On The Water Magazine

Best Bets for Connecticut is to simply get out fishing! A run of decent, dry, warm, sunny weather is going to get everything cranked up, inland and along the coast. Just get out there and wet a line, and I don’t think you will be able to go wrong. Toss in your boat for season, launch a canoe, don your waders, or just go sit on the bank. Doesn’t matter, just get out there!

1. Seth at The Fish Connection in Preston reports that the Thames River is boiling with striped bass all the way from the Norwich Harbor area to its mouth, coves and inlets included. Most fish are in the 18- to 30-inch range, with a few bigger ones being taken here and there. Seth did not have any great reports on winter flounder catches, so the action for that species seems slow in for now. Inland, largemouth bass are getting lots of attention by anglers as they come into the shallows for spawning. Toss a shiner at them and hang on, according to Seth. Trout fishing is good nearly everywhere, though the Shetucket River is still high and hard to fish overall. Another couple of dry days will no doubt improve conditions.
2. Charlie at Colonial Sports in Bozrah reports that the fishing is really excellent in all the smaller rivers and streams, particularly the Yantic and Salmon. Both are producing many nice trout, though the Salmon River is the more productive of the two. Not much in the way of top water action being reported just yet, so go prepared with lots of weighted nymphs and streamers. Charlie classified the Shetucket River as fishable, but difficult and tiring given the amount of water moving.
3. Back along the coast, Lou at Hillyer’s Bait & Tackle in Waterford reports that winter flounder fishing has been rather good in the Niantic River, with the most productive method being sandworms fished amidst clam chum. While not as hot as the Niantic, Bluff Point has reportedly been producing fair numbers of flounder as well. Bunker is also in the river, along with lots of striped bass, though most are schoolies. Lou also has been hearing good reports of some bigger fish taken at the DEP dock in Saybrook. Fluke season just opened and fishermen are heading out, but no reports have come back to the shop just yet.
4. Capt. Morgan at Capt. Morgan’s Bait & Tackle in Madison reports that water temperatures are now in the high 40s in the eastern sound, and that school bass are being reported from just about everywhere you might expect them to be. No reports of bigger bass just yet. According to Capt. Morgan, winter flounder fishing is good if you hit the right spot at the right time. No reports of fluke just yet from the area, but reports of decent catches have been coming in from the Montauk region, so it won’t be long now. Inland, Capt. Morgan reports good trout fishing in all stocked waters, and that largemouth bass are getting aggressive in the shallows once the sun warms the water a bit.
   
5. Over in Stratford, Chris at Stratford Bait & Tackle said things are perking up quite a bit. While blackfish season is now closed, Chris said it closed out with a lot of very good catches. Striped bass, mainly schoolies, are being taken all over the region, but nothing big has been reported yet, despite the herring in the area. Winter flounder has picked up considerably over the past week, with Norwalk Harbor and the mouth of the Housatonic River both being very productive. Lots of keeper flounder are being taken at these two spots. Trout are still available, but the water is still pretty high in most of the major rivers, making the going slow and tough. Chris expects conditions in the rivers to be much improved for trout fishing by the weekend.
6. Inland just a bit, at Valley Angler in Danbury, James reported that Candlewood Lake is “on fire.” Water temperature is now about 55 degrees and the fish are just loving it. According to James, jerkbaits in the morning followed by hair baits in the afternoon will lead you to a blissful day of fishing. Smallmouths, calicos and largemouths are all being quite cooperative. Walleye are being taken from shore at Squantz Pond on shiners. Use larger shiners for better success, according to James, and you may get a pleasant surprise because some larger trout also like the larger shiners as well. James reports that most all the rivers in the area are fishable, but many are still running a bit high. He suggests the Norwalk and Mianus as best bets since they are running clear, and have lots of fish.
7. Chris at Westport Outfitters in Norwalk reports lots of stripers out and around the Norwalk Islands and along the north shore of Long Island, where sand eels are being seen. There are also tons of bunker in the area, but most all the bass are school-sized. Chris reports that live-lined bunker have been attacked by the schoolies, but they were too small to be able to actually take the bait. Big fish cannot be far behind, though. Anglers are reporting big catches of school bass in the mouth of the Housatonic River, with catches of 50-plus fish not uncommon. (Alan Desbonnet, On the Water).