DEP report for the week.

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[left][/url][url "http://www.dep.state.ct.us/index.htm"][/url][/left] [font "Times New Roman"]Weekly Fishing Report - Week of May 16, 2005 [/font] [font "Times New Roman"][#004080]INLAND REPORT[/#004080][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]TROUT[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Rivers & streams - Anglers are reporting good trout-excellent fishing (and some large fish) from a number of areas throughout the state including the Farmington (10.25 lb rainbow), Housatonic (18-22” browns), Natchaug (10.25 lb tiger-trout), Pomperaug, Naugatuck (very good), Salmon (11.7 lb rainbow; 8.3 lb, 25” brown), Willimantic, Yantic, Shetucket, Farmill, Pequonnock and Eight Mile Rivers, Salmon Brook and Hop Brook. Worms and corn/mealworm combinations are working for many bait anglers.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]The Farmington River is currently 55°F with clear water and fishable flows, 350 cfs at Riverton (hogback Reservoir releases expected to be stable throughout the weekend) and an additional 75 cfs from the Still River. Current hatches include: Blue Winged Olive, Green Caddis and Brown/Tan Caddis. The Hendrickson hatch is rapidly fading. Successful fly anglers have been using Blue Winged Olives (#16-18), Tan Caddis (#16-18), Rusty Spinners (#16-18), Midges (#22-32), Blue Quill (#16-18), Pheasant Tails (#14-18), Yellow Prince Nymphs (#14-18) and Mahogany Duns (#16-18). The Housatonic River (lots of big fish) is in the upper 50’s to low 60’s°F with about 600 cfs of slightly off color water flows. Current hatches include: Blue Winged Olive, Green Caddis, Brown/Tan Caddis. March Brown hatch is coming soon. Flies producing include Caddis (#14-18, green, olive & tan), Henryville, March Brown (#10-12), and Rusty spinner (#12-14, still a few). Some Blue Wing Olives are on the water with Green Caddis starting to show up. Hendrickson spinner-falls are coming to a close. Try streamers around 6:30 pm.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Areas to try this weekend include the Bantam (Fly Area, outlet, inlet), East Aspetuck, Farmington (West Branch and mainstem), Pomperaug and Shepaug Rivers, Butternut, Macedonia and Salmon (east branch) Brooks, and the Kent Falls and Sleeping Giant (Mill River) [url "http://www.dep.state.ct.us/burnatr/fishing/fishinfo/troutprk.htm"]Trout Parks[/url] in western CT, and the Blackledge, Fenton, Hammonasset (including TMA), Hop, Little, Middle, Moosup, Mount Hope, Salmon (including TMA), Scantic, Skungamaug, Ten Mile (Lebanon), Willimantic (including TMA) and Natchaug Rivers, Dickinson Creek, and Roaring (Glastonbury), Furnace, Quanduck, and Roaring (Stafford) Brooks in eastern CT.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Lakes & Ponds – Excellent trout fishing was found in many lakes/ponds throughout Connecticut includingSaugatuck and Colebrook (20”brown) Reservoirs, Lake Wonoscopomuc (6-lb brown), Congamond, East Twin (6.5 lb brown), Alexander, Crystal, Mashapaug (23.5” brown), Candlewood (8.5 and 5.25 lb browns), Highland, Rogers and Gardner Lakes, West Hill Pond and Squantz Pond. Areas to try this weekend include West Hill Pond, Hop Brook Lake (Flood Control Impoundment) and the Stratton Brook, Wharton Brook, Black Rock and Wolfe Park (Great Hollow Pond) [url "http://www.dep.state.ct.us/burnatr/fishing/fishinfo/troutprk.htm"]Trout Parks[/url] in western CT, and Angus Park Pond, Day Pond, Gay City Park Pond, Cedar Lake, Crystal Lake, Rogers Lake and the Horse Pond Trout Park in eastern CT.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]SMALLMOUTH and LARGEMOUTH BASS fishing is good in many lakes and ponds including Lake Winnemaug, Amos (6 lb largemouth among the catches) Candlewood (largemouth catches include 5.9 and 5.6 lb fish, smallmouth catches include 5.25 and 4.9 lb fish), Maltby, Billings, Bantam (largemouth 6.5 lb), Crystal (in Ellington, 6.1 lb largemouth by Byron Schneider of Tolland), Tyler, Cedar, Congamond, East Twin (3 largemouth in the 6-6.5 lb range), Pickerel and Gardner Lakes, Quaddick (6-lb largemouth), Hamilton and North Farms Reservoirs, and Hatch, Mudge, Leonard, Halls, Starrets and Beach Ponds.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]NORTHERN PIKE anglers are finding some action in Bantam Lake, Winchester Lake and Pachaug Pond (up to 20”).[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]WALLEYE catches reported from Squantz Pond (7 lb, 28” walleye), Coventry Lake (good action in 16-19” range) and Saugatuck Reservoir (8 .25 lb, 27.75” walleye).[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]CHAIN PICKEREL reports include Scoville Reservoir (20”), Rogers Lake and Maltby Lake.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Connecticut River – STRIPED BASS are now in the river up to Windsor. Mostly schoolie size (16-25”) fish with many keepers mixed in. River herring started to show up in the upper part of the river Monday. River temperature was 60.5°F on Tuesday (5/17). Fish are responding to surface poppers, bait and soft plastics. Stripers have started to spread out as they target the bait schools. Anglers are reminded that an Inland fishing license is required to fish in the CT River north of the I-95 bridge in Old Lyme. Some NORTHERN PIKE action reported in Wethersfield and White Oaks Coves, and down river to Haddam Meadows State Park. SHAD fishing is reported as very good in the mainstem with some catches being reported at the confluence of the Farmington River.[/font] [font "Times New Roman"][#004080]MARINE REPORT[/#004080][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]The water temperature in Long Island Sound (LIS) ranges from the upper 40’s to low 50’s °F. Check out the following web sites for more detailed water temperatures and marine boating conditions:[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][url "http://marine.rutgers.edu/mrs/sat_data/?nothumbs=1"]http://marine.rutgers.edu/mrs/sat_data/?nothumbs=1[/url]
[url "http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/"]http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/[/url] [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Also remember to check the CT [url "http://www.dep.state.ct.us/burnatr/fishing/fishinfo/angler.htm"]Angler’s Guide[/url] page 52 for tidal information and page 50 for saltwater trophy fish award info.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]STRIPED BASS fishing is still a little slow on the major reefs and rip areas in LIS because of the low water temperatures. Tidal rivers and coves are your best bet for school stripers. The usual spots include the lower Pawcatuck River, Mystic River, Thames River (Norwich Harbor to Gales Ferry), Millstone Point, Niantic River, the lower Connecticut River (South Cove, Great Island (the Woodlot), North Cove, Calves Island and the “Hole” up in Essex), Sandy Point (“The Sand Bar”) in New Haven Harbor, the Devon power plant just north of the I-95 Bridge (Housatonic River) by the State Boat Launch, Bond’s Dock, and the Fred Kaeser Fishing Pier (off Birdseye St.) in Stratford, Bridgeport Harbor (Seaside Park), Ash Creek in Fairfield, Saugatuck River, Penfield Reef, the Norwalk Islands, and Stamford (Shippan Point and “The Cows) and Greenwich Point.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]SUMMER FLOUNDER (FLUKE) fishing has started up on the New York side with Montauk Point being the hot spot with doormats weighing in the double digits. The Connecticut side of LIS is still on the slow side.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]WINTER FLOUNDER is just generally fair at best with the exception of Norwalk Harbor off Calf Pasture Point which has been more productive than other areas. Other flatfish spots include Bluff Point State Park, Pine Island area at the mouth of the Thames River, Niantic Bay, and the lower Housatonic and Saugatuck Rivers.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][#ff0000]Reminder: The [url "http://www.dep.state.ct.us/burnatr/fishing/marineinfo/saltregs.htm#Blackfish"]tautog[/url] fishing season is closed until June 14.[/#ff0000][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][#ff0000]SPECIAL NOTE:[/#ff0000] [#ff0000]New regulations for Summer Flounder (Fluke), Scup (Porgy) and Black Sea Bass will go into effect May 27, 2005. Please see [url "http://www.dep.state.ct.us/burnatr/fishing/marineinfo/noticetofishermen.pdf"]Notice to Fishermen[/url]. (PDF, 23K)[/#ff0000][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]For information regarding [#000000]size and catch limits[/#000000] on common marine fish species, please see the [url "http://www.dep.state.ct.us/burnatr/fishing/marineinfo/saltregs.htm"]Current Marine Fisheries Recreational Regulations[/url][#0080ff] [/#0080ff][#000000]page.[/#000000][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][#009999]Interested in participating in the Marine Volunteer Angler Survey? Please see page 41 of the 2005 CT Angler’s Guide for contact information. Your participation is critical to effective fisheries management of your marine fishery resources. Thank you.[/#009999][/font] [center][font "Times New Roman"][url "http://www.dep.state.ct.us/burnatr/fishing/weekly/fishadv.htm"]Weekly Fishing Report[/url] | [url "http://www.dep.state.ct.us/index.htm"]Bureau of Natural Resources[/url][/font][/center] [font "Arial"][size 2][url "http://www.dep.state.ct.us/index.htm"]Home[/url] | [url "http://www.dep.state.ct.us/aboutdep/contact/contact.htm"]Contact Us[/url] | [url "http://www.dep.state.ct.us/search2.htm"]Search[/url] | [url "http://www.dep.state.ct.us/survey/survey.htm"]Feedback[/url] | [url "http://www.dep.state.ct.us/legal.htm"]Website Legal Info[/url][/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2]Send comments or questions regarding this site to[/size][#800000][size 2] [url "mailto:dep.webmaster@po.state.ct.us"]dep.webmaster@po.state.ct.us[/url][/size][/#800000][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2]Copyright 1998-2004 Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection[/size][/font]
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