CT DEP Weekly Fishing Report #4 5/16

• Trout -- The DEP reports decreased river flows have brought good to excellent trout fishing all over the state. The West Branch and main stem of the Farmington have seen brown trout in the 6 -pound range while the Mianus, upper Housatonic, Naugatuck, Pequonnock, Mill and Norwalk rivers all reported catches in excess of 20 inches.
• Largemouth bass -- Spotty reports so far. In this area, Lake Saltonstall, Squantz Pond, Lake Zoar reported some nice fish caught.
• Striped bass -- Still tons of lively linesiders lurking almost any shore location anglers can reach, most in the 12- to-20-inch size; tons of fun on fly and ultra-light spinning gear. Reports of keepers (28 inches or better) are still rare. The bass can be finicky as to what bait they will eat, so experimentation is the rule. Plastic baits in bright colors like pink and chartreuse have worked well. The best time to fish is on the second half of the outgoing tide. Favored spots include the Smith's Point at the mouth of the Housatonic, Short Beach in Stratford, Penfield Reef and Bridgeport and Southport harbors.
  
• Flounder -- "They're everywhere," said one veteran flattie pursuer Friday morning. That may be a slight exaggeration, but the flounder picture has definitely improved from last week when Norwalk was just about the only game. Many of the fish are under the 12-inch minimum size, but there is a goodly supply of them, which bodes well for the future. Southport Harbor, St. Mary's in Black Rock and the Housatonic all produced decent flounder catches. Chumming with clams is still the best way to go.
  
• Fluke -- Reports of sporadic fluke (summer flounder) catches are coming in. Some lucky anglers aboard the season's first trip of the party boat Middlebank out of Captain's Cove hauled in some nice fluke.
  
• Bluefish -- The Connecticut shore has yet to see its first serious run of choppers, but the blues have been busting bait the Long Island side of the Sound for a week, so it can't be long before they are here. The amazing early run of bunker and other baitfish continues all along the shore from New Haven to Greenwich. One captain reported spotting "acres" of bunker at Stratford Shoal Light last week.
• QUICK CAST -- The Lake of Isles State Boat Launch in North Stonington will be closed for renovations from May 14-July 15 while the DEP is upgrading the state boat launch with new ramps and parking facilities. The comprehensive renovation project is being funded by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation as part of an agreement with the DEP for development of the property around the boat launch.