July 5th

Hot, hot, hot! Both the weather and the fishing is red hot right now. Whether you’re fishing inland lakes and ponds or plying the waters of Long Island Sound, the fishing is great everywhere you go. Fortunately, it is easy for us anglers to regulate our body temperatures this time of year. Just jump in and take a quick dip to cool off!

Rivers & Streams – The Housatonic River has been fishing well for smallmouth bass. The fish will eat most any small offering that resembles a crawdad such as brown and black curly tail grubs on a 1/8th ounce lead head jig. Trout fishing in many of the states rivers and streams is getting tough with the low water levels. Your best bet is to head to rivers that are spring fed like the upper stretches of the Farmington River.

Lakes & Ponds – Trout fishing has been quite good on lakes such as Lakeville Reservoir, West Hill Reservoir and East Twin Lake. There are even some kokane salmon to be found in West Hill. Most fish are holding in the 20 – 40 foot zone. Leadcore line or down riggers are your best options for presenting your baits at the correct depths. Largemouth fishing has been great at locations like Lakeville Reservoir, Highland Lake and Ball Pond. Mark Kelley of Wethersfield reported catching a six pound largemouth bass from a private pond in Granby using a green Zara Spook topwater lure.

Marine District – The striper fishing is great right now on all of the Connecticut reefs. Many reports of fish in the 35 – 40lb range with a few reports of 50’s in there as well. Fluke fishing remains fair with decent numbers of fish to be found on most trips but the short to keeper ratio is still somewhat dismal. It shouldn’t scare anyone off though; reports of 7-8lb fish have been common for the part three weeks. Blackfish season is now open and the fish are there to be caught. Early reports have shown fish in water as shallow as 10 feet. Green crabs and Asian crabs are your best bet for success.