June 28th

Summer weather can throw you a lot of curve balls which can affect both you and the fish. Like people, fish are most comfortable during stable weather conditions. But, falling barometric pressure can send fish into a feeding frenzy as they sense the impending storm. Like the fish, you should be prepared and make sure you have a quality set of foul weather gear, like Frogg Toggs rainwear, to keep you comfortable when the rain is coming down and you just don’t want to quit fishing yet!

Rivers & Streams – The Connecticut River has been fishing fair for largemouth bass but the catfishing has really been heating up. Good numbers of fish in the 5 – 8 pound range are available with a good shot at a fish or two over ten pounds. Fresh cut bait is probably your best choice although other popular baits include shrimp, liver and nightcrawlers. The upper stretches of the river above Hartford have been fair to good for smallmouth bass. Crankbaits, jigs and topwater plugs will provide the best action. Trout fishing is fair to good on most rivers and streams throughout the state. Fly anglers seem to be having the best success but spin fishermen can use a small float, preferably clear, to present a fly to wary trout on spinning gear.

Lakes & Ponds – Trout fishing has been quite good on lakes such as East Twin Lake, Highland Lake and Crystal Lake. Some folks are trolling spoons, spinners and plugs while others are fishing bait like worms and shiners on jigheads while drifting. The trick is being able to locate the fish with your electronics and then presenting your bait at that same depth. Largemouth fishing has been great at locations like Lake McDonough, Moodus Reservoir and West Hill Pond. Mark Oszurek reported excellent fishing at Long Meadow Reservoir with good numbers of fish up to four pounds on soft plastics and rattle baits.

Marine District – Stripers can be found on shoreline rock piles and the adjacent reefs. Reports of fish over 40 pounds have begun to show up. Most of these fish are being caught on live bait such as eels or porgy. Bluefish are very common now with numbers of blitzes to found along local shorelines. Fluke fishing seems to keep improving with many reports arriving of fish over seven pounds. The short to keeper ratio is still off with many fish going back over the rails, but, if you stick it out you’ll likely find a few nice keepers.