Connecticut Fishing Report | December 4, 2014

Striped bass remain plentiful as they transition from our beaches to their holdover haunts in our tidal rivers. Tautog, cod and black sea bass continue to provide good action in the salt, while pre-ice northern pike and trout fishing rules freshwater.

Connecticut Fishing Report

The Fish Connection in Preston reported that many anglers have started to switch gears to freshwater, and many have focused on the freshly stocked Shetucket River. Atlantic salmon is the species of choice and they are biting well in the Baltic stretch of the river. A large influx of schoolie bass have made their way into the Thames River, and early signs indicate that we might have the first good holdover year in some time. These fish have not quite made their way to Norwich Harbor and appear to be holding steady around the Montville area. Casting small jigheads tipped with soft plastics and trolling small swimmers are generally the best producing methods for this area, and so far this year has been no different.

Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, reported that the Housatonic River holdover bass bite has started off strong, and anglers are reporting good catches with soft plastics and SP Minnows. The majority of these fish have been schoolies, but a few anglers fishing after dark are finding consistent keepers to 20 pounds. December is usually primetime for this fishery and with mild temperatures forecasted, the next few weeks could be red-hot. In the Connecticut River, schoolie striped bass are starting to flood the upper stretches of the river. These fish tend to be more widespread than the other rivers and tougher to find, but early reports have been strong.

Northern pike continue to be the target species of choice in the Connecticut River, and that bite has been excellent for anglers throwing large live and dead baits, as well as big, brightly-colored artificials.

On Wednesday the CT DEEP continued their winter trout stocking at West Hill Pond, Highland Lake and Mashapaug Lake. These bodies of water, along with the rest of the CT trout stocked ponds are producing good numbers of fish on small crankbaits, spinnerbaits and small shiners.

At Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, Ian reported that angler interest in the Housatonic holdover fishery is really starting to accelerate, and most anglers are reporting the best success with Zoom Super Flukes and small Slug-gos. In the salt, the western end of Long Island Sound is still on the warm side, and some big bluefish and small bass are being jigged up around 11B. Atlantic herring have made their annual trip to the area and good catches are reported in all the western sound harbors and tributaries. Locally, the Saugatuck Reservoir remains the top freshwater producer, with good catches of trout, bass and a few walleye coming from live shiners fished under slip floats.

Fishing Forecast

The great diversity in our New England fisheries provides us with no true off-season, and that is evident right now as we move into the winter months. Temperatures remain on the mild side and striped bass can be found both along our beaches and well inside our tidal rivers. Whether you take your own boat or hop on one of the local charters, tautog, cod and black sea bass remain plentiful along the coast. Many freshwater anglers, myself included, are waiting patiently for first ice, but don’t overlook the last few weeks of open water, which can be the one of the best times of year for northern pike, trout and walleye.