Still Chilly, The Day, Tim Coleman

• Greetings, while a cold wind has blown over our waters most of the week, there is still a glimmer, a spark of a season on the move, another year in and around the waters of Long Island Sound.
• Capt. Kerry Douton of J&B Tackle reminds all the New York fluke season opened today with a bag limit of five fish per person and minimum size of 17.5 inches either from Montauk Point or Peconic Bay, the spots most people from our side will likely target. A couple boats tried The Race for bass without even a hit. You can locate small bass in the upper Niantic around Sandy Point. The Millstone plant isn't pumping water so there's no hot outflow, normally an early season choice for schoolie stripers.
• Down along the south side of Rhode Island, Al Golinski of Misquamicut heard about small stripers caught from shore and boat around Cemetery Cove and others locations along the Pawcatuck River and also the west jetty of Charlestown Breachway. The southeast corner of Block Island holds small cod and a few keepers for those who anchor down and chum and fish with clams, the fresher the better.
• Jack at Ocean House Marina had news about the small cod on the rocky bottom south and east of Southeast Light but only one in 20 is a keeper, and those caught on the rare times the wind isn't howling. There are schoolies in Ninigret Pond in very cold water but no shad nor worm hatches to date. Montauk Point has fluke but nobody has landed any with rod and reel on this side of the Sound.
• Cheryl at Shaffers Marina said they are open after a long winter that saw some of their docks damaged by ice. The only real news was seven schoolie stripers caught on Tuesday evening around Six Penny Island by Allen Fee tossing small poppers from his boat. Nobody tried for flounder along the bridges and docks this week; it was just too cold and windy for most.
• Up at the Fish Connection in Preston, Jack Balint reported lots of schoolie stripers in the Thames and Shetucket Rivers from Greenville Dam down to Pfizer. Some people are taking a chance both wading and kayaking at times when water levels are high and fast due to recent rains. No striper is worth a dunking or worse in a cold river. Biggest bass of the week were two confirmed 25-pounders. Jack heard rumors about larger fish but didn't put too much stock in such talk. Flounder news is very bleak, both from those trying from shore at Bluff Point and in small boats in all the traditional areas that produced in years past.
• Richard at Hillyers Tackle saw some blackfish caught around the Blackhawk Dock this week but please keep in mind that fishing remains open only until April 30 and closes the next day, May 1. Like most other reporting stations, there isn't any good copy about flounder fishing, offset somewhat but small catches of small bass in the deep hole by the Cliffs in the upper Niantic River.
• Capt. Joey Devine of the Mijoy made a cod trip up to Massachusetts last Sunday, April 24. Fishing in a private boat on the southwest corner of Stellwagen Bank, they landed a good count of school cod, some haddock and hangers of 45 and 50 pounds on bait and jigs. They will start their season here on May 14 with two trips daily, weekends only, to The Race for bass and blues.
• Sherwood Lincoln of Old Lyme has his boat in the water, ready to run over to Montauk for fluke if and when the wind ever stops blowing. He heard a coffee shop rumor about bunker in parts of Peconic Bay and good numbers of small bass in the lower Connecticut River from the Baldwin Bridge to Griswold Point.
• Our last stop of the first column of 2005 is River's End Tackle in Old Saybrook. Pat Abate said small boats are taking school bass around Great Island, weather permitting, and a few larger fish around Haddam. Flounder news is grim, just about non-existent but the opening of the New York fluke season is drawing early interest, giving people a reason to get their boats ready.

On The Water, Bob Sampson, Jr.

• Cheryl Fee of Shaffer’s Marina, Mystic said that her brother Al caught a half-dozen small stripers in the lower Mystic River the other day on poppers. An improvement of five fish over the previous report, but things are still a tad slow in the Mystic area. Give it a week or so and the lower river will light up with school and larger stripers. She noted that in the case of her marina, the action was slow, due primarily to the lack of boats in the water. You need to have people out fishing to generate reports, and so far it’s been only her brother Al taking a few casts before and after work when the winds allow.
• Joe Balint of The Fish Connection, Preston on the Thames has mostly been hearing stories of the large numbers of small schoolie striped bass that are being caught and released all over the river from beyond the Sub Base to Greenville Dam, including the coves. No real big fish were brought in to the shop or reported this week or over the weekend, but the high winds and rains were definitely a factor in keeping anglers inside. There have been a few decent fish up at the dam, which is becoming a battle zone with people fishing heavily in the restricted areas west of the island. The “red rocks” which denote the closed area are not red, the paint has worn off as it always does during the winter. However, for the record, note that that rock-pile island with the few bushes at the mouth of the Greenville Pool is the southeastern corner of the closed area. As state law calls for, there is a closed area near every fish-way to protect the fish that may want to continue upstream. For some reason, anglers have ignored or forgotten this important rule. There is no fishing from an imaginary line that runs from the tip of the island to the dam and across the mouth of the pool to the west waterfall and fish lift. No one should even be standing in that area, but it’s been loaded with lawbreakers each of the five times I fished the dam last week. The increased water flows, which made fishing tougher initially, will subside and ultimately draw more fish to the dam in the process. Conditions are good in the upper river between Norwich and the dam and should be for at least two more weeks.
• Saturday, I had guests down from Ontario, Canada. Three of us with boats took them out in the dropping barometric pressure and rains, perfect striper-fishing conditions. Using Salt Shakers, Slug-Go’s and Fin-S Fish, we landed and released between 350 and 400 stripers that averaged only 12 to 22 inches and topped off somewhere around 26 inches. Great action but nothing of size to brag about. The fishing was fast and furious as it always is during the middle of April in the middle portions of the Thames from a boat. That day we hit fish everywhere along the river channel.
• Freshwater fishing is improving, with more reports of decent bass coming in each day. The trout fishing will remain good because the local areas have recently been restocked, and the trout are, as the DEP said, decent, average-size fish, with reports of many measuring 13 to 15 inches or better. Josh Worst, a budding 8-year-old bass angler from Ledyard, caught a 5.25-pound largemouth bass on Sunday from Pachaug Pond while fishing with his dad.
• Joe reminded people that the fluke season opens in New York this week, and his source out at Montauk Point said there will be plenty of fluke to be caught by those who make the run across the sound to take advantage. The fluke have not made it to Connecticut or the south shore of Rhode Island yet. I guess by next week we will see the first fluke coming in from Point Judith, with the fish penetrating the eastern end of Long Island Sound as far as Niantic a week or 10 days after that. Joe also noted there has been “nothing to speak of in the winter flounder department this week.” It looks like the sparse bite that began at Bluff Point in mid-March is over, and other potential winter flounder spots in the eastern end of the sound are either not producing or no one is trying for them.
• There have been scattered reports of a few white perch just showing up in Poquetanuck Cove, Preston. The run typically starts this time of the season, a week or two after Hamburg Cove, which has not been a factor in producing white perch so far this spring.
• Richard at Hillyer’s Bait and Tackle, Waterford told us that there have been some fluke off Montauk Point that were commercially caught, and that everyone in the shop is champing at the bit to get at them this weekend. There have been a few schoolies caught in the Niantic River and a whole mess of little guys in the mouth of the Connecticut River lately, though I’d guess the increased flows and dirty water may have shut that bite off temporarily until the waters clear a tad. Richard also said that the first porgy of the season has been caught, but he didn’t know from where. That’s a bad or good sign, depending if one fishes for these pesky fish or not. Usually, early showings of any species are precursors of large and strong runs.
• I find it ironic, even stupid, that scup (porgies) are so abundant, yet the management plan calls for continued cutbacks in harvest by recreational anglers because the quotas have been exceeded. Quotas that were set during a time when this species had bottomed out as a result of what else, commercial over-harvest. Eventually the statistics will catch up with the plan, but that may not be for another year or two, so porgy fans bear with it.
• Over the weekend, a big mess of blackfish was caught from between the bridges by one angler, according to a customer who was casting for school stripers. The customer said that most of the fish were average keeper blackfish but some much bigger fish were lost when the angler grabbed his line in an attempt to lift the fish onto the rocks like the smaller fish. Naturally the line broke. A rookie move that was even more bush-league being that the guy had a net with him.
• Not much in the way of winter flounder, even at Jordan Cove this week. Richard felt that it was due more to lack of interest because these fish are so hard to find these days. “If you put your time in, a few can be caught, but not many anglers are willing to invest the time and effort required to catch a flounder or two.”
• Mark Lewchik of River’s End, Saybrook said he hasn’t heard much from the river due to the rain, which always turns it to coffee, drops temperatures and raises the water to unmanageable levels. He has heard rumors of keeper stripers being caught as far upriver as Enfield, with a smattering of other reports of smaller fish coming in from Rocky Hill and points downstream. The action that had been pretty good in the lower portion of Hamburg Cove apparently has cooled down this week, probably as a result of the flooding from the rains.
• Nothing coming in from the flounder fishermen. Not even Dock and Dine or the Causeway has produced any flatfish so far this spring. There has been a bunch of anglers who are gearing up to run across to Montauk to open the fluke season in New York. Mark noted that the regs are 5 fish 17.5 inches in length. I am not sure, but I think that for the first time, all three states – NY, CT and RI – will have the same length limit, though creel limits and seasons may differ.
• Captain Jerry Morgan of Captain Morgan’s Tackle, Madison reported that there are some fluke “across the pond,” according to his sources. The winter flounder reports have dried up, but there are a few small bass running up and down the beaches and up inside local river mouths to provide some fun light-tackle action. The smaller 8-inch Polish Perch glide-and-jerk bait lures have been producing those schoolie stripers in his area.
• This year, there have been a number of shops that have picked up some fine-looking herring-imitation lures from two companies, both from Poland. One is Galpen Lures, which makes the Polish Perch brand lures, and the other is a more difficult one to find called Salmo Lures at HYPERLINK http://www.salmofishing.com www.salmofishing.com, which are worth investigating and maybe trying to get your local tackle dealer to stock. I have experimented with Salmo lures for pike and muskie for four or five years now and just got some colors to use in the rivers for herring-feeding bass. The lures look great, but I have yet to land the 30-pounder I expected to hook on the first cast. Check them out – these lures may well open some doors to new fish-catching opportunities, both in the ocean and local ponds, for bass, pike, pickerel and walleyes.
• This week a few more blackfish were caught off the New Haven breakwalls, but the season closes Saturday till mid-June, so any incidental blackfish that may be hooked while fluke or flounder fishing cannot be kept, regardless of size. The captain also said that due to the late spring and poor weather, there are not many boats in the water in his area.
• Trout fishermen have been doing well since the season opened April 16 with many 2- pound-class fish being reported. Some big largemouth bass have been coming in from local farm ponds and Quonnipaug. These fish are being caught on spinnerbaits, jerkbaits and small shad-body swim baits.
• Chris Fulton, owner of Stratford B&T, Stratford said there have been some big bunker coming into Bridgeport Harbor. Anglers are snagging and live-lining them and have been taking fish 36 to 37 inches on worms but not the bunker so far. One customer brought in three nice blackfish that weighed between 5 and 6.5 pounds from the Housatonic River. In addition, there have been a few smaller blackfish, under four pounds, that he heard were caught over the weekend off the New Haven breakwalls. Chris saw about 30 anglers doing well taking schoolies on flies near the sanctuary.
• Trout stocking is going on again this week in the put-and-take rivers and lakes.
• Nick at Fisherman’s World, Norwalk said the schoolies at the mouth of the Housey are a tad bigger than they were last week. There are some small bass and the occasional winter flounder being caught by anglers who are fishing the outer edges of the harbor, off the pier, Can 9 and off the power plant. Temperatures are up to 50 degrees F, so what we thought might have been the beginnings of fish moving out of the Hudson could have been the area’s overwintering fish coming to life, with perhaps a few early runners from the Hudson River stock mixed in.
• This weekend, the best bet is still stripers in all the area’s rivers and bays, with the Thames, Connecticut and Housatonic topping the list of bass producers. However, if you have a boat and the wind gods cooperate, a run to the shallows off Montauk Point and Peconic Bay are apparently holding some fluke to chase.

The Shad Return, Pictorial Gazette

• The forsythia is in bloom and we hear the first shad of the season have been caught in Old Saybrook.
• Gary Rutty, a veteran commercial fisherman, netted 27 shad his first night out - a modest haul to be sure, but things should pick up later in the season.
• Old timers used to say it just wasn't spring until the shad returned to the Connecticut River. These schooling ocean fish, the largest of the herring family, make their annual spawning run up the river about the time the forsythia and daffodils bloom in brilliant yellow profusion. The trees show a hint of green and the air is suddenly warm and fragrant. You will also see, here and there along the river and at the margins of the woods, the fresh white flowers of the shadbush, a species of Amelanchier, given this name by the early colonists because it flowers about the time huge schools of shad begin to swim up New England tidal rivers.
• Fifty years ago, shad season was a time of intense excitement. From Old Saybrook alone, two dozen boats went out on the river at night to lay their nets for shad, with a dozen more heading out farther up the river. During the season, which runs from April 1 to mid-June, a number of women were employed de-boning the fish for local sale. Shad was also packed on ice in 100-pound boxes and shipped to Boston and New York markets. From under Old Saybrook's Baldwin Bridge, a truck loaded with shad left for Fulton Market twice a day. Connecticut River shad and shad roe always fetched the highest prices.
• Those days are long gone. Shad fishermen are disappearing faster than old soldiers. Today, just three or four boats go out to fish for shad along the entire lower river. Smaller shad runs and dwindling markets are partly to blame, but mostly prosperity is killing this ancient seasonal business. These days, there are easier ways to make a living than going without sleep for six weeks during shad season.
• The news is not all bad. As shad fishing fades into folklore, interest grows in keeping the tradition alive through exhibits, talks and demonstrations. The Connecticut River Museum in Essex has done a wonderful job promoting Alosa sapidissima, our new state fish. The museum's annual shad festival, coming up May 14, features talks and demonstrations, including one on the dying art of shad boning. And if you are as passionate about shad as we are, you will surely want pay a visit to the Shad Museum up in Haddam. This shad shrine is full of fascinating displays and artifacts on the history of Connecticut River shad fishing. The little museum, in Bill Maynard's old shad shack, sits behind Jasper's Citgo Station at 212 Saybrook Road in Higganum. Admission is free. Happy shad season!

Connecticut Fishing

Tips and techniques, spots and other tidbits related to Connecticut Fishing.

Aprils Sweet & Salty, Bob Salerno, New Britain Herald

• Now that the stampede of Opening Day is over, serious anglers can settle down to a normal angling rhythm. Some of the most exciting freshwater fishing in Southern New England takes place in April and May.
• With both air and water temperatures on the rise, the first significant hatches begin. Some of the early hatches are familiar insects with predictable hatch patterns. Others are not as common, but provide a source of food to trout as a subsurface insect all year round.
• Although sub-surface flies and techniques will take the majority of trout at this time of year, it’s the dry fly surface action that gets fly anglers excited. In fact, many anglers start their fly fishing season when the 3 tailed mayflies begin to emerge in the last weeks of April and throughout May. Commonly called Hendrickson’s, these tan, pink, and yellow mayflies are a fly fishermen’s delight as the hatch usually starts around 1pm and continues to 3 or 4 pm eliminating the need to rise early.
• In addition to the Hendrickson, April and May are also the prime months for several other mayfly hatches that occur at the same time every year. Blue wing Olives, March Browns and Quill Gordons along with caddis can provide dependable surface activity. Emergence dates differ slightly depending on location and weather conditions. It’s a good idea to obtain a hatch chart of the river. Local fly shops and internet sites are good sources for hatch charts and up to date information.
• Bait fishermen tend to do well during spring hatches using meal worms and perch bugs. Fishermen that prefer to use shiners, pinhead minnows or lures will have a good chance at hooking one of the large breeder trout that survived the opening weekend onslaught.
• Anglers that prefer stripes on their fish, only have to look to the tidal estuaries and power plant outflows to locate striped bass. The Manressa Power Plant in Norwalk, the Bridgeport Power Plant and the Devon Power Plant on the Housatonic all hold fish throughout the winter. As the surrounding water warms in spring these fish begin to move around and feed actively.
• The Thames River has a significant population of striped bass that winter over. Once the water temperature in the shallow flats that border the main channel hits 50 degrees, the bass feed ravenously in the warm shallows both day and night. This easy fishing situation normally begins in mid April and lasts until around Mothers Day.
• Also, on almost every tide, arriving migrating stripers join their brethren in the estuaries often blowing wide open an increasingly productive fishery. Most of the winterized stripers and the first arrivals are schoolies, but they still can be loads of fun on light tackle. Occasionally larger fish are mixed in adding to the sport when a twenty-pounder takes the fishermen’s offering.
• Productive lures include 4 to 6 inch Slug-Go and Fin-S and saltshakers fished on triangular jig heads. Fly anglers do well with Deceivers, Clousars and other streamer style patterns in the 4 to 5 inch size. In the early season color is not all that important as the fish will hit almost anything that moves.
• Due to the high number of hookups on these spring trips, it is advisable to fish with single hooks with the barbs smashed down. The lack of barbs is not only better for the fish, but saves the wear and tear on the angler’s hands.
• Connecticut anglers are fortunate because with a relatively short drive, they can cast for trout and stripers all in the same day.
• FISHING REPORT: Trout fishing got off to a slow start on Opening Day for many anglers due to the sub-freezing temperatures. Although water conditions were at optimum levels on most streams the cold weather reduced the catch rate.
• Best fishing was reported from the West Branch of the Farmington, Salmon, Blackledge, Sandy Brook, Natchaug, Shetucket, Mill and Moosup Rivers. The Hendrickson hatch has started on the Housatonic, and is just beginning on the West-Branch and main stem Farmington.
• Lake and pond fishermen are scoring at West Hill where several of the big breeders were landed, Beach Pond, Lake Saltonstall, Highland Lake and the Mad River Flood Control Impoundment.
• Walleyes are beginning to hit at Coventry and Mashapaug Lakes. Bantam and Mansfield Hollow anglers hooked up pike over the past few days.
• Anglers are reporting some good catches of schoolie stripers from the lower Connecticut River,the Thames and in the Housatonic around the Devon Power Plant. Out in the salt, flounder fishing is still bleak but a few fish are hitting on the warmer sunny days off Duck Island, in Jordan Cove and off Bluff Point.

On The Water, Bob Sampson, Jr.

1. Finally, 10 days of good weather and sunshine have dried things out and dropped river levels, allowing for pleasant but difficult Opening Day conditions for both Connecticut and Rhode Island trout fishermen. The high pressure and clear skies have made the fishing a little tougher than it should be on the Thames, where the striped bass are starting to stir as they chase herring up into all the alewife spawning areas on the river.
2. Steve McKenna of Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle, North Kingstown told us fishing took a turn for the better in all the right places along the south shore this week. He said they are small fish but that’s better than no fish, and the action has been hot when the tides are right. There are also small bass up inside Narragansett Bay, with schoolies reported as far as Warwick.
3. Winter flounder action has been pretty good since the season started on April 16. This is a short season that ends May 23, so anglers are hitting it hard while they can, with mixed results.
4. Not much on tautog yet, but they should be showing up any time now.
5. Trout fishing got mixed reviews in Rhode Island since the Rhody opening day, due to the near constant high pressure and blue skies. Waters were high along with the pressure, so despite the nice weather, the fishing was not so hot, but the fish are abundant and big and will begin feeding heavily, sooner or later.
6. Steve also heard unconfirmed reports of bigger bass that he thinks are holdovers up inside the Narrow River. One customer reportedly caught a 35-pounder while targeting schoolies on a freshwater rig and small bucktail.
7. The southwest wind is really helping the schoolie fishing off the walls.
8. Peter at Saltwater Edge, Newport reported that things are beginning to stir in his area. He said they have schoolies on First and Second Beaches in town for the usual evening bite on small Storm bucktails with grubs on the tail end.
9. Captain Andy Dangelo of Maridee Bait and Tackle, Narragansett verified that anglers are catching schoolies off the West Wall and at Potter Pond, along with a few from around the mouth of Narrow River. The hot lure has been a soft plastic I am unfamiliar with called a Cocohoe that is similar to the popular Storm swim baits. With a half-ounce head, the schoolies eat ‘em up.
10. The winter flounder fishing has been spotty. The fish are few, scattered and thin in Pt. Judith Pond. All the catches they have heard of at Maridee have been from small boats, none from the shore at this point.
11. Ronnie at Breachway Tackle, Charlestown told us schoolies are at Deep Hole, Carpenters Bar, the West Wall and at the Breachway. Nothing major in numbers or quality yet, but there are fish around to catch. As always, dawn and dusk are producing the best catches.
12. Winter flounder fishing is reportedly pretty good in the Charlestown Salt Pond up at the narrows. Ronnie caught three himself on Tuesday and a customer caught four. He also measured a 16.5-incher this week as well.
13. Captain Don of Captain Don’s Tackle, Charlestown reported that anglers did well on winter flounder in Charlestown Salt Pond with one nice “snowshoe” that he saw, plus three keepers. Chris Blair caught some nice flats up in Potter Pond. The anglers fishing Pawcatuck River steadily are not doing anything on flounder for some reason, while the salt ponds seem to at least be holding fish for those who know what they are doing.
14. The West Wall is holding schoolie bass. One angler had just one fish roll while he was casting from the breachway at Quonny Pond, but it’s not crazy yet in the surf. Things are just starting.
15. John Antori, the 80-plus-year-old maker of Anco Lures, is making a version of the amber Reverse Atom Popper called the Golden Squid that is a killer on stripers when the squid come a couple of weeks from now. Captain Don said the bass will crawl out of water to eat this particular lure.
16. Freshwater fishing has been hot in Watchaug Pond with all the campers doing particularly well on calico bass the past week while this species is spawning around the near-shore structure.
17. Cheryl Al Fee of Shaffer’s Marina, Mystic said they just opened up on Friday so they don’t have much in the way of fish stories yet. Al Fee took a poke around the Mystic River area looking to see what was going on and said he had temperatures inside the train bridge that were up to 58 degrees F. Too warm for winter flounder but perfect for any stripers that move into the area. So far not much is happening around Mystic, but with river temps that high already, it won’t be long before the bass start popping up in the river and its shoals.
18. Jack Balint of The Fish Connection, Preston on the Thames said the Greenville Dam and major coves along the river course have been hot after dark around the top of the tide each day.
19. I have been fishing at dusk all week with my Salmo and Polish Perch lures. These lures look just like the herring we can no longer use for bait here in Connecticut, and I expect to catch some monsters on them but haven’t yet in four evenings of fishing. Each time, I couldn’t reach the right zone because other anglers were on the hot spot. I managed to take a 27- to 28-incher each trip but on Fin-S Fish and other soft plastics. The hot lure has been poppers, with the yellow pencil poppers accounting for the majority of the larger fish I saw caught. Tuesday, I brought my wife down to the dam with me to take some photos. About dark, the bugs got to her so I left prematurely. Wednesday when I called for information to do this report, Jack Balint said one customer claimed to have caught a bunch of 30- to 40-forty inch bass on surface lures between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m., just after I left. On the following morning around first light and the incoming tide, another group of fishermen took fish to about 15 pounds on the Polish lures and soft plastics in Poquetanuck Cove. Everything is perfect for the weekend with high tide after dark and a full moon. “This will be the weekend that was,” in the upper Thames River, according to Captain Jack.
20. Trout fishing has been good in the Shetucket River. Customers have been very happy with the quality of their catches, and the fish have been averaging 12 to15 inches. There will be a fresh stocking later this week, so the great action should remain steady.
21. Lou Bull at Hillyer’s Bait and Tackle, Waterford said the winter flounder finally showed up at Jordan Cove, but not inside the bridge where the first catches usually come from, but rather outside by the boat launch. One other angler caught a few winter flounder off Harkness Park. One of the kids who lives on the bay said he caught some small flounder off the back bay of the Niantic River near Oswegatchie Road and Sandy Point. Lou himself said he went to try for flatfish at Avery Point for an hour around the top of the tide earlier in the week and didn’t get so much as a sniff.
22. Stripers are beginning to move throughout the region, as an angler who works at Hillyer’s caught some bass one evening this week off the pier on the lower Connecticut River. I made a trip to Hamburg Cove on Saturday and found it full of uncooperative school bass. They looked like the late-winter fish in the Thames, five feet thick on the bottom and one fish per hundred casts.
23. A couple of anglers have seen small bass off the mouth of the Niantic River on an outgoing tide earlier this week, as well. It looks like there is more bass action in general than could be supported strictly by holdover fish that have become active. It is hard to tell if these are local overwintering fish or fresh-run bass moving out of the Hudson River, but increased activity to the west makes it look like the first of the migrants are on the move with all this hot weather.
24. “Q” of River’s End, Saybrook said there are a pile of what he thinks are fresh-run fish in the lower river with most under 28 inches. The Causeway, the DEP Dock and the Woodlot are all producing fish on worms from shore and soft plastics from boats.
25. Hamburg Cove has slowed down to nothing in the form of white perch reports. In fact, the white perch never materialized this spring to speak of, there was only a short flurry of anglers saying they could see the schools but had trouble getting fish to hit, then they seemed to disappear. Maybe the best is yet to come, but my guess is it’s pretty well over for this spring in the white perch department.
26. Captain Jerry Morgan of Captain Morgan’s Tackle, Madison reported that over the weekend there was some great trout action in the spots around Madison. All the local places held good catches with the water levels dropping. The Opening Day contest winner was under two pounds, though some nice fish did come in that were not entered in the Opening Day pre-registration event he held.
27. There are some more small bass running up and down the coast in most of the rivers that Captain Morgan feels could well be the first migrants into his area. This is an observation that seems to fit with the sudden increase in school bass catches pretty much across the board along the Connecticut and Rhody shorelines.
28. Flatfishing is still producing around the Madison, Guilford, Branford area in the harbors and bays. No great catches, but those who know the spots are picking up enough fish for a meal or two per outing.
29. Blackfish are being caught around the New Haven Breakwall and hitting soft stuff like clams and worms. This is the only area where blackfish were actually caught and not expected to be caught for this week’s report.
30. Chris Fulton owner of Stratford Bait & Tackle, Stratford told us that things are livening up a tad in the Housatonic River and vicinity. Anglers are catching and releasing many small bass up inside the river, as well as in the Bridgeport area, just further evidence that something is going on in the way of migratory fish out of the Hudson River. Chris also heard of a few blackfish being taken in New Haven on clams.
31. Freshwater catches dominated the talk this weekend with a huge trout of more than 8 pounds taken on a crawler with no weight, and a 5-plus-pounder that took a mealworm. Both fish were caught from the Poquonnock River in Bridgeport. The kid who caught the larger fish told Chris he saw the lunker on Sunday. Rather than spook the fish, he went back at 5 a.m. on Tuesday and caught it on the first cast, using a whole night crawler that he drifted past the fallen tree where the fish was hiding.
32. Squantz Pond produced a decent catch consisting of a 4.5-pound largemouth bass, three smallies to 3.2 pounds and a 3.6-pound walleye. The kicker was the walleye lost because it wouldn’t fit in the small trout net. The fish was in the 10-pound range. All the bass hit on white spinnerbaits and the walleyes fed on big shiners.
33. Bert of Fisherman’s World, Norwalk said they are seeing a few more flounder since last week. Over last weekend the fishing was very good. Three anglers took 14 flatfish from the Calf Pasture Pier. Fishermen have also been catching small striped bass off Calf Pasture Beach, as well, early and late in the day. Bert said he thinks these stripers are the early runners out of the Hudson River because they showed up in relative force and so suddenly over the past few days.
34. It’s all happening and improving with every warm day and degree of heat dissipated into the waters. Striped bass are on the move, so the Thames River, though probably the best bet for action, is not the only place to catch schoolie bass. The Connecticut, Housatonic, Pawcatuck, Green and Narrow rivers all made the list of school bass producers over the past week.

Opening Day Newspaper Articles

Here's an assortment of Connecticut newspaper articles about opening day. Most of these newspapers limit the amount of time an online article can be read for free. So if you're interested, don't procrasinate.
The Herald - News - 04/17/2005 - How to reel in kids’ interest
The Stamford Advocate Trout reel in first anglers of season
The New York Times (they must be desperate for readers if they have a fishing article!)
Record-Journal It was cold but the fish were hot throughout areas hotspots
The Register Citizen 'Tis the Season for Fishing
The Connecticut Post Trout Fishermen Hurry Up and Bait
The Connecticut Post (another article) Fishing Report
The Stamford Article 4/8/2005 Go Fish: State Restocks Rivers for Angling Season

Quinnipiac River Hotspots

Upper Quinnipiac River (with a brass phoebe), The Rock Pool on the Quinnipiac River, Carpenter's Dam, Wallingford section of Quinnipiac River, in back of Westbrook Lobster.

Conn Post, Frank McKane

• Anglers have a big weekend ahead with the opening of trout season. More than 80,000 trout enthusiasts are expected to visit the state's rivers and lakes on Saturday. Thanks to warm and dry weather this week, the weekend fishing conditions should be good to excellent. Most of the flooded rivers have calmed down somewhat to make easy fishing. All the lakes and ponds are up to full pool levels, providing first-rate shoreline fishing and boat launching. Over the past month, the state Department of Environmental Protection has been releasing trout around the state. An estimated 415,000 trout should be available for opening day fishers. Based on last year's stocking reports, below are some hot prospects for the weekend:
• Waters receiving more than 5,000 fish are Black Rock State Park Pond in Watertown, Southford Falls State Park Pond in Oxford, Wharton Brook State Park Pond in Wallingford, Highland Lake in Winchester, Black Pond in Middlefield, Candlewood Lake in Danbury, the Naugatuck River between Thomaston and Beacon Falls, Pomperaug River in Woodbury, East Aspetuck River in New Milford, Norwalk River in Ridgefield, and the Saugatuck River from Weston to Westport.
• Trout spots receiving between 1,000 and 5,000 fish are Great Hollow Pond in Monroe, Ball Pond in New Fairfield, Hop Brook Flood Control Impoundment in Middlebury, Lake Saltonstall in Branford, Lake Stibbs in Southbury, Mohegan Lake in Fairfield, Nells Rock Reservoir in Shelton, Saugatuck Reservoir in Easton, Far Mill River in Shelton, Mill River in Fairfield, Pequonnock River in Trumbull and Bridgeport, Little River in Oxford, Hop Brook in Middlebury, Pond Brook in Newtown, Pootatuck River in Newtown, Weekeepeemee River in Woodbury and Wepawaug River in Milford.
• Some other noteworthy waters offering good trout fishing include Baumer's Pond in Naugatuck, Pickett's Pond within Osbornedale State Park in Derby, Twin Brooks Pond in Trumbull, Beacon Hill Brook in Naugatuck, Aspetuck River in Easton, Bladens Brook in Seymour, Indian Hole Brook in Shelton, Kettletown Brook in Southbury, and Race Brook in Orange.
• Also on opening day, DEP fisheries biologists will be visiting the designated trout parks to help anglers understand trout, the stocking program and the fishing regulations. These visitations are great opportunities for both novice and experienced anglers to meet and talk to trout experts. Look for a biologist at Southford Falls State Park beginning at 8:30 a.m. At 10:30 a.m., the biologist will move south to Great Hollow Pond.
• While trout are dominating the fishing scene, you have plenty of other angling opportunities. Striped bass action is very good on Long Island Sound. Most of the fish are coming from the larger harbors, like Bridgeport and New Haven. Flounder fishing is still slow but improving. If you are willing to work, it is possible to catch a few flounder for dinner.
• Largemouth bass are becoming easier to catch with the warming days. Jerkbaits, tube lures and live minnows are producing fish. Good largemouth bass catch reports have come from Long Meadow Pond, Winchester Lake, Lake Zoar, Lake Lillinonah, Dog Pond, Mamanasco Lake and Lake Kenosia. — FRANK MCKANE JR.

On The Water, Bob Sampson

• Last weekend, Rhode Island opened its trout season with a pleasant, sunny day and comfortable temperatures for a change, and it looks, based on long-range forecasts, like Connecticut will follow suit this Saturday, when the trout season starts officially and opens up a large percentage of waters that were closed the past three weeks for stocking.
• In the marine arena, all the shops we contacted this week had talk of schoolie stripers, probably all local fish that are beginning to move around with water temps poking up into the low 50s in some places. Herring runs are going strong in many areas. Like last year, winter flounder action seems to be better from the middle portion of Connecticut to the west, while spots to the east are not doing much. Rhode Island opens its winter flounder season on Saturday, which should add a great deal more pressure along the coast, which in turn will generate more reports for next week.
• Steve McKenna of Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle, North Kingstown told us the trout season opener was very good with fish to 3 pounds coming into the shop. Bass fishing is hot in local ponds with one customer reporting the bass were on the beds already in some places, which means water temperatures have to be around 65 degrees F. The first reports of scattered catches of schoolie bass off the West Wall at Point Judith began last Thursday. I would bet most of those fish were locals dropping down out of the area’s salt ponds and rivers.
• Peter at Saltwater Edge, Newport reported that rumors of those same schoolies off the walls made it to Newport, which is a verification of sorts. One of his friends caught a 28- incher in the Barrington River during the week. Peter is currently waiting for the squid to show off the causeway, an event he’s expecting will take place any time now. At this point, every warm, sunny day will help cook things up and hasten the progression of fish arrivals, like the squid that are out there in the ocean waiting for temperatures to warm a tad more before making their first showings along the coast in this area.
• Captain Don of Captain Don’s Tackle, Charleston, Rhode Island said he has heard of a few schoolies in the Pawcatuck River. There were a couple of bass caught at cemetery cove but nothing more exciting to report than that at this time. The Rhody winter flounder season starts on Saturday, and Captain Don said he will stock sand worms for this event. This weekend, with some warming days, everything should break loose along the South Shore.
• Joe Balint of The Fish Connection, Preston on the Thames has been seeing and hearing of bass from the Thames, mostly schoolies, but a few larger fish have been caught, too. Last weekend, 30-pounders were weighed in, but tides are bad at prime times right now, so the big-fish catch has dropped off for the moment. Sand worms are taking fish already in all the usual spots from Fort Shantock on downriver to Montville. As is typical for this point in the season, all the coves are producing some fish, with the spots that have spawning alewives being the most likely in which to catch those large stripers on large herring clone lures. The bass have moved downriver, so it’s no longer just a vertical jigging thing in the harbor’s deep water. My friend Eric and another angler caught 202 fish a week ago under overcast skies, but this week in the same spot they only landed 39 fish but had twice that many follows and missed slashes. Not too much in the way of white perch reports from either the Thames or the Connecticut rivers at this time, but expect whatever will happen this spring to take place within the next two or three weeks. Normally, the whites peak during the last week or two of April. A few winter flounder were reportedly caught at Bluff Point. My guess is we have already seen the best of the spring run from this place. Look to places like Jordan Cove, Niantic Bay, Mystic and other spots to produce the usual soon.
  Calico bass are starting to gather up for spawning in shallow, weedy places like Glasgow Pond, Hopeville Pond, Pachaug Pond and Bog.
• I couldn’t make contact with Hillyer’s Bait and Tackle, Waterford for this week’s report due to phone connection problems.
• Mark Lewchik of River’s End, Saybrook said there are bass in the lower river that are hitting lures and worms. However, the water is still running too cold and high, so fishing is difficult and odds are these bass are overwintering fish, not fresh-run stripers from the Hudson or Chesapeake. One angler tried midweek but did nothing with flounder off the river mouth. He said the water was flowing too hard and was much too dirty. It was like fishing an endless ebb tide. Here the best time to do the flatfish is during the incoming tide and to fish near the clear-water edge between river and incoming ocean water. Mark also noted that they haven’t heard much from the white perch fishing crowd about anything changing in Hamburg Cove. Those trying have not been doing much lately. It is still a tad too early. Look for things to break loose this week.
• Captain Jerry Morgan of Captain Morgan’s Tackle, Madison reported that schoolies are showing up in the East River, Guilford-Madison. Winter flounder were caught at East and West Wharf, Guilford Harbor and the Thimble Islands. Anglers who know what’s going on are taking limits while others are struggling to catch a couple of flatfish.Like everywhere else, the captain’s customers are more interested in getting ready for Opening Day than in working hard for a stray flounder or school striper. No one has taken any sea-runs this week, but the captain expects to see some fish over opening weekend with all those anglers out there. Captain Morgan’s is holding its usual “Opening Day Trout Contest” on Saturday. A UL trout combo goes to the first-place winner; fishing gear will be given for second and third places. There will also be drawings for gifts throughout the day.
• Chris Fulton, owner of Stratford B&T, Stratford is also gearing up for the season opener, with the most activity centering on freshwater trout. Chris went to Rhody to open the season last week and caught fish to 2.8 pounds. Smiths Point has been hot in the Housatonic River for the past week. Anglers are taking good numbers of schoolies on flies and small soft plastics. Chris said that there have been a few flatfish caught off the mouth of the Saugatuck River near Sprite Island during the week. No limits but anglers are catching some fish for their time investment. With flounder so sparse, using a chum pot is by far the best way to draw and hold fish around your boat; it is almost a necessity for success with flatfish in this day and age.
• Nick at Fisherman’s World, Norwalk also reported improved winter flounder catches with some of the better fish measuring up to 17 inches. Jason Vlicky of Norwalk had five keepers on Tuesday. Others are taking a fish or two here and there. Nick expects the flounder action to pick up as water temperatures rise. John McLintuck caught a 44-inch striper off Seaside Park in Bridgeport on a mackerel chunk earlier in the week, the biggest bass of the spring so far. Schoolies are being caught off the mouth of the Housatonic River, around the piers in town and around the power plants in the area. Bear in mind these are probably all still local fish that are “waking up” after a long winter’s period of inactivity.Rhode Island Fresh Water
• Bill Hopkins of Hope Valley Bait & Tackle of Hope Valley, Rhode Island said the bass fishing is on fire in all the local lakes. Bass fishing won’t get any better. Lots of fish in the 3- to 4-pound range being caught but great prespawn action. Jerkbaits are doing well on light orange bellies and clown colors. Their season opener brought with it some great catches of quality trout averaging 1 to 2 pounds. The best Bill has seen so far was a gorgeous rainbow trout of 6.75 pounds and lots of 2-pound fish. With water dropping and forcing fish into pools, they are getting easier to catch with small worms and a split shot or weighted nymphs, Wooly Buggers and other bottom grubbing offerings. CT Fresh Water.
• Jim Dimitri of Lebanon Sports Center, Bozrah / Lebanon said they will be doing hot dogs, chili and beverages for their usual opening-day affair, along with their Opening Day Contest for the biggest trout, by length. Steve, out at Mike’s Bait and Tackle, Voluntown said that everyone is gearing up for Opening Day. The goal of the shop’s contest is the longest trout – a $100 gift certificate goes to the adult winner, and a tackle box worth $75 goes to the winner under age 16. Pre-registration is required. Nearby Bethel Church is having a fisherman’s breakfast starting at 5 a.m. on opening morning. The shop is having free coffee and donuts for customers.
• This week the best bet will of course be trout anywhere in the state. With no heavy rains predicted prior to Connecticut’s opener, water levels in rivers should be favorable, and with nice weather predicted, there should be plenty of anglers out to catch some of the 400,000-plus trout the state has stocked for this event. Otherwise, the best bet for sheer action is still the Thames River, which is turning on big time. Monday evening, I tried some of my large herring clone lures at Greenville Dam. I didn’t do anything because the fish there were small. But according to one guy I talked to, there were many small fish caught that day, fish that were too small to hit the 9-inch plug I was tossing in an effort to catch a herring chaser. Remember, Connecticut has a total ban on the taking of river herring again this spring.

All Things - Connecticut Fishing - more concise than CT Fishing Reports blog

400,000 'biggest, Best' Await Anglers, "The Day" New London

In preparation for opening day of fishing season on Saturday, the state Department of Environmental Protection has been stocking lakes, ponds, rivers and streams with more than 400,000 hatchery trout. Also, the DEP is inviting families and novice anglers to visit 19 sites designated as special Trout Parks and Trophy Trout Streams. “These are the biggest and best trout we've ever produced,” said Bill Hyatt, director of inland fisheries for the DEP. The improvements, he said, are due to changes in the food given the hatchery trout, reductions in the number of fish kept in hatchery ponds, and cool summers over the past two years that were conducive to the growth of the fish.

In Eastern Connecticut, Trout Parks are at Horse Pond in Salem and the Natchaug River in Eastford. The Trophy Trout Streams are in the Salmon River, from Colchester to Haddam, and in the Shetucket River, from Windham to Norwich. “These areas are stocked more frequently so that children, families and novice anglers can be certain that there are trout to be caught,” said Edward C. Parker, chief of the bureau of Natural Resources. “The Trophy Trout Streams have been stocked with some larger size fish mixed in to add to the angler's excitement. Our standard 9-to-12-inch trout are again much larger and are averaging around 12 inches this year.” There is a two-trout-per-day limit at Trout Parks and Trophy Trout Streams. In most other areas, the limit is five per day.

Since 2002, the DEP has created sea-run trout streams for larger brown trout that have migrated to Long Island Sound and returned to freshwater. Also, Wild Trout Management areas are alternatives for anglers to catching hatchery-raised fish. Catch-and-release rules apply to wild trout.

On the morning of opening day, DEP fisheries staff will be available to answer questions from the public at these state parks: Stratton Brook in Simsbury; Southford Falls in Oxford; Chatfield Hollow in Killingworth; Wolfe Park in Monroe; Black Rock in Watertown. Residents between 18 and 65 years old must purchase a license to fish. Licenses are $20 for one year. Senior citizens and those younger than 18 are not required to have a license. Bill Hyatt, director of inland fisheries, estimated that about 155,000 fishing licenses will be issued this year. Along with the license, fishermen receive a copy of the Connecticut Anglers Guide, which lists fishing regulations and places to fish around the state. The guide can be accessed on the DEP's Web site at: http://www.dep.state.ct.us/burnatr/fishing/fishinfo/angler.htm. By JUDY BENSON 4/14/2005

LI Boating World, Bob Sampson

• Late March into early April winter flounder
  Early April searun trout
  Early April white & yellow perch
  Mid April trout season opens
  Mid April schoolie striped bass
  
• Late March into early April used to bring with it the first winter flounder action in the state and it still does. The problem is there are so few flounder around that many anglers have given up on them and the rest have a tough time catching even half of an eight-fish, 12-inch minimum length limit. Poquonnock River at Bluff Point Park, Groton turns on in March, shortly after ice out. About the same time or slightly later, Jordan Cove comes to life as do any fish in the upper portion of Niantic River above the tracks. Mystic, the lower Thames and Pawcatuck Rivers also produce a few fish about this time, but very few in recent years. Flounder fishing is nearly dead, unfortunately. Last year’s sport catch was the worst in more than 30 years of record-keeping at an estimated 4200- fish total for the year. That’s pretty poor flounder fishing. In fact, perhaps writers like me shouldn’t be promoting the fishing for this species at this point in history. I will probably not target this species this spring in this area. Instead, I plan to head north to Boston Harbor where, according to a friend, the fish are making a comeback and can take the pressure much better.
• Early in April is also a time to work the coastal streams and estuaries that are listed as searun trout streams for searuns. However, the best of this fishery is past by now. Tthe best searun catches are made just after ice-out through the first week or so in April in most places, but there may still be a few of these elusive brown trout around to target, maybe even catch. April is the time of the spring when I make a trip or two to the Connecticut River, or rather to the major coves and inlets on this river such as Hamburg Cove off Route 156 to catch a few white and yellow perch for the pan. It’s a great “ice breaker” style of fishing that is simple and usually pretty productive. The yellow perch tend to hit better early when water temps approach their spawning temperature of 41 degrees F and a few degrees above that point. Then the white perch take over through the end of the month, even into early May in years like 2004 with lingering cold temps through June.
• For many, maybe even most Connecticut anglers, April means the official opening of the trout season on the third Saturday of the month. Despite the fact that for all practical purposes, with TMA’s (Trout Management Areas) trophy trout lakes, trout parks (super-heavily-stocked, family-oriented areas), etc., an angler can fish for trout somewhere in the state year round, this day is a psychological starting point that I really like. It’s a reference point in the angling calendar.
• Schoolie stripers in the Thames River provide every spring, beginning some time in April. This spring schoolie action in the Thames usually peaks right around opening day of the trout season. When temps are unseasonably warm, the Housatonic, Connecticut, Pawcatuck and other large coastal estuaries are usually turned on by that time as well, but from migratory fish moving out of the Hudson River. The Thames fish are already there when the ice breaks.
• The Thames is perhaps the most consistent and best early season place to fish for schoolie stripers, with fairly decent odds of connecting with fish of 30 inches or more if you fish the right places with bigger lures. The reason is that there are tens of thousands of striped bass that spend the winter, primarily stacked up like cord wood, in the upper third of the river, between Norwich Harbor and the Mohegan Sun Casino. There also a few fish that spend the winter around warm water discharges from the two power plants in Montville and I’ve heard recently that some fish can be found around the warm water discharge from that filthy, air-polluting, garbage-burning plant in Preston. The latter two places hold a very small number of fish but only when the warm water is flowing out of the pipes, as compared to the upper reaches of the river where they stack up five to 15 feet thick in Norwich Harbor on a daily, actually, tidal basis.
• When spring temperatures hit the region and melt the ice and snow off, this melt water flows into the river and sinks to the bottom of the Thames as it reaches 39 degrees F, which is the temperature where water is at its maximum density. At the same time, less dense surface waters are warming up from the surface down. Those bottom hugging stripers will move up out of the zone of coldest water on the bottom and suspend five to eight or 10 feet above bottom in the lower reaches of the warm blanket of surface water during this period when surface temps are in the low to mid 40’s, just before surface temps become high enough (50 degrees F) for them to turn on and spread into the shallows. The image on a depth finder screen looks like an Oreo cookie at this time. Within a couple of weeks the surface temps in the shallows of the river reach 50 to 52 degrees and those huge dense schools of bass in the upper river break up, move downriver and spread out onto the warm, shallow flats and into coves to feed, creating a shallow-water, light-tackle-and-fly fishery that can be as good as fishing gets. The fish are usually small schoolies ranging from 14 to 24 inches, but fish to 40 inches are present and chasing the few alewives and blueback herring that have been running up the Thames for the past four or five years. The magic key to getting the spring run officially going that creates the great shallow-water bites the Thames River is famous for, is the creation of 50- to 52-degree surface temps in the river’s shallow flats. Once they warm up to that point, look out! This temperature level is normally achieved some time between the first (during warm springs) and third weeks in April, the typical prime time.
• When the bass begin moving in the shallows the river literally turns on from Greenville Dam to New London, in fact, when the alewives are running, some of the largest fish in the river will be found pushing this large forage into the mouth of tributary streams such as Trading Cove Brook, Crowley Brook (Poquetanuck Cove), up to the falls at Uncas Leap on the Yantic River and up through and including the shallow rapids leading up to the Greenville Dam on the Shetucket side of the river. In the Thames and anywhere else for that matter, when the bass move in to feed on herring, any place that slows their movement, such as rapids or dams will collect feeding striped bass that are easy to reach and, therefore, catch.
• Connecticut still has the ban in place for 2005 on the possession of river herring (both alewives and blueback herring), so anglers can’t snag or net them for use as live hook baits like they did in the past. Live herring were by far the best way to target the larger bass that swim in the Thames and other coastal rivers this time of year. As a result, fishermen must find alternative lures that look like a river herring and fake them out. Any lure with a long, narrow profile that’s nine inches to a foot long, silvery with a blue or black back, that is fished in areas where the stripers are chasing herring will take fish
• The Connecticut River, which runs colder due to the huge amount of run-off from the north, is usually about two to three weeks behind the Thames, but the “good fishing period” in this huge river lasts twice as long, often running into early May if temps remain cool like they have for the past few springs. Late in April the bass will be moving westward out of the Hudson River at a rate of about two townships per day. It is possible to chart their movement if you keep in contact with coastal tackle shops as I do from week to week. When this Hudson migration combines with fish heading north out of the Chesapeake Bay area, the rivers further up the coast and in the eastern end of the Sound suddenly get a boost that coincides with the arrival of squid into the region, some time in mid May. But that’s next month’s column.
• Right now, look for stripers below dams and obstacles to movement in large coastal rivers and their mouths. There may be a few winter flounder present to catch, but striped bass are the best bet for the moment.

Trout Season Saturday, Record Journal, Mike Roberts

1. Wow! Can you believe it? Next Saturday brings with it another Opening Day for trout fishing — Yippie! Man, it's been one mother of a winter and regardless of what the weather may be for opening day, at least it's a start.
2. As we do every year, we will try to help out area trout fishermen by providing some suggestions on places to fish, both locally and around the state as well as let you know what the local tackle shops have in store for their opening day customers.
3. First off, let me pass this information on to you. According to the DEP, a total of 198 truckloads of trout should be distributed throughout the state before Opening Day. These trout will be released into 97 lakes and 200 rivers and streams throughout Connecticut. The following species will be stocked this preseason: 68,200 brook trout (10-11 inches); 200,300 brown trout (10-12 inches); 15,100 brown trout (12 inches); 9,600 tiger trout (10-12 inch brook/brown hybrid); 103,100 rainbow trout (10-12 inches); 17,100 rainbow trout (12-14 inch plus greater than 14 inches); and 1,750 broodstock (3-10 pound trout).
   The broodstock along with the 450 broodstock Seeforellen brown trout ranging in size from 3 to 8 pounds should make for some exciting fishing for some lucky fishermen. And on the plus side, the DEP will resume stocking at Higganum Reservoir and Starret's Pond (Huntington State Park) this spring. The DEP also plans to stock a new area, Valley Falls Pond in Vernon prior to Opening Day. It's nice to see Higganum Reservoir stocked again. It was one of my favorite places for trout fishing.
4. For the cartop boat fisherman, I would venture a guess and say that Black Pond right on the Meriden/Middlefield town line is a good bet. Gas engines are not allowed on Black Pond but you can use an electric trolling motor. Get there early if you want to park close to Black Pond. Of course it will be crowded, but that's part of the mystique of opening day of trout fishing. In fact just about any body of water stocked with trout for the opening day will be crowded.
5. For parents with kids, Baldwin Pond on the corner of North Wall Street and Westfield Road is a good place to bring the kids to. It has plenty of open shoreline and gives the youngsters plenty of room to practice their casting. Keep in mind, if you are fishing Baldwin that you really have to try and get your bait out quite a bit if you fish the grassy area alongside the old railroad line. The water is rather shallow. I recommend Power Bait on the bottom for those fishing Baldwin Pond.
6. Of course over the past decade or so, thanks to the valiant efforts of the Quinnipiac River Watershed Association (QRWA) the Quinnipiac River has gained in stature as a viable body of water for the serious trout fishermen. One of the reasons for this is a private trout-stocking program that supplements the state stocking in the Quinnipiac.
   The QRWA will once again be stocking the Quinnipiac River prior to the opening day. The first stocking headed up by Pete Picone will take place this Wednesday. Pete invites you to help the QRWA stock the section of river from Red Bridge on Oregon Road upriver to Carpenter's Dam on the South Meriden/Cheshire town line.
7. Those wishing to help stock the river should meet at Red Bridge at 5 p.m. on April 13. Be advised that because Hanover Pond is now drained, the lower portions of the river leading into Hanover Pond will be much lower than it has been in previous years. Nonetheless, the river will be stocked with some better than average trout as well as some tagged trout.
   The next afternoon (April 14) will see a second stocking of trout in the Quinnipiac River. Ben Bryda heads this stocking up and those wishing to stock trout should meet in the rear parking lot at the Westbrook Lobster (formerly the Q-River Bar & Grill at about 4:00 p.m.).
8. Anyone fishing the Quinnipiac River from Red Bridge upriver should be advised that due to the work being done on the fish ladder at Hanover Dam, the river will be much lower in the area around Red Bridge than in previous years. If memory serves me correctly, a number of years ago the water was also low because of some type of construction at the dam site but the fishing was really quite productive.
9. For those interested in catching a couple of trout and moving on, you might want to consider one of the trout parks such as Wharton Brook or Chatfield Hollow. These are exceptional places to take the kids although opening day might find these spots just a tad crowded. Nonetheless, this writer has seen seasoned trout fishermen that should know better abuse the trout park privilege. There is a two trout limit in all trout parks.
10. This is done to ensure that everyone fishing a trout park as an equal chance of catching his or her two fish. Yet, many times I have seen some of the "Pros" using mealworms and power bait to catch their trout, the trout are cranked in at high speed, the hook unceremoniously yanked out and if the trout is deemed too small it is thrown back into the water. Quite often the trout that are treated this way die because they ingested the hook too deep into their gut. This is a highly unethical and unsportsmanlike conduct.
11. Like I said, trout parks have a two trout limit. Also a word of advice, do not fish another body of water and catch let's say three trout and then go to a trout park to top off your limit. If you are caught with more than two trout in your possession in a trout park you will be arrested.
12. I had my doubts about trout parks when they were first introduced, but I have to say I think they work out well for kids and trout fishermen who are only interested in catching a couple of trout for a fish fry. I have noticed that those fishing trout parks have been very successful using mealworms on a small hook or one of those Power Baits. For you beginners, fish the mealworm with a bobber and fish the power bait on the bottom using as small a weight as possible or a sliding sinker.
13. The Coginchaug River (Durham/Middlefield) is an interesting little river that always seems to surprise some lucky fishermen with some really nice trout. Night crawlers, mealworms and metal lures seem to all work good in this river. The only thing is, that you should figure on losing some of your rigs because of the tight quarters offered in some place on the river.

Conn Post, Frank McKane

• The recent warm weather has been a boon to anglers around the state. About the only complaint is the modest flooding in the larger rivers. But those anglers fishing in the lakes and ponds are finding hungry yellow perch and largemouth bass.
• Yellow perch are beginning their spring spawning rituals. If you find their spawning flats, you can easily catch one to two dozen fish. Perch do not guard their eggs like bass and sunfish. They simply scatter the eggs over the bottom and budding weed growth. Taking a few spawning perch for dinner will not harm the fishery, but only keep those fish you plan to eat for dinner. Release the rest to conserve the population for future use.
• Good yellow perch reports have been coming from Lake Housatonic, Lake Kenosia, Lake Lillinonah, Lake Zoar, Mamanasco Lake, Congamond Lake, Beseck Lake, Bantam Lake, Burr Pond, Dog Pond, Winchester Lake and the old Seymour reservoirs in Naugatuck State Forest. These fish are taking live pinhead minnows, halved nightcrawlers, brightly colored marabou jigs, natural colored curly tail grubs, tiny crankbaits and streamer flies.
• The spring sunshine is warming up the smaller lakes and ponds. Already, temperatures greater than 50 degrees can be found along the sunny banks. This warmth brings the aquatic insects to life. Minnows swarm to the same areas to feed on the hatching bugs. Largemouth bass migrate to the sunny shallows to eat the minnows and get warm after their long winter stasis. Anglers following the food chain are catching bass.
• Your best bass fishing opportunities are in the smaller lakes and ponds south of I-84. Also, concentrate on the northern ends of these ponds. The sun is still shining from the south. Thus, trees, houses and sharp banks can shadow the southern end of the lake. Conversely, the northern shores often get full sun exposure during the afternoon hours.
• Test the largemouth bass fisheries in Bantam Lake, Dog Pond, Lake Housatonic, Long Meadow Pond, Mamanasco Lake, Pataganset Lake, Hatch Pond, Silver Lake, Beseck Lake, Messerschmidt's Pond, upper Moodus Reservoir, Wood Creek Pond, North Farms Reservoir, Pickerel Lake and Mudge Pond. Live minnows are the best bass bait right now. Tube lures and shad-tailed grubs also have a strong following among the bassing crowd.
• Bridgeport Harbor continues to give up striped bass. You can access the harbor from the eastern end of Seaside Park or by boat. Occasionally, a sharpie comes up with a big score, but most anglers are only catching one or two fish. This fishery will steadily improve as the flooding subsides.
• Anglers are reminded that the state Department of Environmental Protection extended the moratorium on the taking of alewives and blueback herring from both inland and marine waters. The ban began in 2002 and has been continually extended since to preserve the dwindling stocks. FRANK MCKANE JR.