On The Water

Best Bets for Connecticut and Rhode Island: If the weather breaks nicely for Sunday and your boat is ready to float, go give a try for some tasty winter flounder in Connecticut waters, maybe bumping into a tautog along the way. If your boat isn’t quite ready to get wet, grab your freshwater gear and hit one of the many Trout Management Areas. Most have been stocked at least once, and several have been stocked multiple times. The continued warmth ought to get the trout a little more willing to play.

1. Along the Connecticut/Rhode Island border, things are also pretty quiet during the hiatus between ice and opening day. A few anglers are out chasing largemouth bass with some success, but the action is slow, according to Steve at Mike’s Bait & Tackle in Voluntown. Anglers are also taking crappie on jigs in many of the ponds when out trying for largemouths. Steve said he has not heard any word from Amos Lake, a trophy trout water in the region.
2. Inland in Connecticut is starting to open up and get a bit busy now that the weather is warming. The Salmon River has been stocked twice to date according to Charlie at Colonial Sports in Bozrah, and anglers are beginning to take fish more regularly. Most of the action is deep and on nymphs such as a Wooly Bugger. A few anglers have tried the Yantic River near the shop, but despite it being well stocked with fish, the water has not yet warmed enough to get the fish in the mood to eat, according to Charlie. He does figure that by the weekend things should be getting pretty good throughout the area.
3. The stripers are on the move according to Ren at The Fish Connection in Preston. While Norwich Harbor continues to produce the best fishing to striped bass along the Thames River, fish are now being taken as far south as Hortons Cove. So the fish are moving about indeed. Ren did mention that evening seems to be the best time to try your luck in Norwich Harbor, and cut bait seems to be the best item to toss to them, at least for the moment. Largemouth bass fishing is improving as the waters warm some, and the Trout Management Areas throughout the region are also improving as the water warms. Everyone is looking forward to a decent weekend of fishing. Ren did want to remind anglers that this Sunday marks the opening of the season for winter flounder.
4. Along the eastern end of Long Island Sound, the water is still chilly, but the nice weather is driving a few of the “can’t wait any longer” die-hards onto their boats and onto the water is search of Connecticut tautog. According to Capt. Morgan at Capt. Morgan’s Bait & Tackle in Madison, while a few anglers have ventured out on the water, there are no reports in yet of any fish having been taken. Capt. Morgan expects that reports will begin coming in regularly once the flounder season opens. Anglers have been doing pretty good to stripers in Hamburg Cove and that region of the Connecticut River, particularly to the north. Capt. Morgan had mixed reports from the various Trout Management Areas, but expects the fishing to improve with even just another degree or two of warming in rivers and streams.
5. School bass are still being regularly caught in the Housatonic, with the area around the power generation plant being the most predictable and productive, according to Chip at Stratford Bait & Tackle in Stratford. His son Chris was out fishing the Farmington River when I called, and while he hadn’t called in yet that day, Chip reported that the fishing has been pretty good, with the best catch being a 22-inch, hook-jawed brown trout taken on bait.
6. Candlewood Lake still has some ice cover, but unless you can walk on water, John at Valley Angler in Danbury does not recommend trying any ice fishing. What is left is basically a layer of hard slush that John expects to see gone by the weekend. As an aside, this is the longer John remembers seeing ice on the lake for this time of year. As for the fishing, a few have been trying for crappie in the lake, but with not much luck to date. Candlewood Lake closes on the last day of March, reopening again on opening day in Connecticut. John has been getting mixed reports about trout fishing in the Management Areas, with the general word that the Housatonic is running high while the Farmington is producing rather well.
7. Striped bass have moved down the Housatonic River over the past week or so, and can now be found as far south as the I-95 bridge. The fishing is tough, but the fish are there for those with patience and persistence. Eric at Westport Outfitters in Norwalk reported that there have even been reports of stripers at Milford Point, but he could not substantiate them as the truth. Eric as has heard rumors of stripers at the mouth of the Saugatuck River, but again not enough reports have filtered in to confirm the rumors. The Trout Management Areas are all producing fish, but according to Eric the most consistent trout fishing seems to be coming from the Saugatuck River. (Alan Desbonnet, On The Water).