Connecticut Fishing Report- March 9, 2023

Connecticut Fishing Report

Matt, at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook told me that the salmon and trout have still been falling for the centerpin, although it’s been a bit tougher with higher flows. The black fly with olive and chartreuse accents has been the go to presentation. The water clarity and flow rate are improving just in time for the weekend, so that should be a strong option. Matt has also had success trolling for rainbow trout on Cedar Lake, and also mentioned that the jig bite for crappie and yellow perch has been strong. Largemouth and pike anglers are both reporting success on slowly worked diving crankbaits. Trout anglers are finding fish in most of the local TMAs, and the state just completed more pond stocking, so keep an eye on those stocking reports to increase your odds! The holdover bite has remained steady and is only going to improve from here, with higher bass activity levels and some bigger bait showing up soon. The Westbrook location hosted three shows in February and plans to add a few more for March, so be sure to keep an eye on their social media pages. 

Heather from Black Hawk Sportfishing is done fishing for the season but has been keeping busy getting some work done on the boat and starting their Talkin’ Tackle seminars online and hitting the 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 also reach out with what you would like to hear about, as they’re always anxious to take suggestions and feedback.  

Dan, at Dan’s Bait, Tackle and Charters in New London told me that things started picking up for local anglers, as the flows and weather conditions slowly improve. 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 action ticked up a bit locally, and should start going strong, with the first push of river herring right around the corner.  

Bobby J’s Bait and Tackle in Milford said that the holdover striped bass activity improved on the Housatonic this week, with the snow melt helping to stir up some better fish in the 20-pound class. 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, with strong reports from most of the TMAs and the stocked ponds. A few broodstock salmon are still showing up in the Naugatuck for those that are still targeting them. 

Fisherman’s World in Norwalk reports that the trout fishing has been as steady as ever out west, with many of the local spots seeing their first round of stocking this week. The Mianus, Saugatuck, and Mill Rivers continue to fish well, along with just about any other body of water that was stocked recently. 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 from the snow melt helping things out. 3-9 inch soft plastics on light jigheads have been getting the job done, and large swimming plugs should start to shine as the herring trickle in through the coming weeks. 

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Connecticut Fishing Forecast

As we creep closer to the official start of spring, fishing opportunities are slowly expanding and the show season is about to hit full swing. 

Connecticut anglers saw another uptick in holdover bass activity thanks to the snow melt this week, and it seems that some of the bigger fish are starting to wake up and move around. The early run of river herring tends to show up sometime in March, and we may start to see some early arrivals after the next warm spell! 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 this week, so give their website a look for more stocking information. Pike fishing should improve soon, as the fish start to put the pre-spawn feed bag on, and there are still ample open water opportunities for bass and panfish across the state.