The ice is gone and seeing temperatures near 70 has everyone gearing up for spring. Trout fishing is gaining steam and the catches have been good; while holdover bass fishing should garner a lot of attention until the river herring and migratory fish show.
Connecticut Fishing Report
Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, has been steadily getting the shop geared for spring, and the recent spring-like temps are starting to get anglers excited for the upcoming months. With the river clear of ice, the March open water pike bite should be a good one this year. The fish will be moving into the shallow tributaries to spawn and can be found in good numbers from Hartford down to East Haddam or so. Dead baits on or near the bottom is always a top producer of big spring pike, but large bright jerkbaits, swimbaits and spinners will catch as well. The perch bite (both white and yellows) is just starting up in Hamburg cove, and really should be intensifying in the next few weeks. There is always a good shot for school bass down in and around Hamburg, and larger holdover bass are biting well in the Housatonic.
Chris, at Black Hall Outfitters in Old Lyme, is gearing up for their final show of the season, the Springfield Sportsmen’s Show that runs from Friday through Sunday. They will continue to have show special deals on kayaks, including a free Humminbird GPS fishfinder with any Predator or Trident fishing kayak purchase. As far as the fishing goes, the white perch bite is starting to get going in the lower river tributaries. Hamburg Cove, the Lieutenant River and the Black Hall River are starting to produce good catches, on small curly tail grubs on light jigheads.
Joe, at Rivers End in Old Saybrook, mentioned how strong the CT River is as an ice out fishery, and all that activity is starting to pick up. The river has cleaned up quite a bit since the rains, and some anglers are grabbing large baits and heading to the Haddam area in search of pike. As noted earlier, white perch fishing should be picking up very soon, and should be red hot through the month of March. There are a good number of school striped bass in the lower CT River tributaries, but they get tough to locate, as they seem to be moving quite a bit. The Housatonic is probably a safer bet for consistent action, especially as the days get longer and warmer.
At Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, Rich told me that March is typically a very good month in the Housatonic, even before the river herring show up. February has been pretty good down there, even with the cold weather early in the month, so there is no reason to believe that March won’t be even stronger. The nighttime bite is usually better in March, as the fish start to move upriver into shallower water, but you should still be able to locate some good schools during the daylight hours. Freshwater anglers also have a shot to hit all the trout stocked water that has opened up, as they will all be open until the end of the month. The TMA’s that remain open all year, should be flowing nicely and provide some good fishing right up to opening day.
Torrey, at Upcountry Sportfishing in New Hartford reports that despite all the snowmelt, the river continues to drop and fishing reports have been good. Nymphs continue to be the most consistent producer, but slowly and deeply fished streamers are also catching. If you look around for a while, you should be able to find some afternoon risers in certain bigger/wider/slower pools as the Midges hatch. Along with the Midges, anglers are starting to see some Tiny Winter Black Stoneflies in the afternoons. Early black and Early Brown Stones should also be getting more common with the warmer weather that is forecasted. The fishing has been good through a wide range and Torrey recommends fishing anywhere from the Satan’s Kingdom Bridge all the way up to the dam.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
The weather continued to make things a bit difficult for The Frances Fleet in Narragansett last week, but things started to trend in the right direction over the weekend, and the early part of this week. Saturday was a slow day, according to Captain Matt, but he was able to mark piles of fish on the grounds. The fish didn’t want to bite too much, but it was the biggest concentration of fish they have seen in weeks. Monday’s trip showed some signs of improvement, with a few more quality fish caught than on Saturday. With the weather trending in the right direction and some good numbers of fish on the grounds, things should steadily improve. The fleet will continue to attempt to sail daily, and per usual check the day before to confirm and make reservations.
Elisa, at Snug Harbor Marina, reports that things have been quiet on the cod front, but multiple boats have mentioned seeing better numbers of fish on the grounds, even if they aren’t biting very well. March is historically a good month for cod, and with the weather settling, hopes are that things are going to improve quite a bit. The ice fishing game in Rhode Island was one of the best in years, but it has now faded, and anglers are targeting open water pike and bass with shiners; while the local fly fishermen are heading to the TMA’s that will remain open until the end of February. In other news, the shop, along with many others in the state, will be gearing up for the RISAA show; that will be held from March 9th through the 11th.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, told me that with the ice gone across the state he has a number of anglers heading to the Providence River for holdover striped bass, and a few anglers are even heading to Connecticut for strong holdover action. Nearly all the lakes and ponds are devoid of even skim ice, so anglers are starting to dunk shiners for largemouth and pike across the state. The weather looks very good through the end of the month, and many trout anglers are taking advantage on the TMA’s. Hotspots such as the Blackstone and Wood Rivers are flowing nicely and will remain open through the end of the month.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
Seeing temperatures near 70 degrees has everyone gearing up for spring, but there is still some time (and probably a few cold snaps) ahead of us before things really blow open. In the interim, there will still be plenty of fishing opportunities to keep everyone busy. Trout fishing will be popular in both states, with most trout waters open until the end of the month in both states, and the CT TMA’s remaining open through opening day. Holdover bass fishing is picking up in the Providence River, and the Housatonic bite is lining up to be a good one through March. The CT River is a great post-ice fishery and the warm spell should have the pike, white perch and holdover bass biting well in the coming weeks.