Thursday, June 14, 2007

On The Water: CT Fishing Reports

  • Good fishing extends to the west and into Connecticut, where Seth at The Fish Connection in Preston said that the Thames River is still full of striped bass, though the bigger fish are coming out of the Norwich Harbor region. School bass predominate throughout the length of the river, though bigger fish are mixed in. Seth did not have any good reports of fluke in the general area of the Thames River just yet, and said that the best fluke fishing reports are coming from the south side of Fishers Island and from just off the beaches around Misquamicut. Inland, an angler can hardly go wrong. Largemouth bass coming off the spawning beds are showing more interest in lures and baits. All the major trout waters were stocked for the holiday weekend, so there is no lack of trout. The Shetucket River has been fishing well, and Amos Lake has been very productive in the evenings.
  • A bit farther to the north, Charlie at Colonial Sports said that now is the time to be out on the trout streams. He did note, however, that the Yantic River is a bit on the low side, but it’s still fishing well and is full of trout. One decent rainfall will help. The Shetucket is fishing excellently, and the Salmon River is beyond a doubt the place to be. According to Charlie, the reports are that there are so many trout in the Salmon River, it is almost sinful. And if that isn’t enough, the Salmon is due for yet another stocking of trout. Hatches are a real mish-mash at the moment, according to Charlie, though the Light Cahills are predominant now on most of the local waters. Expect to see the bugs get smaller, and the fish to get pickier, as time progresses.
  • Lou at Hillyer’s Bait & Tackle in Waterford reported a 29-pound monkfish landed by some anglers fishing for fluke on the south side of Fishers Island over the holiday weekend. I can only imagine the horrified look on the face of the fluke angler as that ugly behemoth was winched up! I suspect therapy will be in order. Catching giant monkfish aside, the fluke fishing is great on the south side of Fishers Island, with good numbers of 9-plus-pound fish being landed. The warm water discharge area near Millstone also is seeing some big fluke come to hook. Stripers are getting active on Bartlett Reef, particularly if you are tossing eels at them, and bluefish are piling into the area looking for bait to tear up and lures to devastate. For some odd reason, anglers have been catching stripers in The Race without their offerings being molested. Winter flounder continue to be caught, but it is slow going now that the water is warming quickly.
  • There have been no ugly fish taken in the eastern portion of Long Island Sound, according to Capt. Morgan at Capt. Morgan’s Bait & Tackle in Madison, but there have been plenty of fluke, stripers and blues. Big fluke are turning up along the shoreline in the eastern sound, provided you find some structure such as the many local shoals dotting the coastline. Striped bass and bluefish are all over the place, and bunker, both big and small, are providing lots to feed upon. Bigger bass are hanging around the reefs already, and school bass can be taken from shore, at the river mouths and in the many coves and inlets. All the major Trout Management Areas were stocked for the weekend, and all are producing good catches of trout. The Hammonasset River in particular has been producing a good number of trout in the 7- to 8-pound range. Largemouth bass are hungry coming off the spawning beds, so this is a prime time to seek them out in any of the many local ponds and lakes.
  • Farther west and inland, John at Valley Angler in Danbury has continuing good reports for Squantz Pond, which continues to give up good numbers of walleye from shore in the 6-pound range. The alewives are moving out, so don’t expect this to last much longer. Lake Candlewood is producing incredible smallmouth bass, with Finesse Minnow lures being the most enticing thing to toss at the moment. White is the preferred color, so be prepared. Largemouth bass are also active, and the action for that species is improving with time. Fishing in the Farmington River continues to be good, but is a bit slower going as the hatches are not as prolific this season, for whatever reason. The caddis hatch has been meager, and currently it is a mixed bag of species coming off the water.
  • Scott at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk reports that the fishing has been a bit slower than expected for this time of year, especially for the bigger fish. None of the regular heavy-producing areas, like Buoy 11B, have been yielding good fish. Any bigger fish in the region seem to be hanging around with the schools of bunker, so find bunker and you have a chance at a bigger fish. School bass fishing continues to be excellent, and mostly smaller bluefish have turned up in the area, keeping the action steady. Sand eels are turning up, which can get fish in the feeding mood quickly. Fluke fishing is just beginning to get going in the western end of the sound, so stay tuned.
  • At Westport Outfitters in Norwalk, Chris said that the fishing is good, but rather unpredictable at the moment. The initial run of big fish has moved on, and he expects the infiltration of big fish that summer over in the area to occur in the coming week or so. In the meantime, the fluke fishing is good, though mainly in New York waters. Bluefish are prevalent, though they tend to be on the small side now. The good news is that there is lots of bait around, so when the big fish show, expect some heavy feeding to occur. As with most of the rest of the state, all the major trout waters were stocked for the holiday weekend, so there is no lack of trout in any of the major streams and rivers. The Norwalk, Saugatuck and Housatonic Rivers have all been notably productive.
  • Best Bets for Connecticut and Rhode Island: My advice for the weekend is to get into upper Narragansett Bay before the water warms to the point of driving the big fish out. It will only be a matter of another week or two at best, so don’t delay. Lots of big fluke are being taken throughout Rhode Island waters, so again I say head east while the getting is good. The ratio of keepers to shorts is bound to worsen as time goes on. Bigger stripers are moving into Long Island Sound, so go hunting for them if you feel adventurous. You also may want to consider a bit of trout fishing before the water levels drop and stream temperatures rise. Conditions are excellent and the rivers are filled nearly to the brim with trout. Pick your favorite spot and head out for a bit of freshwater action. (Alan Desbonnet)

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