Ice fishermen had their prayers answered, with a tremendous amount of ice all over the region. The snow is going to slow things down, but certainly won’t put an end to the ice fishing any time soon.
Connecticut Fishing Report
Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, told me that he had a tremendously busy 1st weekend of ice, with tons of people buying up gear and bait. The cold snap has put a nice base of ice on just about all of the states’ bodies of water, and fishermen are reporting good bass, pike and panfish reports from all over. Andrew will continue to have plenty of bait and gear in stock, along with 2018 licenses. He will be open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday throughout the winter season.
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 some anglers continued to brave the cold and are reporting some good fishing from the upper Housatonic. A bit of a warm up next week should relieve the river of ice, and there will be some anglers out there getting after it. Striped bass to 20-pounds remain plentiful for anglers fishing after dark, and a few salmon have also been in the mix around the Naugatuck. The herring bite has been slow overall, but anglers braving the cold are still finding some in the harbor.
Torrey, at Upcountry Sportfishing in New Hartford, reports that most of the river remains frozen, with the only fishable exception being the upper 2 miles of water in Riverton; from above the Still River and up to the Goodwin/Hogsback Dam. If you can handle the cold temps, this stretch always remains open, and can produce some fish. Expect to fish subsurface with nymphs and slowly/deeply fished streamers. On warmer days, don’t rule out fish rising to Midges or Winter Caddis. As mentioned last week, Torrey provided some tips for success during the cold winter months. Avoid the morning and fish during the late-morning to the early afternoon, which is generally the warmest time of day and sees the most activity. It might sound obvious, but sunny days also tend to be better as the surface temps will rise. Try to use a fixed run of line or an ice-off paste to minimize the amount of ice on your guides. Trout tend to congregate as they seek refuge from the cold; if you bounce around until you locate a fish, there is a good chance other fish will be close-by. Expect to fish subsurface, expect your hits to be subtle and don’t expect action all day long; there is usually a pronounced “bite window” this time of year and that is when you will do most of your damage.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
Captain Matt, of The Frances Fleet in Narragansett reported a solid day on Wednesday, during the calm before the storm. Fish were coming over the rail left and right in the morning, and after a little hunting, Matt was able to find a good afternoon bite as well. High hooks went home with 8 keepers, while most anglers managed 3-5 fish. The biggest fish of the day was around 20-pounds, and quite a few others were in the upper teens. Similar results were had over the weekend and the fishing remains very steady most days. The fleet will be tied up the next few days waiting out the winter storm, but the weather seems to be taking a turn for the better after Saturday, and through next week.
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 ice fishing bug hit Rhode Island, as most bodies of water have some safe, fishable ice. Stump pond is putting up nice numbers of big perch, bass and some pike for those with larger baits. Lincoln Woods is putting up good numbers of bass, trout and pickerel. Reports from Carbuncle Pond have also been strong, with one angler reporting over 100 fish iced this past weekend; big bass and perch were plentiful and some nice trout were in the mix as well. Most of the small bass ponds in the state have 6+ inches of ice, and most are reportedly fishing very well. Dave has plenty of shiners and mummies in stock, and will be open from 5 AM to 3 PM this weekend. He will also be open every day throughout the winter with varying hours; you can contact him at 401-965-2248 for questions or updated winter hours. Interest in school bass has obviously been limited with all the ice, but a slight warming trend next week may open up a few of those options.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
In a not surprising turn of circumstances, we have a great base of ice on most bodies of water, but that will now be blanketed with a good deal of snow. This will make things a bit more difficult, but certainly won’t limit the ice fishing options much. Safe ice can be found all over both states, which helps spread out the crowds; and while it is supposed to warm up a bit next week, this ice isn’t going anywhere. A slight warmup can help with the cod and holdover striped bass fishing though, as both species are still biting well whenever the weather has allowed a trip.