Warm Weather Bad for Ice, but Good for Stripers and Trout
Ice fishermen around here are beginning to know what Phil Connors must have felt like in the movie “Groundhog Day.” This winter is becoming eerily familiar to last winter with warm and cold blasts taking turns. Just a few days ago, things were off to a good start for ice anglers in Connecticut and Rhode Island with numerous frozen lakes and ponds to choose from. Now we’re due to have temperatures this weekend flirting with 50 degrees, which could wreak havoc on the ice, especially its edges. But after that weather forecasters are calling for the coldest temps of winter so far. At least there’s more than ice fishing to take advantage of in the pending spring-like weather. From codfish and holdover stripers in tidal waters to trout and salmon in rivers, there’s plenty of open-water fishing to do this weekend if you can’t find safe ice.
Rhode Island
Several ice anglers have been venturing on frozen lakes and ponds in the northern parts of Rhode Island, but this latest warm-up is certainly not helping their cause. Captain Thom at Quaker Lane Outfitters has sold quite a few shiners to ice fishermen this week who have been capitalizing on trout stocked in ponds this past fall. He’s not sure what areas will hold up over the next few days, but Thom’s still optimistic about the frigid weather riding on its coattails. Hopefully this January thaw is just a minor speed bump and we’re back to making ice next week. In the meantime, use extreme caution if you do plan on hitting the ice this weekend. For some great information about ice fishing safety, visit the website of Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/ice/index.html.
The weather has been slightly kinder to cod fishermen since last week’s report, allowing for more trips to the grounds. Captain Mike of the Frances Fleet said the local cod bite seems to be picking up with every outing. Sunday’s trip started slow, but a long move paid off and anglers were treated to a nice jig bite. High-hook honors went to Kevin Sellers with 11 keepers and the biggest fish going about 10-pounds. Captain Mike said Monday featured warm temperatures and a hot bite as there was a five-way tie for high-hook of 10 keeper cod apiece. The largest fish Monday was about 10 pounds and jigging was again out-producing clams. Tuesday’s trip was windier, but the jig bite continued. Three anglers went home with their 10-fish limit and most others had a four-fish average. This weekend’s weather forecast is making a cod fishing trip sound better and better.
There was a report of small holdover striped bass cooperating in Providence this week. Daphne at Saltwater Edge suggested trying the area from Hemingway’s to the Hurricane Barrier with Daiwa SP Minnows or Zoom Super Flukes on jig heads.
Another option for the pleasant conditions on tap this weekend is stream fishing for trout. Dave at River and Riptide said the Wood River continues to fish well for fly anglers drifting beaded prince nymphs with hot spots or orange egg patterns. He noted that water temperatures are cold at 38 degrees, so focus in the slow pools and undercut banks. Try approaching trout or a fishy-looking spot from downstream and wade slowly because the fish are extremely spooky right now.
Connecticut
The present January thaw came at a time when many hardwater anglers in Connecticut were just settling into a groove. This week Gary at Connecticut Outfitters caught four pike up to 34 inches on big baits under tip-ups on Bantam Lake. Jack at The Fish Connection said anglers were catching broodstock salmon up to eight-pounds under the ice at Beach Pond and Dave at the Valley Angler reported customers doing the same in the shallows of Mount Tom Pond. Some frozen lakes and ponds in the northwest corner of Connecticut might survive the next several days, but it looks like places just about everywhere else in the state will have problems. Not only is it going to be unseasonably warm during the day and above freezing at night, any rain that comes won’t help either.
Hardwater fanatics trying to fish this weekend should take the utmost precautions, which means checking the ice as you go with a spud bar, wearing ice picks, and bringing rope and a floatation device. No fish is worth going in for! On the bright side, most meteorologists agree that serious cold is ushering into the region starting Wednesday and water temperatures are where they need to be, so there is still hope for salvaging a good ice season.
In open water, the consistent winter striped bass bite in the Housatonic River keeps rolling along. Jason of Bobby J’s Bait and Tackle and some of his buddies have been catching good numbers of schoolies with keepers mixed in at night upstream using either white 8-inch curly tail grubs or 5-inch swim shads, both mounted on a 3/8-ounce jigheads. Rich at Fisherman’s World said Atlantic herring reports have slowed down a bit, but some anglers are still picking them off in western Sound harbors using Sabiki rigs.
Fishing for trout in rivers and streams should be a solid bet in the warm weather this weekend as well. A friend of mine landed nine trout up to 15-inches on his lunch break on the upper Farmington River on Wednesday. He was drifting small midge larvae patterns under a strike indicator along a seam where slow current met faster current.
Another angling opportunity is shore fishing for northern pike along the Connecticut River. Andrew at Fishin’ Factory III said the banks should be ice-free this weekend in the Haddam area. For a shot a large toothy critter, he suggested soaking big baits, live or dead, on bottom with a heavy sliding sinker.
Fishing for broodstock Atlantic salmon in the Shetucket and Naugatuck is another option. Jack at The Fish Connection said fly anglers are experiencing most of the luck by swinging streamers on the Shetucket in downtown Baltic and at the Salt Rock Campground. To read up on the salmon regulations, click here: http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?A=4173&Q=511870.
Fishing Forecast for the Weekend
There are just too many questions about the integrity of the ice to suggest hitting the hardwater this weekend. Instead, why not focus on surer bets like trout fishing in streams or trying for holdover striped bass in tidal waters. For trout, try drifting nymphs, worms or egg patterns in slow moving pools and along current seams. Or for holdover bass, head to the Housatonic or Providence Rivers with soft-plastic baits on jig heads. Enjoy the weather this weekend and play it safe out there!