Conn Post 11/4/05

1. Anglers finally had a stable week of weather. Afternoon winds foiled some saltwater fishing trips on Long Island Sound, but freshwater anglers got to enjoy the sunny, seasonably warm climate. Adding to the inland pleasures was the addition of Atlantic salmon to the Naugatuck River fishery.
2. Salmon anglers should find at least 400 surplus Atlantic salmon broodstock in the Naugatuck River this weekend. The state Department of Environmental Protection also plans to stock another helping of salmon into the river early next week. These salmon typically weigh between five to six pounds, with an occasional 10-pounder mixed in.
3. The salmon are stocked into two specific sections of the Naugatuck River. In the north, the fish are put into the "Campville Section" of the Naugatuck River between Bogue Road in Litchfield and the Thomaston flood control dam in Thomaston. This river section has many deep pools to hold the salmon during these high water periods. The lower stocked section runs from Prospect Street in Naugatuck downstream to Pines Bridge Road in Beacon Falls. Salmon in this section tend to hide in the small pocket water downstream of large boulders and in the deep cuts near bridges, highway riprap and river bends.
4. Anglers must remember the salmon fishery is strictly for sport. All hooked salmon must be released immediately until the end of the month. Anglers will be allowed to keep one salmon per day Dec. 1-March 31. You must also adhere to special tackle restrictions. Fly fishermen may only use one single-hook fly without weights added to the line. Spincasters can only use artificial lures that have a single free-swinging hook. Bait is prohibited.
5. Trout fishing is generally good in the rivers with subdued flows. Some of the better reports have come from the Mill River trout management area, the West Branch of the Farmington River, the Saugatuck River fly fishing area, Pomperaug River, Pootatuck River, the Trumbull section of the Pequonnock River and Salmon Brook. The main Farmington River and Housatonic River are still high and muddy making fishing very difficult.
6. Largemouth bass action is hit or miss. The "misses" should lessen as the stable weather continues through the weekend. Your best bet would be to avoid the larger temperamental lakes, such as Lake Zoar and Candlewood Lake. Instead visit the smaller ponds like Lake Saltonstall, Ball Pond, Pataganset Lake, Mamanasco Lake, Lake Kenosia, Pierrepont Pond, Beseck Lake, Black Pond, Dooley Pond, Lake Wintergreen, North Farms Reservoir, Dog Pond, Hatch Pond and Stillwater Pond. Live minnows have been very popular with the live bait crowd, while small soft plastic baits are scoring for artificial lure enthusiasts.
7. Those who got out on the Sound reported plenty of bluefish and striped bass. You need to work a bit to locate the schools, but once found the action can be furious. Good places to start are Buoy 28C, Sunken Island, Penfield Lighthouse, Buoy 20, outside the Housatonic River and along the New Haven Harbor channels.
8. Elsewhere, porgy season is now closed. Blackfish are around in good supply on most of the larger reefs. Hickory shad are catchable in the Mystic River, Niantic River, Clinton Harbor and the East River. Sporadic reports of little tunny and Atlantic bonito have come from the reefs east of the Connecticut River. [by FRANK MCKANE JR. ]