Angling Action On Major Rivers Warming Up

Here are some tips for area angling found in the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's weekly fishing report:

Conditions should be fairly good for trout fishing this weekend, with Saturday being the better weather day for anglers. There are plenty of recently stocked trout waiting for anglers, flows are very fishable but remain generally lower than typical spring levels but some rain is forecast for next week.

Good reports have been turned in last week from the West Branch Farmington River, Farmington River, Housatonic Natchaug River and Willimantic River.

Nymphs and streamers are a good option for many, especially earlier in the day, with some better action found on top later in the day. Mealworms and crawlers are working for bait anglers.

On the Farmington River in particular, fishing remains good to very good and conditions for the weekend should be good, with comfortable spring weather forecast for most of the weekend and very fishable flows continuing. Currently West Branch flows are clear, on the low side (currently 145 cfs at Riverton with the Still River adding another 80 cfs).

Nothing big has been reported in Crystal Lake.

The Natchaug River and Valley Falls Park Pond were stocked this week.

The Connecticut River has warmed some (up to 52 degrees on Monday) and has risen some although flows are still well below typical late-April levels. Lots of bait fish are in the river. American shad can be found throughout the river (good action reported from anglers in the Enfield area). Shad darts and willow leafs generally work well. Striped bass are being found in the river, still mostly schoolie size, but numbers of bigger fish are increasing, with a number of 20-plus-pound catches reported. Black Crappie fishing remains good. Anglers are finding good smallmouth bass action from Windsor to Enfield area (with a number of 2-pound and heavier fish), plus some fish are being found from below Hartford to Haddam in the mainstem. A few largemouth bass are being caught in the coves along the river. Some carp are being caught in the lower river. Not much white perch action reported yet.