It is officially spring, but winter took a cheap shot at us on the way out with another storm late last week. This week has brought some cold temperatures again, especially at night. But we have slightly warmer weather and rain coming, which will hopefully help with melting this ice. Some anglers have packed away the ice gear already and are casting out on the rivers. Others are holding out for a little while longer. The lower reaches of our tidal rivers remain productive for holdover schoolie stripers. Fish are being caught both from boat and from shore. Alabama rigs and small soft plastics like 4-7″ Slug-Go, Fin-S Fish and Cobra Bait’s Sad Shad on 1/2oz-3/4oz jig heads did well this week. Anglers are really getting into fish when trolling those Alabama rigs; it’s almost unfair! Good schools of bass can be found stacked up in deeper water, but its all about finding the ones that are willing to bite! Moving water is good so the bite should pick up after the rains that are coming. There is even a chance at a keeper-sized bass if you put in your time.
Hard-water warriors are still putting in time on the ice. The edges are soft in places and there’s also honeycomb ice to be found. So be careful out there because it can go from safe ice to NOT so safe ice quickly and you don’t want to step in the wrong direction. Keep checking ice thickness everywhere you go. Good largemouth were reported from Highland (6lb 12oz lunker), Pachaug, Lillinonah (4lbs 9oz), Winchester and Park pond. A few smallmouth came from lake Lillinonah and CT river coves. Lillinonah and the CT river also gave up some good pike. Pike reports have been slow recently so it’s nice to see a few quality fish being iced. Tilts and shiners has been the name of the game for most anglers lately. But if you want to do well jigging then you must keep moving! A lot of trout are being reported from Highland and West Hill but all stockers. There was even an Atlantic salmon caught out on the lower Housastonic. The pan fish bite is still consistent in many places. Coves along the Housatonic and CT river systems have been giving up good everything. White/yellow perch, crappie and bluegill have been tearing it up. Park pond, Hatch pond and Burr pond have all been doing well for pan fish too.
DEEP has recently stocked some TMA’s and anglers have made their way to the rivers. A ton of stocker-sized fish and some not so small fish were reported from the Naugatuck river TMA, Farmington seasonal TMA and the Mill river TMA. There were a good number of trout stocked and these TMA’s are yet another option if you’re sick of the ice. We should be seeing things really open up over the next week or two. So there will be plenty of open water options soon enough. Remember, opening day of trout fishing is 4/11!