TheDay 4/28/06

1. Greetings, another season has dawned and despite some chill spring winds, people are stirring out and about on our waters, looking for the first fish of a new saltwater fishing year. At this point the news is on the slim side, but we will begin.
2. Capt. Kerry at J&B Tackle in Niantic told me about some better than average flounder catches from the Niantic River. It's not numbers of years past but enough for people in small boats to catch supper and maybe a few left over for the next meal. Schoolie bass are up around Golden Spur taking small plastic lures on very light spin rods. No action to date at Millstone nor has an early bird ventured to The Race looking for the first larger bass of the year.
3. Al Golinski of Misquamicut is about two weeks away from putting his boat in the water. The only catches have been small bass from the shore between the Pawcatuck River and Matunuck, R.I. Be warned the weather along the beach is still very cool so bring extra clothes if you make the drive to Rhode Island.
4. Moving to Charlestown, we heard from Capt. Don's about a few flounder caught in the salt ponds with the exception of Quonny Pond. That body of water has been devoid of flounder for several seasons now.
5. Shore anglers are getting fair to excellent numbers of small stripers from the Pawcatuck River around Cemetery Cove east to the West Wall jetty at Point Judith, R.I. The hot lure of the moment is a three-inch Cocahoe Minnow in white or pearl on a 1/4-3/4-ounce lead head. The last warm day produced a worm hatch in Charlestown Pond, eager news for flyrodders from several states. Most locals who want cod and haddock are driving to Gloucester, Mass., to charter a six-man boat or got out for a day trip on a party boat.
6. Capt. Al Anderson spent this past Tuesday taking Dennis Kelly and Stephanie Cramer to the Thames River for 147 stripers to 41/2 pounds on fly rods, all tagged and released. Al remarked there are new, fresh-run stripers coming into the river on a steady basis.
7. At Stonington, King Cove Oufitters said anyone that wants to get out of the house can get schoolies from Cemetery Cove upriver almost to the Westerly Bridge, the flats off Napatree Point and of late, inside the Quonny Breachway, the latter spot best at the end of one tide, slack water and the beginning of the next tide before the current runs too hard.
8. Allen Fee at Shaffers said they've been open for business about two weeks now, seeing small bass caught around Six Penny Island and the north end of Mason's Island on lures and a 31-incher on a worm fished on the bottom from the dock along Cottrell Street. Sam Godfrey and Morgan Arnold, both from Mystic, have been catching tiny stripers at times from the Mason's Island Bridge on small Storm shads.
9. This year the fluke season in Connecticut opens on April 30. You are allowed to keep six fish with an 18-inch minimum size. Porgy season will start on June 1 with a 25 fish per person limit if the fish are 101/2 inches long. Sea bassing remains open all year long with a 12-inch minimum and a bag limit of 25 per day.
10. Some of the locals from Preston were driving to Point Judith to jig up squid from the docks at night said Capt. Jack Balint at the Fish Connection. The Thames River offers bass the whole length with the biggest ones currently around the base of the Greenville Dam when there's water coming over. Flounder catches are on the slow side from Bluff Point and the coves in the lower part of the river. There are so many little bass around right now one gent had them taking soft baits meant for blackfish at Sarah's Ledge.
11. Mark at Hillyers Tackle in Waterford reported some better flounder catches along the edges of the Niantic River channel up around the Army Base. Some people limited out while others had a couple in the bucket. Blackfish season is closed now and will reopen on June 15 with a four fish limit and 14-inch size requirement. The pound net in the bay is seeing a lot of squid at night; some of these are finding their way into the river where they might be jigged under dock lights.
12. My good friend Sherwood Lincoln is ready for another season and diamond jigging some bass in The Race around mid-May. Small boaters had lots of bass from 14 to 20 inches in the lower Connecticut River on a variety of small plugs and plastic lures. Flounder reports from the Spindle, normally a hot spot in years past, are few and far between.
13. Mark at River's End in Old Saybrook closed out our first column, saying the flounder fishing in the Connecticut River is very poor at this time, better over in Niantic. School striper fishing on the other had is at its spring peak number wise. In time the numbers will drop somewhat but the average size will improve. If you don't like casting lures, you can dunk a worm on the bottom from the DEP Pier in Old Lyme for both small bass and maybe some white perch. [The Day, Tim Coleman]

Capt Morgan 4/27/06

1. Trout fishing continues to be fairly consistent with most agreeing that catches are up. The main rivers like the Salmon, Farmington, Housey, and Hammo are giving up their share of stocked trout although timing the hatches such as the Hendrickson has been challenging. Midges, stones, caddis, and blue wing olives have been good choices. We've also found bead heads nymphs, streamers, ants, and small crappie-type jigs strong producers of quality fish.
2. Trout parks, especially Chatfield Hollow, are drawing numbers of happy anglers, considering its gates have been up making for easier access. The parks are generally stocked about every 7 to 10 days, at least until it warms up. Lures, flies, and various prepared soft baits all have caught fish although colors are changing with conditions. Live shiners, worms, and grubs continue to be standouts among anglers preferring to use live bait.
3. Our much-needed rain fell and with it rivers and stream levels rose. Live shiners, worms, and grubs ought to be excellent choices for those anglers preferring to use live bait now that run-offs from the banks and water movement picked up steam. Big browns and 'bows will take notice and will turn on to the new influx of food!
4. Largemouth bass seemed to have developed their springtime attitude. Activity is on the rise as more anglers are hitting their favorite lakes and finding out just how good it's getting. Things are coming to life along the edges and by the beds. River fishing is also attracting more anglers to popular northern pike and perch haunts. The recent low water seemed to have created some really good fishing in the coves. However, with the recent rainfall, things may hiccup for a bit until conditions settle down.
5. Striped bass to about 25 inches are all along the Connecticut and Thames rivers and spilling out into the Sound. Larger linesides have been caught in the lower tidals on both artificials and live bait. It's about time to check out a few of the reefs and perhaps drift an eel or cast one from shore. Sandworms and clams are being gulped up with an occasional piece of chunk being taken in the mix. Blackfish closes April 30 and have been quite active along the shoreline. With more anglers chumming for blackbacks, chatter has increased. However, unlike in years past, no great stories are being told unless from memory. [org published in The Source, Captain Morgan

Conn Post 4/28/06

1. Anglers did not fare well last week with the bad weather on the weekend and subsequent high water flows from rain run-off. But according to reports, those braving the situation did enjoy fishing for trout, largemouth bass, walleye, striped bass and blackfish.
2. Trout action this week was actually better than last week, thanks in part to the renewed stocking efforts by the state Department of Environmental Protection. This week hatchery trucks were to deliver fish to Baumer's Pond, Black Rock State Park Pond, Branch Brook, Bunnells Pond, Eight-Mile Brook, the Farmington River from Avon to Collinsville, Great Hollow Pond, Kent Falls, both the trout management srea and open section of the Mianus River, the Mill River in Sleeping Giant State Park, both the upper and lower sections of the Naugatuck River, Nepaug River, Norwalk River, the Pequonnock River in Beardsley Park, the Pequonnock River in the "Trumbull Valley," the Pootatuck River, Sandy Brook, both the fly-fishing-only and open sections of the Saugatuck River, Southford Falls State Park Pond, Starrett Pond, Lake Stibbs, Stratton Brook, Still River, Twin Brooks Park Ponds, West Hill Pond, Wharton Brook State Park Pond and Wononscopomuc Lake.
3. Other locations consistently giving up trout are the trout management area on the West Branch of the Farmington River, Bantam River, the Salmon River TMA, Pequabuck River, Chatfield Hollow Trout Park Pond, Lake Saltonstall, Highland Lake, Candlewood Lake, East Twin Lake, West Side Pond, Black Pond, Ball Pond, the Saugatuck Reservoir and Colebrook Reservoir.
4. Largemouth bass angling has been very good because of the early spring weather. These fish have been hitting live minnows, suspending jerkbaits and tube lures. Small spinnerbaits also work well as Dawn Shewchuk, formerly of Naugatuck, expertly demonstrated last week while practicing for the upcoming "SF" tournament. She caught two bass and a pickerel on a small pond in Torrington. Some of the best bass action has come from Crystal Lake, Bantam Lake, Highland Lake, Gardner Lake, East Twin Lake, Candlewood Lake, Hatch Pond, Ball Pond, Long Meadow Pond, Rogers Lake, Nells Rock Reservoir, Lake Saltonstall and Moodus Reservoir.
5. Walleye fishing is steadily improving. According to Bill Hyatt, director of Inland Fisheries for the DEP, at least one walleye exceeding the state record has been electro-shocked in Squantz Pond during a recent biological survey. Along with Squantz Pond, Lake Saltonstall has the potential to produce a walleye that can eclipse the record. You may also catch walleye in Coventry Lake, Lake Housatonic and Gardner Lake.
6. Striped bass fishing in the tidal rivers is good to excellent. Most of the fish are well below the 28-inch size minimum. The norm has been 18 to 22 inches. Your best fun will come from the lower Pawcatuck River, Connecticut River south of Great Island, Sandy Point in West Haven, the Housatonic River between I-95 and the Derby Dam, Southport Harbor and Greenwich Harbor. Casting spoons, swimming plugs, bucktail jigs and soft-plastic herring all work well.
7. Blackfish are getting easier to find on the breakwaters and rock piles between Norwalk and Milford. But anglers are reminded that the blackfish season will be closed May 1-June 14. Flounder fishing is spotty at best with a few wayward fish being caught off Bluff Point, Pine Island, and in Norwalk Harbor. [FRANK MCKANE JR. ]

On The Water 4/27/06

• The recent rains and cold snap earlier in the week have served to stall the progression of events and chill area waters, especially shallow freshwater ponds. Freshwater bass are nearing their spawn and even on the beds in some shallower lakes while in others they are still in the pre spawn mode. Winter flounder fishing is so-so to horrible, with the Norwalk Islands and Niantic being the only two places in this week’s report where fishermen aren’t complaining.
• Over the line in Connecticut, Bill at King Cove Outfitters in Stonington said there is plenty of schoolie action in the Pawcatuck River, good numbers of smaller fish with the occasional keeper mixed in. These fish are chasing herring and a few adult bunker that showed up out of nowhere this week. That probably explains the keeper bass Captain Don heard about. Bill noted that customers have also been catching some small bass off Napatree Point and in the upper reaches of Stonington Harbor. There are some squid starting to show up in the commercial nets off shore, which means the migration of squid is about on time. When they get in closer to shore next week or the first week of May, count on bigger bass to be chowing them on the surface and fluke to be ambushing them from below.
• A few anglers have been chasing blackfish and winter flounder, but none of them have come back bragging about what they caught. Waters may be a tad cool in Rhody waters and the cooler, eastern end of Long Island Sound, but to the west from Madison, Connecticut to New York, the blackfish action has been excellent.
• Cheryl Al Fee of Shaffer’s Marina in Mystic said that it’s been a little quiet lately down her way; most of her customers either don’t have their boats in or have dropped them in so they can get to their lawns. Her brother Al caught a couple small schoolie bass in the Mystic River on a short excursion the other night. He said the bass are around but not really active yet. She has not heard of anyone taking winter flounder from the Mystic River since they opened the shop for the season, two weeks ago.
• Up the Thames River in Preston, Rennie of The Fish Connection told me that the both the Shetucket and Yantic River are fishing well lately. One problem is the loss of a major chunk of private land to access in the upper portion of the fly-fishing area. The lower, open end of the Yantic River has been more heavily stocked as a result. Rennie said that the Salmon River was stocked this week with some very big trout. Mohegan Park received a few nets of stocked trout on Wednesday as well. Wooly Buggers and bead-head nymphs were working well on the Moosup River and Farmington Rivers. Hendrickson hatches are also coming off. Small black gnat flies will work when these pesky little bugs out in abundance. At least they don’t bite around here like they do in the North Country.
• Thames River is loaded with schoolies, but the larger fish that were around a week ago were nowhere to be found this week for some reason. Near Greenville Dam there are a few keepers but no really hot action from larger fish yet. But there should be soon based on fish passage reports of alewives running strong at Greenville Dam with 1,800 already counted but only a shad or two so far.
• Richard at Hillyer’s Bait and Tackle in Waterford said that the winter flounder action has remained pretty good in the Niantic River. Over the weekend they weighed in a 2.5-pound winter flounder along with a few other nice fish. Blackfish catches have improved but the season comes to a close at the end of the month. They weighed in a 9.5-pound blackfish earlier in the week and customers have been talking about catching some quality fish. A few larger striped bass are rumored to have taken in the Thames and Connecticut Rivers, but no specific catches to report. The schoolie action remains good in the Niantic River.
• At the mouth of the Connecticut River in Saybrook, Pat Abate of River’s End Tackle said schoolies are all over the place and providing some great fishing action. The river is presently clean flowing and it’s not warming too fast, which when combined with the mild weather equates to tons of action from striped bass at this time of year. Even the anglers who are fishing from the DEP pier and the Causeway are catching and releasing good numbers of 14- to 20-inch fish. Those in boats are taking large numbers of fish, but all this stripers are less than two feet in length. Pat feels this small fish bite will change for the better in a few days. Up river in Portland, anglers are reportedly taking some stripers in the 25- to 30-inch range. Soon the jumbos will be chasing shad and herring below the Enfield Dam.
• Blackfishing has been excellent around the Clinton breakwater, but Pat said the winter flounder fishing has been “dismal” just as it has been pretty much every place to the east, other than Niantic River. He heard of a few weakfish in the New Haven harbor area, which is about on schedule. Most years, May is the time when these fish make a run across the Sound and provide some action for anglers in the triangle between Guilford, Falkner Island and the Housatonic River. Rivers End Tackle his holding a seminar on a hot new topic, “Fishing the Butterfly Jigs” presented by the Shimano pro staff, Saturday, May 6 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Captain Jerry Morgan of Captain Morgan’s Tackle in Madison verified the rumors that Pat heard about the weakfish starting to make their move into the New Haven area. Blackfishing has been excellent from Westbrook to Madison in close around the rocks with anglers coming into the shop with fish up to about 9 pounds. The Captain said it appears there are some fish moving out of the Hudson River because he’s been seeing some bigger and fresher looking small fish in the Madison area. He said some of these fish have sea lice on them. I’m thinking that based on the stripers the guys are seeing at Newport, these “fresh bass” could have turned the corner around Montauk Point and are some of the early run, immature, non-spawners that always hit this area before the big guys every spring.
• There are a few winter flounder are around but not many being caught.
• Trout action is still red hot in the Hammonassett River. The heavily stocked trout park at Chatfield Hollow has been productive lately. This is a great place to take a family, kids, or anyone who’s just getting started on fishing because these places are stocked heavily and odds of hooking up are high.
• Some of the best catches in the Stratford area this week were some nice big blackfish they weighed in at Stratford Bait and Tackle, said owner Chris Fulton. Henry Booth caught an 11-pound, 2-ouncer and his partner an 8.6-pounder along with the remainder of a two-man limit. They caught their fish on sand worms and Asian crabs. Larry Leiney brought in a fat a 4-pound blackfish earlier in the week.
• Not much in the way of bigger striped bass yet, but there are tons of schoolies around. Due to the rains over the weekend and extreme tides, there has been so much junk floating in the Housatonic customers have been finding the fishing very tough. This weekend should see some improvement.
• Burt at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk said their customers have been catching lots of schoolies from the Calf Pasture pier, along with a few winter flounder. Greg Hooper and friends caught 20 winter flounder from a boat in front of the pier over the weekend. These guys are chumming heavily with ground clams; no chum equals fewer fish. Rick Dayhuff caught 18 stripers from the Housatonic River earlier in the week. One guy caught 28 bunker in a gill net on Friday in Norwalk Harbor, which bodes well for the movement of some bigger stripers into the area any time after the bunker show. The islands are holding good numbers of stripers, with anglers who fish from the pier reporting 7, 8 or more stripers per person, up to about 22 inches. They are hooking some keeper-class fish, but most are lost when they have to walk them down the pier to the rocks to land them. The bigger fish simply break off in the pilings or work the hook free during the extended battle.
• Their freshwater customers have also been successful lately. Frank Albano caught a 6.5-pound largemouth bass from parts unknown while Robert Bray caught a 5.75-pound rainbow over in the Trumbull area on a Phoebe lure.
• Freshwater:
• Bill Hopkins of Hope Valley Bait and Tackle, Hope Valley, Rhode Island said the bass action is a mix right now, with lots of cruising fish and a few sitting on the nests in the shallower, warmer areas of Rhody’s many small, shallow lakes. The state stocked trout Wednesday in the Wood River and Trout Unlimited folks did a float stocking near Route 165. This week Bill has been weighing in many larger trout between 3 to 6 pounds, now that the fish are starting to feed after getting used to their new homes. He said he’d rate the trout fishing at “A-plus” right now with the cooler waters and higher flow rates. May flies, size 20 mosquitoes, black gnats in sizes 20 to 24 have been working. On over cast days and in the evenings, toss bigger stuff like stone flies and Wooly Buggers. He sayid to move them faster so the bigger fish don’t get a good look at the fraud.
• Over in Lebanon, Connecticut, Jim Dimitri of Lebanon Sports Center said that meal worms are producing the best catches of trout for their customers, noting its “the bait of choice at the present time.” So far it’s been a very good season on the Yantic River and nearby Salmon River, with many quality fish being caught and released
• Some very nice trout have been weighed in at Mike’s Bait and Tackle in Voluntown, including a 8.25-pound rainbow that came in from the Shetucket River and a 4.25-pound rainbow out of Lillbridge Pond, along with many big browns from Beach Pond since the last report. People are talking about fishing in Beach Pond for but no one is telling him if much has been caught. Beach Pond was initially stocked three years ago, so this year the walleyes from the first year’s fingerling stocking will be reaching the state’s 18-inch minimum length by mid summer. I’m sure a few of the faster growers are probably that size and maybe as large as 20 inches by now.
• Captain John Planeta, owner of Franks Tackle in Marlborough said the water in the area streams rose dramatically from the heavy rains this past weekend, which has improved the conditions on many trout streams in the area. On Opening Day he weighed in a 6.5-pound largemouth from a farm pond in Hebron. Roaring Brook produced an 8-pound rainbow over last weekend and he heard of a 4-pound rainbow that was caught and released mid week (probably just after the fresh stocking of quality fish) in the Salmon River. One customer accidentally caught, photographed and immediately released a 4-foot long sturgeon that ate the sand worms he was using to catch striped bass. John said the schoolie stripers are all over the Connecticut River at the present time.
• Your best bet this week is still school stripers for sheer action and blackfish for some fillet material. In the freshwater, trout, panfish and largemouths will be hitting well in area lakes and rivers. We haven’t heard much from the calico bass fishing crowd, but these fish should be peaking in many area lakes right about now.

DEP Weekly Report 4/26/06

1. INLAND REPORT: In-season trout stocking is well underway. Connecticut Trout Parks are experiencing heavy usage from families fishing. All are enjoying the frequent (7-10 day) stocking of these areas.
2. Locations to try for good trout: fishing include Baummer’s Pond, Angus Park Pond, Bunnells Pond, and the Stratton Brook, Black Rock, Wolfe Park (Great Hollow Pond), Horse Pond, Southford Falls, Wharton Brook, Chatfield Hollow, Kent Falls, Sleeping Giant (Mill River) and Natchaug River Trout Parks.
3. TROUT: Rivers & streams - The recent rainy weather has slowed everything down somewhat. However, anglers are still reporting good fishing for trout with reports from the Farmington (brown 21”), Housatonic (browns to 20”), Willimantic, Natchaug, Aspetuck, Bantam, Blackberry, Scantic, Naugatuck, Hammonasset, Salmon, Mill, Ten Mile, Eightmile (Southington), Mianus, Coginchaug, Pequonnic, Pequabuck, Yantic, Little (23”, 5 lb brown), Pomperaug and Hockanum Rivers, and Leadmine, Latimer, Salmon, Sandy, Roaring (Somers) and Roaring (Glastonbury) Brooks. Bait anglers are having success using earthworms or a mealworm/corn combination. Successful fly anglers used Winter/Summer Caddis (#18-22, early morning, minor hatch), Blue Wing Olive (#16-20, late morning-early afternoon), Blue Quills (#16-20, early afternoon) and Quill Gordons (#16-18, early/mid afternoon).
4. Farmington River water temperatures are in the low 50’s °F, with clearing flows of 150 CFS (Riverton) and an additional 130 CFS from the Still River. Hendricksons (#12-14, early afternoon) are in full hatch on the Farmington River now! Spinner fall occurs around 6:30 pm. Housatonic River morning water temperature is 55°F (TMA area) with 1,000 CFS of off color flows at Falls Village and 3,600 cfs at Gaylordsville. Blue Wing Olive, midges, Blue Quills, early caddis & stoneflies are suggested here. Streamers (white/yellow) and nymphs are producing some large fish. The Hendrickson hatch was a total blowout on the Housatonic River due to the high water and is over for the year.
5. Anglers Can Expect Good Fishing in western CT at the West Branch Farmington (above TMA), , East Aspetuck, Little, Nonewaug, Pomperaug, Pootatuck and Weekeepeemee Rivers, and the East and West Branch Salmon, Pond, Hop and Leadmine Brooks.
6. In eastern CT, good fishing can be expected at: Hammonasset, Hockanum, Hop, Jeremy, Middle, Natchaug, Quinebaug, Salmon, Shetucket, Skungamaug, Still (Eastford), Tankerhoosen and Yantic Rivers, and Broad (Preston), Bigelow, Choate, Crystal Lake, Indiantown, Kitt and Pattaconk Brooks.
7. Lakes & Ponds – Good trout fishing was found in many lakes and ponds throughout Connecticut with reports from Colebrook Reservoir, Mashapaug (mixed results), Rogers (good), Wonoscopomuc (22”, 4.3 lb brown), Highland (22” brown), Crystal (Ellington), Candlewood (22” brown) and East Twin (20 fish for one angler) Lakes, Squantz, Beach(some 12-15” browns among the catches), Great Hollow, Mt. Tom and West Hill (52 trout for 2 anglers) Ponds.
8. Anglers can expect good fishing in western CT at Black Rock Impoundment, East Twin, Fountain and Highland Lakes, Ball, Christensen's, Ender's, Mohawk, Mt. Tom, Tyler and West Side Ponds.
9. In Eastern CT, good fishing should be expected at: Walkers Reservoir, Amos, Billings, Pattaconk, Bashan, Cedar, Gardner, Quonnipaug and Wyassup Lakes, Beach,Black (Meriden/Middlefield), Beaver Brook (Bibbins), Day, Horse, Schreeder and Valley Falls Park Ponds.
10. LARGEMOUTH BASS fishing is productive as fish move onto the spawning beds. Try Mansfield Reservoir, Saugatuck Reservoir, East Twin, Saltonstall, Wonoscopomuc, Amos, Bashan (launching difficult), Quonnipaug (6.48 lb bass), Uncas, Ashland, Bantam, Congamond, Highland, Middle Bolton, Candlewood (6.5 lb bass) and Coventry Lakes, and Pachaug, Mudge and Ball Ponds.
11. SMALLMOUTH BASS are reported at Mansfield Hollow Reservoir, Lake Housatonic, Candlewood (great, including a 4.75 lb smallie), Bashan, and Gardner (spotty) Lakes, Squantz Pond and, West Hill and Ball Ponds.
12. CHAIN PICKEREL are being caught at: Wonoscopomuc Lake and Rogers Lake (21”).
13. BLACK CRAPPIE fishing is excellent at: Lake Saltonstall, West Twin (30 fish) and East Twin (13.5”) Lakes, and Avery, Glasgo and Park Ponds.
14. NORTHERN PIKE are showing up at Bantam Lake (30”), Hopeville Pond, Ashland Pond, and below the Pachaug dam.
15. Connecticut River – STRIPED BASS are in the river up to Enfield. Legal size fish (up to 40”) are now mixed in with the schoolies. Inland fishing license is required to fish in the Ct. River north of the railroad bridge in Old Lyme. Sand & blood worms are working as well as soft plastics.
16. NORTHERN PIKE are reported at Windsor, Haddam Meadows, Wethersfield Cove and White Oaks Cove.
17. CATFISH are being caught in Wethersfield & White Oaks Cove, Middletown & Cromwell area of the river.
18. SHAD are reported in the river up to the Bissell Bridge.
19. WHOPPERS – Brown trout; - Natchaug River (8.3 lbs, 26”, Jason Adams), Saugatuck Reservoir (6.5 lbs, Daniel Hripak of Bridgeport), Crystal Lake, Ellington (5 lbs, Ken Nyser).
20. NOTES: Launching from the state boat launches at Bashan Lake, Quaddick Reservoir and Beseck Lake remains difficult due to low water levels.
21. MARINE FISHING REPORT: STRIPED BASS fishing in the tidal rivers and harbors remain good for schoolies with HICKORY SHAD mixed in. Schoolies range in length from about 14 to 20 inches. The usual spots include the Pawcatuck River, Mystic River, Thames River, Niantic River, Connecticut River by Great Island, Sandy Point area in New Haven Harbor, Housatonic
22. River from the Devon power plant to the Derby Dam, and the Norwalk Islands.
23. WINTER FLOUNDER fishing is fair at Bluff Point/Poquonock River, Pine Island area, the Brothers, Niantic Bay, and Norwalk Harbor.

Norwich Bulletin 4/22/06

• This time of year, some of the fastest fishing action to be experienced is in the Thames River and other coastal estuaries that are harboring large schools of hungry, active striped bass.
• Most of the fish being caught in the Connecticut, Pawcatuck, Mystic, Niantic and Thames rivers are small schoolies averaging 14 to 22 inches. However, in the upper reaches of the Thames and other places with spawning runs of alewives, there will be some very large stripers to catch, particularly after dark or early in the day.
• Alewives tend to move up river to spawn with an incoming tide after dark and stripers are nocturnal. So, the combination can make for some pretty exciting big-fish action, if you're in the right place at the right tide.
• Stripers are all over the Thames River's shallow flats and coves right now and will be present in large numbers for at least a few more weeks. The runs of bigger bass are temperature-dependent and tend to have a much shorter duration in the herring spawning areas.[org pub Norwich Bulletin by Bob Sampson, Jr]

On The Water 4/20/06

1. Its schoolies, schoolies, schoolies, occasional keepers and a few flounder. Everyone along the coast has something around to play with. Western Long Island Sound has some bunker penetrating as far east as Bridgeport Harbor, with some bass into the 30-pound range feeding heavily on them. There’s a large body of menhaden still in New York waters with some larger fish feeding on them that can be expected to move eastward over the next two weeks. Winter flounder are being caught, with a few people even talking about limits, though most places it’s a slow pick at best. Schoolie stripers, some migrants, are in the Newport area and winter holdovers in the large rivers like the Thames are abundant and providing some very fast fishing action when anglers hit the tides right.
2. Freshwater fishing is also red hot. With trout season open, many angler’s are hitting the local lakes and streams with trout being their main interest, though largemouth bass are very active in the smaller, warmer shallow ponds and lakes throughout the region.
3. Bill at King Cove Outfitters in Stonington CT said they’re starting to hear about some action in the Pawcatuck River from around the cemetery on down to the mouth. Charlestown Breachway has also been active the past few evenings. The bass are small and being caught on flies and small soft plastics and plugs. He also noted that a few of his customers are fishing for winter flounder, but no one is reporting back on doing much “catching” at this point.
4. Cheryl Fee of Shaffer’s Marina in Mystic, CT said they just opened up on Friday. Alan caught a small striper in the river over the weekend. Not many of their boats are in the water yet so she hasn’t heard much about winter flounder. Kids are taking a few small bass on Storm shads off the causeway bridge. Al said the lower river was 48 degrees on Saturday night but it dropped to 44 off the Pawcatuck River on Monday (which is closer to the cooler open ocean). Temps are ahead of last year at this calendar date and shaping up nicely for spring and early summer fishing throughout the region.
5. Our Thames River report comes from Captain Jack Balint of The Fish Connection in Preston, CT. The river has been seeing bass everywhere up and down the river, from Buoy 27 up to the Greenville Dam. Its been mostly schoolies but there are some nice bass up to 15 to 18 pounds being caught from lower Poquetanuck Cove. There are also some bigger bass being caught up at the dam when the tides are right. Try to fish near the top of the tide and you will catch some of these bigger, herring-chasing stripers.
6. Freshwater fishing is turning on pretty well.Low water conditions made fishing easier in the area’s rivers and streams by concentrating the fish into pools where they could be easily reached and caught. The water is almost too low in some parts of the Yantic and other smaller rivers. Jack said that the Salmon River, the Black Ledge River (which flows into the Salmon River), Shetucket and Natchaug are all producing some decent fish.
7. Mark at Hillyer’s Bait and Tackle in Waterford CT said that the Niantic River, Jordan Cove vicinity, has been producing winter flounder in good numbers. Many of the fish are quality sized, with a fair number of anglers actually limiting out. He said they are anchoring up and chumming the channel for flatties up inside the inner bay near Camp Rell. Down closer to the bridges they are catching some nice blackfish, along with some flounder, near where the channel bends to flow under the drawbridge. Schoolie stripers are also present in the upper river, with the best action taking place early and late in the day.
8. Mark also heard reports that the lower Connecticut River has been producing some stripers up to 30 inches, with Great Island and Lieutenant River near the DEP dock being the hot spots. The outgoing tide has been (and always is) best in the Connecticut River, with guys using flies and soft plastics. There are reports of stripers being caught in and around the mouth of Hamburg Cove as well.
9. White perch are hitting well at Hamburg Cove, though more towards the mouth than up higher in the cove around the marinas. Reports from some hard core perch fishermen indicate that numbers are good but the size is down from past years. American shad are just starting to move here and in the Thames.
10. Pat Abate of River’s End Tackle in Saybrook CT said the striper fishing has been good in the lower Connecticut River for a week or more now, from Lieutenant River to Great Island and also up-river around South Cove at Essex. The catches, like everywhere else, are mostly small fish with occasional 30-inchers being caught around dark in and near creeks that support herring runs. Bigger fish are separated from the smaller fish and chasing these much larger baits.
11. Winter flounder are being caught in Niantic, but note there’s not much action around the lower river mouth at this point. Generally the Connecticut River flatfish bite is a tad later than the coves and bays to the east and concentrates around the outer breakwall when it happens.
12. Captain Jerry Morgan of Captain Morgan’s Tackle in Madison CT said that it’s been all trout since opening day. The weekend brought heavy fishing on both days. Low waters helped customers catch fish in the streams.
    
13. Winter flounder are hitting coves and inlets along the shorelines of Madison and Guilford. Nothing spectacular in numbers or size are being reported, but those who know what they are doing are catching a few flatfish. Anglers who are targeting blackfish are catching some decent sized ones in close to shore around the rockpiles where they will be spawning in a few weeks. The Connecticut blackfish season closes April 30 so there’s not much time left to chase this great eating fish.
14. Plenty of schoolie bass are present and being caught in the coves and river mouths in the Madison area as well.
15. Chris Fulton, owner of Stratford Bait and Tackle said Bridgeport Harbor has some bunker with fish up to 40 inches being caught under the schools. Bass are all over the river up to about 30 inches. Flounder action has been good. The best is a 2.88-pounder at this point.
16. Trout season has been productive with fish to 6 pounds from the Saugatuck Reservoir. There were tons of kids fishing with their parents over the weekend. The kids are off from school and can take advantage of the trout season.
17. Burt at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, CT told us customers have been nailing the schoolies on a regular basis from the Calf Pasture Point Pier. A few keeper bass have also been caught from this productive springtime spot. There are still some big schools of adult bunker in the bays and inlets along the New York coastline that are producing some bigger stripers. One school of these bigger fish moved into Bridgeport Harbor where a group of customers said they caught stripers of 30 and 32 pounds using live menhaden for bait.
18. It looks like there may be some fish on the move out of the Hudson River based on these “big fish reports” which is good news. The larger concentrations of big bass and bunker are west in New York Waters but they should begin moving our way within the next week or so.
19. There are also a few winter flounder being caught off the pier. The best flatfish catches are being made in the Norwalk River by those who are chumming heavily with ground clams and setting their lines back into the chum slick. The shop has weighed flatties up to about 2 pounds. Last year fish over 3 pounds were caught a little later in the season.
20. CT Freshwater:A few trout fishermen caught some walleyes up to 23 inches from Beach Pond on opening day, which bodes well for that fishery this summer.
21. The lack of ice on area lakes probably saved the lives of many pike and walleye. Over the 35 years I’ve been writing reports like this one, summers following mild, “no ice” winters, the bass, pike and walleye fishing is always better for quality and quantity of fish.
22. This week, anyone should be able to hook into trout in area lakes or ponds, bass in the shallow lakes, and stripers pretty much anywhere along the coast. There are a few winter flounder around to catch, with Niantic Bay and the Norwalk Islands sounding like the best spots to target flatfish. Big bass are not in the area in abundance yet, but they’ll be here real soon anywhere there’s a herring run, and under the bunker schools in Western Long Island Sound. [org pub OnTheWater by Bob Samspon]
    

Conn Post 4/21/06

• Warm weather and calm winds greeted anglers as the trout season officially opened Saturday. The spring climate continued all week to further delight fishers. As expected, the trout cooperated for some and completely fooled others. But catching fish is only a small part of the opening week atmosphere.
• Part of the trout-fishing spirit is the chance for parents to spend time outdoors with their children. This week it seemed that many families did not miss this special opportunity. Surveys around the state showed numerous adult/child fishing partnerships working the stocked lakes, especially the trout parks.
  
• The fishing outings paid big dividends for several youngsters, like Sam Emanuel, 8, of Stratford. The young caster caught a 5.92-pound brown trout from Candlewood Lake. He also reeled in two more brown trout weighing 2.46 and 2.38 pounds. Nick Vanfleet, 12, of Milford, hooked a rare 18-inch tiger trout from the Wepawaug River. Nick Rossi, 9, of Trumbull, picked up a tagged 14-inch rainbow from Gould Manor Pond. Brennan Cunningham, 4, of North Haven, caught a 20-inch, 3-pound rainbow trout on Berkley Powerbait in Maltby Lake #3. Conner Peterson, 11 of Fairfield, tried catching trout at Lake Mohegan, but ended up with a bunch of nice crappie.
• Adults also had good opening week luck. Ken Richie of Stratford weighed in a 5.96-pound Seeforellen brown trout at Stratford Bait & Tackle. He caught the fish at the Saugatuck Reservoir on a Krocodile spoon with green prism tape. Pablo Padillo of Bridgeport hooked a 4.22- pound rainbow trout at Unity Park on a nightcrawler. Ron Merly of Fairfield weighed in a 6.75-pound rainbow trout at Jimmy O's Bait & Tackle. According to the report, he caught the big trout on a yellow "coachdog" colored Rooster Tail. Bridgeport school teacher Eli Dyson of West Haven picked up a 3-pound brown trout in the Trumbull section of the Pequonnock River on Berkley Powerbait. Don Drake of Bridgeport opted for a mealworm to entice a 4.75-pound rainbow trout at the Norwalk River. Those who didn't catch many fish on opening day can take heart as there are eight more weeks of trout stocking. This week the state Department of Environmental Protection stocked both the Cornwall and Bulls Bridge trout management areas on the Housatonic River, the Farmington River TMA, Kent Falls Brook, the Mill River in Hamden, the Pequabuck River and Scoville Reservoir.
• Saltwater angling has taken a backseat to freshwater with the onset of trout season. But those working Long Island Sound are enjoying striped bass. Also, a report from Tom's Marine indicated plenty of schoolie striped bass in the Housatonic River below the Derby Dam. Hector Martinez of Bridgeport scored at Seaside Park last week with a 37-inch, 17.45 pound and a 38.75-inch, 21.05 pound striped bass. Both fish were weighed at Ted's Bait & Tackle. Meanwhile, Harry Sheffield of Bridgeport caught a 36-inch, 17-pound striper off the east end of Seaside Park. All the above bass were taken on bunker chunks.
• Blackfish are keeping anglers entertained as Joe Lucibella of Fairfield discovered when he boated an 8.42-pound blackfish. The fish struck a sandworm off the New Haven Harbor breakwaters. [org pub CT Post, written by FRANK MCKANE JR.

DEP Weekly 4/19/06

1. INLAND REPORT: Angler reports on Opening Day weekend varied from slow to excellent. All reports indicate that the Trout Parks (stocked every 7-10 days) provide an exceptional family fishing experience. Six of the Trout Parks were stocked fish on Opening Day and children were invited to help stock trout and they really enjoyed it. DEP staff were on site at many of the Trout Parks to answer questions and they report that family participation at Trout Parks continues to increase.
2. DEP recommends fishing spots for children and families. Locations to try for good trout fishing include: Angus Park Pond (Glastonbury), Baummer’s Pond (Naugatuck), Bunnells Pond (Bridgeport- a new addition to the trout stocking schedule), and the Chatfield Hollow, Stratton Brook, Black Rock Pond, Wolfe Park (Great Hollow Pond) Horse Pond, Southford Falls, Wharton Brook, Kent Falls, Sleeping Giant (Mill River-Hamden) and Natchaug River Trout Parks.
3. TROUT: Rivers & streams - There are plenty of trout in the water and there have been reports of trout up to 24 .Most anglers are having success using earthworms or mealworms and corn. Good fishing reported from the TMA’s on the Housatonic, West Branch-Farmington, Mianus and Willimantic Rivers, the Mill, Farm (22 rainbow), Norwalk, Natchaug, Quinnipiac, Fenton, Coginchaug, Salmon, Farmill (8.5 lbs. brown), Naugatuck, Saugatuck and Bantam Rivers, Dickenson Brook and Stratton Brook.
4. Farmington River - Water temperatures are in the mid to upper 40’s, with clear flows of 139 CFS (Riverton) and an additional 59 CFS from the Still River. Successful fly anglers are using Blue Wing Olive (#16-18), Hendricksons (#12-14), Winter Caddis (#16-20), Midges (#20-28) and a variety of nymphs.
5. Housatonic River – The morning water temperature is 57°F (TMA area) with 685 CFS of clearing flows at Falls Village. Hendrickson (#12-14), Midges (#20-28) and black/brown stoneflies (#12-16) are the current hatches. With the warmer temperatures more bugs will start to show up.
6. Anglers Can Expect Good Fishing At: the Pachaug, Green Falls, Hammonasset (including TMA), Salmon, (including TMA), Scantic, Shetucket, Still (Eastford), Willimantic, Yantic (including the TMA), Farmington (West Branch TMA), Housatonic (including both TMA’s), Mill and Pequabuck (Rockwell Park - Blvd. area) Rivers, Beaver, Bigelow, Kent Falls (Trout Park), Chatfield Hollow (Trout Park), Hunts, Indiantown, Mount Misery, Myron Kinnie, Shunock, Roaring (Stafford) and Susquetonscut Brooks.
7. Lakes & Ponds – Good fishing and some excellent fish were found in many lakes/ponds throughout Connecticut including the Great Hollow, Stratton Brook, Black Rock, Chatfield Hollow and Wharton Brook Trout Parks, Lake Saltonstall, Lake McDonough, Highland (8 lbs. brown), Rogers, Coventry, Gardner, Crystal (Ellington), Cedar, Mashapaug (6 lbs. brown), Candlewood and East Twin (23 brown trout) Lakes, Valley Falls, Saint Martha’s, Bigelow, West Side, West Hill, Black (Meriden) and Ball Ponds, Saugatuck Reservoir and Colebrook Reservoir.
8. Anglers Can Expect Good Fishing At: Black (Woodstock), Broad Brook Mill, Hewitt Fly, Horse, Paine, Schreeder (Chatfield Hollow TP) and Saw Mill Ponds, Green Falls Reservoir and Scoville Reservoir.
9. LARGEMOUTH BASS fishing is good due to above normal water temperatures. Good bass fishing is reported at Crystal (Ellington), Highland, Coventry (6.8 lb bass), Gardner, Waramaug, East Twin, Candlewood and Mashapaug Lakes, Hatch (44 fish for two anglers), Pachaug, Ball (7.5 lb bass) and Beach (7.7 lb bass) Ponds and Moodus Reservoir (7 lb bass).
10. WALLEYE are being taken at from Coventry Lake and Lake Saltonstall (2 over 6 lbs.).
11. Connecticut River – STRIPED BASS are throughout the river up to Windsor, Ct. School size (16-25 ) fish and adults up to 40 (lower river) are showing up. A reminder to anglers that an Inland fishing license is required to fish in the CT River north of the interstate route 95 bridge in Old Lyme/Old Saybrook. Sand and blood worms work best in early season stained water.
12. SHAD are just beginning to show up in the Connecticut waters. NORTHERN PIKE are reported in Wethersfield Cove, and downstream from Hartford to Haddam (smaller fish).
13. NOTES: Due to low water levels, launching from the state boat launches at Quaddick Reservoir and Beseck Lake may be difficult (at best).
14. STRIPED BASS fishing in the tidal rivers is good to excellent for schoolies. The Pawcatuck River, Thames River up to Norwich Harbor, Connecticut River by Great Island, Sandy Point area in New Haven Harbor, Housatonic River from the Devon power plant to the Derby Dam are the places to fish. Kastmasters,Hopkins spoons, swimming plugs, bucktail jigs and soft bodied jigs all work well.
15. WINTER FLOUNDER fishing is iffy at best. Flounder spots include Bluff Point, Pine Island area, the Brothers, and Norwalk Harbor but don’t expect much.
16. BLACKFISH should be getting more active on the local rock piles as water temperatures warm up.

Conn Post 4/14/06 Trout Stockings

1. Freshwater anglers spent much of the week gearing up for Saturday's trout season opener. By the 6 a.m. start time, the state Department of Environmental Protection expects to have about 410,000 trout awaiting fishers in 97 lakes and 200 rivers. Before planning your trip this weekend, review the following list of stocked waters along with last year's trout stocking numbers.
2. Lakes and ponds stocked with trout in Fairfield and New Haven counties are Ball Pond, 4,595; Baumer's Pond, 600; Black Pond, 6,650; the Branford Supply Ponds, 700; Candlewood Lake, 16,970; Fountain Lake, 500; Hop Brook Flood Control Pond, 4,730; Lake Mohegan, 1,630; Nells Rock Reservoir, 1,180; Picketts Pond in Osbornedale State Park, 850; Prospect Park Pond, 890; Quonnipaug Lake, 4,550; Lake Saltonstall, 2000; Saugatuck Reservoir, 4000; Scoville Reservoir, 1,550; Squantz Pond, 4,250; Starrett Pond, 1,160; Lake Stibbs, 690; and the Twin Brooks Park Ponds, 420.
3. The rivers and streams receiving trout are the Aspetuck River, 600; Beacon Hill Brook, 600; Bladens Brook, 500; Branford River, 3,260; Byram River, 500; East Swamp Brook, 400; Eight Mile Brook, 550; Farm River, 4420; Farmill River, 3,485; Hammonasset River Trout Management Area (TMA), 4,410; Hop Brook, 1,550; Indian Hole Brook, 300; Kettletown Brook, 650; Little River, 1,270; Long Meadow Pond Brook, 400; Long Swamp Brook, 200; Mianus River TMA, 3,080; Mianus River Open Section, 2,245; Mill River TMA (Fairfield), 1,340; Mill River Open Section (Fairfield), 1,080;
4. Mill River Open Section (Hamden), 6,445; Muddy River, 2,945; Naugatuck River, 8,280; East Branch of the Naugatuck River, 2,230; Nonnewaug River, 1,470; Norwalk River, 9,570; Pequonnock River, 7,905; the West Branch of the Pequonnock River, 350; Pomperaug River, 10,375; Pond Brook, 1,330; Pootatuck River, 1660; Quinnipiac River, 1,470; Race Brook, 300; Saugatuck River Flyfishing Only Section, 1,650; Saugatuck River Open Sections, 7610; West Branch of the Saugatuck River, 1,050; Sprain Brook, 600; Weekeepeemee Brook, 1,350; and Wepawaug River, 1,105.
5. Trout parks get very heavy helpings of trout. The regional trout parks are Black Rock State Park Pond, 6,220; Great Hollow Pond, 5000; the Mill River in Sleeping Giant State Park, 4,400; Southford Falls State Park Pond, 5,450; and Wharton Brook State Park Pond, 4,960.
6. Many anglers travel north into Litchfield County to enjoy the scenery and fisheries. Some of the more popular destinations are the Blackberry River, 2,885; Colebrook Flood Control Pond, 5,240; East Twin Lake, 15,130; Highland Lake, 12,800; Mohawk Pond, 3,175; Mt. Tom Pond, 5,250; Stillwater Pond, 1,835; Tyler Pond, 3,450; Hogsback Reservoir, 3,100; West Hill Pond, 14,800; West Side Pond, 2,440 and Wononscopomuc Lake, 8,550.
7. The Farmington River System is the most heavily stocked river in the state. Anglers will find 10,260 trout in the open sections of the river and 18,775 trout in the TMAs. The West Branch of the Farmington River will get 8,850 trout in the open sections and 18,090 in the TMAs. Likewise the Housatonic River TMAs were stocked with trout. Flyfishers should enjoy 2,000 trout in the Bulls Bridge TMA and 3,000 fish in the Cornwall TMA.

On The Water 4/13/06

1. Across the line in Connecticut, Don at King Cove Outfitters in Stonington said winter flounder are being caught in the Mystic River between the bridges. None of the catches are earth shattering, but the small group of anglers who are fishing this area are reporting a few keepers and some shorts. They have been catching enough fish to keep them coming back since the season opened in Connecticut two weeks ago. (Editor’s Note: This is where I caught my first flounder when I was a kid, growing up in Mystic. In the old days every finger pier had a couple of fishermen on the end fishing for flounder at this time of year. The Mystic River is quite narrow between the bridges and all the founder from upriver are funneled through this area. It should be considered a “best bet” although it’s no secret that the flounder fishing everywhere is a shadow of what it once was. Gene Bourque, editor)
2. Another group of anglers have been catching some schoolie bass in the Providence River and another group have found bass off the West Wall. Don has also heard about the fish in the Connecticut River at Hamburg Cove from yet another group of anglers.
3. It’s funny, everyone is talking about seeing sea lice on the bass, which most people assume means they are migratory fish from the south. This could well be true, but up in side Hamburg Cove at this time of year and with current river temperatures I doubt the bass are migrants from Chesapeake. I have a feeling that at least some of the lice are being picked up in the wintering areas and are, like the bass, getting active now so they are jumping on their host species. My guess is that these are local, over-wintering fish that are waking up as water temps warm into the 50s.
4. Captain John Planeta, owner of Frank’s Tackle in Marlborough said the Connecticut River is hot right now. The area in front of Wethersfield Cove is producing tons of small fish. Mostly those are 12- to 16-inchers that seem to be everywhere with the largest fish he’s heard of up to 24 inches. Everyone coming into the store lately is buying gear and licenses for the Connecticut trout season opener this Saturday. He noted that the TMA on the Salmon River has produced some three-pound trout.
5. Not much word on pike in the Connecticut River. Evidently the lack of snowmelt and flooding has done something negative to the spawning this year. No one is talking about the pike for the moment, but they have to be present somewhere in the river.
6. Joe Balint and Rennie of The Fish Connection in Preston said that the Thames River bass fishing is red hot in this river’s extensive shallows. Schoolie action is about the only thing going on at the moment. Everyone is preparing for the trout season opener. White perch have shown up in Poquetanuck Cove. There was a big school of white perch in Norwich Harbor recently and this is probably the school of fish that moved into the cove to spawn, like they do every year at about this time.
7. Winter flounder fishing still going fairly well at Bluff Point, Harkness Park and Seaside, in Waterford. No one talking about Jordan Cove but odds are there are some flounder there and probably up inside the Niantic River as well.
8. The Fish Connection is hosting their annual Opening Day contest and giving gift certificates as prizes for the three largest trout by weight, ties broken by who came in first.
9. I heard just about the same report from Richard at Hillyer’s Bait & Tackle in Waterford. He said customers are talking about catching winter flounder at Bluff Point, Jordan Cove and up inside the Niantic River. One fish caught on Tuesday was 2.5 pounds but skinny for its length; Richard said if it had any thickness it would have been three pounds for sure. One customer caught some nice blackfish on worms off one of the local reefs out in Niantic Bay.
10. Schoolie bass are also up in the river, with a few bigger fish chasing herring in the upper Thames River, according to a couple of customers.
11. Captain Jerry Morgan of Captain Morgan’s Tackle in Madison reports that all kinds of good things are going on. His Opening Day trout contest features prizes for the three biggest trout brought in prior to 6 p.m. on Saturday. Entrants who don’t will be eligible for additional prizes, determined by a drawing.
12. Winter flounder are being caught around the Thimble Islands; in East and West Rivers, Guilford; and off Madison around Tunxis Island. The Captain has also heard of but not seen a few blackfish, but nothing of any notable size. Schoolies are active up inside all the rivers and bays in the area with a few starting to move into New Haven Harbor.
13. Water temperatures in the Sound around Madison range from 46 to 48 degrees, which is a whole lot higher than last year on this date!
14. Head for the Housatonic River in the late afternoon, fish soft plastic and you may catch stripers up to 40 inches in length said Chris Fulton, owner of Stratford Bait & Tackle. Anglers are wading out and working 5-inch shads in bunker color along the channel edge are hooking up on a regular basis. One angler caught three keeper-sized bass in the Housatonic on Sunday.
15. Winter flounder fishing is slow. One customer caught two fish on Opening Day near Sprite Island in Westport but Chris has not heard a word about any other catches since then. Most of the interest right now has to do with Saturday’s trout season opener.
16. Rick Mola of Fisherman’s World in Norwalk said there are some flounder in the Norwalk Harbor area. Not many limits are reported at this time, but anglers are generally pleased with their catch results; he’s hearing of daily catches of four to seven fish averaging, 16 to 17 inches. Last year many flatfish to 3 pounds were caught; this year the best so far are only in the 2-pound range. Those big flatties didn’t begin to show until later in April and early May, so there is hope the same scenario will take place this spring.
17. Rick has also heard of a few schoolies around the Bridgeport Power Plant. The big news is a big school of adult bunker in Bridgeport Harbor and plenty of striped bass to 40 inches feeding under them. Manhassett Bay is loaded with bunker right now, which will draw the attention of the Hudson River’s jumbo bass once they drop down river after spawning sometime in the near future. Right now there’s some pretty good fishing for stripers in the warmer, western end of Long Island Sound. Otherwise, everyone is waiting for trout season to open Saturday.
18. Jim Dimitri of Lebanon Sports Center said people are fishing in the Yantic River TMA but no one has been catching any big trout on a regular basis.
19. The folks at Lebanon Sports Center in Bozrah are hard at work getting ready for their 40th or so annual Opening Day Contest and it is a gala affair, complete with hot dogs, beverage and prizes. Customers can chow down until the grub runs out. Their contest has both an adult and a kid’s division.
20. Last week’s Pachaug Pond “Ice Breaker Tournament” was slow, said Steve at Mike’s Bait and Tackle in Voluntown and no one talking about catching very much. The shop is holding their annual Opening Day Contest for the longest trout in adult and kid’s (under 16) divisions.
21. This week the best bet for sheer action will be trout in any of Connecticut or Rhode Island’s stocked waters, or striped bass in coastal rivers and shallow bays or salt ponds. With freshwater temps into the 50s, shallow weed-filled bass ponds will also be producing some pre-spawn largemouths.

New: Bridgeport, Ansonia, Naugatuck

The DEP added Bunnell's Pond in Bridgeport to its spring stocking list. Also stocked with trout for the first time this year are Fountain Lake in Ansonia and Seymour, and Baummers Pond in Naugatuck.

CT pays for the trout, non-residents pay again

The battle for fishing fees at Southington's Crescent Lake has been lost. Non-residents who want to boat or fish at Crescent Lake will have to buy a one-year permit for $25 if the Board of Park Commissioners approves a motion to that effect at its April meeting.

Crescent Lake is still being stocked with fish by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and a catch-and-release policy for fisherman is in place there.

Next up: charging non-residents hiking fees.

Conn Post 3/31/06

• Anglers will see plenty of activity from the state Department of Environmental Protection over the next few weeks. Hatchery personnel have been stocking the catch-and-release year-round trout fishing areas, as well as stocking trout in preparation for the April 15 season opening. Marine fisheries managers also have been hard at work preparing new saltwater fishing regulations.
• Earlier this week, the department announced it will extend the closure of the marine alewife and blueback herring fisheries. This action began in 2002 with an annual review of the population. The population remains well below the desired levels forcing the ban's extension. While these fish can provide recreational fishing opportunities, they were more often used as striped bass bait.
• The above prohibition does not apply to the landlocked alewife populations in Amos Lake, Ball Pond, Beach Pond, Candlewood Lake, Crystal Lake, Highland Lake, Lake Quassapaug, Lake Quonnipaug, Rogers Lake, Squantz Pond, Uncas Pond and Lake Waramaug. Alewives in these lakes may still be taken by angling and with a scoop net.
• Trout fishing season will open in two weeks. Until then, anglers may fish for trout in the trout management areas on the Hammonasset River in Madison, Housatonic River in Cornwall and Kent, Mianus River in Greenwich, Mill River in Fairfield, Naugatuck River in Thomaston, Saugatuck River in Westport, and the West Branch of the Farmington River in Barkhamsted. Consult the state Anglers' Guide for directions to the specific management areas.
• The TMA trout fishery is strictly catch-and-release. All hooked fish, even the big ones, must be released immediately. Many of the TMAs are restricted to fly-fishing. Tie your flies with barbless hooks to aid with the live release. Change the treble hooks to single hooks when using artificial lures in the non-fly areas. Then crush the barb flat to create a makeshift barbless hook.
• Saltwater anglers are starting to enjoy striped bass. The warmer weather has sparked the bass into feeding on the helpless river herring and alewives. Anglers have been scoring with lures that mimic these baitfish. Some of the better bass lures are soft plastic shad, Sea-Match Herring, Fin-S Fish, Rat-L Traps and hard plastic or wooden minnow lures. Small mackerel chunks and large sandworms are also enticing striped bass strikes.
• Winter flounder season opens this weekend. With luck, you should be able to catch a few flounder in Norwalk Harbor between the Maritime Center and Peach Island, the mouth of the Saugatuck River, around Cockenoe Island, in Bridgeport Harbor around Pleasure Beach, in the lower Housatonic River between Short Beach and Bonds Dock, at the mouth of Milford Harbor, in Morris Cove and off the fishing piers at Fort Hale and Lighthouse Point.
• Whether you are fishing from shore or from a boat, always use a chum pot. Boaters can simply drop the pot off the anchor line at the bow of the boat. Then fish off the boat's stern. From shore, toss the pot out on a long rope. Try to fish down current of the pot. Sandworms, clam bellies and shrimp tails are good flounder baits. Ground clams mixed with cornmeal, frozen into a solid block, make an excellent chum pot base. [— FRANK MCKANE JR. ]

Norwich Bulletin

• The big event this week is the opening of the winter flounder season today. Look for these fish to be in shallow bays and estuaries. Places such as Poquonnock River (Bluff Point, Groton) the Flat, lower Thames River, Niantic Bay, Mumford Cove, Mystic River, Jordan Cove, Quiambaug Cove (upper Stonington Harbor above the tracks) and any other dent or inlet along the shoreline are likely to harbor a few of these fish for the next couple of weeks.
• They don't call them winter flounder for nothing. This species likes it cold and spawns in the late winter and very early spring at water temperatures somewhere around 39 to 40 degrees F. When inshore water temps begin to get much warmer, adult flounder move off shore to deeper, cooler places where they wait out the heat of summer before moving back inshore for the winter months and to spawn.
• For this reason, the window of opportunity during which to catch flatfish is short, anywhere from one or two weeks, to just more than a month, depending on the area being fished. A few of the shallow "early-season spots" such as Poquonnock River (Bluff Point) are past their prime already, but may still hold a few fish. If they are not shallow, move out into bays and along inshore beaches to find these fish.
• Winter flounder fishing has been poor for more than a decade. However, during the past three chilly springs, it has improved slightly along the Connecticut coast. Last spring, a few anglers fishing out of Hillyer's Tackle in Waterford were bringing in limits of quality flatfish for a few weeks before increasing water temperatures caused the action to fade. This year, regulations call for 10 fish per day and a 12-inch minimum length, so catching a limit of winter flounder will be a feat that only a few hard-core, experts will be achieving. I haven't caught a limit of flatfish for many years. But I'm ready to take my semi-annual skunking or near skunking from these delicious little fish.
• Alewives began showing up in Bride Brook just before the latest cold snap. The sudden drop in water temperature stopped the run for a few days. However, as this week's heat takes effect, the first alewives (buckeyes) should be showing up at the Greenville Dam, Trading Cove Brook and Crowley Brook soon, if they are not there already.
• Remember, there is still a total ban on taking alewives or their close cousins, blueback herring, in Connecticut waters -- even for use as hook bait. Buckeyes were once the absolute best way to catch jumbo stripers in the Thames River and everywhere else for that matter. Now, most New England states have or are considering bans like Connecticut's, because populations have diminished so drastically during the past decade.
• However, there are a number of lures that look enough like herring, to easily fool a hungry striped bass. Fin-S Fish and Slug-Gos in the 9- to 10-inch long sizes are an excellent choice. Storm Swimming Eye Minnows in the large sizes, along with plugs like the Polish Perch, Mambo Minnow, Rapala, Salmo Fatsos and Skinners in 8- to 10-inch long models will all work. For the past couple of years, Yellow Pencil Poppers and Reverse Atom lures have been excellent big bass producers below the dam at Greenville.
• The waters in front of any brook along the banks of the Thames River on up to the Greenville Dam will be drawing some spawning alewives with big stripers in hot pursuit soon. For the best odds of success, try to fish around the top of the tide, anywhere dams or other obstacles slow their upstream migration, because pulses of herring generally move up river with the flooding tide and after dark. [by Bob Sampson Jr.]

On The Water 4/6/06

1. Over the past week temperatures ranged from 68 degrees, about this time last week, to a chilly snowfall on Wednesday. A minor set back. At the present time it looks like things are beginning to “wake up” on all fronts. Anglers caught a few winter flounder along the coast from New London to Norwalk, with a few fishermen in the east end of that range actually limiting out. Stripers began moving in all rivers and bays, with reports of catches coming from just about anywhere spring schoolie stripers are likely to be swimming.
2. Don at King Cove Outfitters in Stonington, Connecticut told me that despite the opening of winter flounder season Connecticut no one reported catching anything down their way. People are just starting to fish as some of the freshwater options materialize and water temps rise.
3. Joe Balint of The Fish Connection, Preston said his customers are once again talking big numbers of schoolie bass all over the Thames. One of my fishing buddies caught a couple hundred fish with another guy over the weekend and they hit them on one of the shallow flats down river from the harbor. This means the bass have moved down river and can probably be caught about anywhere about now. No big fish reported at Greenville Dam yet, but they will be there as soon as the alewives make it to the dam.
4. Joe said that his customers reported catching winter flounder at Bluff Point, Harkness Park, Seaside, and probably Jordan Cove in Waterford. The action was better than expected, noting that a few customers actually limited out with top end flatties hitting the two-pound mark
5. With an “opening day” pulse of anglers and high interest last Saturday when the Connecticut winter flounder season opened up, pressure was high so the reports may make it look like fishing is better than it really is. If anglers continue to catch fish and limits of fish for a few weeks then a better assessment of this years run can be made. At least people are targeting and catching these fish in more than just one area, which is a good sign.
6. Joe also heard that the Moosup TMA was stocked, but a long stretch of the Yantic TMA was lost due to a landowner who posted his property because some fishermen drove on his property and then gave the landowner some lip.
7. Richard at Hillyer’s Bait and Tackle Waterford said a he heard of only a few flatfish taken over the weekend and they came in from Bluff Point. It’s been nasty enough to keep many anglers at home over the past few days. Rob Hughes, who works at the shop said the alewives showed up off Rocky Neck, which means within a week they will be up at Greenville and other spawning streams in the area. One customer said he’d heard of some schoolie bass being caught in the Connecticut River as far north as Hartford, but the action that had been red hot in the lower end of Hamburg Cove had slowed. This is probably due to the same thing that is happening in the Thames. The winter concentration is spreading out and looking for forage. As a result of this phenomenon taking place throughout the region from here until the southern and Hudson River migrations reaches us, schoolie bass are likely to be caught anywhere at this time of year.
8. Pat Abate of River’s End Tackle, Saybrook said they had customers who came in with some good reports of catching winter flounder from the Bluff Point area. He said that fish were being caught both from shore and the fleet of boats that constantly collects around the deep hole near the dike. Pat Renna, maker of T-man Tubes will be giving a free seminar at River’s End Tackle, at 11 a.m. this Saturday and everyone is invited to attend.
9. The white perch action picked up a little in Hamburg Cove over the weekend. I fished there Sunday for a few hours on low and incoming tide and under bluebird, windy, cold, high pressure skies and there was nothing there to catch. I only managed to jig up a few red breasted sunfish the size of potato chips. The yellow perch are apparently past prime, because we couldn’t buy one. We ended up heading up river to another spot where the yellow perch were also not around but it was full of bluegills and calico bass, so we had fun culling out a batch of panfish for supper.
10. We missed Captain Morgan’s Tackle, Madison this week.
11. Chris Fulton owner of Stratford Bait and Tackle said there are a bunch of 18- to 22-inch stripers over at the Devon Power Plant Outflow. One angler said he caught about 40 over the weekend, but was kicked out by plainclothes police on Wednesday because the President was in town.
12. They had a few anglers go out to try for winter flounder over the weekend, but no one reported back about catching any.
13. Derby Dam is temporarily closed due to the recent oil spill.
14. Nick of Fisherman’s World, Norwalk said his customers caught a few winter flounder out in Norwalk Harbor but no limits. Dave Redford caught five keepers with his son Dave Jr. and a few other groups of anglers caught three or four fish per boat. Not stellar action but it’s early for this area. Last year the Norwalk Islands and vicinity had a pretty decent run of winter flounder starting up in late April, lasting for nearly a month. Hopefully the best is yet to come in this area.
15. The Housatonic River also woke up with school bass providing consistent action over the weekend. Jorgan Ostensen caught ten schoolies on Clouser Minnows from the Devon Bridge area.
16. The fishing action will do nothing but improve, especially if the sun comes back out and nighttime temperatures don’t get below freezing. The Thames will be red hot from top to bottom for the next month. The Connecticut, Pawcatuck, Housatonic and other rivers will light up for the season at any time now.

Conn Post 4/7/06

• The spring fishing season got its first push last weekend with the onset of Daylight Savings Time. With the time change, anglers have good fishing light through 8 p.m. This lighting allows fishers to pursue flounder, striped bass and freshwater gamefish in the evening after work or school.
• Winter flounder action has been spotty since the season opened last weekend. Some of the better reports have come from Norwalk Harbor off Veteran's Memorial Park, around the oyster stakes off Calf Pasture Beach, along the flats off Cockenoe Island, between the mouth of the Housatonic River and Milford Harbor, and in Branford Harbor. "Better" is a relative term. Don't expect to catch a limit of 10 fish. Two or three 12-inch keepers can be considered a good outing.
• Patrons on the Hel Cat II party boat caught a few flounder last weekend in the deeper water. Along with the flounder, Capt. Brad Glas reported good catches of hake and a fair amount of cod. The biggest cod caught last weekend weighed 36-pounds, a rare beauty considering the poor state of this fishery.
• Herring numbers are starting to increase in the coastal rivers. Striped bass are following these baitfish into the Bryam River, Mianus River, Norwalk River, Southport Harbor, Ash Creek, the Pequonnock River, Housatonic River, Quinnipiac River and Farm River. Most of the bass are well below the 28-inch size minimum, but on light tackle these schoolie bass will provide plenty of fishing fun. About the only problem striped bass enthusiasts encountered last week was an oil spill near the Derby Dam that caused a temporary river closure.
• Freshwater anglers looking for activities between now and the start of trout season on April 15 should look into yellow perch, white perch and crappie. All three panfish are biting well in the Connecticut River, Lake Lillinonah, Lake Zoarand parts of the lower Housatonic River. Small marabou jigs, jigging spoons and tiny live pinhead minnows are all taking panfish.
• Yellow perch are also available in Lake Housatonic, Lake Kenosia, Mamanasco Lake, Congamond Lake, Beseck Lake, Pataganset Lake, Bantam Lake, Dog Pond and Winchester Lake. Crappie are not as widely distributed as their perch cousin. Anglers should be able to catch these panfish in the Bantam River within the White Memorial Foundation, Mamanasco Lake, Silver Lake and Beseck Lake.
• All the trout management areas are now stocked with trout for catch-and-release fishing. While the fish-catching potential is high, the fishing conditions are difficult because of the flooding from the early-week rain run-off. The best TMA fishing conditions can be found in the Mill River north of Lake Mohegan in Fairfield and the Saugatuck River in Westport north of the Merritt Parkway. Because of the questionable water conditions, fly anglers will fare better with sinking lines, strike indicators and brightly colored nymphs.

Conn Post 4/9/06

• Catch the excitement of trout's opening day: The state's trout fishing season officially opens at 6 a.m. And by opening day, the state Department of Environmental Protection should have more than 410,000 trout swimming around in 97 lakes and 200 rivers.
• Rain, ice and flooded rivers have delayed or severely hampered the pre-season stocking effort for the past several years. But stocking has gone well this spring because of the cooperative weather and ideal river flow conditions. Hatchery personnel and volunteers are expected to deliver over 200 truckloads of trout before the season opening.
• If the weather patterns hold, anglers will get to enjoy a variety of trout fishing experiences ranging from the small streams to quiet ponds to specially managed trout areas, such as trout parks, trophy trout streams, and catch-and-release trout management areas.
• Trout parks are stocked heavily prior to the season opening and will get weekly stockings during the season. The multiple stockings almost guarantee trout catches — and fishing memories. Such promises make the trout parks ideal locations to introduce children and novices to fishing. The trout parks within easy driving distance of Bridgeport are Black Rock State Park Pond in Watertown, Southford Falls State Park Pond in Oxford, Wharton Brook State Park Pond in Wallingford, Great Hollow Pond in Monroe's Wolfe Park, and the Mill River in Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden.
• Area trout anglers also have several new places to fish this season. The Pequonnock River in Beardsley Park is stocked every year, but stockers always ignored Bunnell's Pond. This year, the DEP will release trout directly into the pond. Also Baummers Pond in Naugatuck and Fountain Lake in Ansonia will be stocked for opening day.
• This season should give some anglers a few surprise catches. Along with the normal stockings of rainbow, brook and brown trout, the department plans to release 4,800 tiger trout and 1,850 surplus broodstock. Tiger trout are a hybrid cross between a brook and rainbow trout. They are a very pretty fish with a unique tiger-stripe color pattern. The surplus broodstock, which are the used-up parents of the smaller stocked trout, will range between three and 12 pounds.
• In January, 500 broodstock Seeforellen strain brown trout ranging in size from three to eight pounds were stocked into Beach Pond, Black Pond, Crystal Lake, Mashapaug Lake, Quonnipaug Lake, Cedar Lake, West Hill Pond, Mt. Tom Pond, Mohawk Pond, Stillwater Pond, West Side Pond and Tyler Lake. Because of the fickle ice fishing season, many of these "seefor" breeder should still be available for opening day. [written by Frank McKane, Jr]

Record Journal 4/9/06

• First and foremost in most folk’s minds is where do I want to go on opening day? The choices are many, and the odds of you catching a trout or two are the best they will ever be on opening day.
• Locally, Black Pond on the Meriden/Middlefield town line will see some heavy action especially from the cartop boat crew. If you are going to any body of water and plan on launching your boat, plan on getting there early, especially if you want to be on the water for the 6 a.m. opening and Black Pond is no exception. Besides its regular trout stocking, earlier in the year Black Pond received a stocking of some lunker Seeforellen brown trout and these babies are quite large.
• I would also look for better than average fishing at Baldwin’s Pond on the corner of North Wall street and Westfield Road simply because of an added stocking provided by the Meriden Lions Club. I am assuming that the DEP will also have stocked Baldwin’s for the opening day. Baldwin’s Pond, while a tad on the shallow side does offer unlimited fishing from the shoreline that is a boon for anyone taking some kids fishing.
• And don’t forget the Trout Parks like Wharton Brook and Chatfield Hollow. The only thing about the Trout Parks is that they carry with them a two fish and out limit. This means that you catch your two trout and move on. The Trout Parks have proven to be very successful over the last couple of years, however there are still a few who abuse the privilege it provides.
• Trout Parks were set up to provide a better chance for fishermen who aren’t that adept at trout fishing or fishermen who simply want to catch a couple of trout to bring home and eat. But, unfortunately, we still have the fish hogs that think that more is better and feel that it is their right to hook as many trout as they can before they decide to call it quits. When they are bait fishing this practice often results in the trout they release that have ingested a hook coming to the surface later and dying. Best bets for the Trout Parks are spinning lures, power bait, mealworms and small shiners. Use a small weight for the power bait, and a small float and hook for the mealworms
• Another local hot spot will be the Quinnipiac River, which has already been stocked by the DEP and will receive a couple of additional stockings priorb to next Saturday’s opening of the trout season. The first trout stocking will take place on the upper Quinnipiac River from Red Bridge on Oregon Road up to the pool above Carpenter’s Dam on the Cheshire town line.
• Quinnipiac River Watershed Association (QRWA) member Pete Picone is in charge of this particular stocking that will see trout stoked along the entire Quinnipiac Gorge corridor. It will be a bucket stocking and trout fishermen and their children are invited to help with the stocking. Those wanting to see the trout being stocked or want to help should meet at Red Bridge at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Yes, I said Tuesday even though we previously did the stocking on a Wednesday, this year the date has been changed to Tuesday.
• There will be a second stocking of the Quinnipiac River on Thursday by QRWA member Ben Bryda. Those wanting to help stock should meet at the parking lot of the Westbrook Lobster Restaurant at 5 p.m.
• Another popular spot for the opening day of trout season is Cedar Lake in Chester. Cedar Lake has a boat launch area and over the years has been quite popular for area fishermen. Also in the same area is Pattaconk Lake located just up the road from the Cedar Lake boat launch. This is a carry-in boar access lake and a cartop or canoe is best suited for fishing Pattaconk.
• Higganum Reservoir is once again fishable, but it is not the easiest place to put in a cartop boat. At one time it was my favorite spot for opening day, but I now fish the Quinnipiac River because of my involvement with the QRWA. I haven’t fished the Higganum Reservoir since it was reopened, but it its anything like it used to be, this could be a sleeper for your opening day of trout season. If anyone does fish the Higganum, give me a call and let me know how you did.
• Many fishermen like to hit some of the larger impoundments for opening day and one of the more favorite spots is one of my old favorites, Gardner Lake down in the Salem area. However it seems to me that the trout fishing has tailed off a bit at Gardner Lake over the years, it still does have some nice bass and walleye. Its 529-acre size does make for some room to find your trout however and it also has the ability to yield some nice panfish in the way of yellow perch, calico bass, brown bullhead, bluegill and chain pickerel. Bass fishermen like the idea that they can catch both largemouth and smallmouth bass in Gardner Lake.
• And let’s not forget the Coginchaug River for some opening day trout fishing. Located in Middlefield and Durham this little stream (I believe it is the only northward flowing stream in Connecticut) has the ability to provide some really great trout fishing. I almost always use a small metal lure while fishing the Coginchaug like a phoebe or small kastmaster, but many of the others like Mepps spinners will work well there also. However-be prepared to lose some lures in the brush and underwater snags. Of course this also rings true if you are fishing the Quinnipiac River also.
• At one time, the Fireplace Hole on the Salmon River above the covered bridge was always an opening day meeting place for many area fly fishermen. It was almost like a yearly reunion with all of the participants seeing who could provide the best gourmet treats for the opening day crowd to feast on, with such delicacies as smoked salmon, wild goose and pheasant heading up the menu. Of course those were only the appetizers with a full array of wild game meats put on the grills during the course of the morning.
• Sad to say (in a way) with the new catch and release regulations and the fly fishermen having all the time they need to catch and release trout right up to opening day, opening day on this particular part of the Salmon River has seemingly lost its luster.
• If you are out that way though, don’t forget to give Day Pond a try. This little (7.4 acre) pond does yield some nice stocked trout put in there by the DEP and this is a pond that is fished from the shore early. It does feature some pond side picnic tables and if the weather is good, it’s a nice place to bring the kids.
• Local bait & tackle shops open: Look for your favorite local bait & tackle shops to be burning the midnight oil Friday to better serve their customers. Some will have coffee and donuts or cookies available and some of them will be running a trout contest of some type. They are: D&J Bait & Tackle on Old Colony Road in Meriden (203)-630-1337; Uncle B’s Bait and Tackle on 968 No. Colony in Wallingford (203)-294-1180 and last but by no means least, Fishin’ Factory on 1426 Meriden/Waterbury Road (Rt. 322) in Southington (860) 621-8145.
• Well gang, gotta run and get my gear together. See ya’ at the Q River trout stocking at Red Bridge April 11 at 5 p.m. God Bless America and watch over our troops. Trout season set to open on Saturday [org pub Record Journal, written by Mike Roberts 4/9/06]

Waterbury Republican 4/8/06

1. The first two weeks of the trout season provide the best trout fishing because that's when the most trout are available. Every angler has his or her best fishing spot; the following is a guide to some of Western Connecticut's prime inland waters.
2. The three best all-around trout, bass and panfish lakes are Candlewood in New Milford, East Twin in Lakeville and Highland in Winsted. The best pike water is Bantam Lake in Morris, West Hill Pond in New Hartford is the favored loch for kokanee and Squantz Pond is the best walleye water.
3. The best trout rivers are the Farmington and Housatonic most of the year, and the Naugatuck and Pomperaug until Memorial Day. The Connecticut River is the best multiple-fishery river.
4. Candlewood Lake is an excellent bass and trout fishery. It has healthy populations of smallies and bucketmouths. Smallmouths in the three- to five-pound range and largemouths of five to eight pounds have been reported in the last few seasons. Those big bass released last year should be super size this season.
5. Candlewood trouters catch many browns and some rainbows in the three- to five-pound range and a few bruiser browns that weigh six to nine pounds. Experienced anglers claim that Candlewood has the most big brown trout of any water in the state.
6. And the Squantz Pond arm of the lake has its share of large trout and some walloping walleyes that measure more than 22 inches. It should be a great year for catching perch-pike!
7. East Twin Lake has fast become one of the best trophy trout lakes in the state. The large population of alewives, slot limits and a healthy trout stocking program are the reasons why. The 16-pound, 14-ounce state record brown came out of East Twin in 1986 before the DEP Fisheries' focus changed from kokanee to brown trout. East Twin may equal or have exceeded Candlewood in the number of big browns per acre. Lots of bruiser browns are expected to leave East Twin this spring.
8. In addition, the lake has a good supply largemouth, calico and smallmouth bass. The DEP trophy records of East Twin Lake list several calico bass in the two-pound range, many chain pickerel ranging from five to 6.5 pounds and a few lunker largemouth bass. East Twin has a healthy population of bluegills that are fry-pan size.
9. Highland Lake has a triple-treat fishery. The lake has many three to five-pound bronzebacks and five to six-pound largemouths. Trophy Awards records indicate a long list of smallies that were reported caught in the four- to six-pound range. Highland Lake is classified as a lake that supports fishable numbers of holdover browns.
10. One excellent reason to go trouting in the lake is the number of husky browns that have been recorded over the years. There are two reasons why large browns inhabit the lake: The state stocks the lake well, and it has a healthy alewife population. It is known that four- to six-pound browns have come out of the middle basin with great regularity.
11. At Bantam Lake, the ultimate exhilarating experience is hooking into a mini-locomotive: a northern pike. Northerns in the 32- to 40-inch range are caught regularly. A few small gators that stretch the tape from 41 to 46 inches are hooked each year. Some pikers believe that the new state record pike, one over 29 pounds, is in the lake. Note that all pike have to be returned until May 1 when the season opens.
12. Since the demise of the kokanee program at East Twin and Wononscopomuc, West Hill Pond is the best choice for catching kokanee for several reasons. Some 50,000 salmon fry are stocked annually by the DEP, and for many years the salmon in West Hill have grown larger than those in Lakeville. [Bob Gregorski Waterbury Connecticut Republican]
    

Fisherman's World, Norwalk

There are stripers being caught in the housatonic river to 26 inches. short beach and the birds sanctuary from shore and in the boat the devon bridge area and middle of the channel. for the fly fisherman clouser minnows and weighted bunny flies for the spin fisherman bucktails or rubber shad body lures have been producing schoolies. flounder season opens saturady april 1st new regulations 12 inch minimun length 10 fish per angler. chumming with a chum pot and frozen clam chum is your best bet for early flounder action. sandworms are the preferred bait.