Connecticut Fishing Report- December 1, 2022

Connecticut Fishing Report

Matt, at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook told me that things have been quieter this week due to the tog season closing, and some blustery weather of late. Bottom fishermen have looked to Rhode Island to continue to find some tautog action or looked to the deep water off Connecticut for some solid sea bass fishing. There are also still plenty of striped bass around; so despite some cool temperatures, this is a great time to find school bass both out front around the river mouths, or up the tidal rivers staging up for the winter holdover.  

Heather from Black Hawk Sportfishing reports that the weather, along with the Thanksgiving Holiday shortened their week a bit, but they found some great fishing on the days that they made it out. The blackfish season finished strong, but has now closed, so they will be focusing on bottom fishing for mainly cod and sea bass, whenever the weather allows them to get out on the grounds. The cod numbers have really started to increase of late, so hopefully that continues. Limits of big sea bass are still common, and there are a few nice scup still in the mix. New trips will be posted on their website on Monday nights, so be sure to lock in a date as soon as possible! 

Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters reported that things remained tough this past week due to the wind, but they found plenty of stripers on the lower CT River when they made it out there. The lower CT River is still holding a good mass of school bass, along with a few over-slot fish in the mix. Captain Mike is wrapping up another strong season, but Captain Jon will still be running some river trips through December, so contact Mike for some late season bass action! 

Tyler, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk reports that things have started to wind down a bit out front, but there are still fish to be caught for those that are trying. Striped bass can still be found by diamond jigging the deeper structure around 28C, 11B and the OB, and there remains a couple of nice bluefish in the mix. There are still mackerel being caught throughout the Western Sound at times, and they are providing a great live-lined bait option. There are still a good deal of bass along the local beaches for anglers chucking plugs, but the Housatonic is becoming the main draw for striped bass in the area. Anglers fishing from the shore are finding some nice fish around the mouth, while boat anglers are finding fish up and down the river. There are still some sea bass around as well, for anglers fishing the deeper reefs like 28C and Bud’s. The Saugatuck Reservoir remains the best bet for freshwater anglers in the region, and it seems to have improved this week, with the rapidly dropping water temperatures. Smallmouth remain very active at the Reservoir, while the trout reports seem to have improved quite a bit for anglers dunking shiners under slip bobbers.  

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Connecticut Fishing Forecast

Connecticut anglers can continue to take advantage of an abundance of striped bass. Some bigger bass are still showing up on the Western Sound reefs, while the tidal rivers are loading up with holdover fish of mixed sizes. There is also no shortage of schoolies along the beaches, so light tackle striped bass opportunities are abundant. The tautog season has ended in CT, so bottom fishermen are looking to Rhode Island for tautog action or hitting the deeper structure across the sound for big sea bass. Freshwater anglers are still taking the advantage of the Atlantic Salmon in the Shetucket and Naugatuck Rivers, along with some recent fall trout stocking. Anglers fishing many of the state’s lakes and ponds are finding a strong pre-ice bite for both smallmouth and largemouth bass.