Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt, at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook has seen an uptick in spring tautog interest from local anglers. Most fish are still coming from some deeper reefs and rockpiles, but the last few days has seen some better action in the shallower spring haunts. School striped bass action has continued to improve in the tidal rivers, and the fish are spreading out. The best action remains around the mouth of the CT River, but you can now find fish all the way up north of Hartford, as well as in the Black Hall and Niantic Rivers. A few shad reports came in before the river got dirtied up, and with the levels dropping, there should be some better numbers caught this weekend. Freshwater anglers have still been focusing on trout, and good reports are coming from most of the stocked rivers and Cedar Lake.
Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown said that his customers continue to find strong trout fishing throughout the state. Black Pond, along with the Salmon and Coginchaug Rivers have been steady producers, with fish taking spinners, Rapalas, worms, and small shiners. The Connecticut River has been blown out for the past few days, but it is finally settling down and cleaning up. Prior to the flood, the pike and catfish bites were strong, and as the river continues to drop, we should see our first local shad reports any day now. Anglers dunking sandworms around the mouth of the river were scoring school bass before the flood, and like the shad, we should start seeing better schoolie action throughout the river as the water cleans up. Spring tautog reports haven’t been lock and load, but most anglers are seeing a steady improvement, and there’s still a few weeks left! Andrew is once again open full time and is fully stocked for your spring needs.
Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters has started his spring season and has seen a nice uptick in school striped bass action this week, as the water temperatures finally start to rise. Big numbers of school bass have been common, and most trips are seeing plenty of slot fish in the mix as well. Fin-S fish and Sluggos have been the top producers, but as the water continues to warm, he expects to see increased action on topwater and large swimming plugs.
Fisherman’s World in Norwalk reports that most of the local fishing remains focused on either trout or striped bass. The local trout rivers have been well-stocked and are producing on bait, rooster tails, and small jigs. Most of the local hotspots have been producing, with solid reports from the Saugatuck, Mill, and Rippowam Rivers. The holdover striped bass fishing improved in the Housatonic with the warmer temperatures this week, and the river herring are starting to push up towards the dam. Fish in the mid-teens to 20-pounds are becoming more common and are starting to hit larger herring imitator plugs.
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Connecticut Fishing Forecast
While the milder temperatures may not last through the whole weekend, it has provided increased water temperatures and some better local fishing. In Rhode Island, we have made it past opening day of trout season and results have remained strong across the state. In the salt, the spring tautog fishing is slowly but steadily improving each week, and while we haven’t seen fresh striped bass yet, there is plenty of holdover action in the estuaries and salt ponds. Connecticut anglers can continue to take advantage of strong striper action in the larger tidal rivers, as the recent influx of herring has caught the attention of the larger holdovers. Shad enthusiasts should find some of their first catches of the season this weekend in the CT River, while trout anglers can continue to take advantage of the improving flows across the state.
Been enjoying your fishing reports for CT. Thanks