Connecticut Fishing Report

Matt, at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook said things have been similar to last week, although the recent warm spell started to fire up a bit more activity. Holdover striped bass fishing remains a popular option, and Matt has started to hear some reports of holdovers starting to hit topwater baits. Largemouth bass have been more active and are starting to take wakebaits and jerkbaits, along with the usual football and hair jigs. Yellow and white perch action also remains steady, with good reports coming from anglers bouncing small white soft plastics along the bottom. The flow rates have settled down and Matt reports that the salmon and trout fishing fired back up locally this week.  

Heather from Black Hawk Sportfishing is looking forward to the upcoming fishing season, and is also looking forward to their upcoming show at Mohegan Sun this weekend. Stop by and say hello! They will also continue to do Talkin Tackle seminars on Thursday evenings, so be sure to check in. 

Dan, at Dan’s Bait, Tackle and Charters in New London told me that things are going strong for local anglers working the trout streams, as the streams and rivers have settled back into ideal flow conditions. The trout stocking has continued in many of the lakes and ponds across the state, and that is drawing the interest of many local anglers. Along with the recently stocked ponds, the Farmington, Salmon, and Pequabuck Rivers are said to be fishing well. Many of the local lakes and ponds are also garnering interest from largemouth bass anglers, as that bite seems to be slowly improving as well. The holdover striped bass action has started to fire back up nicely, with reports of steady action, along with some early topwater action.  

Bobby J’s Bait and Tackle in Milford said that the holdover striped bass activity remained consistent on the Housatonic this week, with the increased flow starting to help things out, as the rivers starting to clean up. The better fish are still coming after dark and are starting to favor some larger baits. There haven’t been any reports of herring just yet, but they should be close, and that will greatly improve the bass activity. Trout anglers are taking advantage of the increased open season, along with a recent stocking of Seeforellen brown trout. Those not looking for the giant Seefs are finding plenty of steady action on the local TMAs using a variety of different presentations.  

Fisherman’s World in Norwalk reports that the trout fishing continues to steadily improve, with flows improving and the state continuing to stock dozens of water bodies throughout the state. The Mianus, Saugatuck, and Mill Rivers continue to fish well, along with just about any other body of water that was stocked recently. Anglers are catching on a variety of lures and baits; with spinners, spoons, small soft plastics and jerkbaits all catching well. You can see the latest stocking information via the CT DEEP website or Facebook page. Bass action in the Housatonic is steadily improving, with the increased flow helping things out as the water starts to clear. 3- to 9-inch soft plastics on light jigheads have been getting the job done, and large swimming plugs have started to induce strikes from some larger bass, as the herring are likely starting to trickle in. 

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Connecticut Fishing Forecast

Connecticut anglers continue to see improved holdover striped bass fishing as the flows are starting to clean and the water is starting to warm up. There are likely some early herring arrivals moving into the rivers, which is likely the reason that we are starting to hear of some early topwater action this week. Some bigger fish are showing up after dark, and we shouldn’t be too far away from everything blowing wide open. The state is essentially opened for trout year-round, and while some areas may be catch and release, all of the TMAs are fishing well. The DEEP also did a big round of stocking over the past few weeks, including stocking some large Seeforellen’s, so give their website a look for more stocking information. Pike fishing should improve soon, as the fish start to put the pre-spawn food bag on, and there are still ample open water opportunities for bass and panfish across the state.