Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt, at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook told me that he’s finding a lot of holdover action as the calendar turns to April. On his most recent trip, he landed 4 school bass on weightless Fin-S Fish, and he’s heard of a good number of bigger holdovers getting active over the past few days. The herring runs are just starting to become a factor, and they will most certainly increase in activity in the coming days/weeks. The freshwater action has also been steady, with the sunny days giving up the best fish, but a steady pick on most days. Slow pitched jigs, jerkbaits, keitech paddletails have been the top producers for largemouth bass. The trout fishing has been excellent for fly and spin anglers, with blue-winged olive flies being a notable top producer for the fly-fishermen.
Heather from the Black Hawk in Niantic hopes everyone had a happy and healthy Easter holiday. They can’t wait to fish with all the great people they met this season! The boat will be back in Niantic soon and they will start fishing as soon as they can. They are continuing to book charters for 2024, so if you’ve got a specific date in mind, be sure to contact them to get it on the calendar. They look forward to seeing everyone soon!
Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters said he and his crew were fired up to get their season started later this week. They have been preparing their boats for the last couple of months and ran sea trials last week and are set and ready to fish. Early season action focuses on light-tackle striper fishing and his clients can expect to catch fish using mostly 5- to 7-inch Fin-S fish. Captain Mike and his team are looking forward to another great year and dates around prime tides are already booking fast. Give him a call today to book your spot.
Captain Chris of Elser Guide Service is gearing up for another strong saltwater season, but in the meantime, he’s been cashing in on some great freshwater action. He got out with his grandson again on Saturday and had a blast fishing a tiny wild brook trout stream using stone fly nymphs in the deeper pocket water. Lots of fun! They’ve also had some fun with school-size striped bass up to about 26 inches in the rivers using the Game on Lures 5-inch Duratech Paddletail, with the pearl white color being the ticket. It won’t be long until we can start fishing surface plastics to larger fish and by next week it looks like spring will FINALLY arrive!
Max, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk reported solid local fishing, which should only improve as we work our way through April. Fish are spread out throughout the area, with some nice bass being taken in the harbor and the Norwalk River. Many anglers are finding success dunking sandworms, but small soft plastics worked weightless and slowly, or on jigheads have also been getting the job done. The bulk of these bass are schoolie-class, but there are some fish to 35-inches, with shoulders, in the mix. To no one’s surprise, the Housatonic reports are improving as well, and will only continue to do-so as we warm-up. Fly anglers are finding some decent action around the mouth of the river, while plug-chukers are starting to chase bigger fish in the herring runs up north. The blackfish season has just opened up, and early reports are about as positive as you can expect, considering the weather conditions. A good deal of freshwater anglers are reporting excellent trout fishing. The Mianus, Mill, Norwalk and Saugatuck Rivers have all been producing quality catches. Traditional baits like Rapalas, Rooster Tails, small spoons, shiners, and worms are all taking their share of fish and the shop is loaded up with trout tackle.
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Connecticut Fishing Forecast
In what might sound like a broken record, for those of you that remember records, the cold rain and some cooler nights have kept the water temperatures down, after what was a warm spring. Despite another week of below-average temperatures, and a poorly timed Nor’easter, the spring-time activity is right on schedule across Connecticut. There were scattered reports of migratory stripers, covered in sea lice, on Connecticut’s western shorelines and along Long Island’s north shore. Meanwhile, holdover striped bass activity levels have increased, despite the cooling surface temperatures, as more and more river herring enter the river systems each day. The big rivers have had a lot of flooding to deal with, but it doesn’t seem to defer the anadromous fish, and I think we’ll start hearing of some American shad catches before I write my next report. Early indications from the few anglers who have taken advantage of the tautog opener are strong, so for those considering cashing in on that early spring season, it seems worthwhile. The rivers will be swollen for a few more days (déjà vu), but the trout fishing has been excellent when the weather allows, and is a great freshwater option for the anglers looking to wet a line before opening day hits and everything gets busier.