Fishing Reports

Hello Compleat Angler Friends! We hope you have been enjoying the warm weather, although some rain would be nice. Striped bass have flooded the Sound and are chewing on everything from squid to bunker to sand eels. Recent reports have been a bit slow, possibly due to the storms we've had overnight, but anglers are still finding them deep and shallow. Small sand eel patterns have been working well on the flats, while hollow and bunker patterns are dominating the deeper structure. 

Freshwater has understandably slowed in our local freestones, as water levels are dangerously low, but the Housy, Farmington, and Delaware systems still have willing fish that have been keyed in on Sulphurs. 

Hello Compleat Angler Friends! Summer weather is here, and with it a boxed bag of emotions. On the one hand, the heat feels wonderful, but on the other, the increased temperatures are starting to shut down the trout bite in some of our local freestones. The good news is that striped bass fishing continues to improve as more fish settle into their summer haunts. There is a plethora of bait around, from squid to bunker, and even sand eels. The best bite window is early morning and evening near the usual hot spots, but always look for water moving from point A to point B. 

Hello Compleat Angler Friends! After a wild previous weekend, we are back into a nice pattern of summer weather. Southwest breezes, sunshine, and high temps are going to dominate the forecast for the next few days, so take advantage before the rain sneaks back up! Trout fishing has started to fall into its summer pattern, with dry fly and nymphs landing a majority of the fish. Freshwater largemouth and smallmouth are eating with more regularity, especially as they move off beds and into their summer patterns. Their ocean brethren, the striped bass, seem to have finally shaken off the cold weather from the last two weeks, and are taking a variety of offerings in the sound. 

Read on for more…

Hello Compleat Angler Friends! Memorial Day left us wet, cold, and miserable. Thankfully, spring is back this week, and along with it, the bite. Fishing in the Sound suffered from the temperature slump, pushing striped bass deep to escape the gloom. As things warm up, they should start moving back close to shore. There is no shortage of bait around, so it's just about being in the right place at the right time (and tide.) Sadly, there has been a shortage of juvenile striped bass mixed in with the larger fish, which doesn’t bode well for this year’s recruitment. Hopefully we will see increased schoolies numbers as the season trickles on, but for right now, we only have big fish to play with.

Trout fishing was buoyed by the change in weather, with more water and cooler temperatures helping to kick off some hatches and spread out wild fish. 

Hello Compleat Angler Friends! Happy Memorial Day Weekend. The cool temperatures and rain have temporarily locked some jaws in the Sound over the last two days, but people are still catching as long as the effort is there. For freshwater, fishing remains top notch, and should continue to improve with next week’s return to warm weather. Trout stocking has reached its final push of spring, but holdovers and wild fish are aggressively taking offerings with increased hatches and better flows. Striper fishing remains steady, with bigger fish filling the Western Sound each day. We are still getting reports of anglers catching bass as far east as the Pawcatuck River in RI. The predominant bait remains to be herring, silversides, and squid, but some fresh bunker pods have started to show up in the Western sound. I saw a very lucky Osprey last night in Norwalk chomping on one that must’ve been 12 inches long! 

Read on for more…

Hello Compleat Angler Friends! Despite the cool temperatures and rain, fishing remains top notch, and should continue to improve with next week’s warm weather. Trout stocking is nearing its final push of spring, but holdovers and wild fish are starting to liven up with increased hatches and better flows. Striper fishing in the sound is also on an upswing, with fresh fish filling the Western Sound each day. We are even getting reports of anglers catching bass as far east as the Pawcatuck River in RI. The predominant bait remains to be herring, silversides, and some squid. There are a few reports of spring sandeels in the mix.

Read on for more…

Hello Compleat Angler Friends! Fishing across the state continues to stay strong despite the intermittent bad weather and cooler temps. Striped bass are being found with more regularity around the river mouths and harbors. Trout, both wild and stocked, are taking a variety of offerings in all the major rivers, with more stocking taking place each day. Even smallmouth and largemouth bass fishing has picked up as they move shallow to start or finish their respective spawns. 

Hatches for the most part are the same as they have been, with emergers, BWO’s, Hendrickson's, and some caddis on the main menu. The rainy conditions on Saturday might make things difficult, but today and Sunday are looking good. 

There is no shortage of fishing available right now, with conditions only due to improve as the month continues. Get out there and have fun! 

Hello Compleat Angler Friends! We had a wonderful time with all who attended last Saturday’s Spring Slam. The music was rockin’, the beer flowin’, and the vibes were high! With that out of the way, we are excited to get everyone outfitted for the arrival of May, which historically brings fantastic fishing to the region.

We have had folks in the shop all week showing off photos from local trips. Whether it's striped bass, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, or trout, everything is biting. The weather has been a bit cooler than we would hope for this time of year, but the ample cloud cover and rain is a godsend for our pressured native trout and migratory striped bass, which thrive on overcast days. The increased flows should also help spread more stocked trout throughout recently stocked river systems, as well as kick off better hatches once the temps rise in the coming weeks.  

Read on for more…

Hello Compleat Angler Friends! This week has felt like proper spring. Warm days followed by cold days followed by wind and rain and water. It’s all over the map, but thankfully, the fish are still up and moving around. Stocking activity remains high across the state, with local waterways getting another slug of fresh fish, as well as rivers to our north like the Housatonic, Farmington, Naugatuck, and Salmon rivers. A variety of hatches have been taking place, with small stoneflies and caddis taking the cake. We are starting to see more BWO’s, Hendricksons, both male and female, as well as Apple Caddis and Blue Quills. With rain scheduled for Saturday, things might get a bit murky on Sunday, but we need the water as levels are low across the state.

Saltwater fishing is finally starting to heat up. The mouth of the Housatonic has been producing a solid bite. The fish are taking closures on outgoing tides, but we still haven’t heard anything about fresh fish just yet, although I am sure a few are already here. With this weeks warm weather and an approaching full moon on May 1, things should open up very soon. 

If you don’t want to get wet on Saturday, join us at the shop on April 25th, for our Spring Slam! We will have food, music, vendor sales, and games. 

Read on for more…

Hello Compleat Angler Friends! We hope you have been taking advantage of the warm weather this week. Stocked and native trout are taking a variety of offerings across the state, from black stoneflies and hendricksons, to wooly buggers and nymphs. With conditions drier than usual, many of these trout are hunkered beneath bridges, in deep pools, and rocky cuts. Targeting them in lower light has been the key, and some fish are starting to eat on top with increased hatch activity. On the saltwater front, I imagine we are only days away from hearing about fresh striped bass in the Sound, but some anglers have already tried their luck with holdovers in salt ponds, estuaries, and local river mouths. The weather this weekend will bring back more seasonally appropriate temperatures, and hopefully some rain, but that shouldn’t impact any trips you have planned. 

Read on for more…

Hello Compleat Angler Friends! April is off to a killer start, with stocked trout, prespawn largemouth, and even a few holdover stripers hitting flies across the state. With the DEEP’s prolific stocking program in full swing, people are staying busy on local rivers, where trout are keyed in on small black stoneflies and subtle streamer presentations. Largemouth are moving into shallow water as temps climb, clobbering larger presentations as they move through the prespawn. We’ve even heard whispers of a few holdover stripers starting to take offerings in the Hudson and the Housatonic. 

Read on for more…

Hello Compleat Angler Friends! April started offhot with a tremendous run of Grayling on the Saugatuck! Just kidding, but we have heard great news from our regulars about increased trout and largemouth activity from across the state. As temperatures continue to rise, hatches will start popping off with more frequency, but for now, small black stoneflies have been dominating the late afternoons and early evenings on the local rivers. Just keep an eye on the forecast and aim for warm, overcast days with little wind. 

We should start to get a push of fresh schoolie stripers toward the end of the month, so keep your eyes peeled when walking the estuaries or brackish river systems as April continues. 

Read on for more…