As the latest round of “sorta” winter weather has passed, anglers are left with a great deal of open-water options. Freshwater carp, trout and bass are all going strong, while holdover stripers and cod remain steady.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
The The Frances Fleet in Narragansett experienced some tremendous cod fishing prior to the nor’easter, with most describing it as the best action of the year. The Lady Frances saw a good number of fishermen on both Tuesday and Thursday, and both days they had limited out and were back to the dock around noon. The majority of the fish that came over the rails were “gaffers” in the 7- to 12-pound range. A few fish hovered right around the 20-pound mark on last Monday’s trip. Twenty pounds is on the high side, but most trips saw pool fish around 15 pounds. The fish are gorging themselves on herring and mackerel, so they are some of the fattest fish of the season. Both jigs and bait seem to be working equally well. The strong winds put a halt to things early this week, but the fishing should remain red hot for a while longer once the weather clears. The fleet plans to sail daily as the weather allows; check with the office in advance for updates and reservations.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, told me that the warm weather continues to result in a number of open-water anglers hitting the local lakes and rivers. Carp anglers are reporting good catches in the Blackstone River and the Ten Mile River. Pickerel and largemouth bass are biting well in most lakes and smaller farm ponds. Trout anglers are reporting good catches in most waters that are still open to trout fishing. Areas that were stocked in December have had the best results, such as Olney Pond, Lincoln Woods, Wood River and the Blackstone. The yellow perch bite has also been excellent, as Mike Laptew and Jim White found out this week. They took to a small, local body of water and had a great day soaking worms for some fat and hungry yellows. Schoolie striped bass fishing also remains very good in the Providence and Seekonk Rivers.
Connecticut Fishing Report
At Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, Andrew reports that the ice is pretty much shot throughout Connecticut after the latest round of precipitation. Some anglers are heading way north for a shot to walk on water, while most are hoping that northern parts of Connecticut held enough of a base to refreeze if we ever get another cold snap. Prior to the storm, Andrew was selling cod rigs and diamond jigs like wildfire, as the cod fishing was tremendous off of Block Island. One customer reported a full headboat limit by 9 AM! The storm quieted things down, but they should pick right back up soon. The Housatonic crew has been hard at work using the warm weather to their advantage. The schoolie bite has been strong, and some bigger fish are being reported after dark. SP Minnows, Fin-S Fish and large Slug-gos have been the lures of choice for most in the Housy. The Salmon and Farmington Rivers handled the precipitation pretty well, and are both providing a good shot at some winter trout fishing.
At Rivers End in Old Saybrook, things have been quiet around the shop, but the Housatonic regulars are still reporting some solid fishing; while local freshwater anglers have been taking advantage of the open water on most of the local lakes and ponds. Gardner Lake is producing some walleye, largemouth fishing has been solid at Moodus and the lower river has some schoolie and white perch action. Rivers end is already gearing up for its annual Surf Day, which is set for March 25th, and Joe also mentioned that the annual CT Surfcasters Demo Day will be going down this Saturday at the Clinton Town Hall. This show is always a good time, and a good way to load up on some striped bass gear as we wait for the winter month’s to be over.
Jeremy, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, reports that the Housatonic River fishery remains the biggest draw in western CT. The mild weather resulted in one of the strongest January bites in some time, and that bite should continue as long as there isn’t an extreme weather change. The water has cooled to a point where the bite is strong, but generally only on the dropping tide. The bulk of fish are small schoolies, but 26-36 inch fish are still showing up after dark. A number of anglers have also reported some bonus salmon in the mix, and they have had no problem hitting larger offerings intended for bass. Herring fishing is still a viable option in the harbor, but it is starting to slow. There may be another good week or two left to target these fish.
Torrey, at Upcountry Sportfishing in Pine Meadow, reported that last weekend was a busy one at the shop, between the mild weather and some tying classes. Fishing reports were mostly good to very good Saturday, with almost everybody catching some trout on a mix of dries, nymphs & streamers. The temps of late and for the near future have meant that shelf ice & slush have been non-existent, and iced rod guides have not been a problem either. The flow was a moderate 190 cfs total in the permanent Catch and Release area around New Hartford over the weekend, and the early week precipitation shouldn’t have affected it much. Hatches currently include Winter Caddis (mornings primarily, sometimes into early afternoon), and Midges (typically afternoons). Hatching activity has ranged from very light to pretty good, depending upon the day and location. Winter Caddis hatch best when we have “normal” cold winter nights, mild nights make for less Caddis hatching. Midges can hatch well in mild weather.
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
Ice anglers hopes may have faded with this latest batch of weather, but open-water anglers have been left with a good deal of options. Freshwater fishing for most species has been strong in all of the open bodies of water, with trout, bass, and carp anglers all reporting strong catches. The holdover striped bass bite will roll on through the winter, as long as we don’t get hit with some extreme cold. The cod fishing has been tremendous, and most days have been mild and generally very nice for January. Look for the cod bite to fire right back up as the winds lay down.