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Fishing Reports
LOOKING TO UP YOUR GAME OR FIND SOME NEW IDEAS TO TAKE YOUR FISHING TO THE NEXT LEVEL? CHECK OUT OUR COMPLEAT JOURNAL FOR TIPS, TRICKS, AND INFO FROM THE FIELD.
Northeast Fishing Report: 1/12/2024
Hello Compleat Angler Friends! The most significant change this week is another big increase in flows (no surprise) from this past week’s rainstorm. A combination of snowmelt and rain has a lot of our options stained and blown out. If you can’t contain your excitement, some viable options are the Farmington River above the confluence of the Still River, as well as heading north to Steelhead fish on the Great Lakes. Those anglers that braved the cold and snow were rewarded as a good number of fish pushed in from the estuary. Once our rivers clear up, and continue to drop, look to streamer and nymph fish in the above average flows. These techniques will be your best bet as high water and current water temperatures will diminish hatches. With more rain expected Friday night into Saturday morning, we anticipate that flows will subside to more fishable levels towards the end of the upcoming week at the earliest. Read on for more…
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Northeast Fishing Report: 1/5/2024
Hello Compleat Angler Friends! Happy Holidays from all of us at the shop, and we hope you all had a happy and healthy New Year! Freshwater fishing has seen an improvement in fishable flows, and with that an improvement in the actual fishing. The weather is starting to get colder, in the mid 30s to low 40s, with potential for snow this weekend. Now is the time to consider a good layering system, as well as breaking out the fingerless gloves and wool socks to keep you toasty and fishing longer. Our local rivers are still fishing well as fish have held over from Spring and Fall Stocking. This time of year the most productive methods will be subsurface either fishing streamers or nymphing. Having a variety of Midges, Caddis, and Mayfly nymphs from sizes 12-20 will be best, and egg flies are still working. On the Salmon River anglers are seeing Steelhead spread throughout the river, with some fresh fish still pushing into the lower system. Most of our anglers are reporting single digit numbers of fish each day. Saltwater fishing has quieted down, and one of the only games in town is the Housatonic River. With that said, there have been a late run of fish still pushing into the mouth of the river from the Sound. Read on for more…
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Northeast Fishing Report: 12/29/2023
Hello Compleat Angler friends! As far as the fishing goes, we are largely in the same holding pattern that we were last week, waiting for flows to drop after all of the rain we've received. Most of our local rivers are still too high for fishing and it will be a little longer before they drop and clear. As of this writing, the forecast looks relatively dry, with a chance of showers later next week, but no significant rainfall is forecasted. Fingers crossed. Our saltwater game is largely the same as well with a few hardy anglers targeting resident fish in some of our rivermouths. On the salmon river the flows are just under the 2000 CFS threshold for the DSR but they are still pretty high. All in all, it's not a bad time to relax, celebrate the New Year, and re-stock your fly boxes. Read on for more…
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Northeast Fishing Report: 12/22/2023
Hello Compleat Angler friends! It’s no surprise that flows are very high from this past week’s rain storm, and as a result a lot of our options are stained and/or unsafe for wading. Flows are currently on the drop, and our local rivers like the Saugatuck, Mill, and Mianus will clear first and should be fishable by this week. The Housatonic will take a little more time (currently 6370 CFS) so avoid fishing until flows drop below 1000 CFS. At least this interruption in our regular fishing schedule will provide some quality tying time to restock our boxes. Once the flows are safe to fish, Streamers and Nymphs will be best on the high receding flows, as surface activity will be diminished. One benefit of the higher flows is that the Striper fishing has seen an improvement on the Housatonic near the Derby Dam. Resident Striper fishing is the only saltwater option at present due to most of the migratory fish moving down the coast and out of the Sound. Read on for more…
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Northeast Fishing Report: 12/15/2023
Hello Compleat Angler Friends! This past week’s rain has made conditions tough for a lot of our trout options in Connecticut. With most rivers running high, check your flows this weekend as they are on the drop. There will be more rain expected Sunday evening into Monday. During this high water, taking a subsurface approach will be the most effective strategy on all of our rivers, and receding flows can result in some great streamer fishing. In upstate New York, the high water on the Salmon River has improved Steelhead fishing in the lower and middle sections of the river. Since flows are now approaching average levels, it will be wise to fish the holding water as fish stage for their next movement and bump in flows. Anglers are also catching some impressive Brown Trout. The saltwater action continues to be hot along the Jersey Shore and the South Shore of Long Island. This presents some great fishing for both our wade and boat angler, and there are plenty of Stripers 30” and over in the feeding frenzies. The most prevalent bait is Peanut Bunker, so bring Deceivers and EP Peanut Butter flies! Read on for more…
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Northeast Fishing Report: 12/8/2023
Hello Compleat Angler friends! Those anglers that have braved the colder weather have still been finding Trout locally and are currently experiencing good water clarity and flows for wading. Most of the action is going to be subsurface with nymphs and streamers, however on warmer afternoons you might encounter small Black Stoneflies in sizes 18-20. The exception to the hatches is the Winter Caddis which you may encounter during the morning hours. Our saltwater fishing has slowed considerably, but the Housatonic is seeing Stripers push up the river in preparation for wintering over. They will be pushing into the mouth of the river during the tidal movements, and having an intermediate sinking line with a variety of Clousers will be the key to success. If fishing by boat you can use a more aggressive sinking line as fish will be concentrated towards the bottom, especially further upriver. Read on for more…
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Northeast Fishing Report: 12/1/2023
Hello Compleat Anglers Friends, we have improved flows on most of our Connecticut rivers compared to last week, and all our options (besides the Housatonic) are easy to wade. With the colder water and air temperatures, this means your most productive methods are going to be nymphing and streamer fishing. However, you still may encounter some Blue Winged Olive and Midge hatches during the warmer afternoons. Anglers are still finding nice holdovers from Spring stocking with a mix of more recent Fall stocked fish. On the Salmon River in New York, reports are slow at the lower end of the river, with some anglers finding a fish or two in the DSR, while upriver there is a greater concentration of Steelhead. On the tributaries anglers are finding some good Brown Trout fishing. Our saltwater bite has slowed, as the bulk of the migratory Stripers hit the New Jersey coastline in pursuit of Peanut Bunker near the beaches. Our best options now are the resident Stripers that are staged at the mouth of the Housatonic River in preparation for wintering over. We hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving! Read on for more…
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Northeast Fishing Report: 11/24/2023
Hello Compleat Angler friends. Our local options have received the brunt of this week’s storm, and most of our rivers are going to be high and stained. When the water clarity improves, look to fish streamers during the dropping flows, as Brown Trout are approaching the end of their spawn and are looking for calories in preparation for Winter. The best options for freshwater fishing in the near future are some easier wading sections of the Housatonic and the Farmington. For our saltwater anglers, every day has been different as Stripers are migrating to the mouths of rivers and down the coast. Currently the bulk of the migration is located along the South Shore of Long Island and into New Jersey, however there are still resident fish to be had in Connecticut. Look to target the mouths of rivers and coves, and you may encounter Schoolies blitzing on Peanut Bunker around 3” in length. For our wade anglers, walking the beaches looking for birds/bait, and fishing the mouth of the Housatonic on the high outgoing tide is recommended. On the Salmon River in New York, most of the action is happening upriver, with some anglers finding single digit numbers in the lower sections of the river. Overall Steelhead have been trickling into the system with the occasional Brown Trout being landed. Read on for more…
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Northeast Fishing Report: 11/17/2023
Hello Compleat Angler friends! Our freshwater anglers have reported some good fishing on the Farmington this week, and flows are average which is making for good clarity and wading. Because our local streams and rivers are lower than average, fish will be podded up in the deeper sections. Brown trout and Brook trout are both spawning so it is worth bringing egg patterns no matter where you’re planning to fish this weekend. Trout will eagerly be waiting for eggs to dislodge and drift downstream from their Redds. Please be cautious when wading to avoid stepping on these Redds (spawning beds) or disturbing paired up fish. In addition, the streamer bite continues to be hot. On the saltwater side, there are still Stripers to be found in the coves and mouths of rivers, and there are still a ton of Peanut Bunker around in the 3-5” range. High to outgoing tide has been the most consistent for finding blitzing fish, as these Peanut Bunker get pushed downriver. The Housatonic has also started to see an improvement as Stripers are beginning to push upriver to winter over. Most of the large migratory Striper fishing is happening from Fire Island to New Jersey, and there have been impressive size and numbers of fish on the beachfronts. On the Salmon River in New York, there has been an uptick in Steelhead activity thanks to an increase in flows, and angers are finding fish spread throughout the entire river. There have been some impressive Brown trout caught in the tributaries, and Steelhead are starting to make a push into these locations as well. Read on for more…
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Northeast Fishing Report: 11/10/2023
Hello Compleat Angler friends! Saltwater fishing has continued to hold up, with plenty of schoolie action with some larger fish mixed in. Smaller Bluefish are still in play, however, their presence has diminished a bit. Most of the bait and fish are concentrated at the mouths of rivers and coves. On the freshwater side of things hatches are starting to taper off due to the colder weather, but the most prevalent insects will be Blue Winged Olives and Tan Caddis. Many anglers are catching fish, and nymphing and streamer fishing continue to be productive methods. All of our rivers have been stocked for the Fall, and the drop in water temperature has triggered more Brown and Brook trout to begin spawning. During this time, it will be worth bringing egg patterns to your local haunts as eggs become dislodged and drift downriver from spawning beds. Over the past few days, the Salmon River has seen an improvement in Steelhead numbers as fish have pushed in thanks to a bump in flows. Our friends in New Jersey and Long Island are getting the best of the Striper Migration right now, and fish Blitzing along the beaches has been a regular occurrence lately. Read on for more…
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Northeast Fishing Report: 11/3/2023
Hello Compleat Angler friends! The colder weather has improved nearshore saltwater fishing locally. More anglers are finding blitzing Stripers from Greenwich to Bridgeport. The most consistent Albie fishing lies a little further to the east off Old Saybrook, especially towards the mouth of the Connecticut River. The primary bait in our area is Peanut Bunker, which have been flushing out of the rivers and onto the beach fronts and which is helping our boat and wade anglers. This time of year produces some of our best Fall Striper fishing. Trout fishing remains consistent and the most productive methods have been nymphing and streamer fishing. Brown and Brook trout have just started to spawn so adding a few egg patterns to your assortment will prove useful. The Housatonic has been fishing great, the only struggle has been finding days with ideal flows for wading, as it has been getting hit with rain. Higher dam releases on the Farmington will have streamers fishing well. The Salmon River has seen a steady stream of Steelhead entering the lower to middle sections of the river, and many anglers are catching single digit numbers of fish. Read on for more…
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Northeast Fishing Report: 10/27/2023
Hello Compleat Angler Friends! We have one more day of beautiful warm weather before a cold snap will hit next week. The good news is that this cold weather will help drop water temperatures in the sound, start to flush bait out of the rivers, and improve Striper fishing along the beaches and nearshore for both wade and boat anglers. Albies have showed up infrequently near some of the Bass Blitzes off Bridgeport to New London, so there is still the chance of getting into some hardtails. Water temperatures are still in the low 60s in the Sound. A variety of Peanut Bunker imitations and topwater flies are working well. Freshwater fishing continues to be productive thanks to stockings, and a lot of our anglers are catching fish both nymphing and with streamers. Since all our local options are stocked, and fish have been held over from Spring, there are a lot of options available. On the Salmon River in New York the transition from Salmon to Steelhead is starting, with most of the fish pushing in being Steelhead. Salmon are still being caught in the middle and upper portions of the river. This upcoming week’s cold snap should drop water temperatures to signal more trout to start spawning, and coupled with these higher-than-average flows the streamer bite will be good. Read on for more…
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