Fishing Reports

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. 

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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! 

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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.

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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.  

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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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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Hello Compleat Angler friends! Word is coming in from our regulars that spring fishing is off to a decent start. Trout are being regularly stocked in all of the local rivers, from the Mianus in Greenwich, to the Saugatuck Fly section in Westport, and smaller brooks and streams scattered north of the I-95 corridor.

The weather outlook for this weekend is promising, with much of the rain and wind from the past week in the rearview mirror. If you are going to choose one day to hit the water, then Saturday is your best bet. Temperatures will hopefully crawl up into mid-50’s or even low 60’s, and there will be abundant sunshine. With the lack of cloud cover, early mornings and late afternoons into dusk will produce the best chance at a fish, especially if hatches start to pop off. This time of year with higher, stained water, we suggest using colorful streamers, but you can never go wrong with a nymph rig while the water temps are still hovering at or below 40 degrees.  

Hello Compleat Angler friends! Was that a nice taste of spring orwhat? It hit 70º here at the shop, and I even ate lunch outside on Monday and Tuesday. With the nicer weather and the sunshine, people have been hitting the shop in droves to pick up materials and flies for the river, and we have heard some whispers about the usual hot spots—the Farmington, the Mianus, etc. 

While we are going to temporarily slide back into the cold and gloomy weather, the increase in water levels and air temperature will have fish putting on the feedbag, especially as hatches start to pop-off

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