Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt, this Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook he told me he was able to get out on the rivers a couple of times recently, and landed a nice 6-pound salmon on a center pin, while drifting a black and chartreuse fly. The water levels have stabilized and the flow is perfect for drift fishing right now. The extremely warm days leading up to this weekend should help make these fish even more active. Most of our lakes and ponds, and all of our major rivers are now ice free and fishable. Warmer water temperatures should help the panfish, bass and pike bait in these lakes/rivers. Reports from largemouth anglers have been strong for those slowly bouncing hair machines on the bottom. The residual bite should pick up after this warm spell, and Matt hopes to hear reports of some bigger stripers being caught this weekend.
Matt Stone took advantage of the perfect weather and flows and found some beautiful salmon this week.
Heather from Black Hawk Sport Fishing he’s done fishing for the season, but has been keeping busy doing work on the boat and starting his Talkin’ Tackle seminars online and attending local fishing shows. Stay tuned as they will have more seminars in the coming weeks, and you can find information on their website or Facebook page. Be sure to reach out to the ones you’d like to know too, as they’re always eager for suggestions and feedback.
And, at Dan’s Bait, Tackle and Charters in New London told me that the quick freeze and thaw put some fly larvae in some of the trout stocks and streams around the state, and brown trout catches are up quite a bit. Brown and orange fly patterns with silver traces have been strong producers. The remaining bass in the Norwich area have been a bit more active with the water temperatures rising a few more degrees. Paddle tails on small pieces or small tails have produced well when fished slowly. Throwing a small strip of squid on the jig also seems to be a good tactic when the fish aren’t cooperating.
Bobby J’s Bait and Tackle in Milford reports that the Housatonic is still fishing and things have started to pick up with the recent warm spell. The upper river, from Sunnyside and north, has been the most consistent stretch of the river yet. Small offerings have also been key, with Albie Snax or similar plastics on ¼- to 3/8-ounce heads being the best producers. Anglers hitting the TMAs for trout are still finding good catches on a variety of offerings.
The world of fishermen in Norwalk reports that most local anglers are interested in trout fishing, with good fish being taken in the Saugatuck River, Mill River and Norwalk River; along with some of the smaller ponds. The Saugatuck River fly fishing area has been a top producer recently. The Housatonic continues to see even more attention than most winters due to continued mild temperatures. The bite can still be tough day in and day out, and downsizing the offerings below 5 inches or so seems to have done the trick.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
There are no signs of winter on the horizon as anglers continue to take advantage of spring-like open water fishing opportunities.
Connecticut fishermen can continue take advantage remaining striped bass, as the bite has picked up a bit across the state due to extreme temperatures this week. If the fish aren’t being too cooperative, look to downsize/slow down your offers. Freshwater fishermen can take advantage of a bite of salmon in the Shetucket and Naugatuck rivers, along with some recent fall trout. Ample open water opportunities for bass, pike and panfish remain in the Connecticut River and larger bodies of water they are now free of ice.