Connecticut Fishing Report – January 11, 2018

Ice fishing continues to be the main show, and the upcoming rain should alleviate most of the snow cover. The cod, trout, and holdover striped bass bite should also benefit from a warm up.

Connecticut Fishing Report

Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, told me that the ice guys have still been getting after it, despite all the snow on the ice. Ice anglers have been hitting the river hard, and are finding good multi-species catches including pike, calico, perch and bass. Candlewood Lake now has plenty of ice and anglers are taking advantage, and reporting strong smallmouth bass and perch fishing. Locally, Moodus is producing some nice largemouth catches, and pike fishing has been decent at Mansfield Hollow. The upcoming warm temps and rain won’t hurt the ice, as we now have such a good base; in fact it will help things out as it should get most of the snow off the ice. The holdover striped bass guys are welcoming the warmer weather, and there will likely be some bass caught along the Housatonic when the warm rain breaks up the ice dams.

Joe, at Rivers End in Old Saybrook, told me that the striped bass fishing has started to wind down with the cold snap, but anglers have transitioned to ice fishing. There is plenty of ice throughout most of southeast CT, and reports have been good from the usual places such as Beach Pond, Mashapaug and Moodus. The shop will remain open throughout the winter and will continue to stock plenty of ice fishing bait and gear.

At Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, Ashley reported that the herring fishing has slowed down due to an abundance of ice on the harbors, but this weekend should open things up a little. If that is the case there will likely still be some herring in the area for a week or two longer. Ice anglers have been taking full advantage of the temperatures and reports from Bantam Lake have been pretty good for pike. Locally, a number of the smaller lakes and ponds in the area are said to be producing some good perch, bass and calico catches.

Torrey, at Upcountry Sportfishing in New Hartford, was excited to report that after a cold start to the winter, some nicer (and more normal) weather is here to stay for a while. This should slowly but surely unlock some of the frozen areas on the river, and that may happen even quicker with the rain anticipated on Friday. Lately we’ve been limited to the upper 2-3 miles of river, downstream in the permanent Catch & Release (C&R/TMA) and below- it has been mostly frozen bank to bank and/or slushed up in the areas of open water. While subsurface tactics with nymphs and streamers are the most consistent way to fish the winter, don’t rule out dry flies, especially with the warming temperatures. Last week Torrey was out and saw a few nice fish swimming and rising for Midge adults and pupa in the shallows. The Midges were tiny, no bigger than a #28, and there was virtually no current where they were feeding, so they are constantly moving around. Think long 7x leaders with tiny flies on #2-4 weight rods if you want to play that game.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

Captain Matt, of The Frances Fleet in Narragansett reported quality cod action right up to the cold snap of last weekend. Action was very steady whenever the weather allows, and fish to 20 pounds are becoming much more common, along with some ling, pollock and haddock. The incoming warmer weather should provide some great opportunities to get out on the water, and the weekend forecast is looking great with the exception of the heavy rain on Friday. Be sure to contact the office for sailing times, weather updates and to make a reservation!

Snug Harbor Marina in Wakefield also reported that the cod fishing off Block has been rather up and down, but most boats are finding some good catches when they can make it offshore. There has been quite a bit of bait on the grounds including mackerel, herring and sand eels, but fresh clams have been the most consistent bait for large cod. There have been a good amount of ling, ocean perch, pollock and haddock on the grounds, which has helped supplement the catch.

Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, told me that the state is in the midst of one of the best ice seasons in a few years, and anglers are taking advantage. On Wednesday, RI DEM reported safe ice at Olney Pond in Lincoln Woods Mishanicut Park, Stump Pond and many of the other small to moderate sized bodies of water across the state. Yellow perch fishing has been very good at Indian Lake in South Kingstown, as reported by Rob Taylor and Cesin Curi, who caught a ton of good sized fish this week. The upcoming warm spell may also have some of the holdover bass anglers out, and there should be some biting along the Providence River. Dave has plenty of shiners and mummies in stock, along with just about any type of gear you may need, and he will be open from 5 AM to 3 PM this weekend. He will also be open Monday thru Thursday from 5 AM to 1 PM and Friday from 6-6; you can contact him at 401-965-2248 for questions or updated winter hours.

Connecticut Fishing Forecast

There is still plenty of ice for anglers across both states, and we may have dodged a bullet, as the warm weather should stick around just long enough to clean off the snow, but not kill the ice. Options will be plentiful through the hardwater, and some open water options may open up with the rivers losing some ice and cleaning up the trout and holdover bass waters. The cod action will likely be strong this week as well, and I’m sure plenty of anglers will take advantage of the drastic warm-up.