Connecticut Fishing Report- April 25, 2024 – On The Water

Connecticut Fishing Report

Matt at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook told me that he had a slight, but noticeable, uptick in tautog action in the central sound this week, including some relatively easy limits in 15 to 25 feet of water. Small orange jig tipped with a crab was the ticket, and as the water temperatures slowly tick up, it should only improve for the last few days of the season. School to just over slot-class bass are around in better numbers, especially around the tidal creeks and herring runs. If you’re out there on a full sun day, with a decent surface temperature, you’re apt to find some fairly reliable topwater action. If they’re not biting topwater, you should be able to fool them on Fin-S fish or GT paddletails. The herring numbers seem to have increased quite a bit, find the ospreys and you should find the herring and bass.  Matt hasn’t spent as much time in the sweetwater this week, but reports are good for big largemouth on swimbaits and jigs, while trout action is as steady as ever.  

Heather from the Blackhawk in Niantic reports, “It’s almost time!! We can’t wait to start fishing!  Our season will start on Friday, May 3.  Tickets will be posted online on Monday night at 8 p.m., just like in past years.  Be sure to check out our calendar so you see what’s coming up! We continue to book private charters, so be sure to email the office to get your date on the calendar. We are humbled to once again be in the running for the best charter boat in the “Best of the Best” contest.  We would be honored if you’d vote for us! We look forward to seeing everyone soon!” 

Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters said that the fishing took another turn for the better this week. The stripers are responding well to smaller-sized soft plastics fished on jigheads, but a few more are willing to take topwater offerings each day. Mike is still targeting resident fish, as they wait for fresh fish to really show themselves along the local river mouths. Most of the bass are school class up to 30 inches with the occasional 15-pound class fish mixed in. They also did a bit of togging this week to keep things interesting and were able to get their limits for the table. Captain Mike and his team have openings over the next two weeks, which should be primetime. Give him a call today to book your spot. 

Captain Chris of Elser Guide Service told me that he started to put more time into fishing the Housatonic this week and fishing continues to improve in select locations. Herring are evident, but not obvious, so it’s key to hone in on their location to find quality fish in the 30-inch-plus range. On the freshwater scene, the Hendrickson hatch has kicked off, so the dry-fly enthusiasts are thrilled! Chris likes to experiment with different patterns and find what will produce, when a traditional dry fly doesn’t. Lately, this method has worked well with large parachute patterns. He also added that if you’re a wild trout enthusiast, they may be picky during this hatch, but it is your best chance to get a big fish on a dry fly! 

Tyler at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk reports that they’ve heard of their first reports of early migratory striped bass in the far western sound this week. Boats that headed west found fresh fish on the troll between Greenwich and Execution Rock. This first big wave of fish in the Sound will slowly bleed into local waters over the course of the next few weeks and it won’t be long until the local reefs and rockpiles are covered in larger stripers. For those who don’t want to wait any longer, there are plenty of resident bass in the local rivers, coves, and harbors. Small soft plastics and swimming plugs are doing the most damage, especially in the rivers, but sandworms and even mackerel chunks are taking their share of fish too. The blackfish bite has been good enough for April but is a tad inconsistent. Many anglers are reporting a good bite one day, followed by a skunking the following day. Staying mobile and actively searching for where they are is the key to success, and it definitely seems good enough to give it a shot before the season closes out. Trout fishing in the local streams is improving as the flows improve, while the Saugatuck Reservoir is starting to wake up, with some better walleye and smallmouth reports this week.  

Connecticut Fishing Forecast

With a slight uptick in temperature combined with one of the driest weeks we’ve had in months, it feels like we’re finally approaching the precipice of the winter leaving us and the spring run taking off.  

A few more warm days this week equaled some more encouraging tautog reports from the Western Sound and Central Sound. There isn’t much consistency in the tautog bite, with reports varying from day to day, but it seems that if you get out before the close of the season, you should be rewarded. This is especially the case for the anglers that are willing to be mobile and bounce around. As these tautog make their way into our territory, they’re moving around constantly, so anglers need to be willing to do the same.

Holdover striped bass action has been excellent across the state all season, and another good push of river herring has brought some of the bigger fish out and kicked up activity levels. Bass can be found throughout the river runs and are also being caught in good numbers on the beaches along the mouth of the tidal rivers, so basically anywhere a bass could intercept a river herring, you’re likely to find one. We’re still a few weeks away from the true peak “spring run”, but there are certainly fish to be had at the moment. The Connecticut River is still a bit cold and dirty, but I think we’re only a few days away from some awesome bass fishing up and down said river. This is especially the case when you consider the shad fishing. Reports from the last few days have gone from nothing to steady action in all the usual hotspots, so shad anglers should be busy this weekend, and striper anglers should take this as a sign that the bass bite is ready to blow up. The trout streams have settled nicely and that fishery is as consistent as it gets at the moment.