Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook told me told me that the blackfish season closed out rather quietly, due to some nasty weather and the Thanksgiving holiday. With blackfish off the menu, saltwater anglers are looking to stiped bass in the tidal creeks and tributaries for the most consistent action. There are still some nice-sized schools of bass moving through the Sound as well, but they’re predominantly schoolies. Freshwater action has been good; panfish in the coves, trout in local rivers, and largemouth bass in local ponds have all been productive. The shop will be stocking up with a selection of freshwater tackle, so 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 what seemed like an eternity tied to the dock due to the weather. Since we’ve been getting bluefin on the bottom fishing trips with just a quick stop at the tuna grounds, we wanted to try a little longer, so we did a last minute tuna trip on Tuesday. We were able to get two nice tuna, one of which was just under 70 pounds—a great day for our anglers, and a first time for many of them! Wednesday’s bottom fishing trip didn’t have any tuna, but did have a good mix of sea bass, porgies, and some cod to fill in the coolers. Just in time for Thanksgiving! After the holiday, we were able to get out Friday and Saturday, with a good showing of cod, along with sea bass and scup. Saturday’s trip was hampered by the wind, so the catching wasn’t quite what we’ve been experiencing. We lost Sunday’s trip due to the weather but we are looking forward to some beautiful days to come! Thanks to all who participated in our Small Business Saturday gift certificate promotion, we appreciate everyone who is shopping small and local 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!”
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Anthony from Game On Lures provided the following report for the week: “The season is basically a wrap in the Sound with temperatures dropping so quickly. Most anglers have been filling their time by targeting holdover striped bass or switching over to the trout/salmon program. Anglers targeting the holdovers are having the best luck with plastics on a jighead at lowlight hours/nighttime. The 10-inch Duratech Eel on our 1-ounce WideEye jighead head has been the ticket to getting some larger bass to commit during the night shift. Our tough Duratech material is ideal for the cold temps so you can spend less time swapping out baits and keep those gloves on! I spent some time down in Northern Jersey recently and it seems 90% of the striped bass on the east coast are down there. Unbelievable amount of bait, birds and fish stretching from Monmouth Beach to Brigantine Beach. Seems like sandeels and peanut bunker were the primary forage down there, so the 1.5-ounce EXO Jig came in handy!”
Bobby J’s in Milford reports that it was all about striped bass in central and western CT. There have been increased numbers of bass along the local beaches this week, setting up a ‘better-late-than-never’ fall run scenario; blitzes have been fairly common over the past 7 to 10 days. Then, of course, anglers have the Housatonic starting to enter its late fall/winter pattern. It seems like the river has been hitting its stride at the same time with some topwater daytime action and bigger fish coming after dark for the guys tossing big plastics. 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.
Tyler, at Fishermen’s World in Norwalk reports that they’re seeing a strong late run of stripers in local waters. From Stratford to Norwalk, the beaches have been seeing regular blitzes with lots of action for surfcasters throwing topwaters, paddletails and bucktails. They are also seeing good striper action in the backwaters, with Norwalk Harbor being especially good. And as is usually the case, the Housatonic has been heating up in a hurry as well thanks to the influx of winter resident stripers that stream into the river 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 some larger bass. Paddletails on jigheads have been the go-to for most, but some anglers are hooking up on darters and plastic swimmers in shallower spots. The diamond jig bite out at 11B and 28C has been very slow this fall; hopefully, it will pick up with the latest influx of fish. Fall/winter trout and salmon stocking has continued as well, with good results coming from the local TMAs.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
Despite the tautog season ending in Connecticut, saltwater anglers have been able to keep busy with solid striped bass fishing. There has been some excellent late fall run fishing along the coast, especially in the Western Sound. The fish are mainly small, but the schools are large, and the blitzes big. There has also been increased action in the rivers, harbors and tributaries, especially the ones that support large holdover populations. River spots are hosting some decent topwater action by day, and solid fishing with soft plastics after dark. With a nice push of warmer weather forecasted for next week, we should see an uptick of action in these areas.
Freshwater anglers may have some skim ice to deal with on the lakes and ponds, with fingers crossed that we have a better ice fishing season than the last few years. The streams and rivers are producing nicely though, with good trout numbers across the state, and broodstock Atlantic salmon stocking right around the corner.