As the Northeast deals with another bout of significant snowfall , winter fishing opportunities remain plentiful. Cod reports are consistent in the waters off of Block Island; big pike continue to come through the ice on the Connecticut River; and more trophy bass have been taken by ice fishermen across the region.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

The light winds and calm seas of late last week carried over into the early part of this week and anglers that were willing to brave the cold were rewarded with god cod fishing aboard The Frances Fleet of Narragansett. On their most recent trip this past Tuesday, Captain Mike reported that a few anglers were able to go home with limits and those who did not get limits still saw a good number of keepers. The keeper-to-short ratio has fallen greatly to the side of short fish recently; luckily this appears to be due to a large number of short fish as opposed to a real lack of keeper fish. Weeding through the shorts could be an arduous task, but the steady action provided by fish of all sizes really helps to keep you warm on these frigid winter days. The fleet may be staying at the docks the next few days with the winter weather and high winds that are forecasted, but the weekend looks like it may be a promising one for the cod die-hards.

Captain James of the Island Current 3 in Snug Harbor also reported very good cod fishing for those willing to make a bit of a ride. Despite a large number of short fish each trip this week has seen a great number of keepers come over the rails.

Steve McKenna at Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle in North Kingstown has not heard much as of late from the winter holdover striped bass guys as the consistent sub-freezing temperatures have kept most anglers inside. Ice fishing continues to spark the interest of most Rhode Island inland anglers and reports have been positive for the most part.

Trout fishing has been good Lincoln Woods and Meadowbrook where brook trout have been eating medium shiners hung under tip-ups with some consistency. Large, flashy jigs tipped with pinhead shiners or spikes have also been producing some trout, especially for those aided by electronic flashers.

Pike reports at Wordens Pond continue to be nearly non-existent although anglers have found plenty of jumbo perch and heavy largemouth bass that have been willing to eat large and jumbo shiners. Barber Pond has been something of a hot spot as well for anglers targeting big perch and bass, with a few reports of largemouth in the 3- to 4-pound class coming in this week.

Stump pond continues to be the pike lake of choice for many Rhode Island ice fishermen; however reports from Stump have been almost equally as slow as the rest of Rhode Island. Hunting trophy pike through the ice is as much a test of patience as it is a test of fishing skill and the middle of the winter really exaggerates that fact. That being said, a few hefty pike have been taking by anglers who have sacrificed the time.

Connecticut Fishing Report

The Connecticut River has been a world-class fishery for quite some time now, but with the combination of a good ice–making winter and what appears to be a rebounding pike population, this ice fishing season has been one of the better ones in recent memory. There aren’t too many fisheries where slab calico, heavy largemouth, trophy northern pike and keeper striped bass can all be taken through the ice in one day but days like that are becoming commonplace on the Connecticut this year. Gary at Connecticut Outfitters in Wethersfield had an outing on Wethersfield Cove this past weekend with all the aforementioned species hitting the ice. The highlights of the day included a 28-inch striper and a 22-pound pike, both of which were taken on large shiners under tip-ups.

Andrew, at Fishin’ Factory III in Middletown, reported much of the same as he has had customers submitting pictures of calico, largemouth, perch and pike this week all caught in various locations along the Connecticut River. Wethersfield Cove and Wright’s Cove in Portland continue to be responsible for the largest number of suburb multi-species days. Andrew also reported that the walleye bite has been best at Gardner Lake and Coventry Lake, for the anglers looking for multiple flags in an outing. Action has been much slower at Mashapaug but the quality of the fish hitting the ice has been stellar.

The hot spot for western Connecticut continues to be Candlewood Lake, which is also having one of its better years in some time with good amounts of ice and consistent big fish action. Candlewood also remains a lake that provides a good chance at seeing multiple species in any given outing and one local angler had one of those outings this past weekend. He managed 7 smallmouth bass up to 4 pounds, a pile of large yellow perch and a beautiful 32-inch northern pike, which is a true rarity for Candlewood. Over the causeway at Squantz Pond anglers continue to find success targeting big brown trout both with tip-ups and the jigging rod.

The CT DEEP took full advantage of the strong ice year we are having by stocking an additional 13,000 rainbow trout from 7 to 14 inches in many lakes and ponds across the state. In the east, trout were added to Bashan Lake, Beach Pond, Black Pond, Coventry Lake, Crystal Lake and Gardner Lake; while in the west Black Rock Pond, Highland Lake, Mt. Tom Pond, Squantz Pond, Stillwater Pond, Tylar Lake, West Hill Lake and West Side Pond saw an additional stocking of rainbows.

Best Bets for the Weekend

Another 6 to 12 inches of snow across Connecticut and Rhode Island will add some difficulty to what is an already tough sled pull across our lakes and ponds. The good news is that the ice is thick and the temperatures are remaining consistently low, so this ice season is far from over. If you don’t have access to a good snow machine or snow shoes, pack light and take your time and you can be rewarded with some excellent ice fishing.