On the Water

Best Bets for Connecticut and Rhode Island

The mouth of the Thames River may be a good place to try for school bass, or farther upriver at the Greenville Dam at night if you desire something with a bit more heft. For blackfish, the last hurrah is until late this weekend, so grab a bucket of crabs and give it a try, as the weather looks good. What better way to break in the boat you just splashed into the water? The Saugatuck and Norwalk rivers sound like good bets, and if the rumors continue to fly, they may not be very busy, either. In Rhode Island, it sounds like the mouth of the Narrow River is beginning to come alive, and the breachways and salt ponds ought to come into action with the improving temperatures. Inland Rhode Island will no doubt continue to see some great trout fishing, particularly with water levels receding in the rivers and streams.

1. Going inland and westward, Charlie at Colonial Sports in Bozrah reports that the trout fishing action is finally picking up to near-normal springtime levels. Water temperatures have crested into the low 50s, and the trout are finally willing to budge a bit to pick up a fly. The Salmon River is producing very well, and it appears that the river is being stocked on a weekly basis, which would account for the excellent fishing.
   
2. The Yantic River is also producing quite well, particularly along the stretch on Stockhouse Road. Trout Unlimited has not been able to do their spring live-stocking yet due to water levels, and so the state put many of the “excess” trout in the river at Stockhouse Road, which has excellent access. In the fly-only sections, successful anglers are going deep with a variety of early-season nymphs and streamers. As for the Shetucket River, that water body is still a raging torrent, and Charlie has had no reports of anyone fishing it since the big rain a week ago.
3. From The Fish Connection in Preston, Ren reported that the fishing is excellent all around the region, provided you stay away from the larger full and fast rivers, like the Shetucket. The Moosup River and the Little River are both fishing quite well, regardless of whether you are in the fly-only section (on the Moosup) or not. Nearly all the smaller stocked streams are quite fishable, and Ren said they’re producing well.
4. In the Thames River, the major mass of striped bass can be found down near the mouth. Catches exceeding 70 fish are not uncommon, though most of them are school bass. Poquetanuck Cove, in particular, is loaded with school bass, with an occasional larger fish mixed in. Stripers are also congregating in the area of the Greenville Dam, though mostly school bass are being caught. Ren suggested that if you are looking for larger fish, go out either very early or very late in the day, or even at night. Anglers using those tactics are picking up larger fish. There hasn’t been much winter flounder action reported in at the shop over the past week.
5. Some nice fish are being weighed in at Captain Morgan’s Bait & Tackle in Madison, with one of the bigger fish being a nearly 9¼-pound rainbow trout. This monster was taken on a smallish, swimmer-floater minnow-style lure, as were several “small” fish in the 4- to 5-pound category. Results from the weekend tournament were still being tabulated, according to Capt. Morgan, and he noted that many very nice fish came into the shop on opening day in Connecticut. The Hammonasset River and the West River are both fishing very well, as are most all the smaller rivers in the area. Blackfish season shuts down on April 30, but given the weather and the warming waters, Capt. Morgan expects that the season will close with a big bang for those anglers going out with a bucket of crabs. Winter flounder has been slow, but is beginning to pick up and should continue to improve.
6. Ponds and lakes are fishing well in the Stratford area, as are smaller streams and rivers, according to Chris at Stratford Bait & Tackle in Stratford. Several fish over the 4-pound mark have come out of a few of the local stocked ponds over the past few days. The Housatonic River is still running a bit high and off-color according to Chris, but the stripers are beginning to get active despite that. Smith Point has been producing some nice fish for patient and knowledgeable fishermen, and several at or over the 36-inch mark have come to anglers fishing there with bait under the cover of darkness. School bass are the mainstay for those who fish the area during daylight hours. Winter flounder are still doing well here and there, with no particular spot producing better than another, according to Chris.
7. At Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, Rick reported that anglers who know what they are doing are taking their limit of winter flounder pretty consistently on clams and sandworms. The key, according to Rick, is to set up a decent chum line to get the fish close. Norwalk Island has been very consistent, but is not the only place producing well. School bass are scattered around, and sandworms have produced the most consistent action. Calf Pasture Pier and Westport Harbor have been productive spots for school bass.
8. Inland, Rick reported that the Norwalk and Saugatuck rivers are fishing extremely well, with a 6-pound rainbow trout coming out of the Saugatuck and a 5-pound brown trout from the Norwalk. Angling pressure in both rivers has been light, as the word on the street has been that the water is too high due to recent rains. Given the trout taken from both rivers, I would say it was a crafty trout fisherman who started spreading that story.
9. Up near Lake Candlewood, James at Valley Angler in Danbury reported that the lake is fishing very well and producing a broad variety of fish, though the smallmouth bass are the main species being targeted at the moment. According to James, male smallmouths in particular are quite aggressive right now, and anglers using hair jigs fished slowly during daylight hours are seeing very good action. Yellow is the most productive color, probably because the water is still a bit off-color. Squantz Pond is producing quite a few trout, and is the angling destination of choice if you have kids in tow. Up to the north, James reports that the Farmington River is still running high.