Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt Stone at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook mentioned that blackfish season closed with a flurry of good catches from local waters. But with the closure of blackfish season and the recent shutdown of sea bass season that preceded it, there’s a rapid shift underway as locals pull their boats with some hanging up their rods for the winter, while others turn their attention to different species. Striped bass remain a popular target; they can still be caught on the beaches and up inside the river. Boaters may still find some bass glued to structure in the Sound, but many are skipping the open water search and heading for the Housatonic, where the bite has been very good. Of course, there are a lot of anglers who have switched to freshwater fishing, too. Local ponds are yielding good pickerel and largemouth bass for the jerkbait crowd. Additionally, the state recently stocked Amos Lake in Preston and Coventry Lake in Coventry with lake trout, and Black Pond in Meriden and Crystal Lake in Ellington with Seeforellen brown trout, which has already created a buzz at the shop.
Heather from the Black Hawk in Niantic provided the following report: “We hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for, including our wonderful customers and friends who make up the Black Hawk family. As for the fishing, we were able to get out early in the week before being tied to the dock for a bit during the holiday week. Monday and Tuesday were good trips for sea bass, with a boat limit each day. Despite having to work around the weather, we also had some keeper blackfish both days, along with plenty of ling, bergalls and some cod that were released unharmed. A reminder that trips this time of year are very weather dependent, so you want to get your tickets ahead of time so we can contact you in case of any weather-related concerns. We are hoping to get out there a few more times before the party boat/charter season ends on the 31st. Thanks to all who participated in our “Small Business Saturday” sale. We look forward to fishing with you!”
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Anthony Charnetski from Game On Lures provided the following report: “The season is basically a wrap in the Sound with temperatures dropping so quickly. Most anglers have been spending their time 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 during low-light hours or nighttime. The 10-inch Duratech Eel on our 1-ounce WideEye jighead has been the deal for 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 tattered baits and keep those gloves on! I spent some time down in northern New Jersey recently and it seems like 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. Seems like sand eels and peanut bunker were the primary forage down there, so the 1.5-ounce EXO Jig came in handy!”
Max at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk said tautog season ended on a high note, despite mixed weather and sea conditions during the last week of the season. It seemed that many anglers were able to achieve that growing New England tradition of ‘turkey and tog’, nailing a keeper blackfish on Thanksgiving morning. Quality fish, some pushing double-digits, were logged in the final days of the season. With sea bass already off the books as of November 25th and tautog dropping off the menu on the 28th, we’re seeing a lot of boats coming out this week and that will come with a drop-off in interest of fishing in the Sound. There will still be chances to find some late-season stripers at places like 28C and 11B, but most striper-seekers will do it along the beaches or inside local harbors, where bass to 40 inches are still available. The Housy has quickly come to life, which is expected now that we’ve turned the page on November. There have been reports from all over the river this week; the big news though, has been some larger fish coming from spots further upriver. Larger plastics on light jigheads have been the ticket, as is usually the case. Freshwater anglers should note that Saugatuck Reservoir is closed for the season. But local rivers have been giving up trout, and the Naugatuck River has hosted some decent salmon action as well.
Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters said the tog season wrapped up last Friday, but it closed on a high note as the final week of the season produced many sizable fish up to 12 pounds. Striped bass are still available—most of the fish in local waters fall in the 20-inch class, but there are still slots around and even a few up to 35 inches. Small swimming plugs and mid-sized soft plastics, like the 5-inch Fin-S Fish, have been the best baits. Many of these fish are staging before heading into the CT River to winter over, but some will continue west to the Housy, East and Hudson rivers. Until the water temps drop a few more degrees, they should be available to anyone looking to bend a rod.
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Connecticut Fishing Forecast
Despite the tautog season ending in Connecticut, saltwater anglers have been able to keep busy with solid striped bass fishing on the beaches to the west and up in the larger tidal rivers. There has been some solid late fall run action along the coast, especially in the western Sound. The fish are mostly small, but the schools are large, and the blitzes big. There has also been increased action in the rivers and harbors, especially the ones that support holdover populations. No surprise, but the Housatonic has been fishing well, with some big bass reported from spots upriver, which are usually quieter until later in the season. These fish are chasing bigger baits and will eat large soft plastics on jigheads and occasionally, topwater plugs on milder days. Holdover bass fishing will only get better over the next few weeks, especially when we string together a couple consecutive days of warmer weather.
Freshwater anglers may have to contend with skim ice in the mornings soon, but we should still have a few good weeks of open water fishing. The streams and rivers are producing nicely though, with good trout numbers across the state and broodstock Atlantic Salmon kicking off in the Naugatuck. A number of lakes and ponds have been stocked with lake trout and Seeforellen brown trout, both of which will provide some great open water opportunities, as well as (hopefully) some great ice fishing opportunities. Check the CT DEEP website or Facebook page for continued winter stocking maps and updates.