Captain Morgan's Bait and Tackle

Captain Morgan’s emailed over their report, “Arctic blasts have left us in a state of flux, even though south of I-95 had moments of thin black ice, this remains a far cry from 4-inches of safe ice! However, once our coldwater fish settled in, trout again, in the overall scheme of things, kept the ball rolling. Whether lakes and ponds develop ice locally, fishing will continue through January when layered-up anglers will cash in. No doubt, with safe ice already in place, flags will flip and jigging sticks will bend up in the northern half of the state. Trout will be caught in both soft-water rivers and hardwater lakes/ponds, bass will be coaxed, a few toothy critters will be caught along with some catfish and plenty of panfish including perch and crappie. Going out on a limb, here’s a gut call: Figure on Madison/Guilford area to have below-average temps and a cold month overall with the coldest periods early and late in the month. Precipitation will be less and snowfall below normal for the season (a few nor’easters), but January could be potentially snowy early on. Expect more rain along the coast during milder periods. Therefore, ponds and smaller inland bodies of water south of I-95 may form ice, but the proximity to the Sound makes ice less reliable and slower to form. All in all, January can have some surprises in those shaded, wind-protected areas where local ponds and small lakes can form safe ice.”

Captain Morgan’s emailed a quick report over on Monday morning, “Trout are carrying the ball, while Atlantic salmon offer a decent backup. Small striped bass are still playing in the key tidal rivers, paddletail swimbaits continue to do the most damage there. With a little more winter weather, safe ice might develop well enough to kick some early hard water action. Lately, the first black ice around here has been way below safe - like 1.25 inches before the next arctic blast. Anglers are still trying lakes and ponds for some bass, toothy critters and panfish. We’re open 7 days, stocked and are on Fall/Winter hours but staying open a bit later for holiday shoppers.”