Connecticut Fishing Report – April 5, 2018

Despite the cooler temps, spring fishing for largemouth, pike, perch and trout is very consistent; while the arrival of river herring has most patiently waiting for the spring striped bass bite to blow open.

Connecticut Fishing Report

Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, told me that the ospreys are back along the CT River, and there have been some herring spotted in most of the local runs. The river is flowing nicely and the spring run striped bass bite should blow open very soon. The pike woke up this week, with a number of quality fish being reported around the Haddam area. Big jerkbaits, soft plastics and spinners have been getting it done; along with the usual, large live and dead baits. Hamburg Cove is still producing good numbers of yellow perch, and there have been quite a few more whites in the mix as well. The TMA’s are all freshly stocked and fishing nicely for those that don’t want to wait until opening day. Andrew is now open 7 days a week and has everything you need to get ready for the spring season.

Mike Roy, of Reel Cast Charters, told me that the boat is ready to go and he is starting to get out on the water for the season. The holdover fishing has been very strong in most of the larger tidal rivers, and he is finding good catches of 25-35 inch fish on soft plastics. As more and more herring make their way upstream the bite will only get strong, and the larger fish should start to show. Mike is now booking for the spring run and through the early summer, so be sure to contact him for an excellent chance at light tackle striped bass.

Max, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, reports that the herring have finally started to show up in good numbers in the local runs, and the spring run is set to blow open. The Housatonic continues to hold a ton of fish, and those fishing after dark have found fish to 26-pounds on soft plastics this week. Trout anglers who don’t want to wait until opening day are still reporting strong catches on the Farmington. The Saugatuck River is also fishing nicely in the “fly and single hook” section. The shop has all your trout license needs, including stamps; as well as Saugatuck Res. Permits, that have been flying out of the shop recently.

Torrey, at Upcountry Sportfishing in New Hartford, told me that reports varied last weekend, but a good majority of them were very good. Church Pool is producing some nice fish on Winter Caddis and Midges, and anglers are also starting to see some Stoneflies and a few Blue Winged Olives. Nymphers continue to have the most success, both in terms of numbers and size. Water temps are steadily rising to the mid-40’s, which should help to increase the trout and bug activity. A good number of stockers are being caught, as many locations are recently stocked, but medium to large holdovers and wilds are still popping up consistently. Most trout are still holding in moderate speed water- they want some current, but generally not much current in the cold water. The exception to this is warm afternoons with good bug activity- this will often suck fish up into medium to medium-fast speed riffles & runs to feed subsurface on nymphs/larva/pupa.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

Captain Frank, of The Frances Fleet in Narragansett, didn’t have much to report this week, due to unfavorable conditions once again. He did say that things appear to be trending in the right direction for the weekend, and he still plans to add an offshore wreck trip to the schedule. There have been some good reports coming from the wrecks, so he plans to sail on Friday April 6th and return late on Saturday. Be sure to check with the office to confirm the sailing schedule for the offshore trip, and also to see when he plans to start sailing again in the inshore waters.

Mike, at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, is now open for business for the spring season, and he will be open on Monday thru Saturday from 10 AM to 6 PM. This week, Mike reports that there has been a good deal of activity off of the beaches recently with birds consistently working schools of bait. The migratory striped bass haven’t arrived yet, but they should be right around the corner. A few decent holdover reports have come in from Rhode Island, with better reports coming from the Connecticut estuaries.

Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, told me that a good deal of anglers are still taking to the freshwater, and finding good white perch catches in the Palmer River and Seekonk River. Largemouth bass are starting to bite very well, and pike have still been very active in most bodies of water where they are located. Carp anglers are reporting that the rivers are fishing better than the lakes, as the high flows have increased the activity levels, despite the cooler water. Dave also mentioned that a few anglers are finding holdover bass in the Providence River, with the better fish coming on fresh clams.

Connecticut Fishing Forecast

Mother Nature doesn’t want to release spring to us just yet, but we are getting there slowly but surely. River herring are starting to infiltrate the runs, and a few warm days should blow open the spring striped bass bite. In the meantime, there are still plenty of holdovers to play with in both states. Trout fishing is excellent in the TMA’s, and provides an opportunity to get out there before the opening day crowds. It seems the pike have woken up from their spawning slumber, with strong reports from most waters. Perch, bass and carp are rounding out the freshwater bite right now, and all should fish well as we wait for the spring run to really take off.