Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt, this Black Hall Outfitters a Westbrook told me that he has continued to take advantage of the mild winter, with a series of successful kayaking trips. He fished a lake in Rhode Island last weekend and hit the salmon well. Trolling Rapala shallow divers and line spinners in more than 14 to 20 feet of water has been the ticket. The salmon bite in the CT has been tougher with an increase in flows earlier in the week, but flows have settled down, and that bite should pick up again. However, the open water bite in CT has been good with consistent trout, bass and walleye action from around the state. This weekend’s cold snap may move through some of the smaller ponds, but it will be short-lived, so plenty of spots should be fishable next week. Holdover striped bass action has improved a bit, especially on sunnier days where surface temperatures rise. Look for it to be a solid option next week when temperatures rise again. On Saturday from 2-4pm, Black Hall is hosting a seminar hosted by Capt. Kevin Albohn on Jig and Pop Tuna Tactics, but space is limited! Book your place HERE.
Matt Stone of Black Hall Outfitters and Old Town got out in the kayak and put some salmon in the boat this week. (@sunrisekayakfishing)
Heather from Black Hawk Sport Fishing is done fishing for the season, but has kept busy doing boat work and starting his Talkin’ Tackle seminars online. Last week’s seminar was about hooks, and they got a lot of response and feedback. 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 most local anglers have still been taking advantage of the open water opportunities. Some skim ice may appear this weekend, but should not affect larger bodies of water and/or rivers. The Norwich area is still producing bass consistently but the sizes have reduced somewhat. Looking for deeper areas where the current drops off and fishing soft plastics very slowly has been the ticket for most anglers. Reports are similar in the Housatonic, where anglers are finding plenty of bass on soft plastics fished on various types of lead heads. Good weather days have been sporadic, but anglers heading to the cod grounds report good catches whenever they can get there.
Bobby J’s Bait and Tackle in Milford reports that the striper bite in the Housatonic has slowed a bit with the last few cooler nights, and that will likely be the case this weekend. Anglers are still finding fish so it hasn’t been a complete failure, just a little slower overall. We’ll be back up to 50 degrees next week though, so it should be a short-lived lull. Anglers focusing on trout and salmon this week have reported increased activity as the flows settled and cleared throughout the week.
The world of fishermen in Norwalk also reported that the bite has slowed in the Housatonic as we cool and settle into winter. Slowing down your presentation and reducing your bid size to the max has helped bring about bites during the slower tides. The bite also seems to pick up after some rainfall as the increased flow increases oxygen levels and baitfish numbers. Freshwater anglers are still hurting for trout in the Norwalk, Mianus and Mill rivers on several different offers.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
A quick burst of Arctic weather this weekend will likely be nothing more than a joke as the mild winter pattern will pick up next week and continue to provide ample open water opportunities.
Connecticut fishermen can continue take advantage Striped bass remaining, although the bite has slowed a bit since earlier this winter. With another week of warm weather after this weekend, we will likely see increased action in the Housatonic and eastern CT tributaries. 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 should also remain next week. We may see some smaller bodies of water freeze over, but larger lakes and the CT River should remain open.