Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt Stone, at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook, provided the following report for the week: “Trout fishing is the best bite going locally right now and anywhere the stocking crews have visited, the bite has been good. Small spinners, live bait and PowerBait are all effective and working well for anglers we’ve talked to in the shop. Holdover bass fishing is off to a slow start this season as we try to shake off these persistently cold nights, but the warmer weekend forecast has things pointing in the right direction. Winter flounder and spring blackfish has been quiet since it opened, and the shops are still having a hard time getting crabs. We need the water temperatures to rise a bit before we can have high hopes for a solid tautog bite this April. The water temperatures are significantly cooler throughout the Sound than the past few Aprils, following this brutal winter. The best bet for an early season tog is to head west.”
Heather from the Black Hawk in Niantic provided the following early season report: “It’s almost time to go fishing. The boat is back in Niantic, and we’re getting ready to head out on May 1. We’ll be posting trips on our website on April 13, so you can get your tickets for our first trips soon! We’re still booking private charters, so send us an email so you can get your date. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone soon!”
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Captain Chris of Elser Guide Service is still getting the boat ready and geared up for the saltwater season. In the meantime, he has been taking advantage of some strong freshwater fishing across western CT. The fly hatches have been starting slow due to this cold weather, so most of Chris’s success has come on stone fly nymphs and streamers. The true opening day of trout season is this Saturday the 11th, and the only change is that people can now keep fish to bring home in designated waters outside of TMAs. Chris noted that the state has stocked some very large brook trout in our streams for the upcoming weekend, with some over 20 inches!
Anthony Charnetski at Game On Lures provided the following report for the week: “The weather has been a roller coaster, so water temperatures haven’t warmed up much since last week. The freshwater bite is still hot, but the fish can be finicky after cold nights. I like to downsize my baits or slow my presentation in those situations. The rivers and creeks are finally starting to get more active and have been great for bass, pike, and panfish. Herring continue to filter into the local runs and striped bass have been gorging on them. Swimbaits, glidebaits, long straight-tail eels, and SP Minnows have worked well to imitate the herring. That bite will only get better from here as more bait pushes in and migratory fish show up. Tautog is open, but most anglers are experiencing an extremely slow bite due to the water being colder than usual for this time of year.”
Tyler, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, reported that the local stripers were waking up. They haven’t heard of any fish with sea lice yet, but the harbors, tidal rivers, and herring runs all have active fish. The action at the Housatonic has also picked up as herring start to show in better numbers. Soft plastics are working well, but swimming plugs are starting to take fish too, especially where they are feeding more actively. There are customers who have been trying to catch blackfish, but they hadn’t heard many reports back at the shop yet. As more boats fill in the harbor and water temperatures continue to climb, that should change though. Tyler recommended trying a variety of depths including everything from deep water wrecks to 10-feet of water or less. Trout fishing is lights out throughout the area and word is the state stocked the Norwalk River last week. All of the local rivers and streams now have fish, with some of the bigger fish they’d heard about coming from the Mianus River. Fly anglers also reported fish rising to dry flies making for some fun “topwater” fishing. The Saugatuck Reservoir opens Saturday along with the beginning of the trout harvest season. They have loads of freshwater tackle and bait on hand at the shop whether you’re looking to cast spinners or spoons or drift shiners or worms. The shop is a certified repair center for Shimano, Daiwa, and Penn, but will service any brand of reel they keep in stock. They also offer rod repair and roller guide replacement. If you’re looking to get some gear serviced, now is the time to get it in so it’s ready for the season ahead.
Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters said they’ve been hard at work getting the boats ready to fish for the season and they were going to start running trips this weekend, if the weather allows. Early season charters can expect light-tackle fishing, mostly with small soft plastics on jigheads. A five and three quarter-inch Fin-S fished on 1/4- to 1/2-ounce heads is par for the course this time of year. Prime dates for the season ahead are already booking fast, so give Captain Mike and his team a call to reserve your spot now.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
More cold weather, low participation, and a lack of crabs have kept tautog reports relatively quiet across the state, although a few reports from Western Sound anglers have started to trickle in. A steady warmup over the weekend will hopefully trickle into next week and start pushing water temperatures to more optimal levels for our short tautog season before it’s too late. Holdover striped bass action has gotten steadier across the state, and the first good push of river herring has brought some of the bigger fish out and kicked up activity levels. The best bass fishing has been from the Housatonic and points west.
The Eastern Sound tribs have been tougher, as the bass seem to be concentrated in small areas. They’re there, they just require a little more searching at times. We’re still a few weeks away from the true peak spring run, but there are certainly fish to be had now.
The shad diehards are starting to get after it in the Connecticut River, and with the water cleaning up, I’d expect some early reports at some point next week. The TMAs are flowing nicely and are fishing great for anglers who have been taking advantage. The weekend looks beautiful for the “put and take” opening day for trout, so if you’re not quite ready for the salt, there are plenty of great freshwater opportunities!