On The Water Magazine

Best Bets for Connecticut and Rhode Island: Sounds we will be riding the temperature seesaw once again over the next few days, bringing in a big chill sure to make the fish put on the brakes. Despite that, the march of Spring moves forward, and as herring move into the rivers, the striper fishing will bust wide open. Will it be Easter weekend? You’ve got to be out there to find out! Winter flounder in Norwalk Harbor sounds like a good possibility, though it may be pretty chilly going. Otherwise, it sounds like another weekend of fairly slow action overall. Get your gear ready and be prepared for opening day – next Saturday in Rhode Island, the one following in Connecticut.

1. Archie picked up the phone at Mike’s Bait & Tackle in Voluntown, reporting that it was cold and sleeting earlier on. Seems like winter just does not want to quit. Archie reported that a few anglers are out and about for largemouth bass, but the going is slow. A few saltwater aficionados with a bad case of flounder fever picked up some sandworms and tried in Stonington waters but without any luck. The most action is in the shop, filling spools full of monofilament, according to Archie.
2. Things have also cooled in the Thames River, the chill having slowed the progress of the stripers heading south to the mouth of the river. Ren at The Fish Connection in Preston reports that the stripers are about as far as the Gales Ferry region and slowly working their way south. No reports of herring in the river or at the dams just yet, but Ren expects that report to come in at any point now, and that will herald in a bunch of exciting striper fishing. The Trout Management Areas are producing fish, but anglers have to put in a lot of effort to get a couple of fish. They are not moving very far for their meals according to the reports Ren has had come in of late.
3. Capt. Morgan at Capt. Morgan’s Bait & Tackle in Madison has been quite busy, mainly getting folks geared up for the seasons that are open and those that are opening soon. It took three tries to get a moment where he could catch his breath to give up a fishing report, but it was worth it. Capt. Morgan reported that the Trophy Trout Lakes have been red hot for brown trout in the 5- to 9-pound category, which were tight into shore and chasing alewives around. The anglers who were fortunate enough to be on them had a blast, to say the least. Capt. Morgan expects things to cool just a bit with the cold front knocking on our door, but not for long. Out on Long Island Sound the water temperatures were into the low 40s earlier in the week, then slid back into the mid-30s on the cold weather that settled in. School bass have been reported out in various parts of the Sound, indicating that conditions are beginning to improve. Herring are showing up in many of the rivers, not in big numbers just yet, but arriving. Winter flounder fishing has been good, according to Capt. Morgan, with Bluff Point, Gilford and Madison harbors, and the Thimble Islands all producing some nice fish for those that ventured out.
4. Farther to the west, Chris at Stratford Bait & Tackle in Stratford reported that he has been taking some nice fish, trout in the 18- to 22-inch size, from the Farmington River over the past week. The water is bone-chilling cold, so dress accordingly. Chris reported that the fish are there, but it takes some effort to get a fly down deep and in front of their faces. Somehow a 22-inch trout seems worth the effort! Large nymphs, Wooly Buggers and an assortment of streamers have been producing, with no particular pattern better than another. Chris has heard reports of bunker in the warm water effluent of the power plant on the Housatonic, but has not heard of any corresponding catches of anything larger than average school-sized stripers. Chris has also heard reports that the upper Housatonic River Trout Management Areas are fishing pretty well, though the rain my nudge the water a bit higher for a day or so.
5. Candlewood Lake is closed to angling until Connecticut opening day on the third Saturday in April. John at Valley Angler in Danbury was lamenting another cold, dreary forecast and more rain to fill the local ponds and streams even more. John reports that many of the rivers and their receiving water ponds and lakes are high and a bit muddy, making the going tough for those who dare to venture out for trout or largemouth bass. Reports of bunker along the coast in the Bridgeport region have come in, scattered, but no reports of bigger stripers taken. Opening day in New York was good according to reports that John has received, and he hopes that is a harbinger of good tidings for Connecticut when the season opens up in a few weeks.
6. Fisherman’s World in Norwalk has been getting some good reports of winter flounder fishing, mainly right close by in Norwalk Harbor. According to Scott, several anglers have been taking nice fish, many of them keeper size, on sandworms by using clam chum to get the fish in the mood and bring them in closer. The strategy seems to be paying off in fresh flounder dinners for Dave Redford and his son Dave Jr.! The same anglers have been taking occasional school bass, mainly holdover fish coming out of the rivers. Scott also reported that the Trout Management Areas on the Westport and Saugatuck River are fishing okay, with the big news being that the Mianus River TMA has finally been stocked, just this past weekend.
7. Eric at Westport Outfitters in Norwalk had similar reports for the region, though he did note that the lower Housatonic River, in the Shelton area, is fairly muddy due to dredging going in Caswell Cove. You may have seen this in the news, as it is a big event for the moment. Of the Trout Management Areas, the Saugatuck seems the most consistent at the moment according to Eric, though the fish are mainly smaller trout. (Alan Desbonnet, On The Water).