Wethersfield Post - 05/19/2005

• Over the past week the DEP has been out restocking both lakes and sections of rivers and streams. Unfortunately, the rain last weekend kept many anglers off the water. The Hendrickson hatch is in full swing on the Farmington and Housatonic Rivers. Dry fly action is consistent, but emergers and wet flies are out fishing the surface imitations. On those rainy and cloudy days, Blue Wing Olives hatch throughout the day making "match the hatch" a shell game for anglers. Bait fishermen are scoring with meal worms dead drifted in riffles. The Salmon, Ten Mile, Farm, Mill, Naugatuck, Hammonasset and Mianus Rivers are all producing good catches of trout.
• West Hill and Highland Lakes were recently restocked and anglers are reporting excellent fishing. Lures and live bait are both yielding trout. Areas to try this weekend include East Twin Lake, Highland Lake, Ball, Ender's, Mohawk, Mt. Tom, Tyler, Christensen's and West Side Ponds, and Black Rock Flood Control Impoundment, Cedar, Gardner, Pattaconk, Quonnipaug and Wyassup Lakes, Black, Day, and Valley Falls Park Ponds, Walkers Reservoir, and the Chatfield Hollow and Horse Pond Trout Parks in Eastern, CT.
• The Candlewood Lake smallmouth bite is on with numerous fish in the 3 to 4-pound range being taken. Largemouth's are hitting well at Lake Lillinonah, Winnemaug, Wood Creek Pond, Wyassup Lake and West Side Pond. Best fishing is in shallow coves.
• Striped Bass are now in the river up to Enfield. Legal size fish are now mixed in with the schoolies.
• In the salt and brackish waters, striper fishing is improving on a daily basis. Almost any tidal rivers and coves will be holding school stripers including the shallow coves in the Pawcatuck River, Mystic River, and Thames River. Other spots include Millstone Point, Niantic River, and the lower Connecticut River including South Cove, Great Island and North Cove during an ebb tide. Sandy Point in New Haven Harbor has heated up and is worth a shot. Also the Devon power plant Bond's Dock and the Fred Kaeser Fishing Pier in Stratford, Bridgeport Harbor, Penfield Reef, Ash Creek in Fairfield, Saugatuck River, the Norwalk Islands, and Stamford and Greenwich Harbors are good springtime striper haunts.
• Winter Flounder fishing is fair at best. Spots worth trying include Bluff Point, Pine Island area at the mouth of the Thames River and Niantic Bay.