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.