Connecticut and Rhode Island Fishing Report 12-13-12

Salmon, Panfish, Smallmouth and Cod

Fishing reports can start sounding like a broken record this time of year during the transition from late fall to early winter. Freshwater opportunities – like trout, salmon, bass, and crappie – shouldn’t change all that much until there is fishable ice covering our lakes, ponds and coves. In tidal waters, codfish are the main draw with holdover striped bass around too if that itch needs scratching. So if you’re looking for a tight line in between Holiday shopping and office parties, there’s still plenty of life out there.

Rhode Island 

Tautog fishing closes this Saturday in case you have a hankering to find one last deep-water keeper before the season opens again on April 15. A better bet is fishing for cod, which are gradually moving shallower in pursuit of herring and mackerel. Captain Matt of the Frances Fleet took his own boat out last Thursday and found a mess of cod into the low-teen-size on the same rocky bottom close to home that they usually fish for fluke and sea bass during the warmer months.

Captain Chris of the Island Current said their cod outings seem to be improving by the day. Last Friday’s trip featured a full-boat limit and a pool-winning fish that went 16-pounds. While not everyone limited out, Saturday was another productive day on the cod grounds with another upper-teen pool fish. On Sunday’s trip, a smaller group had an excellent morning bite and a steady rest of the day with several limits and others going home with five to eight cod apiece.

A few surfcasters are still picking away at straggler migratory stripers along the Newport shoreline according to Steve at Saltwater Edge. He said the shop’s own “DZ” scored a 14-pounder on Sunday night. Steve suggested using a loaded bone-colored Red Fin fished behind a teaser fly. Ron at Breachway Bait and Tackle witnessed gannets diving and stripers knocking herring clear out of the water on Monday morning off Charlestown, but he hasn’t seen or heard anyone fishing very hard out front. No Providence holdover reports this week.

In freshwater, anglers are targeting the 6,000 rainbow trout that were stocked in Rhode Island waterways this fall, including Meadowbrook Pond, Carbuncle Pond, Spring Grove Pond, Onley Pond, Silver Spring Pond, Beaver River, Wyoming Pond, Wood River, Upper Pawtuxet River, Blackstone River, Round Top Ponds, and Stafford Pond. Dave at River and Riptide said the Wood River is a solid choice right now with a weighted Woolly Bugger. He also wanted to remind anglers to wear some orange in the woods because of hunting season.

Connecticut

Long-term weather forecasts are starting to look a little better for ice fishermen hoping to walk on water this winter. Until then, there are some decent open-water opportunities to keep us busy. CT DEEP completed its fall salmon stockings last week by releasing over 200 fish into Beach Pond and Mount Tom. These stockings brought the total number of salmon stocked this fall to over 2,000 fishwith Beach Pond (106 salmon), Crystal Lake (200 salmon), Mount Tom Pond (200 salmon), the upper Naugatuck River (403 salmon), lower Naugatuck River (403 salmon), and Shetucket River (713 salmon) all stocked. The fish stocked this fall ranged in size from 2 to 21 pounds each!

Cheyenne at The Fish Connection shared with me one of his tactics when these salmon start getting more acclimated to the natural food sources in the rivers. Instead of swinging brightly colored lures or flies, he suggested drifting huge black stoneflies in front of them. If you find fussy salmon in the tail-out of a pool, this method certainly couldn’t hurt to try. For more on salmon regulations, click here: http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?A=4173&Q=511870.

The panfish bite in the Connecticut River coves remains red hot. Blaine from Connecticut Outfitters went out on Monday and found dozens of crappie set up in their winter patterns, holding on the same brush piles that he finds them during ice season. It was one after another for about 45 minutes using small Lindy ice jigs tipped with pinhead shiners. Find the structure in the coves and you shouldn’t have a hard time finding crappies suspended over it. Blaine also noted that professional guide, TV host and outdoor writer Brian “Bro” Brosdahl will be returning to Connecticut Outfitters next Tuesday from 4 to 8 PM, with a seminar starting at 6 PM. This free event should serve as a good pep rally for the hardwater season – give Connecticut Outfitters a call to reserve your seat.

Smallmouth bass action on Candlewood Lake is still going strong as well. Mary at Candlewood Bait and Tackle said the winning bag limit during a tournament held there last weekend was over 26-pounds for eight smallies. She noted that several 3 and 4-pound bass have been found suspended 18 feet down in 35 feet of water. Rapala Jigging Raps, Keitech swim baits, blade baits, and hair jigs all seem to be working.

In tidal waters, Nick at Fisherman’s World said sea herring are finally in thick at the docks at the Maritime Aquarium in the Norwalk River. All you need is a Sabiki rig on a light-tackle outfit to catch these silvery foot-long morsels. Jason at Bobby J’s told me that the lower Housatonic River has a solid amount of holdover striped bass in it right now, most of them small and hungry. He caught a bunch from the Stratford shoreline on Tuesday night, without the need for waders, using everything in his bag from Bombers to Slug-Gos.

Fishing Forecast for the Weekend

Cod action is picking up in the waters off Block Island and there are a number of head boat options to choose from. Round up a couple friends, make sure to dress properly and enjoy a full day of bottom fishing for tasty cod. Your family will thank you for going when they’re eating fresh fillets this winter.