Ronnie Lippe landed this 31-pound-Rhode Island carp this week
Striped bass continue to pour into the area, and while most are schoolies, there are some much heftier specimens starting to show on the eastern and western ends.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown in Middletown, reported that the striped bass bite quieted down for the plug chuckers last weekend due to high, dirty water. The increased flow hasn’t put a halt on the sand worm bite though, as anglers from Haddam to Rocky Hill are reporting consistent catches of 26-36 inch bass on worms.
At Hillyers in Waterford, the guys reported that heavy rain that hurt the upper Connecticut seemed to have helped the striper bite out their way. The Niantic River continues to produce a good number of bass, while the local beaches seem to have started to get a nice push of bass. The bass in both locations are still of the small-schoolie variety, but it shouldn’t be long before a few big ones are in the mix. The flounder bite inside the river and at Bluff Point remain steady, while the first few reports of local scup started to trickle in this week. The Millstone Outflow continues to hold a good number of small bluefish, which provide some good light tackle action.
Jeremy, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, told me that the increased flow brought more herring into the local runs, and guys are finding some nice bass at all the normal spring hot spots. SP Minnows and large soft plastics remain the most consistent producers, but the larger wooden swimming plugs are also starting to garner more interest. The bunker pods in the far western sound are starting to see some attention from 30-40 inch bass, and there should be some “cow” class fish in the mix soon. The flounder fishing in the harbor hasn’t really been lights out at any point, but remains steady. A few sea bass and scup reports have come in out west, but the bite seems to be confined to the New York side thus far.
At The Fancy Fluke, Stephanie reports that herring continue to enter the western sound tributaries, along with some good numbers of bunker, and some bigger bass have certainly started to take notice. Schoolie bass action remains good throughout the Housatonic and has picked up quite a bit along the local beaches. SP Minnows, soft plastics and herring imitators have been fooling some better bass after dark and around daybreak; while anglers drifting sandworms have been catching quality fish throughout the day. Freshwater anglers are still reporting good trout catches in all the western CT rivers and streams; while largemouth have been starting to bed and are responsive to soft plastics and topwater lures.
Connecticut Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet in Narragansett didn’t have much to report this week due to the tough weather conditions, but they will be starting their full day fluke trips this Saturday the 13th if the weather cooperates. The water temperatures are still a bit on the cool side, so they will wait to see how this trip goes before they finalize their sailing schedule. A few squid reports started to come in, so the fleet will also try their first night trip for squid on Thursday May 11th. If that trip is a success, they will likely sail on the Friday and Saturday night as well. As always, check ahead with the fleet for a final schedule and reservations.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, reports that a nice slug of fresh striped bass have moved into the area, and the Providence and Seekonk Rivers are both fishing well. The waters around Prudence Island have put up some nice keeper fish in the 32-35 inch range over the past few days. Scup anglers are reporting that things are starting to get moving in that fishery along the rocky shorelines of Tiverton, Narragansett and Beavertail. Freshwater anglers reported some nice largemouth to 5-pounds on shiners this week, and the carp anglers are still finding some good spring action.
At Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, Mike reported that the schoolie fishing in the Pawcatuck was strong before last weekend’s rain, and it should be starting to fire back up as the water cleans up. There are quite a few schools of bunker around the river, so the fishing should be red-hot when the larger bass arrive. Some keeper class fish were taken in the breachway and around the ponds; coinciding with the first few worm hatches of the season. With conditions improving and the full moon, increased hatches should materialize soon. Tautog reports have been quiet locally, but the shallow piles out front should be fishing well when the water cleans a bit.
The Compleat Angler in Darien provided some good local fly-fishing reports. The West Branch of the Farmington River is in great shape and perfect for wading. The TMA was stocked last week with 2-year old survivor strain browns, while the rest of the river is full of fresh stockers, holdovers and wild fish. The Hendricksons are hatching from Unionville through the TMA, along with: small dark caddis, midges and early stones. The Housatonic is running clear and fishable, with streamers, nymphs and wet fly patterns producing some nice trout. The hatches seem to be a bit behind schedule, but some Hendricksons are starting to be reported, so everything else should follow suit. Out in the salt the striped bass fishing continues to improve, with loads of schoolie bass and more keepers in the mix each day. The rivers and ponds are producing the best numbers, but there are some fish along the beaches at this point. The best flies remain the usual patterns like clousers, deceivers and bait-matching streamers.
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
Another batch of rain is forecast for Saturday, but that shouldn’t stop you from being able to find some striped bass to play with. The river mouths and nearby beaches are holding big numbers of school fish; while anglers in the upper rivers can find some bigger fish on sandworms regardless of the water conditions. With the big moon upon us, look to see increased worm activity in the Rhode Island salt ponds. What has been a strong spring for trout, largemouth and carp fishing shows no signs of slowing down, and all species should be in play this weekend.
I think the headings are misplaced.
If it had not been for the carp, I wouldn’t have notice there was a man in the picture.