Housatonic River Striper Fishing Report

Captain Frank, of The Frances Fleet in Narragansett, says that early winter cod season remains excellent, and shows no signs of slowing. Jigs and bait continue to both produce equally well, and finding big numbers of cod hasn’t been an issue. The size of the fish has varied largely from day to day, however the smaller fish days are producing good numbers of keepers. “bigger” fish days have seen good numbers of gaffable fish into the low 20-pound class, blended in with smaller keepers and shorts. Most trips are producing good numbers of bound-catches, as well as this past Monday; which saw the complete ship bound out. (fishinfactory3.com)

‘I am optimistic about the Sound’s striper population, ‘ said Captain Dixon Merkt, of Old Saybrook, Connecticut. ‘there is a strong nucleus of fish in the 18- to 32-inch range, and over the last several years we have done well with them. I think this year will be as good, if not better, than the last few years. What is thrilling about July stripers is that when you find them, you usually find them in numbers. You are not going to catch just one fish — you are going to catch six or more, particularly if they’re breaking along a rip or over a reef. ‘. (gameandfishmag.com)

The Housatonic it’s know by those that fish it on a regular basis, is one of New Englands premier trout streams. The stretch that runs from the dam in Falls Village down to Housatonic State Park is of most interest to trout anglers; more exactly, the stretch that runs from Push em up down to the park. This part runs just over 5 miles and is the area that’s stocked with browns and rainbows. (orvis.com)

Stripped bass — The big cows are now usually a nighttime pursuit. Live lining and chunking bunker is the top technique for pulling the big one up from their deep haunts. Bunker has invaded Black Rock and most of the other harbor along the southeast coast. The midweek action was brisk at Fayerweather Island at daybreak and dusk. The mouth of the Housatonic, while not exactly on fire, still holds a good number of schoolie stripers in the 18- to 24-inch range for those with access to a ship that gets them to the Milford breakwater on the dropping tide. Opaque white, four-inch Slug-Gos and Clouser flies have done well but expect to make many casts per fish in the ship. (ctfishingreports.blogspot.com)

Using your fishfinder / depth sounder is key to to get into this kind of action.   Search for schools of fish by traveling in a grid pattern at 2-4 knots.   In a short amount of time you’ll cover lots of ground and will no doubt find schools of baitfish with harbor blues feeding on them, which will typically appear in the lower part of the water column. As early as you find fish, mark the spot by quickly entering a waypoint on your depth sounder, then shift your ship into neutral, drop your jig down to the bottom and crank it back 10-15 turns of the reel as fast as you may be able to. (fishny.com)

More active at water temperature over 50 degrees. Shallow water regions above deep water are good regions to fish sunrise & dusk are prime fishing times. Many anglers fish double rigs. Light tackle is suggested. They move up river at about 8 miles/day. black rainy days are good fishing. differ the weight of your tempt or the speed of your retrieve till you find what works. Cast upstream & reel as fast as you may be able to & pause where you think the fish are. They typically slam it on the pause. Shad are typically caught in deeper water near the bottom. Cast somewhat upstream and let the jig sink down to the bottom. (arts.hersamacorn.com)

Schoolie stripers arrive inside the harbor in early May, about the same time they enter the Housatonic River some miles to the west. These early bass aren t big, however make excellent targets on light fly or turn gear. Schoolies will readily hit small, white Slug-Gos and Zoom Flukes rigged on half-oz leadhead jigs or fished weightless and twitched on the surface around structure. While it s possible to catch bass on a falling tide right inside Milford Harbor, most anglers score better just outside, along the sandbar that stretches from Charles Island toward Silver Sands State Park. The rocky structure around Charles Island holds lots of fish for pluggers and fly casters, and the period from mid-May through late June is tops. (newenglandboating.com)

Saydee is one of three canines that received special training in fish detection to help in the detection of fishing violations. The canines have been trained to detect certain species of sport fish that are usually caught in Connecticut, like trout and striped bass. The canines were trained to search on vessels, under rocks, along shorelines, and other places illegally taken fish may be hidden. (Browse around this web-site)

Saydee is one of three canines from the EnCon K-9 unit that received special training in fish detection to help in the detection of fishing violations. The canines have been trained to detect certain species of sport fish that are usually caught in Connecticut, like trout and striped bass. The canines were trained to search on vessels, under rocks, along shorelines, and other places illegally taken fish may be hidden. (wtnh.com)

 This year i have focused so much attention on stripers that i literally had not gone for pike once since the ice melted. Which is nuts if you know me because Pike are my favorite fish to target.  I had the itch bad all week. I text Josh and he had a wedding to go to so i hit up my friend Garrett who last year with me had back to back to back 7 plus pike outings on the river that included many big fish up to 38 inches. He was clearly down to fish so off we went. We were at the launch for 6:30 am and after 10 minutes of fishing i had my 1st hit. Watched the pike swim up beside the ship and grab my jig but it was not supposed to be. (haulinbassct.blogspot.com)