Conn Post 1/24/06

1. The arctic blast earlier this week renewed interest in ice fishing across the northern half of the state. Anglers still must watch for soft spots after Wednesday's downpours, but generally the ponds north of Route 202 are accessible. If you don't want to travel, you can find plenty of open-water fishing options in the southern half of the state.
2. Trout anglers got a big surprise from the state Department of Environmental Protection last week. Fisheries staff gathered up 500 surplus broodstock Seeforellen-strain brown trout from the state hatcheries. These fish were distributed as follows: 41 into Beach Pond in Voluntown, 43 into Black Pond in Middlefield, 43 into Cedar Lake in Chester, 42 into Crystal Lake in Ellington, 41 into Mashapaug Lake in Union, 35 into Mohawk Pond in Cornwall, 50 into Mt. Tom Pond in Litchfield, 40 into Quonnipaug Lake in Guilford, 35 into Stillwater Pond in Torrington, 50 into Tyler Lake in Goshen, 60 into West Hill Pond in New Hartford, and 20 into West Side Pond in Goshen. Currently, all the above ponds are covered with ice. But anglers are reminded that ice fishing is prohibited on Quonnipaug Lake.
3. Along with the above lakes, ice anglers have reported fair trout fishing in Amos Lake, Coventry Lake, Squantz Pond, Congamond Lakes, Black Rock Pond, Highland Lake, Hogsback Reservoir, Colebrook Flood Control Impoundment, Alexander Lake and Wauregan Reservoir.
4. Ice anglers seeking trout should not overlook the power of jigging. The DEP stocked rainbow trout into the many lakes and ponds last fall. This specific trout species tends to move up shallow and feed just under the ice. It is not uncommon to catch rainbow trout in three to six feet of water very close to the shore. Concentrate your jigging efforts in shallow water along gravel shoals, points and breaklines.
5. Rig your jigging rod with either a brightly colored spoon or hair jig. Tip the lure with an ice-fishing maggot, mealworm or cricket. (Live crickets are often available at pet supply stores as food for pet reptiles.) Drop the lure/bait combination to the bottom and then slowly reel the lure back to the surface. Repeat the process until you find the specific depth where the trout are feeding.
6. The mild winter has given anglers several open-water fishing options. You can find shoreline or small boat fishing opportunities in Housatonic Lake, Lake Zoar, Mohegan Lake, Nells Rock Reservoir, the Twin Brooks Park Ponds, Lake Chamberlain, Lee's Pond and Lake Wintergreen. Also, try river fishing in the Aspetuck River, Mianus River Trout Management Area, the Mill River TMA, Pequonnock River, Pond Brook, Pootatuck River, Saugatuck River, Eight Mile Brook, Little River, Pomperaug River and the Wepawaug River. The lakes are giving up yellow perch and a few bass, while trout are the main quarry of the river anglers.
7. Saltwater anglers are finding schoolie striped bass near any active power plant or storm water discharge pipe. Good places to look are Black Rock Harbor, Bridgeport Harbor, Milford Harbor, New Haven Harbor and Norwich Harbor. As most of the fish are small, usually less than 16 inches, use light tackle and smaller lures. Some effective cold water baits include -ounce Hot Lips bucktail jigs, bits of mackerel chunks and small soft plastic fish imitations, like Sea Match Herring, Fin-S Fish and Sassy Shads. [FRANK MCKANE JR]