Shoddy weather and brief cold snaps are keeping skim ice on some ponds, but there is open water around southern Connecticut. Warmer temperatures are coming; the past week’s rain and sleet did well for trout rivers along with the remaining snowmelt.
Spring fishing season is about to pick up, and there are a handful of options for anglers with early season jitters. Largemouth bass, white perch, black crappie, yellow perch, chain pickerel and pike will all become active over the next couple of weeks. Pickerel are going to begin to spawn out, and will feed aggressively upon releasing their eggs or successfully spawning. This pickerel bite coincides with the beginning of the largemouth bass prespawn bite. Things are heating up across the board, and there are fish to be caught.
Matt Stone of Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook reported that trout stocking has continued in places like the Farmington River. Skim ice has formed on some of the lakes and ponds making the rivers a popular destination this time of year. Matt says if you can locate open water, you may find some early season action fishing for yellow and perch and crappie. He is fishing for pike this weekend and is hoping to catch them feeding agressively in prespawn stages. If you plan on targeting northern pike, Matt recommends Rapala X-Raps and Husky Jerks, or spinnerbaits (especially in stained water). For largemouth bass, jerk baits are also a great tool, along with hair jigs worked low and slow or beneath a float.
Tyler at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk reported some customers catching stripers on the Housatonic River. Some anglers were using swimming plugs and Shimano jerk baits, but quantity comes from jigging soft plastics slowly on bottom. Tyler said: “We are loaded up on jigs and soft plastics like Lunker City Slug-gos, No Live Bait Needed paddle tails and more. Quality fish have been coming at night, and quantity during the day.” Tyler mentioned that trout season is not closing, so they’re ready for trout fishermen at Fisherman’s World, as well. He said the DEP stocked Mill River, the fly section of the Saugatuck River with much of the eastern portion of the state stockings underway. The stocked fish are eating everything from nightcrawlers and mealworms to PowerBait and Rooster Tail spinners.
Billy from The Sportsman’s Den in Greenwich is still selling ice fishing bait despite the open water around Greenwich. They’ve had customers coming in for shiners and worms before heading north where some safe ice is still holding. Use extra caution when surveying the ice’s safety this time of year. With stocking trucks coming around over the next week or so, customers of Sportsman’s Den are filling their tackle boxes with spinners, spoons and trout magnet in anticipation of good fishing. Billy also had customers in the shop this week catching white perch around Bruce Park.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
Trout season will remain open, which means the bite will get better as the state continues to stock the remaining waters. As skim ice clears over the coming week or two, prepare your waders and lightweight spinning setups for some great freshwater shoreline fishing opportunities. Looks for areas with weed beds or rocky structure. Weeds will provide cover, and often times, a pickerel is lingering in the pre- or post-spawn stages. Rocky areas will hold warmth after sunny days, which will attract small baitfish and bigger game like largemouth bass to feed on them. Trout can be found along shorelines with drop-offs or ledges with significant depth change, especially during the spring when water temperatures can drastically differ. White perch can be found in most muddy, tidal areas especially where there’s slow moving current; they’ll provide some consistently exciting action on light tackle before stripers become more active- and they taste great!