Sunday’s rains did improve conditions in many streams, as flows in most areas are now back up near to their typical spring levels.

Some nice fish came to net on Opening Day, with many over 20 inches. A 24.75 inch rainbow trout topped out as the largest trout reported this week. Best reports from the West Branch Farmington River, Farmington River, Salmon River (a 19”, 4.5 lb rainbow, a 5.8 lb rainbow and a 5 lb brown trout among the catches), Naugatuck River (15 trout for one angler), Farmill River, Pomperaug River (22” rainbow trout), Hockanum River, Farm River and Coginchaug River. Some action also reported from Sandy Brook, East Aspetuck River, Mill Pond Broad Brook, Saugatuck River, Pootatuck River, Scantic River, Mianus River, Pequonnock River, Yantic River, Fenton River Shetucket River, Hammonasset River, Eightmile (Haddam/Lyme) River, Moosup River and the Willimantic River TMA, although anglers had to work with very low flows and easily spooked fish in many places.

Connecticut
Dept of Energy & Environmental Protection

We have had some nice catches of rainbow, smallmouth and catfish.  The lake was stocked again on April 23 with 5,700 10-12 inch rainbows.  If you don’t mind about a mile walk, fishing is very good on the north shore as it is not hit as hard.  Just a reminder, no water craft are permitted in the reservoir that allows any body contact with the water, such as belly boats and open bottomed rafts. Please note that the lake will be closed on June 9 until 1:30 p.m. to allow for our Annual Kids Fishing Contest. Hey kids, have mom or dad stop by the reservoir to pick up your registration form for the annual fishing contest.  We have divisions in different age groups so all have a chance at winning some great prizes. And don’t forget the free hotdogs. More in our next report but registration forms are now available at the ranger station at Arvada Reservoir.

Colorado
Division of Wildlife

On Sunday he was fishing as high as Boyds but today was on the lower river due to the dropping flows. Once again Scott reported limits of fat fish to around 16 pounds. Scott says over the past three days they have released close to 50 fish on top of their eazzzzy limits. With the dropping flows he expects that Wednesday will be the last day of fishing on the Feather (until flows get boosted again) and he will be switching over to the Sac.

Joel Shangle from Northwest Wild Country Radio out of Seattle WA from holding a 16 pound hen caught today with Scott on the Feather River today.

Speaking of the Sac, Dave Jacobs also reported limits on the lower Sac today. he was fishing below Grimes and reports that flows here too are dropping and the fish are backing down the river a few miles each day. There are a few spawns taking place but with fresh fish still pushing up there is some time left.
Bob Bradbury of Johnson’s Bait and Tackle in Yuba City reported excellent striper action on both the Sacramento and Feather Rivers. He went out on Saturday, and they limited out quickly on live minnows. They have been selling thousands of their hardy minnows per day to meet the huge demand. The word of the great bite was leaked on Saturday, and the river was loaded with boats on Sunday, putting down the bite a bit on the Feather. The flows have decreased, and the fish should be running back downstream into the Sacramento. Anchovies, sardines, and pile worms are working on the Sacramento River. He said, “There are a lot of fish in the system.”

USA Fishing.com

we trolled flat line and three color lead line tassy devils flat line won hands down best colors anything with orange in it also best colors were green and gold in the afternoons we bait fished and did some spinning best results came from yens bay and out front from anglers reach caravan park all up bagged 27 very healthy and fat rainbows and Brown Trout had some of the best fishing to be had in the long run.

COS

I fished around Ryan Creek Marina on Monday and put together a real nice bag of bass right by the launch. I am getting ready for this weekend otherwise. It’s prime time for bream on Smith Lake. While bream have been on the bed since last month, they’ll be in full swing on the full moon. I spent Tuesday morning with a client picking of several bream and shell crackers in the 1 – 2 pound range. We box our limit and called it a day, with our only heart brake coming right before we headed in. He lost a shell cracker that was pushing 3 pounds. The biggest bream i’ve seen this year by far. While I don’t spend a lot of time fishing for bream through the rest of the year, I kill them during this time of year. It’s fun and you have constant action all day long. If you have kids and want them to experience fishing for the first time, bream trips can provide constant action. Which I find important with kids during there younger years.

No matter what age you are, catching bream with light line and tackle is a blast.  Plus they taste great and are easy to filet.

Mike Walker
Fishing 24/7 Guide Service
p: 205-503-2020

He’d fished the tournament since 2004 and that morning, like the morning before, was windy. Trahan and his fishing partner Peter Romero went back to their “secluded cove” to get out of the wind.

And the payoff was a double-digit trophy bass.

They’d had some luck with this cover the day before and, after catching a few decent keepers on spinners and crankbaits, the pair figured they would see what else would turn up in the grass.

Trahan (who goes by his real name on the LouisianaSportsman.com forum) decided to start the day with a new bait, so he tied on a swimming silver-and-black Money Minnow and cast out a few feet from the boat. The second cast was as uneventful as the first, but the third was a charm.

As Trahan reeled back, barely 10 minutes after dawn broke, he felt a fish bite down.

“It felt no bigger than a 2- or 3-pound fish,” he said.

As he reeled in and the fish neared the boat, Trahan’s heart began to race.

“When it got within 4 or 5 feet of the boat, I realized it was a big fish,” he said.

The entire fight lasted 30 seconds. The fish tried to swim under the boat so Trahan, a Toledo Bay regular, let out some drag and let the fish fight the reel.

When the bass came back from the short trip, it was all over. Trahan pulled up the largest bass he has ever caught.

“My first thought was to run over to Toledo Tackle and have it weighed and certified,” he said. “I had a feeling it was going to be the biggest fish in the tournament.”

He was right. It was a 10.1-pound lunker.

“If I never catch another fish like that again, I’ll know I caught that one,” Trahan said. “There is nothing like it.”

Sam Ebeyer

Although sturgeon are an option, very few will pursue keepers in the mainstem until late in June when the estuary fishery begins to take off. The Willamette remains full of sturgeon for catch and release opportunities.

This is the historical peak week for the Willamette fishery but anglers remain perplexed for the lack of success in recent days. Water clarity is improving as well as temperature but a steady rise in the river levels has put fish off. Dave Wacker of Portland went 2 for 3 at Sellwood Bridge on Monday however, taking both hatchery fish on slow trolled herring in about 25 feet of water. He was fishing with ace John Shmilenko who tallied number 29 and 30 for the season; about half of what he typically has harvested for this time of year.

Steelhead remain plentiful on the Clackamas River but given the high, cold flows this early in the season, spring chinook are likely to make another late season showing this year. River flows on the Clackamas and Sandy Rivers are scheduled to rise through the weekend, making them both poor options for salmon and steelhead. Plunkers stand the best chance to take fish under these conditions but trollers working the lower ¼ mile of the Sandy can take upper Columbia bound chinook this time of year.

Caution is advised on the McKenzie as the water level came up late last week. While water color has remained fair, it was too high early this week to fish well. Summer steelhead have been taken on jigs, spinners and flies.

A few summers have been taken on the South Santiam but it’s early yet for best results. A few were reported over the weekend on the North Santiam as well.

The Guides Forecast

How!
April fishing remains average to good when you can get out. The weather has created some problems with presentation and access to the best fishing areas. Our best presentations are 2,3,4,and 5 color Cortland lead core and downriggers 12 to 45 feet down. The fish have been on regular and magnum spoons. The Reaper Magnum and regular Peacock Silver spoon by Badger Tackle have caught most of our fish. Six inch orange dodgers and Johnnie Peanut Flies are also doing a good job. Our best boat speed is 1.7 to 2.0 mph. Slide Divers are producing very well set to #2 with 70 feet of line out.

Where!
Head northeast out the north gap Milwaukee and fish north in 45 to 70 feet of water. Out in front of the water filtration plant is a good option for small boat anglers. Water color may be an issue if it is cloudy move in and out of the cloudy water for the best action. The color break is holding most of the fish.

Capt. Jim Hirt
Blue Max Charters
p: 414-828-1094

Cotter Fishing Forecast

With no visible end to the steady flow of water out of Bull Shoals Dam, the fishing will continue to get better and better, as the water temperatures will remain steady. dragging the aforementioned baits near known structure will produce some really good quality fish, and good quantities of them.

Capt. Bill Weaver
Weavers White River fishing service
p: 870-321-4048

I have seen a dramatic change in the behavior of the redfish over the past few weeks. Fish that were schooled up are now breaking into smaller groups and singling off. The fish have also become much more aggressive on the bite and they are feeding quite heavily. Some of this probably has to do with the large amount of bait up on the flats. Flats that were void of bait are now holding everything from crabs to mullet to minnows which has created a fish buffet for the reds. Along with the redfish I have also been catching a few speckled sea trout, flounder and bonnet head sharks. One of my favorite ways to go after redfish this time of the year is on topwater baits. We have been walking zara spooks near the grass edges and catching some very nice fish! Some of the these fish are coming back 3-4 times to get the bait so be patient as it is very easy to pull a topwater lure away from a fish before he can get it down… this is especially true for a redfish as they are more accustom to feeding on the bottom.

Until next time, Catch em Up!

Captain Charlie Beadon
Hilton Head Fishing Adventures
p: 843-592-0897