Connecticut Fishing Report – February 8, 2018

Rhode Island ice is hanging on for dear life, while Connecticut’s lakes are in much better shape. Open water options are slowly increasing, as the rivers continue to open and warm up.

Connecticut Fishing Report

Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, told me that there is still plenty of fishable ice in CT, and he has been busy selling bait and gear all week. Candlewood Lake is still holding ice in most spots, and the fishing has been very strong according to most. Bantam Lake is producing some decent numbers of mainly small pike on the southern end; while anglers are reporting good bass and pike catches at Winchester. The walleye bite has slowed a bit, but the sharpies are still finding some good fish on most of the state’s walleye lakes. The Housatonic River bite is slowly starting to improve as the days are getting longer, with more reports coming in each day. Andrew is also still selling a good amount of cod gear, and it seems that most trips have been successful whenever the weather has allowed.

The Valley angler in Danbury continues to report quality fishing on Candlewood, as their tournament approaches. There have been some excellent smallmouth and perch reports over the past few days, with enough trout mixed in to make things interesting. Guys who have been putting in full days have been seeing double digit numbers of smallmouth with relative ease. There have also been some good largemouth reports from the big lake, and from some of the smaller ponds in the area, including a 6-pounder weighed in this week by a regular customer. This Saturday, the shop will be holding its annual Jig N Pig tournament, and you can still sign up at the shop or by calling in with a credit card.

At Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, Ashley reports that the Housatonic continues to steadily improve, with a nice mix of schoolies and small-keeper fish during the daylight hours. The recent moon tides seem to have helped the bite, with some nice upper 20-pound class fish caught both during the day and after dark. There is still plenty of fishable ice in the northern stretches of the state, and closer to home Candlewood is fishing very nicely. Trout fishing has picked up quite a bit after the warm-up and rain, with most of the fish holding in the deeper pools.

Torrey, at Upcountry Sportfishing in New Hartford, reports that there were some strong catches over the weekend, and the 10 day forecast lends itself well to some good trout fishing. Total flow has gone up a bit after the weather yesterday, but it is still at a medium level and relatively clean. The Winter Caddis hatch has been decent in the mornings, but other than that, the best bite has been late morning through late afternoon. Nymphs continue to be the most consistent producers with patterns ranging from small (#22) to relatively large (#8). Streamers are also working pretty well, but remember to fish both streamers and nymphs slow and deep. Expect strikes to be subtle, but they will steadily increase in intensity as the water warms and trout activity pick up.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

The weather made things tough for The Frances Fleet in Narragansett this week, with some tough winds and freezing spray from last weekend through the early part of the week. As I’m writing this, the fleet is back out there, and the weather appears to be settling quite a bit for the weekend. The fishing was certainly on the upswing prior to the latest blow, and there’s no reason to believe it won’t be strong this weekend. Be sure to check ahead with the office to confirm the schedule and reserve a trip, but the fleet does anticipate sailing the next few days.

Captain Chris, of The Island Current at Snug Harbor, was able to get out on super bowl Sunday and reported a very strong day on the cod grounds. The ride out was a rough one, but once they anchored up on the grounds they managed a full boat limit of cod in pretty short time. There were some BIG numbers of keeper fish coming over the rails, and the pool fish weighed in at a hefty 21-pounds. Tuesday and Wednesday’s trips weren’t quite as successful, as the fish weren’t as eager to chew, but there were still plenty of them out there. A couple of quality fish came over the rails on both trips, and with a good weekend forecast ahead, the bite should intensify once again. You can call the office to check the schedule/book a trip, or reserve a spot online.

Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, told me that once again the weekend rain hurt much of the remaining ice in Rhode Island. There is still some safe ice in the northern stretches of the state, but you may need a little ingenuity to get past the edges. Supposedly there is still 5-6 inches of ice at a few locations such as; Lincoln Woods, Wilsons and Bowdish. It has been cold enough at night where you should be able to get out there Saturday, but depending on how much rain we get Saturday, it may be in rough shape after that. Anglers have started to migrate back to open water fishing, with some decent school striped bass catches in the Providence River. Cod reports have been up and down, but generally it has been pretty good when the weather is decent.

Connecticut Fishing Forecast

I’m sure a lot of anglers are ready for more spring-like weather to push its way in, but winter is not over quite yet. Anglers in Rhode Island are starting to lose ice at a pretty good clip, but there is still some fishable ice if you travel a bit and can make it past the edges. The ice in Connecticut has held up much better, and great reports are coming from all over the state. Candlewood Lake is putting up some very nice fish just in time for the annual Jig n Pig tournament this weekend. The longer days and warmer weather have helped out with the winter trout bite, and the cod bite remains a steady fall back option for those wanting to wet a line.