Rhode Island Fishing Report – January 7, 2016

The weather and the tautog bite may be better now than it was in late October, while the cod bite continues to improve by the day. Warm surface temperatures have woken up our trout streams and have anglers thinking more about launching their boat than dusting off their ice gear.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

Captain Frank, of The Frances Fleet in Narragansett, reports that early winter cod season remains excellent, and shows no signs of slowing. Jigs and bait continue to both produce equally well, and finding large numbers of cod hasn’t been an issue. The size of the fish has varied greatly from day to day, but even the smaller fish days are producing good numbers of keepers. “Larger” fish days have seen good numbers of gaffable fish into the low 20-pound class, mixed in with smaller keepers and shorts. Most trips are producing good numbers of limit-catches, including this past Monday; which saw the entire boat limit out. Massive schools of mackerel and squid all over the cod grounds, and should keep the bite strong as we get into the colder part of the winter. Frank suggests that anglers be prepared for fishing both jigs and bait, as conditions have been dictating what has worked best. Weather permitting; the fleet will continue to sail at 5 AM daily.

Captain Russ, of The Seven B’s in Narragansett, also reported very strong cod action on each day that he was able to sail, with each trip achieving near boat limits. The boat will continue to sail on Friday through Sundays if the weather allows. Another mild weekend is ahead of us, and if the wind is tame enough, another good weekend of cod fishing is also ahead of us. Be sure to call ahead at 401-789-9250 to confirm that the boat is sailing before you make the ride down.

A few freshwater anglers across the ocean state have found some fishable ice on small and shallow ponds. Ice aspirations may be put on hold this weekend though, as more warm temperatures and some rain could ruin the party. In the meantime, the Wood River was said to be fishing well for trout prior to the cold snap. The mild weekend should get rid of any ice shelves, and the trout streams will continue to be a good outlet for anglers waiting for hardwater.

Connecticut Fishing Report

At Hillyers Tackle in Waterford, the guys reported that the Connecticut River is producing some decent pike fishing in the upper stretches, and better numbers of school bass in the lower stretches. Locally, there have been reports of ladyfish and bluefish in the Millstone outflow, and it has been a strong winter for scalloping and clamming in the Niantic River.

Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, reports that the vast majority of inland anglers are gearing up for ice season after the short blast of cold weather over the past few days. A few of them even found some nice solid ice on the smaller ponds in the northern parts of the state. Unfortunately, the weekend weather will put things on hold, but we look to be back in business by the late part of the next week. Prior to the freeze, the Salmon and Farmington Rivers were fishing very well, and should continue to do so prior to the rain this weekend. Pike fishing was very strong in the Haddam region of the Connecticut River last week, and skim ice in that area shouldn’t be a problem over the weekend. Good numbers of small white perch are in Hamburg Cove, along with some better numbers of schoolie stripers.

Rich, at Fishermen’s World in Norwalk, reported that the herring fishing around the harbor has been very good. The fish are said to be of good size, and easy to locate with basic Sabiki rigs. There are a few pods of school bass holding up locally, but better action remains in the Housatonic. The daytime bite has required a bit more work than the past few weeks, but the fishing after dark is said to be much better. As noted earlier this month, larger than normal artificial offerings continue out produce the standard, smaller jigs. The Saugatuck Reservoir is now closed, but the local trout streams and rivers were producing pretty well before the storm. Safe ice has not yet graced the southwestern part of the state, minus a few very small ponds.

Torrey, at Upcountry Sportfishing in Pine Meadow, reports that the total flow through the permanent catch and release area is at a very clean and clear 327 cfs. Some very solid reports came in last weekend from the nymphers; while a few good fish were also landed on dries and streamers. The cold spell has moved the bulk of the fish to slower runs and deeper pools. The winter caddis hatch should benefit from the more winter-like temperatures, and Torrey recommends fishing nymphs slow and deep. If you’re fishing streamers, try to get them down into the water column and use a slow retrieve as opposed to a fast strip.

Best bets for the weekend

Old man winter teased many New England ice fishermen this week, with a glimpse at some of the weather we should be having by mid-January. Unfortunately, more warm and rain is forecasted this weekend and should be the ice game on hold. Look to take to the trout streams for some quality winter action, or continue to capitalize