Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt, at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook told me that he spent some time this week working some of the remaining green vegetation in the inland stretches of the CT River. He managed some nice catches of crappie, perch, and largemouth on slow trolled Kastmasters, inline spinners, small paddletails, and hair jigs. He hasn’t spent much time targeting striped bass, but holdover reports are very good in the Housatonic, and also decent for anglers working light jigs in smaller eastern CT tributaries. Winter trout fishing has also gotten going nicely, with good reports from across the state, especially in the Salmon and Farmington River trout management areas (TMAs).
Heather from Black Hawk Sportfishing reports that when they got out this week, the fishing was excellent. They’ve had some great groups of anglers who ended up with full coolers of jumbo sea bass, porgies, and some nice cod. Their trips will continue to be completely based on the weather, and they will be sailing as much as they possibly can. Be sure to check their website for schedules and tickets. New trips will be posting every Monday night at 8 PM for trips approximately 3 weeks out.
Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters reported that they have wrapped up their season, but they were still finding plenty of striped bass that were eager to chew in the lower CT river last week. Anglers looking to get out for some light tackle striped bass action should find no shortage of fish. Mike wanted to thank all of his customers for another great season and wish everyone Happy Holidays!
Daniel’s Bait, Tackle and Charters in New London reports:
“We are enjoying the end of tog season, with several noteworthy fish taken before the end of regulation in increasingly deeper waters. The striper run has concluded with many of the recent catches happening to be stragglers finding their way up and down the rivers, chasing trapped or separated bait fish schools. Schoolie to slot sizes stripers are being taken on top water lures thrown into cover where they are looking to ambush prey. As water temperatures continue to drop, anglers will find success tracking the over-winter bass in Norwich harbor, where bass will strike soft plastic paddletails presented slowly on bottom.”
Fisherman’s World in Norwalk reports that most of the local anglers are now making their way to the Housatonic for holdover stripers or to the Saugatuck Reservoir for some great freshwater fishing. The Housatonic has been putting out good numbers of bass from schoolies to 20-pound class fish, with most of the larger fish showing up after dark. Anglers fishing during the day are finding plenty of school class fish on slowly fished paddletails. Some stellar fishing is taking place at the Reservoir, with plenty of smallmouth, trout, and walleye coming on bait and artificials. We’ll see what happens after the storm, but the water has been low, so getting around the reservoir has been quite easy. Flows have been good in the local trout streams, and hopefully won’t be too adversely affected by the rain, as the trout fishing has been solid.
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Connecticut Fishing Forecast
Connecticut anglers can continue to take advantage of an abundance of striped bass. The Connecticut holdover bite has been a steady producer for years, and this year seems to be no different. The hot bed of the Housatonic is just that, with good reports from both shore and boat anglers. If you’re not looking to head to the Housatonic, there has been some good schoolie action in the lower CT River, Thames River, and most of the small Eastern Sound estuaries. 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 smallmouth, largemouth and crappie. The upcoming rain should keep things open for at least a few more days, but hardwater enthusiasts should probably start getting their gear together, as it’s looking cold by Christmas.