Above: Three Belles Outfitters reported that holdover stripers are hitting in the tidal rivers, and while most of the fish are schoolies, some bigger bass are mixed in.
Connecticut & Rhode Island Fishing Report – 1/9/2020 Update: Cold this week, warm this weekend – the up-and-down winter weather continues to frustrate anglers hoping for accessible ice. While there is some localized safe is in NW Connecticut, Saturday’s weather will put an end to that. More fishermen are heading to Northern New England to find safe ice for trout, pike, and bass.
Big seas have limited trips to the cod grounds, but when Captain Mike of the Frances Fleet in Narragansett got out on Monday, he found a good showing of cod with as many keepers as shorts and the biggest fish in the low teens. There were plenty of monster cunners in the mix as well.
CJ Adams of Black Hawk Sportfishing reported live from the boat on January 7 that while the day started out promising for cod fishing it ended up being a grind. Keepers were caught, and they will continue to sail when the weather allows. As always, check out their website or Facebook page for details and reports!
Josh at Three Belles Outfitters in Niantic reported that schoolie striper fishing in the tidal rivers has been pretty good, with some fishermen finding success on jigs and others doing better on Alabama rigs. Fishermen using larger artificials after dark are connecting with occasional fish over 20 pounds. Freshwater anglers across southern CT are taking advantage of the ample open water opportunities. Northern pike and panfish action has been excellent.
Our friends at Black Hall Outfitters are packing up for the 2020 Hartford Boat Show at Mohegan Sun, which starts next Thursday, January 16, where they’ll have some great offers on all Old Town and Ocean Kayaks.
Have you been fishing? Share your report in the comments below.
Connecticut & Rhode Island Fishing Report – 1/2/2020 Update: Happy New Year! Not much has changed in the Rhode Island fishing report this week. Warm days have provided some open-water options, like cod fishing aboard the Frances Fleet. On Sunday, Captain Rich of the Frances Fleet in Narragansett reported a mixed day on the cod grounds. They started out on some new ground and it was dead, then took a ride, set the boat on a drift and started picking. High hook boxed 6 keeper cod to 12 pounds, and a few others had 3-4 each. Stay tuned for the next weather window.
December 26, 2019 Connecticut & Rhode Island Fishing Report
Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown told me that cold snap got some guys out on the ice and the recent warm-up hasn’t completely killed it just yet. The northwest corner of the state has enough ice to keep most anglers comfortable, while the rest of the state is holding enough to get out there for another day or two. The upcoming forecast isn’t promising for making ice, but it should be good for the holdover bass fishing. The bass are stacked up in the tidal rivers and the warmer/sunnier days just make them bite even more than normal. The Salmon and Farmington River TMA’s are flowing nicely, and the fishing results have started to pick up once again.
Josh, at Three Belles Outfitters in Niantic, claims the holdover bass bite remains the best game in town. The shop is fully stocked on Albie Snax, which can be presented on a jighead just like a Zoom Fluke or Fin-s Fish and will hold up to more bites. A few local white perch reports trickled in this week from select backwaters. Small panfish jigs fished slowly near the bottom are your best bet. In freshwater, yellow perch, crappie and chain pickerel are fired up in anticipation of more ice forming. Small jigs, paddletail swimbaits, and hair jigs are producing. Both largemouth and smallmouth are sporadically active, as their bite windows and strike zones continue to shrink with the colder temps. If you can time your freshwater bass trips within a consistent string of weather, you should find biters. Come visit TBO at the Hartford Boat Show at Mohegan Sun, Jan. 16-19 2020. Their fishing team will be on hand to discuss all things kayaks and kayak fishing!
Black Hall Outfitters reports that the holdover striped bass fishing remains the best show in town, and he anticipates even better action with next weeks warmer/sunnier days. The best action remains on jig/soft plastics combos along with slowly worked crankbaits. The warmer days are also still producing some solid trout action in the TMA’s! The shop will be holding a sale right up through New Years Eve, with 20% off everything, so be sure to check it out!
Heather from, Black Hawk Sportfishing told me that the weather has made things difficult of late, but when they have got out there, they are finding some nice fish. There is still a nice pile of cod to 18 pounds, along with sea bass, pollock and ling. They will continue to sail when the weather allows and the forecast for Christmas week looks encouraging. As always, check out their website or Facebook page for details and reports!
Max, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, reports that the Housatonic remains the best show in town, with steady holdover action up and down the river. Reports have been good from the mouth of the river up to the usual winter hangouts, with the best bet at a larger fish still being after the lights go down. Herring reports have been very sporadic, but there have been a few showing up here and there.
Upcountry Sportfishing reports that the action remains steady in the Farmington despite the increased flow from the rain/snow melt. The colder temps of the last two days have resulted in some better winter caddis and midge hatches, with the caddis more prevalent in the mornings and the other bugs showing up in the afternoons. The afternoons have been more productive recently, especially on the sunnier days, with the best action coming on subsurface nymphs and streamers. The best nymphs have been Junk Flies, Stones, Caddis Larva and Midges; while all types/color of streamers have produced at one time or another if they are fished deep and slow. Colder water typically means slower retrieves/swinging presentations, but be sure to experiment with multiple retrieves, as we haven’t gotten to full winter patterns just yet.
Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain for Connecticut.