Hey all! We're shifting into winter mode for sure now here in Connecticut, and with that comes some slight programs shifts. Let's start with the late fall recap, though. November was a fair month for clients with a few good catches, with some good some decent chunks of time for me to get out and do my own thing. Water levels were up and down, providing both good wading and a few floatable days on the Shetucket. My client Dar hit the best window I've had yet with a fairly steady bite until the water started to rise and shut things down for the day.
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Later in the month, Levi and I did an exploratory float on some big water without much idea of what to expect and low and behold! Big river Connecticut wild brook trout!!! A couple more floats down the same waterway, one I've wade fished here and there over the years, and I anticipate some more revelatory discoveries will come to light. I'm already impressed by the productivity of some stretches of these rivers that can't be reached any other way and don't see any stocking. Trout move, never forget that.
The fish of the month of November goes to Connor Ferris, though, with a striper closing in on 20lbs. She was a gorgeous fish, and thankfully as she might have been one of the last of the year as weather does not look likely to provide safe and productive windows for canoe based stripering through December. Great work Connor!
As for personal fishing, I've had a few real duds when it comes to mid distance and long distance trips, and some fairly poor success close to home as well. That all shattered with this big hen on a twitched Ausable Ugly. Yes, she's a lake run fish, and yes, I know they get a lot bigger and nicer looking... but I don't get over to western New York that much and I'm taking her as a minor victory. Not my victory really, but almost cooler, on the same trip Noah managed his lifer laker when we took the canoe out over some of the deeper water that boat has ever been on.
That salmonid-heavy program will continue into the winter here as we gear up for the next couple months of fishing. Three month NOAA temperature outlooks suggest slightly warmer than average conditions in Connecticut, but the early polar vortex breakdown doesn't make it feel that way at all and lakes and ponds are already freezing up. We'll see, if this winter shapes up at all like last I may just start guiding ice trips finally! But for now, the program is all about trout and Salmon. The big Atlantics went in the Naugatuck and Shetucket last week, some really nice looking fish this year, and as conditions shift I'll continue offering either walk and wade or raft floats on the Shetucket as flows permit. The Farmington doesn't yet look like it's going to provide us many floatable days, and the Housatonic has been a bit fickle for my liking, but that could change with just a couple of storms. If we get the water a few of the Eastern CT rivers are in play (Salmon, Willimantic, Quinebaug), so if you see that we've got some rain incoming and are interested in floating, reach out and I'll show you a side of Eastern CT trout fishing few know! Barring that rain, all of the TMAs are in play for wade trips. If you're looking to up your game for winter trout fishing regardless of tactic, just let me know and I'll set you up for success. It'll be a fun season, there's still a lot to love here in the cold times.
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