Norwich Bulletin

• Calico Bass: I was fishing for some bluegills and yellow perch for filleting material over the weekend and caught more calico bass than anything. With this increase in water temperature this early, spawning species appear to be on the move at the present time. Look for calico's (black crappie) in most of the larger lakes and ponds in this area, with Pachaug Pond, Pattagansett Lake, Hopeville Pond and Bog Meadows being prime spots to catch a mess of these fine eating panfish over the next couple of weeks.
• White perch: No specific word on white perch, but my guess is they are also beginning to run in places such as Hamburg Cove and Lieutenant River on the Connecticut River. The white perch population in the Thames River tends to turn on slightly later, usually during the last week in April and early May. Look for good white perch catches to take place in Poquetanuck Cove, Trading Cove and in the upper river from Norwich to Greenville Dam, within the next 10 days to two weeks, if not before.
• Striped bass: After the recent "mini ice age" ended, I began work on the annual case of "striper thumb." By Friday, it was well-developed. Largemouth and pan fishing over the weekend was a nice respite after two back-to-back moderately productive striper trips to the Thames. It was an opportunity to let the antibacterial ointment and bandages perform their magic on the poke holes, slashes and abrasions that come from handling more than a hundred of these spiny little fish. As predicted, the Thames River hit 50 degrees late Thursday and we landed about 86 stripers just before dark in the shallow, warmest waters we could find. Friday, I took a young Bulletin reader, Bobby Rycholvsky, and his dad, John, of Baltic down to the river. We caught another 75 fish, but worked harder than expected for this time of year.
• Schoolies are all over the place, from the lower river to Greenville Dam, with the easy fishing taking place in the shallows where temperatures are reaching the mid- to high-50s. River's End Tackle said the hot weather has the stripers revved up in Hamburg Cove and there were also a few fish being caught around the DEP Dock at the mouth of Lieutenant River in the lower Connecticut River.