After a few months of fishing shows spread up and down the Northeast, the grand finale of them all is finally here. The Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association’s monster of a show kicks off this Friday and runs through Sunday at the Convention Center in Providence. The show will be packed with fancy new toys, some great deals on gear and tons of informative seminars. If you are able to spend part of the weekend actually fishing, ice-out largemouth bass, catch-and-release trout areas, and holdover striped bass could keep you busy. Some ice-fishing opportunities also still remain in northwest Connecticut for those brave souls willing to travel to higher elevations.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

The lakes and ponds of Rhode Island are opening up more and more each day and anglers have been capitalizing on a good ice-out largemouth bass bite. Larger bodies of water in the southern part of the state have more open water access and are providing the best bass fishing, with live shiners being the top producer of big bass. I did receive some second-hand reports of people still ice-fishing a few lakes and ponds in the higher elevations, and while I’m sure there is still ice, it will be sketchy at best after the warm and possibly wet weekend forecast.

According to Steve McKenna at Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle in North Kingstown, the holdover striper bite has picked up a bit in the upper Providence River, but with lingering cold temperatures all week it has yet to really get going. Some rumblings of river herring are starting up across the Ocean State as some early arrivals are just starting to show themselves. It shouldn’t be long before these annual springtime visitors are here in full force, and it’s a safe bet that the larger of our holdover stripers will locate them before we do.

The nearly non-stop winds along with some more coastal snow has kept the cod fleets at the dock this week. The weather is forecasted to be a bit more forgiving this weekend, but with rough seas all week it will likely be a few days before things settle.

Connecticut Fishing Report

Anglers in northwest Connecticut are still caught deep in the grip of old man winter, as single digits lows this week has keep most of the higher elevation lakes locked solid. A quick ride to northern Litchfield County will give ice-fishermen access to a half-dozen or more quality fisheries with substantial amounts of ice.
The rest of the state has also remained cold but most of the ice has started to let go and anglers have been cashing in on some good open water fishing finally. Andrew, at Fishin’ Factory 3 in Middletown, reported a very good white perch bite in the lower Connecticut River along with a good deal of schoolies in and around Hamburg Cove. Northern Pike have been cooperating for anglers floating shiners in the Haddam area, with the marker buoy at the state park being a usual hotspot.

The recently stocked Trout Management Areas have also been getting a good deal of attention for catch and release fishermen this week, with the Hammonasset TMA being a top producer. The West Branch of the Farmington River, the Willimantic River and the Salmon River have also been producing well, as the fish have remained relatively easy to locate.

We are approaching that time of year when every tidal river and estuary across the state lights up with herring and striped bass, although the cold and prolonged winter has delayed things a bit. Holdovers are still being caught with regularity in all the major rivers and a positive sign this week was a few reports of larger holdovers being caught in different locations. Q, at Rivers End in Old Saybrook, had a customer pick up a few new artificials at his shop during surf day last weekend, and was pleased to report that he managed a 23-pound striper on one of his new offerings later that night.

Nick, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, also reported that his customers are starting to get the spring run fever and have been finding plenty of willing stripers in the lower Housatonic River, as well as parts of the lower Saugatuck River. The upper Saugatuck River TMA has also been fishing well, with steady reports of trout coming in this week.

Fishing Forecast

This winter has certainly felt like an eternity, and based on the temperatures and whipping winds of this week it does not yet feel like spring. Signs of spring are starting to show up however, and it won’t be long before our water’s are flooded with migratory bait and feasting stripers. One big sign of spring, the New England Saltwater Fishing Show, is happening this weekend and is an excellent excuse to make a road trip to Providence. On your way home, be sure to stop a local tidal river or TMA to try out your new gear and wet a quick line.