CT DEP 5/23/05

INLAND REPORT

• DEP’s annual OPEN HOUSE AT THE RAINBOW FISHWAY is scheduled for Saturday, June 4 from 10:00 am until 3:30 pm. On this day, the inner gates are thrown open and the public is invited to come in and tour the facility, including the hydroelectric plant and the downstream bypass where we sample the salmon smolts. Visitors can also come downstairs to check out the underground viewing window. With the weather and the slowed runs, there could be still getting a lot of fish moving up on June 4. Great activity for families. No charge.
• Directions: I-91 to exit 40 (toward Bradley International Airport). Follow Rt. 20 to the exit labeled “Hamilton Road South”. At the end of the exit ramp, turn left and within a few hundred feet turn right onto Rainbow Road. Watch for signs. The entrance is about ¼ mile down on the left.
• Reminder to anglers: Memorial Day Weekend means high volume boat traffic on our waters. Use extra caution when on the water and enjoy your long weekend!
• Rivers & streams - Anglers can expect excellent Connecticut trout fishing for Memorial Day Weekend! Good reports from a number of areas including the Farmington, Housatonic (22-24” browns), Fenton, Willimantic, Wepawaug, Hammonassett, Pootatuck, Natchaug, Pomperaug, Quinnipiac, Naugatuck, Mill, Salmon (10.16 lb rainbow, by Steve Kozikowski of Ellington), Natchaug (10.5 lb rainbow, by Ray Gantick of Willington on his 73rd birthday, Happy Birthday Ray!), Shetucket, Five Mile, French and Quinebaug Rivers.
• The Farmington River is in the low to mid 50’s°F with clear water flows (325 cfs at Riverton plus an additional 100 cfs from the Still River). Current hatches include: Blue Winged Olive, Green Caddis (delayed due to cool temperatures) and Brown/Tan Caddis. Fishing may be a bit off for several days this week due to the rains and cool air temperatures. Weather is predicted to improve (although still less than ideal fishing conditions) for the holiday weekend. March Brown nymphs (#12-14), Blue Wing Olives (#18-22, mid-late afternoon), Caddis (tan #14-18, all day) and Midges (#22-32) are the current patterns working. Some Hendricksons (#12-14) are still being found above Riverton. The Pale Evening Duns (Epeorus vitreus #14-16, early evenings) has not started yet due to the cool temperatures. The Housatonic River is 58°F with flows (as of 5/26) of about 800 cfs (Falls Village) of clear water. Current hatches include: Blue Winged Olive, Green Caddis, Brown/Tan Caddis. Blue Wing Olive (#20-22, early morning; spinner fall in evening) and Gray Foxes (#14-16) are producing. Green caddis (#14-16, early morning and evening) are on the water. Midges (#22-26) are being seen at the mouths of tributaries on the Housatonic River. Areas to try this weekend include Farmington, Naugatuck, Blackberry, Whiting, Mill and Wepawaug Rivers in western CT, and the Blackledge, Branford, East Branch Eight Mile, Eight Mile, Farm, Hammonasset, Hockanum, Jeremy, Moosup, Mount Hope, Natchaug, Quinebaug, Salmon, Scantic, West, Yantic and Shetucket Rivers, and Blackwells, Chatfield Hollow, Indiantown, Mashamoquet and Shunock Brooks in eastern CT.
• Lakes & Ponds – Anglers are finding good trout fishing in many of the state’s lakes and ponds including Crystal (Ellington), Candlewood, Maltby, East Twin (very good), Wonoscopomuc, Mashapaug (23.5” brown), Alexander and Highland Lakes, Squantz Pond, Long Pond, Beach Pond, and at the Southford Falls and Wolfe Park (Great Hollow Pond) Trout Parks. Areas to try this weekend include East Twin Lake, Wononscopomuc Lake, Mohegan Lake, West Branch (Hogback) Reservoir, Saugatuck Reservoir, Green Falls Reservoir, Walkers Reservoir, Beach Pond, Mohegan Park Pond, Uncas Lake and the Chatfield Hollow Trout Park.
• LARGEMOUTH BASS fishing is reported as good in many lakes and ponds including: Quaddick, Hancock, Hamilton, North Farms, Upper Moodus, Mansfield Hollow (7.4 lb bass) and Colebrook Reservoirs, LakeWintergreen, Lake Housatonic, Middle Bolton, Gardner, Maltby, Pickerel, Winnemaug, Congamond, Bantam (5 lbs.), Beseck, Bashan, Tyler, Billings and Roseland Lakes, and Beach, Branford, Wood Creek, Mudge and Pachaug Ponds. Good reports for SMALLMOUTH BASS at Rainbow Reservoir, Lake Lillinonah, Candlewood Lake (3.5 lb smallie), Squantz Pond and the Housatonic River. Some NORTHERN PIKE action reported from Lake Housatonic, Lake Lillinonah, Bantam Lake, Hopeville Pond, Ashland Pond and Pachaug Pond. Good WALLEYE catches at Saugatuck Reservoir (21”), Lake Saltonstall and Squantz Pond (a number of 10+ lb fish among the catches). Several ATLANTIC SALMON catches reported from the Naugatuck River and the Housatonic River below the Derby Dam.
• Connecticut River – STRIPED BASS are in the river from Haddam to Enfield. School size (16-25”) fish and adults up to 42” can be found. Surface poppers are providing some exciting action under clear water conditions while trolling tubes, sand and blood worms work best in stained water. SHAD are reported in the river up to Windsor area. NORTHERN PIKE (up to 28”) catches are reported from Wethersfield Cove, White Oaks Cove, and in the Windsor area.

MARINE REPORTS

The mid Long Island Sound buoy located south of New Haven registers a water temperature of 54 °F. Check out the following web sites for more detailed water temperatures and marine boating conditions:
Rutgers Marine, NOAA, Weather Underground

• STRIPED BASS fishing is good for schoolies in most of the tidal rivers: Thames River (Norwich Harbor to Gales Ferry), lower Pawcatuck River, Mystic River, Niantic River, the lower Connecticut River (South Cove, Great Island (the Woodlot), North Cove, Calves Island, and the “Hole” up in Essex, the Devon power plant just north of the I-95 Bridge (Housatonic River) by the State Boat Launch, Bond’s Dock and the Fred Kaeser Fishing Pier (off Birdseye St.) and Short Beach in Stratford. Fly fishing methods and light spinning gear armed with small metal lures (kastmaster) work well. Other spots include Millstone Point, Sandy Point (“The Sand Bar”) in New Haven Harbor, Bridgeport Harbor (Seaside Park) and the Norwalk Islands. The spring migration is on throughout LIS! Larger stripers in the 30 to mid 40 inch range can be found in the Watch Hill area, the Race, Bartlett Reef, Hatchett Reef, Cornfield Point, Southwest Reef, Sixmile Reef, the reefs off Branford, and the reefs off Black Rock Harbor. Live lining eels and hickory shad, tube and worm combination, and trolling parachute rigs on wire line are all effective methods.
• HICKORY SHAD are in the Connecticut River mixed in with school striped bass. Other shad spots include the Mystic River, Niantic River, New Haven and Norwalk Harbors.
• SUMMER FLOUNDER (fluke) fishing is still good on the New York side by Montauk Point with doormats weighing in over 7 lbs. being reported. Fluke can be caught throughout LIS but fishing is spotty. The north shore of Long Island is normally an early season hot spot.
• WINTER FLOUNDER reports are still coming in from Norwalk Harbor but other than that fishing is slow.
• WEAKFISH and BLACK SEA BASS should be showing up in the channels of New Haven Harbor and the Sandy Point area.
• With the water temperatures approaching the mid 50’s °F., BLUEFISH should be in the Race, at Millstone Point (power plant outflow), and the north side of Long Island.