Connecticut and Rhode Island Fishing Report 4-12-2012

A couple weeks ago there was a scant trickle of striped bass returning to Rhode Island waters.  Last week it developed into a steady stream of arriving fish.  This week it blew wide open with small stripers invading all corners of the Ocean State and occasional keeper bass sprinkled in.  Long Island Sound and her tributaries are also beginning to see stripers showing up at a better clip, mixing in with holdovers.  Also in Connecticut waters, the first bluefish of the season are here, American shad are running, the shallow-water blackfish bite is improving, and winter flounder limits are being met.

The freshwater outlook across Rhode Island and Connecticut is positive except for one thing: a desperate need for soaking rains.  Water levels in many rivers, streams and reservoirs look more like August than April.  Rain or no rain, the show must go on – after more than a six-week layoff, designated trout waters across Rhode Island will be open for business starting 6 AM Saturday morning.  In Connecticut, trout fishing doesn’t officially open until next Saturday, but the catch-and-release areas continue to offer stellar angling opportunities with the help of some good insect hatches.  There are other good options too in the form of bass, perch and pickerel.

Rhode Island Fishing Report
It’s “game on” for striped bass fishing across Rhode Island, at least in terms of high catch rates.  Steve McKenna of Quaker Lane Outfitters landed 41 bright, sea lice-covered stripers on Tuesday afternoon along the Matunuck shoreline.  They were micro-sized, but small fish typically precede larger ones and we have to start somewhere.  Steve said tide hasn’t mattered much and afternoons have been most productive with the bite pretty much shutting down at dark.  He’s been doing well with 3-inch Cocahoe Minnows on ½-ounce lead heads and hot colors have been pearl and glow.

Newport is also hosting fresh schoolies with some keeper-sized fish mixed in, according to Steve of Saltwater Edge. His top recommendations for early-season lures are small white bucktail jigs or Rebel Jumpin Minnows.  Howard of Galilee Bait and Tackle reported that holdover bass are dropping out of the Narrow River.  Shore-bound spin fishermen have been cashing in there using Fin-S Fish on lead heads and fly anglers are having luck stripping chartreuse Clousers.  The west side of South County is also starting to hold decent numbers of bass.  Captain Ron at Breachway Bait and Tackle said one of his customers had a fish on almost every cast on Tuesday during an outgoing tide at a local breachway.  Ron also noted big schools of sandeels have been seen moving into salt ponds.

The oceanfront isn’t the only hotbed for striper action right now.  OTW contributor Dave Pickering landed 22 schoolie bass from shore in upper Narragansett Bay on Tuesday afternoon.  These fish, on average, were a little bigger than those he’s been finding “out front,” but they still topped out around 28 inches.  Dave’s go-to artificial lure has been an albino Zoom Fluke mounted on a light jighead.  He said the key to finding good numbers of fish has been moving around and making lots of casts.

I wish I could say there was better news from the cod fishing grounds off Block Island.  Reports were few and far between this past week and what came in wasn’t great.  Captain Rich from the Frances Fleet said they didn’t sail Monday due to high wind or Sunday because of Easter and Saturday was very slow with not much of a bite developing at any spots they tried.  Last Friday was a little better with some codfish up to 20-pounds coming over the rail, but not nearly enough fish to go around for the good turnout of anglers.  It should be noted that the Frances Fleet has a new schedule, sailing Monday, Wednesday, Friday and the weekends for cod from 6 AM to 3: 30 PM.

In freshwater news, after sitting out through some amazing weather, Rhode Island trout fishermen can finally target their favorite quarry again starting this Saturday at 6 AM. Designated trout lakes, ponds, rivers and streams have all been stocked and are ready to go for the starting bell this weekend.  Here is a list of all the public waterways in Rhode Island that are typically stocked with trout before Opening Day:   HYPERLINK “http://tinyurl.com/RI-troutwaters” http://tinyurl.com/RI-troutwaters.  Dave at River and Riptide Anglers told me that all the access points along the Wood River are loaded with freshly stocked trout and low flows are concentrating the fish even more.  Fly anglers will do well sticking with classic Woolly Buggers or nymph patterns like pheasant tails and hare’s ears.  A good bet for spin fishermen would be drifting worms or shiners, as well as casting spinners like Rooster Tails or spoons such as Phoebes.  Of course there are plenty of opportunities for hungry bass, perch, pike, and pickerel too.  A productive way to get any of them on the line is to fish live shiners under a float.

Connecticut Fishing Report
One of the cool things about Connecticut waters lately has been the increasing variety of species we have to choose from.  From freshly arriving striped bass, shad and bluefish to cooperating blackfish and winter flounder, things are definitely on the up and up.  In the eastern Sound, Jack at The Fish Connection gave me the first report of bluefish not hanging around a warm-water discharge.  These 4 to 5-pounders are being caught at the mouth of the Thames River on cut mackerel and bunker.  Jack said upstream the Thames, some keeper striped bass are being found in Paquatuck Cove using chunk bait, sandworms and soft-plastics.

More striped bass are showing at the mouth of the Connecticut River and Hamburg Cove, although Pat at River’s End said catching a legal-sized fish is still a rare exception.  Soft-plastic baits on lead heads have been the most productive offering, though Pat mentioned some boaters are scoring on tube n’ worms already.  He also reminded me about two free and informative seminars at River’s End this weekend.  Pat himself will be giving a “Surfcasting 101” on Saturday at 10 AM, which will serve as a great tell-all for beginners from one of the best in the game.  On Sunday at 9 AM, New Jersey charter boat captain Tony Maja will spill his secrets about the effective method of trolling bunker spoons.
Also occurring in the Connecticut River is the start of an early run of American shad.  The CT DEEP reported that 68 American shad already passed through the Holyoke Fishlift; the most this early in a very long time.  Gary at Connecticut Outfitters informed me that anglers from shore and boats are casting willow leafs and shad darts in sizes 3/8-ounce to ½-ounce to catch these prolific fighters.  He said one of better areas to try is near the confluence with the Farmington River.

Other species of fish that recently became available again to Connecticut anglers are blackfish and winter flounder.  Cappy at Captain Morgan Bait and Tackle said the tautog bite is turning on and the breakwalls in Clinton and New Haven are producing numerous keepers up to 9-pounds.  He said not as many anglers target tog during spring compared to fall, so competition for favorite rock piles should be lighter right now.  Cappy added that both Asian and green crabs are working well for bait.  As for winter flounder, Jack of The Fish Connection said several limits have been taken by those dunking sandworms at Bluff Point.  Mark at Hillyers shared a very similar report from the Niantic River channel.  Farther west, Rich at The Fisherman’s World told me the Norwalk Harbor channel was producing nice winter flounder on sandworms too, including 2.75-pounder caught by Ted Zakhar on Monday.

Striped bass are also making their presence known in the western Sound.  Chris at Stratford Bait and Tackle reported that the Housatonic River continues to produce good action for pint-sized to small keeper-sized holdovers and early migratory stripers from the Derby Dam down to the river mouth.  Rich at The Fisherman’s World added that outflows in the Norwalk area are harboring smallish bass, as well as decent schools of spearing and small pods of herring.

In freshwater, the catch-and-release Trout Management Areas are still producing great catches.  Dry fly fanatics are having a ball thanks to strong insect hatches such as hendricksons, stone flies and caddis that are bringing trout to the surface.  The hendrickson hatch is winding down on the upper Housatonic River, but still going strong on the Farmington River and will keep progressing upstream over the next couple weeks.  Cappy at Captain Morgan Bait and Tackle tells me that largemouth bass fishing is on a cusp between pre-spawn and spawn, but big bass can still be had in non-trout-stocked waters using live shiners or spinnerbaits.

Fishing Forecast for the Weekend
The big thing happening this weekend is the season opener for trout fishing in Rhode Island.  All of your favorite trout haunts are loaded with fresh fish and are sporting unseen water levels for April.  Try those usually deep or very fast spots that you can’t normally get to this time of year!

If freshwater isn’t your thing, go earn your stripes.  Striped bass fishing is really heating up across the board in Rhode Island and Connecticut.  Yes, the majority of the fish are on the smaller side, but it’s only a matter of time before larger stripers start mingling in.  Dust off the lighter rods and early-season lures and go hook your first of bass of the season.  It will feel good regardless of size.