Connecticut Fishing Report 8-8-15

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

LARGEMOUTH BASS fishing is generally fair to good. Night fishing is in full swing and producing many fish for anglers using black jitterbugs and surface poppers. Early morning anglers are having some luck along the weeds, either with worms and crayfish down deeper or lures showing erratic action near surface. Places to try include Silver Lake, Candlewood Lake, Congamond Lakes, Highland Lake, Lake Wononskopomuc, Lake McDonough, Lower Bolton Lake, Crystal Lake, Beseck Lake, Hopeville Pond, Babcock Pond, Black Pond (Woodstock), Lake Lillinonah, Beach Pond, Lake of Isles, Bantam Lake, Quinebaug Lake, Lake Saltonstall, Rogers Lake, Pickerel Lake, Lake Hayward, Dog Pond, Hatch Pond, Halls Pond, Lake Williams, Park Pond, Burr Pond, Stillwater Pond, Mudge Pond, Mansfield Hollow Reservoir, Pachaug Pond, Bishop Pond, Red Cedar Lake and Winchester Lake. Tournament angler reports are from Gardner Lake (fairly good action, but not much size unless you really work for them, with 4.98 lb and 4.06 lb lunkers for one club and a 2.5 lb lunker for another), Mansfield Hollow Reservoir (fair to good fishing, 4.64 lb and 3.81 lb lunkers), Pachaug Pond (fair for one day event, with a 4.21 lb lunker but not much else for size; slow for another day group and an evening event, with 5.75 lb and 2.39 lb lunkers), Bantam Lake (slow with a 4.1 lb lunker), Candlewood Lake (fair for largemouth, with 5.82 lb, 5.02 lb, 4.96 lb, 4.75 lb, 4.61 lb and 4.39 lb lunkers), and Lake Lillinonah (slow for a night tournament).

 SMALLMOUTH BASS.  Some action reported from Candlewood Lake, Shenipsit Lake, Lake Lillinonah, Squantz Pond, Bantam Lake, Colebrook Reservoir, Congamond Lakes, Colebrook Reservoir, Highland Lake, Naugatuck River, Lake Zoar and Lake McDonough. River smallie action reported from the upper Housatonic River (good to very good), Naugatuck River and Quinebaug River. Tournament angler reports are from Gardner Lake (very few caught, but a nice 3.1 lb smallie for a lunker), Candlewood Lake (still tough, but smallmouth fishing seems to have improved some, with 4.91 lb, 4.79 lb and 4.72 lb lunkers), Bantam Lake (tough finding any) and Lake Lillinonah (a few found at night).

 NORTHERN PIKE fishing is reported to be good in Bantam Lake, Lake Lillinonah and Winchester Lake, with one nice catch also reported at Beseck Lake.

 KOKANEE SALMON are being caught at West Hill Pond (night, still-fishing with corn) and East Twin Lake (beads at 20-30 feet).

 CHAIN PICKEREL are fishing well in Lake Wononskopomuc.

 WALLEYE are reported from: Lake Saltonstall and Squantz Pond (causeway).

 CALICO BASS action (on small shiners) is reported in Park Pond and West Thompson Reservoir.

 CATFISH – Summer catfish are being caught. Areas to try include Keeney Park Pond, Bunnells Pond (Bridgeport), Lakewood Lake (Waterbury), Lake Wintergreen, Mashapaug Lake, Wauregan Reservoir, Black Pond (Middlefield) and Silver Lake (Meriden)

 CARP fishing is giving a lot of anglers new to the sport a big surprise. Areas to try include Lake Saltonstall, Beaver Park Lagoon, Pond, Mansfield Hollow Reservoir, upper Housatonic River, Mirror Lake (Meriden), Hopeville Pond, Lake Lillinonah, Hockanum River, Union Pond (Manchester), Lake Zoar and Squantz Pond. Sweet corn is producing well on ‘hair rigs’ fished in pre-baited areas. Are you up to the challenge of the ‘Ct Tank’?

 TROUT-LAKES & PONDS - Anglers continue to find some summer trout action (just remember that this is the time of the year when doing the small things make all the difference), with reports from Highland Lake (center basin), Colebrook Reservoir (26 feet nearer the dam, orange/silver or blue/silver), Lake Wononskopomuc, Crystal Lake (7-8 colors, Kobra #118, #9), Beach Pond (20-25 feet, streamers), West Hill Pond (35 feet) and East Twin Lake (20-25 feet).

 TROUT- RIVERS & STREAMS - Conditions should be fair for summer trout fishing. This week’s generally moderate temperatures are forecast to continue into next week. Flows in most areas are comfortable for wading, but are low in most areas and continuing to drop, with some areas now well below their typical summer levels, especially in eastern CT (see box on page 4). Terrestrial fly patterns are very important this time of the year and anglers are advised to include them in their offerings (black ants at night have been very productive). Good reports from the West Branch Farmington River and Housatonic River TMA, also anglers are finding some brown trout from the Hammonasset River and Salmon River (use streamers and small nymphs to coax them out of deeper holes.

 STRIPED BASS fishing continues to be good throughout the Sound (good numbers of 28-33 inch bass being reported). Fishing is also very good in the lower tidal river, especially at dawn as these large bass feed on menhaden during low light conditions. Try fishing from sundown to sunrise for trophy-sized “cow” stripers. Coming off the “Blue Moon”, tidal currents will slow down and ultimately fishing conditions will improve. Casting swimming lures, surface poppers, and bouncing jigs off the bottom in the shallows at low light has been productive. Also, live lining bunker (Atlantic menhaden), hickory shad or scup on the reefs has been effective on “cow” bass. Bunker (Atlantic menhaden) schools are in the major tidal rivers and harbors with stripers following close behind. Look for hovering or diving ospreys which is an indication of bunker (menhaden) schools. The usual striper spots include the Watch Hill reefs, Ram Island Reef in Fishers Island Sound, lower Mystic and Thames River, the Race, Sluiceway, Plum Gut, Pigeon Rip, outer Bartlett Reef, Black Point, the “humps’ south of Hatchett Reef, lower Connecticut River, Long Sand Shoal, Cornfield Point, Southwest Reef (outer), Sixmile Reef, Falkner Island area, the reefs off Branford, New Haven Harbor and theupper reaches, Charles Island area, lower Housatonic River, buoys 18 and 20 off Stratford Point, Stratford Shoal/Middle Ground, Penfield Reef, around the Norwalk Islands, and Cable and Anchor Reef. Please use circle hooks when fishing with bait (prevent gut hooking) and practice catch and release when possible.

 BLUEFISH fishing is very good. Fish finder rigs baited with fresh bunker chunks has been effective for larger choppers. Bluefish fishing spots include the reefs off Watch Hill, the Race, Thames River, Sluiceway, Plum Gut, Pigeon Rip, lower Connecticut River, Long Sand Shoal, Sixmile Reef, Falkner Island area, New Haven Harbor and upper reaches, lower Housatonic River, buoys 18 and 20 off Stratford Point, Stratford Shoal/Middleground, Penfield Reef, and Cable and Anchor Reef.  SNAPPER fishing is fair to good in the tidal creeks and rivers. Fishing around the top of the flood tide has been better. Most snappers are about 4-6 inches in length.  Look for the schools of “peanut” bunker and you will find the snappers.

 SUMMER FLOUNDER (fluke) fishing has picked up over this past week with doormats weighing 7 lbs being reported. Using live snapper blues for bait is the ticket for catching that trophy doormat! Summer flounder spots include the south shore of Fishers Island (Isabella Beach, Wilderness Point), Napatree Point and along the beach, off the Stonington breakwater, mouth of the Mystic River over to Groton Long Point, Two Tree Island Channel, Black Point/Niantic Bay including the Bloody Grounds, Sound View Beach, Long Sand Shoal, Falkner Island area, New Haven Harbor, off the mouth of the Housatonic River during the flood tide, and around the Norwalk Islands.  Minimum size is 18 inches and the daily creel limit is 5 fish per person.