Connecticut and Rhode Island Fishing Report 11-21-12

Last Shot at Saltwater?

The proverbial fat lady seems to be warming up in saltwater, as small striped bass dominate the surf scene and picked-over blackfish are moving to deeper water. Isolated pockets of gannets are dive-bombing sea herring off the beach in Rhode Island, so hope is still alive for a late wave of fish like last year. Other anglers have switched gears to freshwater, especially in Connecticut where Atlantic salmon and northern pike are top dog right now. Before the turkey dinner or after the tryptophan wears off, there are still some worthy angling options to choose from.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

If you want to catch a Thanksgiving striped bass in Rhode Island, you can probably make that happen, but chances are it won’t be big enough to be part of your feast. School-sized stripers are running the show according to Steve McKenna of Quaker Lane Outfitters. He said friends of his found their share of schoolies in Charlestown on Monday afternoon using Cocahoe Minnows and bucktail jigs tipped with curly tails. Steve noted that there are some bluefish still hanging around too, as one was caught in Westerly on Sunday. He also said there have been small groups of gannets diving for baitfish, but mostly well off the beach.

Mike at Watch Hill Outfitters reported that Weekapaug Fire District is as good a spot as any right now to intercept these schoolies, many of which are up to 24-inches long and spitting up sea herring. With big bait in the wash, there’s always a chance for a larger straggler too. Matt at Snug Harbor Marina said a 37-pound striper was weighed at the shop early Saturday morning; it was caught using an eel along the Narragansett shoreline. He also wanted to remind surfcasters that this could be just the beginning of a solid herring run like last year that went late into December.

Every spring and fall, some anglers get wound up by others catching schoolie after schoolie, stating their worries about the little guys. If catching late-November striped bass in the surf is your thing, I see nothing wrong with that. However, there are a few precautions we can make to minimize any potential damage inflicted on our future cow bass, like using single hooks instead of trebles, crushing our barbs and keeping bass in the water while unhooking them.

On the tautog front, there are still quality fish to be had, but you must move around more now and work a little harder to find them. Mike at Watch Hill Outfitters told me Watch Hill Reef and the waters outside of Wicopesset Passage continue to hold decent blackfish in about 50 feet. Mike at Cardinal Bait and Tackle reported that rock piles in 35- to 40-feet are still giving up keeper blackfish, but there are a lot of shorts to cull through and the occasional bonus cod. Matt at Snug Harbor Marina said the bite in 50 feet of water off Newport has been either red hot or nonexistent and stressed to move around to different rock piles until you find them.

If you already winterized your boat, there are a few head boats making regular blackfish trips. Roger from the Frances Fleet reported that fishing was generally quite good during last Thursday and Sunday’s outings, with either full boat limits or close to a full boat limit. Plenty of shorts are biting to keep things rolling between keepers and a few cod mixed in, with the biggest cod of the reporting period in the mid-teens. Another solid option, Island Current, reported excellent blackfishing lately east of Snug Harbor, with nearly all anglers limiting on most trips and plenty of elbow room. Captain Chris said both green and Asian crabs are doing the trick.

Connecticut Fishing Report

We’re almost to the point (or past it depending who you ask) where freshwater reports will lead saltwater ones in the Connecticut section. Fishing news out of Long Island Sound was pretty scant this week, but keep in mind that angling effort has been slashed with colder weather finally taking hold. There are still some keeper blackfish to be had before the season ends on December 6, but you will need to pick through shorts and move around more for your limit.

With water temperatures now hovering around 52 degrees, the breakwalls on the Sound have been hit or miss for blackfish according to Cappy at Captain Morgan’s Bait and Tackle. He suggested moving to deeper water rock structure, like outer Southwest Reef for one. Nick at Fisherman’s World agreed that deeper water and bouncing from rock pile to rock pile are the key right now to finding larger tautog. A lot of the shallow, easier-to-reach rocky areas have been picked over pretty good by now and tog slowly push out to deeper water as water temperatures plummet.

There are some striped bass and even the occasional bluefish roaming the beaches as well, but the time spent between locating pods of fish is growing longer. Cappy at Captain Morgan’s told me the few customers of his that are still plugging away in the surf are finding mostly schoolie stripers near tidal rivers, using small bucktail jigs, soft-plastic baits and sometimes topwater lures on warmer afternoons.

Nick at Fisherman’s World said there’s been no word of sea herring in the Sound yet, but a few boaters are still finding decent striper opportunities. One of his customers, Bill Pavlick, found a pile of small bass with some keepers mixed in while jigging bucktails around 11B over the weekend. Another customer, Luke Tucciarone, had schoolies smacking plugs on the surface at Middle Ground.

If you’re looking for a fishing fix over Thanksgiving break, freshwater may be the way to go. Blaine of Anderson of Connecticut Outfitters spent his Monday on the Connecticut River with Mike Laptew. Pike was plan A and crappie was plan B, but they ended up with a little bit of everything. While casting and retrieving lures along the bank, they landed two pike and saw nine total, with more than a few follows. Next they moved to the coves and switched to small jigs tipped with pinhead shiners 12 to 16 feet under slip bobbers. They caught their share of crappie this way, as well as some largemouth bass, perch and even a bowfin! It was a nice smorgasbord of fish from the 44-degree water and Blaine said ice is coming sooner than later.

Broodstock Atlantic salmon in the Shetucket or Naugatuck River is another worthy freshwater option right now. CT DEEP has stocked over 1,000 of these big breeders since early October, some up to 15-pounds. OTW contributor Chris Elser and his buddy Jerry Gregory had a great day of salmon fishing Monday on the lower Naugatuck River. They were using 10-foot, 7-weight fly rods with floating lines and swinging traditional salmon patterns. Jerry had the hot hand using a classic fly called the ‘Black Bear, Green Butt’ (I had too Google that one). They landed four salmon overall ranging from five to 12-pounds – not a bad trip!

Cheyenne at The Fish Connection told me fly anglers have been connecting with some eight to 10-pounders in the Baltic stretch of the Shetucket River using brightly colored streamer patterns. With help from polarized glasses, you can sometimes spot these salmon in the popular pools that are usually well-marked by CT DEEP broodstock signs. For more details on salmon stocking and regulations, click here: http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?A=4173&Q=511870

Fishing Forecast for Connecticut and Rhode Island

If you want to catch that last striped bass of the year, the south shore of Rhode Island is not a bad place to look. Keep an eye out for diving gannets and be sure to have your herring imitations, as well as the schoolie favorites like small bucktails and Cocahoe Minnows. Think deep if you’re looking for keeper tautog this weekend. Try dropping down green or Asian crabs in rocky areas around 50 feet deep or more. It will pay to stay mobile and hit a bunch of different rock piles. In Connecticut, freshwater may be the better play over the break. You can work the Connecticut River shoreline in the Haddam area for northern pike or try the Shetucket or Naugatuck River for a big old salmon. Whatever you do, have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!