Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook told me that most anglers have started to transition to freshwater fishing throughout the state or chasing striped bass in the tributaries. Saltwater anglers are looking to stiped bass in the tidal creeks and tributaries for the most consistent action. This action will hold up all winter, as long as we don’t enter a deep-freeze period. There are still a few nice-sized schools of bass moving through the Sound as well, but they’re predominately schoolies. Freshwater action has been good, with panfish in the coves, and largemouth bass in local ponds all producing, since we are once again mostly devoid of ice. Trout and salmon fishing has been the top freshwater draw, as improved flows and fall stockings have helped anglers find fish, regardless of where they reside in the state. The shop will be stocking up with a selection of freshwater tackle, stop by and check it out!
Heather from the Blackhawk in Niantic provided the following report: “We were finally able to get back out there, after another few days tied to the dock due to the weather. The bottom fishing trips are no longer seeing any tuna, but did have a good mix of sea bass, porgies, and some cod to fill in the coolers. This fishing has been consistent, whenever the weather has allowed us to get out there, so there’s still time to stock the freezer for the winter. We appreciate everyone who is shopping small and local this year and want to remind everyone to support your local small businesses when doing your holiday shopping this year. As always, new tickets for each week will be posted online on Monday night at 8 p.m. Grab your tickets online and come fill the freezer before the winter! We look forward to seeing everyone soon!”
Anthony from Game On Lures provided the following report for the week: “After some much needed rain the last few days, the winter bite seems to be picking up on all fronts. The holdover bite is finally starting to get hot, and the crowds have been showing it! As tempting as it is to just follow the fleet, your best shot at getting on some quality fish is straying away from the crowds and finding your own group of fish. The guys who have been braving the night missions have been getting rewarded with the most quality fish! Our 7-inch DuraTech jerkbait and the 10-inch Duratech eel on either the Unleaded head or Wideye jig have been getting most of the bigger bites recently. Our 5-inch paddletail has been producing some great numbers as well! On the freshwater side of things, it seems like that cold snap we had was short lived and all the lakes and ponds are wide open again. Jerkbaits, hair jigs, football jigs, paddletails and golden shiners have been the go-to baits for targeting bass and pike. Don’t be afraid to dead stick your bait while going for the bass, less is more this time of the year! Also, the local trout and salmon bite is finally hot again with some water moving through the rivers. Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season!”
Bobby J’s in Milford reports that striped bass has still been the main draw in town this week. The bass blitzes along the beaches have quieted down a bit, but they are still popping up on the nicer days. The rivers are hitting their early season peak and are starting to see quite a bit more fishing attention. The warmer/sunlit days are still helping to produce some topwater bites throughout the river, but most anglers are transitioning to tossing soft plastics. We’re not quite at the “low and slow” period of fishing plastics on jigs painfully slowly, but large soft plastics on jigheads are the go-to right now. December is typically the best month on the river. For those that prefer to hunt for freshwater species, the trout action has been picking up in local rivers thanks to recent rains and increased flows, and the CT DEEP should be firing up the broodstock Atlantic salmon stocking shortly.
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Tyler at Fishermen’s World in Norwalk reports that they’re still seeing a strong late run of stripers in local waters, but it is starting to wane compared to the last few weeks. Regular blitzes of school bass are still common enough to make it worth the look from Stratford to Norwalk, but most anglers are starting to focus their attention on the Housatonic, or other backwaters. The river has been heating up in a hurry as well thanks to the influx of winter resident stripers that stream in through November and December. Blitzes have been fairly common there as well and can fire up anywhere within the river system. Fishing after dark has been better for those looking to hook into something larger. Paddletail plastics threaded on leadheads have been the go-to for most, but some anglers are hooking up on darters and plastic swimmers in shallower spots. Fall/winter trout and salmon stocking has continued as well, with good results coming from the local TMAs, and things were starting to improve from the Saugatuck Reservoir this week. The influx of rain this week will slow down the trout streams and the reservoir for a day or two but will ultimately help bring some much-needed water into the system!
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
Saltwater anglers across Connecticut are still looking to striped bass to scratch the itch to bend a rod, both across some of the beaches and in the tidal rivers. The widespread blitzes across the western part of the state have mostly slowed down, but the beaches are still holding some large schools of fish from time to time. The fish are mainly small, but the schools are large, and the blitzes big. The increased activity this week has come from the tidal rivers, especially the ones that support a large holdover population. Some of the river spots are hosting decent topwater action by day, and solid fishing with soft plastics after dark. The recent heavy rains will dirty things up for a few days, but will ultimately help, as most of the rivers were still low. With a nice push of warmer weather forecasted for next week, we should see an uptick of action in these areas.
Freshwater anglers likely lost any skim ice that was in their way on the lakes and ponds, so they can continue to work the open water panfish, bass and pike bite until we get some legitimate ice. The streams and rivers are producing nicely also, with good trout numbers across the state, and broodstock Atlantic salmon stocking right around the corner.