On The Water Magazine

1. Over in the Thames River, things have slowed down to a near halt according to Ren at The Fish Connection in Preston. The river water is still very cold, but the fish have been moving around some despite that. The fishing was good up until Saturday, after which the storm put the river up high and discolored it, making it pretty much unfishable. The few hardy anglers who have braved the elements in search of stripers have not been very successful the past few days. Similarly, the rain has put most local rivers and streams up to the tops of their banks, if not over them. Waters are incredibly muddy as well. This does not bode well for opening day of trout season in Connecticut this coming Saturday. Ren described the flow in the Shetucket River as “raging” and figures it will not be fishable opening day, and he suggested anglers can hedge their bets by setting up on the ponds and lakes. If you decide you don’t want the crowds and opt for one of the rivers or streams, Ren suggest the use of spinning gear that will run deep.
2. Over in Milford, Capt. Morgan’s Bait & Tackle was open, but customers had to go around to the back door or canoe over to get into the front door. Capt. Morgan reported brutal conditions along the coast with the moon tides backed up by heavy winds, but the inside of the shop remained dry despite the nastiness. No one has been out into the salt since the storm blew in over the weekend according to Capt. Morgan, though anglers were doing well to winter flounder on Saturday. Given a few days to settle out and clear up once the wind stops, fishing should be expected to be pretty good, particularly if followed up with some sun and warmth.
   
3. For opening day, Capt. Morgan suggested that angers seek out the small-order rivers and streams and forgo the mainstem rivers such as the Connecticut, Farmington and Housatonic. The smaller rivers and streams ought to calm down quickly, and many of them ought to be fishable by the weekend, though the fish will be moved around considerably from where they were stocked. Good for the fish, bad for the fishermen. The ponds and lakes will likely be most productive, but given current conditions they will also be the busiest. Despite conditions, Memorial Trout Tournament at Capt. Morgan’s will take place.
4. On the western end of Long Island Sound, Chip at Stratford Bait & Tackle in Stratford reported that conditions were pretty miserable. He reported that during a morning check of conditions at the Housatonic River he saw a “nice new picnic table and several other large yard items” surging down the river. He followed that with, “Need I say more?” Chip did report that bunker, probably holdover fish, have been reported in Stratford Harbor, and a few anglers, prior to the storm, had been live-lining them for stripers, but with no luck. The water is still in the low 40s, keeping the bass pretty inactive. Chip suggested opening-day anglers seek out ponds and lakes rather than local rivers, which are running very high at the moment.

Best Bets for the Weekend

It sounds like this week might be a bit on the challenging side, though with the season just opened in Rhode Island and opening this Saturday in Connecticut, you can bet, given the rosy weather forecasts, that anglers will be out in both states in force. Ponds and lakes sound like the best bet regardless of the state you decide to fish in, though smaller rivers and streams that rebound quickly from major rainfall events should not be overlooked. Consider that the fish are bound to be spread out in the rivers and streams, so it may be a better strategy to explore widely rather than camp out in the spot where the stocking truck dumped the fish, which under normal circumstances is generally not a bad idea. In the salt, the western end of Long Island Sound has been productive for winter flounder, and if the waters subside and clear some, we expect they will produce again. My suggestion is, given the nasty spring we have been dealt so far, don’t delay, get out and fish even if the waters are still a bit high and off color. We have all been pinned down too long from cold, wind and rain (or snow). (Alan Desbonnet, On The Water)