Connecticut Fishing Report – December 7, 2017

The blackfish action bite has started to transition, but it hasn’t stopped the big fish from chewing. In the freshwater, the late fall trout bite seems to be picking up in the TMA’s.

Connecticut Fishing Report

Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, reported that the final week of blackfish season went pretty well for those who got out, but now most anglers are heading to Rhode Island for one last shot at blackfish, or to cash in on a strong cod bite on the headboats. School striped bass can be found in most of the lower CT River tributaries, and along the eastern CT shoreline. Per usual, the Housatonic is holding larger schools of bass, with a few better fish in the mix. Pike anglers working the CT River are finding some pretty good fish around the Mattabesset, but with water temps dropping, bait has produced better than lures. The Salmon and Farmington rivers are flowing nicely, and the TMA’s are fishing well.

Gene, at Black Hall Outfitters in Old Lyme, reports that anglers have transitioned to schoolie striped bass fishing with the blackfish season ending this week. There is a good deal of school fish in the river and along the shorelines; with some decent numbers of hickory shad in the mix. Gene mentioned that if you are in the market for a new kayak or SUP, stop by the shop. They have some good deals and savings on 2017 demo models and all remaining new stock.

At Rivers End in Old Saybrook, Joe reports that there are plenty of small to medium sized striped bass in the mouth of the river, the local tributaries and along the adjacent shorelines. A customer landed over 20 fish to the low 30-inch class on Long Sand Shoal last weekend, and there was word of small schoolie blitzes tight to shore in Waterford during the week. Anglers are finding some pike and crappie in the northern stretches of the river, and the white perch bite should get going soon in the lower river.

At Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, blackfish has ended, but saltwater anglers are finding small bass along the local shoreline, and better fish throughout the Housatonic River. The majority of the fish in the river are school-class fish, but the guys working after dark are finding much better catches. The sea herring are starting to show up around the harbor, and while numbers haven’t been great, things should pick up quite a bit in the coming weeks. If you can locate a good school of herring out front, you may be able to find some bigger striped bass; as fish to 30-pounds were reported around the herring schools this week.

Torrey, at Upcountry Sportfishing in New Hartford , reported that the trout are hungry and looking to eat and bulk back up, and a streamer looks like a lot of calories to a trout. December is typically a good post-spawn streamer bite. Colder winter weather is moving in soon, water temps are slowly creeping downward, so make sure to slow down your streamer presentations and use some form of weighted flies/split-shot/sink-tips/sinking leader/sinking lines to get your streamers down deep. Water temps in permanent Catch & Release (C&R)/TMA & upriver have averaged low 40s of late, with temps ranging from high 30s to mid 40s depending upon the day, time of day, and distance from dam. Swinging & slow stripping are typically the way to go with streamers in cold water, but make sure to try a faster strip too, as sometimes even in the winter they will respond better to that some days. Many good fishing reports from the nymphers too, just make sure you have enough weight (either in your flies or in the form of split-shot) to get down in the slower water near the stream bottom. They are finally starting to see some good dry fly fishing lately as well, with winder caddis hatches in the mornings and a few blue winged olives in the afternoons.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

The Frances Fleet in Narragansett lost a few days this week due to weather, but last weekend’s results were steady and the upcoming weather looks pretty good. Captain Matt reported slightly slower action on Sunday and Monday, but they still had fish on every drop, and pool fish around 7 pounds. Matt thinks that super moon tides were affecting the bite a bit, so things should be even better this upcoming weekend. Saturday’s trip was very good as well, with many limit catches and a good deal of 6- to 8-pound fish. The cod fishing has continued to improve quite a bit, and the winter season is shaping up to be a strong one. All of last weekend’s trips saw consistent cod action, with many keepers in the low to mid-teens and a few fish pushing the 20-pound mark. Scup and sea bass were out in full force on all trips, and sea bass limits have been relatively easy to come-by. The fleet anticipated moving their cod fish trips to 5 am starting this weekend, but check with the office ahead of time as that change will be weather dependent.

Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, reports that local anglers are still finding a pretty strong squid bite in Newport and Jamestown, and there are also some nice schools showing up in the Watch Hill area. Mackerel have remained in the mix, and it seems like we are in a midst of one of the strongest mackerel bites in quite some time. There are still some school striped bass along the South County beaches, with a couple keepers in the mix around the breachways. Tautog are still around, and they have transitioned to some deeper pieces of structure in 50-60 feet of water. The season will be open until December 15th, so this weekend could provide one last chance at some good fishing. Trout fishing has been consistent at Olney Pond and Lincoln Woods, while the carp bite remained hot in the Blackstone and Ten Mile Rivers.

Mike Wade of Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly reports that tautog fishing has been solid locally on the deeper reefs and rockpiles around Watch Hill and behind Fishers. If the weather cooperates, we should have a strong final week of the season. The cod fishing has been very good relatively close to home, with Fish Trap Charters reporting multiple trips with 20+ keeper cod and easy limits of sea bass. The winter season is shaping up nicely and should only get better from here.

Connecticut Fishing Forecast

Blackfish has now ended in CT, but you still have a shot to get out and score a few nice fish in Rhode Island. The cod bite is also very good right now, so you may be able to make a multi-species groundfish trip. School striped bass can be found in parts of Rhode Island, and are plentiful throughout Connecticut, while freshwater action for trout, pike and carp remains steady.