It’s better late than never as the first set of fresh striped bass have started to set up shop in Long Island Sound. Keeper fluke have also shown for the first time, while the freshwater fishing remains excellent.
Connecticut Fishing Report
The lower Connecticut River remains a hot bed for spring striped bass fishing and fish up to about 33-34 inches have been taken from both boat and shore-bound anglers this week. Rivers End in Old Saybrook reports that a lot of the bass action has been on topwater, with large soft plastics and spooks being top producers. Shore-bound anglers dunking sandworms and cut bait have also seen an increase in bass size this week at the usual spots along the lower river. Bass have started to filter out of the river as well and plenty of fish, mainly schoolies, can be found on the Old Lyme and Old Saybrook beaches and adjacent reefs. It appears that the first few pods of bunker have made their way to the lower river this week but nothing was seen feeding on them and reports have been spotty at best. A few winter flounder are still being caught in the Niantic River, and the first reports of keeper fluke have come in from central Long Island Sound from New Haven to Clinton.
Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, was happy to report that the bass have finally started to hit the eastern sound reefs and while the first wave of fish haven’t been very big, action has been good for small keeper class fish. The upper Connecticut River continues to provide a better shot at large bass, as they remain keyed in on the strong river herring run from Middletown to Enfield. Some large bait has shown up in the lower stretches of the river as well, including the first push of bunker this season, but the quality of bass remains much better up north. Keeper fluke reports have started to come in from Niantic Bay and the Rhode Island beaches. The waters around Block Island are also starting to produce some quality doormats, however Fishers Island Sound has been quiet up to this point.
TJ Karbowski of Rock & Roll Charters in Clinton took advantage of the fresh push of fish this week and was able to put a limit of keeper bass on the boat in the eastern sound. Action was not hot and heavy and concentrations of bait remain low in the sound, but he was able to find fish at most of his spots. A majority of the fish were caught while trolling but fish were also willing to hit jigs and live eels.
TC Marine Bait and Tackle in Shelton reported that numbers of bass were down this week in the Housatonic River watershed but quality was up as the bulk of the fish caught were heavy keepers full of river herring. The dam has provided the most consistent action this week and the rain forecasted for late this week should get the flows up and keep the action steady. The DEEP has stocked trout once again this week and anglers in the western portions of the state are reporting good catches from the Naugatuck, upper Housatonic and Norwalk rivers.
Upcountry Sportfishing in New Hartford reported that the Farmington River is flowing at near optimal conditions at 300 cfs above Riverton and 600 cfs through the catch and release area. The Hendrickson hatch has slowed but remains solid in the upper river, while caddis and yellow stoneflies remain on the water across many stretches. All that activity translates into solid fishing for fly fishermen floating standard nymph patterns and spin anglers casting small inline spinners.
Fishing Forecast for Connecticut
Some rain and cooler temperatures have arrived for the end of this week but the long weekend looks to be a beautiful one with plenty of sunshine and temperatures approaching 80. Striped bass opportunities remain plentiful up in our rivers as well as out front so no matter where you’re located this weekend will be a good one to chase linesiders. Early season fluke is looking like another viable option and results could be excellent if you can find the fish before the rest of the fleet does.