The quick burst of ice fishing weather has faded, but round two may be coming soon. In the meantime, the cod bite has been great off the island and the CT Rivers are producing good schoolie, trout and salmon action.
Connecticut Fishing Report
Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, reported that a few brave souls were able to sneak out on the ice in the upper elevations last weekend, but that ice has since faded. The rain on Saturday isn’t going to help things, but a cold snap looks to be coming after the holiday, so be patient. The Housatonic River striped bass bite has been strong, especially on the warmer nights. Boat anglers are finding good concentrations of fish during the day, and shore and boat anglers are finding some bigger fish after the sun goes down. There are also some nice concentrations of school bass in the lower CT River tributaries, if you know where to look for them. The TMA’s are flowing nicely and have been fishing pretty well, and the CT DEEP recently stocked some beautiful broodstock salmon in the Naugatuck and Shetucket Rivers.
Joe, at Rivers End in Old Saybrook, told me that there are quite a few school striped bass locally, both out front and in the tidal rivers. The Housatonic is main game like usual, but fish can be found in much quieter locations if you look around a bit. The ice fishing gear has hit the shelves, and the shop will be open 7-days a week through the winter for those looking for bait.
At Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, word is that the herring bite has been up and down, but anglers are still finding decent numbers in most cases. The Norwalk River, Harbor, Southport Harbor and Ash Creek have all been producing, and some reports have come from as far east as Milford and West Haven. The striper bite is very good on the Housatonic, with the best action coming from north of the Merritt. The bulk of the fish are small, but as mentioned earlier there are some bigger fish coming for those fishing after dark.
Torrey, at Upcountry Sportfishing in New Hartford, reports that the warmer weather this week has resulted in an increase in trout and bug activity. Last week’s cold slowed down the fishing to a degree, but those who got out caught some nice fish on a combination of dries, nymphs and streamers. Slow and deep nymphs and streamers are generally the best cold weather tactic, but some fish are rising on Winter Caddis in the mornings and BWO’s and Midges in the afternoon. As the water drops, try to identify the softer/deeper winter holding water and fish it thoroughly!
Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet in Narragansett is continuing to see some very solid cod action whenever they have an opportunity to sail. On Sunday, they were able to find many fish in the 15-20 pound range, with the pool fish weighing in at 30 pounds! The scup and sea bass are still hanging around, and they managed a nice pile of both. Jigs and bait are both producing cod, and the jig is starting to produce larger fish. There is quite a bit of herring around, so the jigging should continue to get better. The fleet plans to sail on Friday, and likely on Saturday. Be sure to check with the office for scheduling and reservations.
Snug Harbor Marina in Wakefield also reported a strong cod and sea bass bite around the island. The headboats and recreational anglers who still have their boat in the water are both scoring more cod and some larger fish. A big influx of herring appears to be the reason for the strong fishing, and has resulted in a very good bite on the jig.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, the school bass fishing has started to pick up for the winter in the Narrow and Providence Rivers. Anglers have reported increased numbers of schoolies this week in most of their usual haunts, and the warmer nights are producing some decent fish. The freshwater guys have been braving the cold and are still finding a good winter carp bite in most of the usual locations. Trout action was solid up to the cold snap, and should be good in the TMA’s as it warms up next week. Dave will be open both Saturday and Sunday, and will be running some Christmas sales for the last minute shoppers.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
The holiday weekend looks decent weather-wise, outside of some rain on Saturday, and things should shape up nicely for a cod trip. It doesn’t get much better than having some fresh cod on the table for your holiday dinner. School striped bass action has been solid in Rhode Island, and very good throughout Connecticut. Working some of the rivers after dark on the warmer nights has resulted in some very big winter bass as well. Trout action has been steady in the TMA’s, and the recently stocked broodstock salmon should provide a great opportunity in CT this weekend.