New England - New England Freshwater Fishing Reports
New England Video Fishing Forecast April 18, 2024
New England Fishing Explodes!
Every year, there’s a turning point in April, when several species catch fire at the same time. And that turning point happened this past week; with excellent trout fishing, stripers to 30-plus pounds at the herring runs, lots of big largemouth bass, tanker smallies, giant lake trout, inshore codfish, massive brown trout and that’s only just the beginning. Over the coming week we should see a lot more inshore blackfish and a much stronger showing of fresh striped bass migrating in from the south and west. Water temps from Norwalk to Cape Cod are either flirting with 50 degrees, or have already reached this magic number… basically, it’s ‘go time!’
Spring trout stocking continues in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Following is a list of Nutmeg State and Bay State waters that were stocked between April 7 and April 14. As has been our practice, we include only those venues that are mentioned at least occasionally by news sources. The complete up-to-date lists of stocked waters in Connecticut and Massachusetts are available online. The following sites were stocked between April 7 and April 14: ConnecticutDay Pond, Chatfield Hollow Pond (Schreeder Pond), Chatfield Hollow Brook, Salmon River TMA, Salmon River TTA, Farmington River West Branch (Hogback to West Branch TMA), Farmington River TMA (Route 219 to Lower Collinsville), Farmington River (Lower Collinsville to Route 177), Farmington River (Route 177 to Route 4), Farmington River (Route 4 to Tarrifville), Shetucket River TTA, Naugatuck River TMA, Naugatuck River (Upper and Mid); MassachusettsLaurel Lake (Lee/Lenox), Goose Pond (Lee/Tyringham), Otis Reservoir, Lake Buel, Hampton Pond, Metacomet Lake, Quabbin Reservoir (Gate 8), Quacumquasit (South) Pond, Asnacomet (Comet) Pond, Lake Cochituate, Pentucket Pond, Lake Pentucket, Lake Saltonstall, Baldpate Pond. Fearing Pond, Peters Pond, Mashpee Pond, Scargo Lake, Sheep Pond, Little Cliff Pond, Higgins Pond. Many of the above have been stocked multiple times.
Talked with Tyler at Fishermans World in Norwalk who said the DEEP did a fantastic job of stocking trout in local rivers including the Mianus River, Saugatuck River, Norwalk River, and Mill River in...
Talked with Tyler at Fishermans World in Norwalk who said the DEEP did a fantastic job of stocking trout in local rivers including the Mianus River, Saugatuck River, Norwalk River, and Mill River in Fairfield. Action has been superb in these flowages with stockies hitting just about every standard lure and bait including Mepps Spinners, Roostertails, Kastmasters, Phoebes, and Power Bait, the latter either bounced along bottom or drifted under a float. Water temperature in bass ponds is rising slowly, and local bass anglers are beginning to see largemouths in close to shore. Milder daytime temperatures forecasted for the next two weeks should urge more bass into shallow water. Tyler also reminded readers that Fishermans World carries Aquarion Water Company fishing permits for Saugatuck Reservoir which opened April 13. Cost is $10 for a day permit, $30 for a seasons pass.
Reporting from Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, Colin said the Connecticut River is still blown out from all the rain, but local anglers are enjoying excellent trout fishing at the Salmon River, Cogi...
Reporting from Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, Colin said the Connecticut River is still blown out from all the rain, but local anglers are enjoying excellent trout fishing at the Salmon River, Coginchaug River, Hammonasset River and Day Pond. Also, the improvement project at Chatfield Hollow Pond (Schreeder Pond) and Brook Trout Park will be paused between April 13 and April 28 to allow people to fish. Both the pond and brook were stocked April 12 in time for the April 13 start of the catch-and-keep trout season. A few fellows have been logging largemouth bass on shiners and jerkbaits in small local ponds.
Red Cattey in Litchfield could not contact Frank Barata or Billy Bones. But he did have results from the 74th Hitchcock Chair Derby held April 13 at the Riverton section of the Farmington River. Nick ...
Red Cattey in Litchfield could not contact Frank Barata or Billy Bones. But he did have results from the 74th Hitchcock Chair Derby held April 13 at the Riverton section of the Farmington River. Nick Balducci won the Hitchcock chair with a 25.5-inch rainbow trout that weighed 9 pounds,9 ounces. Tony Fillie logged the next largest trout, a 26-inch, 8-pound, 15-ounce rainbow, and Ian Dwyer topped the youth division with a 6-pound, 7-ounce rainbow.
Danny at Goose Hummock Shop in Orleans announced that fishing is good in Cape Cod ponds including Sheep Pond in Brewster where he popped three nice rainbows on a Colorado spoon, and Hamblin Pond in Ba...
Danny at Goose Hummock Shop in Orleans announced that fishing is good in Cape Cod ponds including Sheep Pond in Brewster where he popped three nice rainbows on a Colorado spoon, and Hamblin Pond in Barnstable where his buddy, Ian, tallied big smallmouth bass on a Chatterbait dressed with a soft plastic crawfish. Higgins Pond inside Nickerson State Park in Brewster was stocked last week with rainbow and tiger trout. Higgins can be difficult to access, but it is solid spot for topnotch trout fishing.
Connor at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay described trout and bass fishing in ponds on and just off Cape Cod as okay. Trout ponds are still churning out stockies albeit at a slower pace, an...
Connor at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay described trout and bass fishing in ponds on and just off Cape Cod as okay. Trout ponds are still churning out stockies albeit at a slower pace, and largemouths and smallmouths are now preparing to spawn by moving close to shore. Two of last weeks more productive waters were Mares Pond in Falmouth for largemouths and stocked trout and Mashpee-Wakeby Pond in Mashpee for smallmouths and stockies. Big chain pickerel are being caught here and there as well. Connor popped one on a wake bait at an undisclosed site, and a customer showed him a photo of a massive pickerel he had caught and released at Mashpee-Wakeby. Connor said it was the biggest chain pickerel he had ever seen.
After telling us about good fishing for recently stocked trout at Hopkinton Reservoir, Ashland Reservoir, Pratt Pond, Louisa Lake, Whitehall Reservoir, Stall Brook in Bellingham, and Hopping Brook in ...
After telling us about good fishing for recently stocked trout at Hopkinton Reservoir, Ashland Reservoir, Pratt Pond, Louisa Lake, Whitehall Reservoir, Stall Brook in Bellingham, and Hopping Brook in Medway/Holliston, Rick in Milford talked at length about the exciting lake trout action at Wachusett Reservoir. Big numbers of big lakers8,10, 12, 15 pounds and upare being caught, most within 30 yards of shore, and many on shiners, Kastmasters, and jigs including at least one huge forkie on a jig n pig intended for smallmouths. No one is predicting how long the action will remain extraordinary; but the Chus water is still frigid, so the lakers could stay close to shore for a while. (As of April 12 the biggest lake trout entered in the Adult Release-Catch Division of the 2024 Massachusetts Sportfishing Awards Program is a 39-incher from Wachusett Reservoir. The 2024 fishing season at Wachusett Reservoir began April 6.)
Roger Aziz, Jr., in Methuen said weather has been so lousy, even he did not fish much last week. He did get out with his dad for a short while at Forest Lake and Round Pond, but neither place produced...
Roger Aziz, Jr., in Methuen said weather has been so lousy, even he did not fish much last week. He did get out with his dad for a short while at Forest Lake and Round Pond, but neither place produced. In fact, they had just one hit between them. Rog also tried to fish the Merrimack River in Haverhill, but water level was too high and current too strong.
News from Skip at Saunders Boat Livery, Inc. in Southwick, is that nothing much has changed regarding bass fishing at Congamond Lakes. Water is still cold, and bass tight to bottom in deep water. When...
News from Skip at Saunders Boat Livery, Inc. in Southwick, is that nothing much has changed regarding bass fishing at Congamond Lakes. Water is still cold, and bass tight to bottom in deep water. When feeding, the bass move up to drop edges in twenty feet where they can be taken on bottom-bounced lures, a Ned Rig being popular. Skip has seen some largemouths cruising the shoreline but has not been successful enticing any to strike. A recent two-man team tournament produced a winning five-fish total of 16 pounds, not bad considering how difficult the fishing has been. Trout action remains good. Skips buddythe one who popped the 26-inch brown mentioned in last weeks reportlogged another big brownie, a 5-pounder, on a Ned Rig in twenty feet of water.