On The Water

It won’t be exactly balmy this weekend but it beats last weekend and the fish are getting active. In Connecticut, holdover stripers are stirring in the Thames and the coves in the Connecticut River. A few striper fans will be making their first casts at the West Wall in Rhode Island. The Cape is the place to be if trout fishing is part of your early Spring routine.

1. CONNECTICUT: Inland and into Connecticut, Mike’s Bait & Tackle in Voluntown reported very slow going now that the ice is gone and the season is not open. Toss in the cold, windy, snowy weather we have been treated with, and anglers are finding other things to occupy their time for the moment. Many local streams are being stocked, but since they are not Trout Management Areas they are not being fished and therefore no reports are coming in. Stayed tuned for season opening in a few weeks is the word from Mike’s Bait & Tackle.
2. East and inland, Charlie at Colonial Sports in Bozrah reports that the state has been doing a lot of trout stocking in the area, with the Salmon River and the Yantic River having both been stocked with some nice trout. The trout however, are not being very cooperative. According to Charlie, those anglers venturing into the Yantic behind the shop are spotting trout on the bottom, but with the water hovering only a degree or two above the freezing mark, the fish don’t move even an inch for even the most tempting of Wooly Buggers or other traditional early season offerings. Charlie thinks that the predicted warmth for the weekend, once the snow melt is pretty much over with, ought to get the water temperature up a few degrees and get the fish at least a bit active and feeding.
3. Dennis from the Fish Connection in Preston had just returned to work after a few days off and didn’t have any concrete information but did mention that there were four boats fishing in Norwich harbor this morning, which probably indicates the stripers are starting to stir. That water is still very cold however, and according to On the Water contributing writer Bob Sampson, nothing much will happen on the striper front in the Thames until the water reaches about 50 degrees.
4. Down in Madison, Captain Jerry Morgan or Capt. Morgan’s Bait & Tackle said there are hopeful signs in his area. He’s had solid reports of holdover fish moving in the Hammonassett, and a few fish have been taken in the coves along the Connecticut River and in the Thames. It’s all about water temperature – if the big rivers are running high with snow melt from up north, the fishing will be slow. A couple of warm days and dropping water can lead to some fine action from holdover stripers. Jerry said he’s seen a few gulls along the local beaches chowing down on flounder so maybe there will be some decent flatfish action when that season opens.
5. Call them brave or call them crazy, a few anglers are crossing the few feet of open water on the edges of Candlewood to get to the ice, said James at The Valley Angler in Danbury. The ice is still 10 inches thick out on the lake and the fish are still cooperating. Use extreme caution however, and think long and hard about whether that fish is worth a cold swim, or worse. Trout anglers are looking forward to opening day, and the story is stocked and ready for them. Right now the Farmington is close to flood stage and raging; it’s hoped that will change soon.
6. We’re still in something of a holding pattern overall, but you can be sure by about this time next week a few hardy striper nuts will be casting small jigs at the West Wall. And if the predicted warmer weather shows up, the action in the upper Thames River should improve dramatically. Freshwater fans will have to be content to wait just a bit longer – or they can make a trip up to Massachusetts where trout fishing is open year-round – and from early report, the fish are hitting.
7. RHODE ISLAND: The fishing scene in Rhode Island is quiet, but there are definite signs of spring and fish on the way according to Captain Thom Pelletier at Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle in North Kingstown. The ice is now just a memory, and with trout waters closed until opening day in Rhode Island, most anglers are readying their gear and picking up new paraphernalia to kick off the season. Thom reported that he is getting regular shipments of spring gear coming in the door, and that RI fishing licenses will be in on Friday the 23rd of March. A few anglers are coming in for shiners and heading out to non-trout stocked ponds to try their luck for largemouth bass, but none have returned to tell their tales of good or bad catches. Thom did report that he has heard rumors of striped bass being active along the coast of New Jersey, which suggests that the fish to our south are beginning to move north, despite the chill in the air and water. A bit closer to home, he has reports of fluke coming up in the gear of draggers just offshore, so those fish seem to be headed our way as well.
8. Bob at Wildwood Outfitters in Wakefield had similar reports of slow freshwater angling, though this is typical of this time of year when the state is basically “between freshwater seasons” and the saltwater fish are not yet active. Bob did report that he has heard rumors of school bass action in the Providence River, and that he has heard of decent cod fishing off of Block Island. The cod seem to be hanging about the area given that the water still remains quite chilly and has not warmed much, if at all over the past few months. (Alan Desbonnet, On The Water)