Deep snow drifts and frigid temperatures have things pretty well locked up across New England. With temperatures forecasted to drop once again, ice fishing will be game of choice for most anglers this weekend, while the snow is still light and the ice is still strong.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
The relentless weather continued along the Rhode Island coast this week, and kept The Frances Fleet of Narragansett sidelined for most of it. Captain Frank reported that he was able to get a small crew of anglers out on Saturday, and was able to find some decent numbers of cod. Unfortunately most of the cod were shorts, but a few keepers and a few ling rounded out the catch and let anglers take home a few fish for the table. While most of the cod were shorts, it is still encouraging to see good numbers of fish on the cod grounds after the brutal weather. Temperatures will be taking another nose dive this weekend, but hopefully the wind and seas will settle enough to allow for a few trips. The fleet will continue to sail each day that the weather allows at 5 A.M., and will have updates on their website daily.
The Island Current Fleet in Point Judith was also held back by the weather for most of last week. They were able to leave the docks on Saturday and Sunday, and found decent numbers of cod each day. More short fish than keepers came aboard, but again it is encouraging to see decent numbers of fish remaining in the area. When the weather allows, cod trips will set sail daily at 5 A.M., and private charters can also be scheduled by contacting Captain Chris.
Frigid temperatures have kept most of Rhode Island’s lakes and ponds safe for ice fishermen who don’t mind trekking through the snow. Meadowbrook, Silver Spring, Lincoln Woods and Carbuncle are all reported as fishing well for trout, both on the jig and under tip-ups. Stump Pond and Wordens Pond continue to see a lot of attention from Rhode Island ice anglers, and both have had good bass, pickerel and panfish action. A few reports of northern pike have also surfaced from both locations, which is promising as pike reports have been very quiet for most of the season.
Things are quiet on the derby front this weekend, but two large and popular derbies will be taking place on 2/21. The Victory Sportsman Club Derby will be happening at Wilson’s Reservoir along with the Burrville Gridiron Club Derby at Wakefield Pond.
Connecticut Fishing Report
Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, told me that he is still selling plenty of ice-fishing bait and supplies, despite the tough sledding through the snow. The panfish bite on the Connecticut River coves has been much better than in previous weeks, with small jigs and wax worm combinations being the top producer. Many anglers have been getting their ice fix on smaller ponds that require less walking, but for the guys with good access or snow machines Candlewood Lake remains a hot bed for smallmouth, trout and large yellow perch. Most of the Connecticut tidal rivers still have some good ice on the back coves, and some anglers are still finding holdover stripers under the ice. Another hot topic at the shop this week was the news of the potential new state record walleye that came through the ice on one of the local lakes last weekend. Specific details have not been divulged, but rumor is that the fish was well over 15 pounds; which would beat the old record by nearly a pound if it is confirmed and certified.
The buzz about the potential state record walleye was also happening at Rivers End in Old Saybrook this week. The news of the fish sparked continued interest for walleye anglers in the eastern half of the state, who continue to get out after dark for their chance at a trophy. The Connecticut River coves are also still getting a lot of traffic from ice fishermen looking for a good jig bite, and potential for a large pike under a tipup. Things have been quiet in the holdover striper open water fisheries, but Rivers End will be hosting a number of seminars in the upcoming weeks to get you through the rest of the winter. These seminars include: Advanced Saltwater Fly Tying with Mark Lewchik, Rod Building with “Q”, Diamond Jigging Techniques with Tom Migdalski, Carp 101 with Iain Sorrel, Shallow Water Stripers with Mike Roy and of course Striper Surf Day. Be sure to check their website for updated seminar details, dates and times.
The Valley Angler in Danbury is coming off of another very successful Jig and Pig tournament at Candlewood Lake. A good deal of anglers came out for the event; which saw many quality fish hit the ice, including a few that were worth a substantial cash prize for the luckiest anglers. Candlewood has continued to fish very well for the rest of the week following the tournament, as it has for most of this ice season. Squantz Pond has been no slouch itself, and anglers are reporting great numbers of panfish and some large trout on the jig this week.
Torrey, at Upcountry Sportfishing in Pine Meadow, reports that shelf ice and slush has been a continued problem on the slower moving pools of the Farmington River this week, but warmer temperatures on Tuesday and Wednesday have opened things up temporarily. Temperatures will once again be dropping this weekend, so anglers may want to look at the upstream stretches from the Still River to the dam; these areas usually run warmer and stay relatively clean, regardless of temperature. Die-hard nymphers that have braved the weather are still being rewarded with trout, with subsurface egg flies (size 10-18) and medium to large stones (8-12) being top producers. Torrey noted that the fish tend to congregate in the slower to moderate pools this time of year, and generally if you can find a productive area it will produce multiple hook-ups.
The Northeast Hunting and Fishing Expo, one of the larger outdoor shows in our region, will be kicking off this Friday at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford. This show offers up seminars and displays of the latest and greatest in hunting and fishing, including tips, techniques and of course plenty of new gear. The show hours are 12-8 on Friday, 10-7 on Saturday and 10-5 on Sunday; tickets will be readily available at the door.
Fishing Forecast
While temperatures will be dropping once again over the weekend, as of right now we may be lucky enough to dodge the next big winter storm. Things will be cold, but the ice will be solid and another weekend full of plenty of ice fishing opportunities is here. For the ice enthusiasts out there get it in now, when we finally do get a warming trend all of this snow and slush will create a sloppy, heavy and unsafe mess. If the temperatures are a bit too extreme for your liking, take a trip down to Hartford for the hunting and fishing expo. The event looks to be another good one and will have plenty of toys to get you geared up for warmer weather and spring fishing.