The relentless winter weather that has blanketed the Northeast for the past two months has even some of the most passionate winter fishing fans thinking about the thaw. While the great thaw is certainly inevitable, it is far from imminent and most Connecticut and Rhode Island anglers will have the ice-fishing gear handy for at least a few more weeks.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

Anglers were out on the hardwater across the Ocean State this week despite the heavy snow pack that must be dealt with at most locations. Carbuncle Pond in Coventry is providing anglers with a good late-ice bite for those looking to get one more trout fix in before the season wraps up at the end of this month. Multiple ice fishermen reported steady action of browns and rainbows at Carbuncle this past weekend, with a medium shiner fished under a tip-up being the preferred method of capture. The trout bite also remains solid at Lincoln Woods and with plenty of ice it is another great option for this last week of the trout season.

Not too many reports have come in on the pike front, however anglers targeting the toothy fish at Worden’s Pond reported solid action of perch, bass and pickerel on large shiners. The abundance of action at Worden’s has kept anglers busy and entertained despite the lack of flags from the target species.

The cod fleet has continued to make its way out to the waters around Block Island whenever the weather has allowed, and while reports have cooled since last week, most customers have been able to go home with some fish for the freezer.

Captain Mike, of The Frances Fleet in Narragansett, found a nice weather window to head out this past Monday. The fish were more spread out than in previous weeks; however Mike reported that everyone aboard the boat went home with some keeper cod, with high hook taking home nine keepers. Wind forecasts are lessening a bit for the weekend and the fleet will be looking to sail after Friday’s weather subsides.

Connecticut Fishing Report

Andrew, at Fishin’ Factory III in Middletown, reported that the additional foot of snow the state received since my last report has not kept anglers off the ice, as he had eager ice-fishermen waiting to pick up bait when he opened up the shop this weekend. Andrew reported that the strong pike bite on the Connecticut River has subsided a bit; which is to be expected this time of year, while the jigging for calico and perch has remained very good at Wethersfield Cove. Hot spots for largemouth bass in central CT continue to include Moodus Reservoir and Wright’s Cove on the Connecticut River.

In eastern Connecticut, Pachaug Pond remains a bit on the slow side for northern pike but continues to produce quality largemouth bass. Gary, at Connecticut Outfitters in Wethersfield, reported that besides the usual Connecticut River coves he had a number of customers taking to their local small farm ponds in search of good ice fishing, as many of these ponds provide some relief from the long walks across the snow on the bigger lakes.

Bantam Lake has taken a bit of an upswing this week, as a number of quality northerns have hit the ice. TC Marine Bait and Tackle in Shelton reported that a few larger pike hit the ice following the conclusion of the local fireman’s tournament on south bay last weekend. A few local fishermen that I communicate with also reported that Bantam has been showing some signs of life, following what has been an otherwise slow season. The last day to target pike at Bantam is February 28th and this last week may provide a good chance at landing a “Bantam Monster” before it is closed up.

Ice fishermen in western Connecticut continue to take advantage of a red-hot smallmouth bass bite that has remained strong all winter at Candlewood Lake. The Valley Angler in Danbury reported that smallmouth bite continues to happen across most stretches of the lake, with anglers finding the most success fishing medium shiners in 18 to 20 feet of water under tip-ups. A good number of smallmouth have been falling to large jigs as well and provide an excellent battle on light tackle.

Best Bets for the Weekend

This winter has certainly been a long one, and most anglers can’t help but to start thinking about the springtime. This winter is still far from being in the rearview and with some milder temperatures forecasted this weekend it will be a great chance to take advantage of one of the better ice years we’ve had in recent memory. Trout wraps up in Connecticut and Rhode Island at the end of February, as does some of the Connecticut pike lakes, use this weekend to make the most of these fisheries before March hits and fishing options begin to decline.