On The Water 3/2/06

1. The Church Lady on “Saturday Night Live” summed up this week’s report in two words: “Never mind.” In all the years I’ve been writing weekly fishing reports, there has never been quite such a long spell of time when absolutely nothing is going on, not even in the always active Thames River. I’ve even driven past Norwich Harbor and not seen any trailers or boats on the water, and that’s rare. The bass are still there, they can still be caught, but the bite is slow, especially during the kind of cold, windy, high-pressure weather that’s been bashing the region lately. An incoming storm, outgoing tide and darkness will bring some action, but overall, the next couple of weeks are always the toughest of the winter season on the Thames.
2. The ice that has formed during this cold spell is partial in some places and complete but dangerous-looking in others. In short, after a couple of calls to shops from Norwich to Norwalk, the conclusion is that no one has been doing any ice fishing because it may not be safe, yet there’s too much to cast from shore or launch a boat in most areas. It’s “in-between” for the time being.
3. Rennie at the Fish Connection said they haven’t sold any bait in about two weeks, a sentiment echoed by Stratford Bait and Tackle. No bait sales means that there isn’t much angler activity at all, at least along the coast. There may be some anglers out on the ice in northern Connecticut or running into Massachusetts and the north country, but that’s about it for frozen-water angling options.
4. Most years, the first week of March would have anglers in eastern Long Island Sound checking out the action at Bluff Point, which for some reason always seems to be the first place to turn on with winter flounder. The early bite at this place historically produces fish to three pounds, but that’s a moot point this year. With an April 1 season opener in Connecticut waters, it’s possible that the best of what would normally be the early winter flounder bite will go unsampled at Bluff Point. The only salvation would be if temperatures remain super cold until the end of the month, but no one wants to see that. Even then, the flatfish, at least the big ones, usually seem to move out of this popular spot before the first week in April. They did last year, which brought with it a very cold spring. This means there may only be a few stragglers left to fish when the season opens for 2006.
5. There will be other flatfish options such as Jordan Cove and Niantic Bay, Waterford, Mystic River, Stonington Harbor and the Pawcatuck River, the Rhody Salt Ponds and Clinton Harbor, which historically have been early producers of winter flounder. Unfortunately, most of these areas, with the exception of Clinton and Niantic Bay, have been very silent for many years.
6. Sea-run trout are an option. Problem is shore and skim ice in the places such as upper Niantic River, Mystic River, the Saugatuck and Housey below the Derby dam, the spots where these fish are normally caught in March. I haven’t taken my annual early spring sea-run-brown skunking yet this season and don’t know anyone else who has tested the waters for these elusive fish so far this year either. It’s been too cold, blue-birdy and windy whenever I had the time.
7. The general Connecticut trout season ended on the last day of February in most waters, but TMAs (trout management areas), the Quinebaug Valley, pay-to-fish ponds and selected trophy trout lakes will remain open either until Opening Day on the third Saturday of April or until the end of March, which is the case for many of the trophy trout lakes and a few TMAs. Check the Connecticut Anglers Guide for specifics on open and closed waters and some of the special regulations connected with them.
8. If they are not iced, the hatchery ponds at the DEP’s Quinebaug Valley Trout Hatchery in Central Village are an interesting but not always easy fishing option. They get pounded so hard, so fast that the fish become very finicky in no time every spring. I am not an avid trout fisherman; in fact, the only time I’d really like to have an average foot-long stocked trout on my line would be when pike or musky fishing, so I could stick a hook in that adipose fin and let it swim around as live bait. Just kidding, that’s both illegal and unethical – but one can always dream!
9. Years back when the hatchery first opened and word got out that there were fishing ponds where you could reserve a time slot, pay a couple of bucks and fish in a hatchery, every other angler in the state and I gave it a shot. But just once or twice in my case. It’s something to do this time of year when there are not many fishing options available, and it’s a good opportunity to try out new gear and get the bugs out of the old. It’s a nice way to get the curls out of your line this time of year, and there is a good chance to catch a big trout. I caught fish in the 2.5- to 4-pound range the few times I tested this fishery. The thing I didn’t like is the atmosphere – it is like fishing in a swimming pool, and believe it or not, after the first few weeks when the fish have seen every lure and fly known to man, they can become downright difficult to catch. Hatchery pond fishing is a viable option that I’m considering trying again for the first time in 20 years out of pure angling boredom.
10. The next break in the weather though, I will be heading to the Connecticut River to fish for yellow perch and northern pike. Sounds like an odd combination of target species, but both are early spawners and will be bunched up in their respective habitats. The northerns will begin hitting around the Haddam Meadows State Park area as they stage to spawn and after they drop their eggs. Also look for northerns in the large inlets and protected areas all along the Connecticut River main stem. Keeney Cove, Wethersfield Cove and Chapman Pond are all likely spots to find a cooperative pike this time of year. I’ve never caught any big fish during this early spring fishery, but then again, I haven’t done the homework to figure it out very well.
11. However, there are some 10-pound-plus fish caught every spring, and plenty of hammer handles are around for fun catch-and-release fishing. My buddies and I have taken fish up to about 26 inches but nothing larger in the few dozen trips I’ve made in March to the Connecticut River over the years.
12. Most years my buddies and I put in a few nearly fruitless hours casting plugs and spinnerbaits for pike. Most of the bigger fish are caught on big live bait such as golden shiners. Problem is, for a catch-and-release pike fisherman like myself, the risk of gut-hooking these fish is too great to let them swallow a shiner, especially if they may be carrying the future of the fishery in their body cavities in the form of eggs. So we stick with artificials and catch fewer and smaller fish most of the time. After the pike pound our egos to dust, we head downriver to one of the protected areas in one of the marina basins or possibly Hamburg Cove to fish for and usually load up on yellow or white perch, depending on the time of the month.
13. Hamburg is famous for white perch and also has a good run of yellows that is there to provide good fillet material as soon as you can get there with a boat. Same thing in the other protected spots along the river from there up to Wethersfield Cove. There are also schoolie stripers stacked up in the lower portion of Hamburg Cove that cooperate some days; it is a similar but much shallower water fishery than the fish in the Thames. Last year there was a Thames River-size bunch of bass that, on a typical bluebird day, took 20 minutes to determine what species they were once an 18-incher finally took a jig. Under different circumstances I suspect the bass fishing could have been pretty fast, furious and easy.
14. I’ve heard about but never really targeted the stripers that always overwinter in Hamburg Cove, though I’ve driven over the schools numerous times over the years on my way up Eight Mile River to catch my favorite, yellow perch. Early in March yellow perch are abundant and top off at maybe a foot in length in the Connecticut River, with an average keeper fish (for me) somewhere in the 10-inch range. These fish may also be full of eggs, so don’t be greedy and fill pails with them. Cull through to take a dozen or so to eat and release the rest to assure continued strong runs into the future. On a good day my son and I have culled through over 100 yellow perch and sunfish in a few hours to get a dozen 12-inch or better yellows to take home for supper.
15. Later in the month, the white perch will begin their spawning run and enter Hamburg Cove, along with other places such as Wethersfield Cove, in schools that look like shadows from clouds on the bottom when the light is right. For either species most anglers use small jigs with soft-plastic twister tails. I prefer a white or pink 2.5-inch Fin-S Fish with a small piece of night crawler or a mealworm on a tiny jighead that may be anywhere from ¼ ounce to 1/64 ounce depending on the area being fished, wind and if there is any, current speed. Fish these mini offerings on a Quantum Micro Ultralight graphite rod and matching reel, with two pound Fireline for maximum fun and results. These midget rods will increase anyone’s catch of any species because they are so sensitive when fished with light Fireline. Leaders are not necessary, though a small tag of fluorocarbon line or mono of 10-pound test or less can be added as a shock tippet and to aid in handling fish and dehooking those that swallow the jigs too deeply.
16. The trick to easy release is not letting them take the worm at all. As soon as the line twitches or a tap is felt, set the hook, and nearly all the perch will be top-lip-hooked, which means few will escape, and the small ones or those being culled can be released with minimal damage.
17. As much as I like to catch the big name gamefish species, yellow perch are one of my favorites on light tackle and a great way to start the early spring season. Anyone who can perform surgery with a fillet knife can obtain some of the finest-eating, sweet, flaky white fillets in all of the fishing world if enough decent-size yellow perch can be caught. Dipped in a mix of egg and milk, rolled in Bisquick, flour, bread crumbs or ground Ritz Crackers, then fried or baked to a golden brown, they are as good as it gets as far as this angler’s taste buds are concerned. My micro rods are already lined up and ready for action as soon as this cold spell slacks off and the ice melts, hopefully for the last time this winter. [by Bob Sampson, On the Water magazine]