The winter has arrived for good and blessed us with nice hard ice on nearly all of the lakes and ponds of southern New England. Ice fishermen have plenty of options to choose from, while a strong cod bite in the salt and trout in the rivers is keeping the rod and reel guys busy.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
Captain Frank, of The Frances Fleet in Narragansett, reported that the fleet spent the better part of last week at the docks due to the extreme cold that took over southern New England. By Sunday the weather broke just enough to get out and luckily the cod were still biting like they were before the cold snap. Nearly 150 keepers came over the rails on Sunday and with temperatures looking more manageable for the upcoming week the good fishing should continue on. The fleet sails each day at 5 am, weather permitting, and fishing remains much better than it has been in the past few years at this point.
Captain Chris, of The Island Current in Point Judith, was also pleased to report that the cod fishing continues to be excellent off of Block Island despite the temperatures. A few brave souls took the trip on Tuesday and were rewarded with good numbers of heavy cod fish. The cod grounds remain loaded with bait, and the steady cod bite should continue through the winter months.
In freshwater news, Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle in North Kingstown, has been selling loads of ice fishing gear and bait this week, with the majority of the Rhode Island lakes and ponds having plenty of fishable ice. Worden’s Pond and Stump Pond are getting a lot of attention, and giving up some decent bass and the occasional pike. Lincoln Woods is a great spot for a multi-species day with anglers reporting good catches of bass, perch and trout.
Connecticut Fishing Report
The Fish Connection in Preston didn’t have much to report in terms of holdover striped bass this week, as cold temps and ice jams kept many anglers off the river. Ice fishing has been the center of attention in the eastern part of the state, with the best reports pike and bass reports coming from Pachaug Pond, and a few good walleye reports from Mashapaug and Coventry Lake.
Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, has also seen ice fishing take center stage at the shop this week. Ice reports are very good and are now widespread to each corner of the state. The Connecticut River coves, such as Wrights, Keeney and Wethersfield are producing good numbers of large crappie, yellow perch and the occasional pike. Black Pond has seen a lot of attention from ice fishermen looking to land a giant brown trout, while upper and lower Moodus has been a top producer for the bass guys. Out west, most portions of Candlewood Lake are safe and the bite has been a strong one for smallmouth, perch and trout. Pike fishing has generally been slow but the best results have come in from Pachaug in the east, the Connecticut River coves and Bantam in the west. Andrew is fully stocked with everything you would need to target any of these species and just received a big load of bait so he will be ready for this weekend.
Torrey, at Upcountry Sportfishing in Pine Meadow, reported that some die-hard trout anglers are continuing to find success on the Farmington River despite the frigid temperatures. Church Pool was completely ice and slush free during the colder parts of this week and should remain so through most of the weekend. Flows remain very fishable, with the total flow through the permanent TMA now at about 350 cfs. The winter caddis (sz 20-24) hatch is still happening in the mornings, but other than that your best chance at some quality fishing is during the warmer portions of the day. Midges (22-28) are still hatching in the afternoons and can provide some good surface action on warmer days. Nymphers continue to find the most success during these colder winter months, and flashier patterns fished with a slow presentation can be a key to landing good numbers of winter trout.
Down at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, the cold temps have slowed down the Housatonic schoolie regulars, and has put a bit of a damper on the sea herring fishing. Herring are still around, but so are large ice jams, so fishing the lower and saltier sections of the harbors and rivers is now a necessity. In the freshwater, some trout anglers are finding some fish in the larger portions of the local rivers that are not full of slush. The extreme cold of last week locked up most of the large fisheries in the southwestern part of the state, and anglers are having good multi-species success at Candlewood. Squantz Pond has been a bit stingier than Candlewood but a few good trout and walleye did hit the ice during the early portions of the week.
Best bets for the weekend
As we approach the middle of winter fishing options for the hardwater enthusiast are plentiful, but have become a bit more limited for open water anglers. Ice fishermen can look forward to another excellent weekend walking on water, with nearly every freshwater fishery now locked up and safe. For open water anglers, the early portions of next week look to be a bit more comfortable in terms of temperature, and winter cod, stripers and trout are around in good enough numbers to keep you busy until the spring arrives.