captain Morgan’s Bait & Tackle said to try inside harbors and tidal rivers for these feisty fish. Light-tackle is the name of the game and 1/8-ounce shad darts in bright colors are great lures for them.
In freshwater, bass fishermen have been finding more of their pre-spawn quarry in the shallows of ponds and lakes lately. At Crystal Lake in Ellington last Saturday, Steven Smith pitched a jig behind a laydown in only 2 feet of water and a 7-pound, 4-ounce lunker smashed it, setting his new personal best largemouth bass. Due to continued stocking, trout fishing remains solid in catch and release Trout Management Areas. The upper Farmington River was one of the stocked locales and has been fishing very well for those drifting live shiners.
At River’s End this Saturday at 10 AM, there will be a free and informative seminar on carp fishing. Pat said this presentation will be for you if want to target a fish that will weigh and run like a striper and can challenge you like a bonefish. Carp expert Ian Sorrell will discuss how these big and abundant fish can open up a new world to you right in your backyard.
Best Bets for the Weekend
In saltwater, striper fishing is still a ways away from blowing wide open, but there are plenty of them already here in our tidal rivers and along our beaches. Think early-season spots with early-season tactics, like Point Judith breakwalls with Cocahoe Minnows or below Greenville and Derby dams in Connecticut with bucktails, Slug-Gos and plastic swimmers. For something different, give winter flounder in Niantic River a shot on the season-opener on Sunday with whole clams or sandworms.
In freshwater, big bass are heading to the shallower, warmer areas of lakes and ponds for pre-spawn activities. Two hog largemouth over 7 pounds have been caught in Connecticut waters in the last two weeks. Try plying your favorite shorelines and laydowns with jigs or rubber worms on drop-shot rigs.