This week has been sluggish for much of the Northeast, but Connecticut anglers received steady action across the board. Anglers traveling to northern Connecticut to fish for freshwater bass through ice saw tons of success, according to Shawn from Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook. As temperatures continue to fluctuate, the ice fishing will have to hold off in the southern portion of the state.
Last week though, Shawn at Black Hall reported that some spots around the Long Island Sound were seeing stripers through the ice. Shawn says the Lieutenant River, Patchogue River and Black Hall River, along with many other river mouths along the coast, have been yielding stripers between 12 and 24-inches in length.
The team at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk also reports the upper Housatonic River producing stripers in deep pockets of slower moving current. Slug-go’s, Fin-S plastics and other paddletails will work well when fished on heavier lead jig heads along the bottom. If you’re interested in catching the bigger bass in the river (20+ inches), try targeting them at night and don’t hesitate to travel as far north as O’Sullivan’s Island.
Moving downriver, many creek mouths and rivers are beginning to see herring arrive in numbers. Throughout local harbors, these fish can be located relatively easily and are best fished for using sabiki rigs with a small weight.
For trout, the bite has been hot (metaphorically, of course). The Farmington River remains a popular spot for both local and out-of-state fly fishermen, with plenty of brown trout in the mix. Shawn at Black Hall also shared that the Hammonasset River has been a popular choice this past week with the freezing temperatures we had, as anglers search for moving water to provide more productive fishing in the frigid temperatures.
According to Shawn, the Connecticut Fish and Wildlife Department stocked about 40 super-size, brood stock brown trout of the Seeforellen strain into Highland Lake. The trout range in size from 10 to 16 pounds, and will continue to be stocked in a total of about 10 lakes. Each lake is receiving approximately 40 fish total. So far, the Seeforellen browns can be found in the following bodies of water:
- Cedar Lake (Chester)
- Crystal Lake (Ellington)
- West Hill Pond
- Highland Lake
Upon stocking at Highland Lake, there were 4 inches of ice present by the boat launch area- while this is technically deemed safe, please use extreme caution as ice thickness will vary around the lakes. For safer ice, travel north and try out the coves and bays of some bigger water, like Bantam Lake, Connecticut’s largest natural lake.
There are still 6 more lakes to stock as a part of this program, so follow Connecticut Fish and Wildlife on Facebook for future updates on these stockings. Keep in mind that in order to target and possess these giant trout, you’ll need a valid state fishing license and trout stamp; the turn of the new year is a very popular time to renew these.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
Striped bass fishing in the rivers will continue to improve through the end of March, when the bass begin to make their way out of the rivers and back out into the Long Island Sound. Until then, jigging soft plastics in deep current will be the key to success for stripers. The Seeforellen brown trout stocking will continue in at least 6 more lakes around the state, and they provide an opportunity for a trophy catch for many anglers. For added dramatic effect, wait another week or two for the next lakes to be stocked with the Seeforellen browns. In anticipation of more ice, targeting these brood stock browns through hardwater would make for one fantastic fishing story! As the ice (hopefully) continues to form, the freshwater bass bite in northern Connecticut should only further improve. With a few more cold days and colder nights, we’re looking at ice fishing season in full swing. Until then, trout streams and winter holdover stripers will keep things interesting as we approach the final week of January.