They're in!! But not in full swing, meaning that there are limited pods of schoolies scattered through a small part of the lower river. The way to catch the most fish is to anchor over a pod. Until the pod moves you will catch quite a few of the same size fish. I prefer drifting a larger area, thereby increasing my chances to catch a few larger fish. Most schoolies are 12 to 18" with an occasional fish to 24". Casting subsurface flies and lures produce most of the action, though one angler, who lives and dies casting a gurgler, has already caught a few fish on the surface. However, the best surface activity is still a week or two away. We had lots of warm sunny weather this past week. The river fishes best on still, overcast, low tide mornings. An amber, polarized lens is what you want on these days. Go to bigeyeeyewear.com for a great selection of polarized sunglasses. Anglers have started calling to book trips. Give me a call and join me on the river for a fun day of light tackle or fly fishing for striped bass.

The schoolies have arrived in the lower Connecticut River. Their numbers are such that you can hook and land enough to make the outing worth while. Most remain small - 12 to 16", but there is the occasional fish in the mid 20's.

Prior to the rain of the last few days, the river water was exceptionally clear, likely explained by the gradual snow melt in the mountains of Vermont and New Hampshire and the cold water temperatures. At one point I visually estimated the depth to be 2 to 4 feet. After sticking my rod in the water I was very surprised to learn it was 7 to 8 feet deep.

The number of fish will be on a steady increase over the next couple of weeks. A few days from now, after 2 or 3 clear warm days the water clarity will recover from the recent rains and the fishing will be in full swing.

The ocean swells rolling over Block Island Sound were big enough to keep the Point Judith to Block Island Ferry bobbing and rolling as it powered it's way. The chilly NW winds created white caps and made for a chilly ride. Fishing was still a few weeks away in this area. Back at my home waters along the Connecticut River the fishing prospects are brighter. Within a day or two of April 25th the fishing at the mouth of the River below the railroad bridge starts to turn on. The resident schoolies drop down river from the coves along the river to greet the arriving migratory fish. For the first couple of weeks the lots of small schoolies (12 - 18") with an occasional large fish mixed in. It's at this time if you are having a lucky day, 2 anglers can hook 50 to 100 fish in a matter of hours. As the water temp reaches 50 degrees the smaller fish disperse and larger fish take over. Two friends were out today. One was in Hamburg Cover where he caught a small bass and a 15" pickerel. Ten other boats were in the cove - none having much action. My other buddy tried below the railroad bridge and found 1 or 2 small pods of small fish but the action was insufficient to make him want to go tomorrow. Based on recent events I expect the "turn on" date to be a day or two before 4/25. Stay tuned.