Is this a tough fishing year for anyone else?

[srhacksaw]

I have fished Windham county on the CT river for a few years (not as many as you guys!), but you know, Retreat M, Hunt's Meadows, Norm's to the RR bridge to Broad Brook entry, Old Ferry Rd, Putney Landing, Dummerston Landing, and I am getting skunked practically every outing lately. I mean even panfish.

I was at Retreat Meadows a few times in the last few weeks fishing from shore and I couldn't even catch a bluegill. I saw nothing in the water. I've launched at the Marina and headed out to the mouth of the West River. Nothing, floated down to Bratt waterfront, nope. Gone back up the West river past the 91 bridge. I can't seem to catch a fish. Is it me? This isn't like it used to be, a few years ago. Maybe I'm just going out at the wrong time of day or wrong weather or using the wrong baits, I just haven't got it figured out.

Maybe you all are doing well, I'm just wondering.....

--steve

[Brian]

Maybe it's to do with the excessive amounts of rain this year? Dunno. A few years ago I fished all season on the lower CT for crappie, perch and bluegill. Instead of bass. I found that the bluegill moved south and off the main river weed edges in the fall. I lost the crappie all together in September. Perch were here and there on weed edges in summer, and deep off the bottom in November. I didn't fish the river much this year but did pretty well on deeper cover for panfish.

[srhacksaw]

Thanks Brian. Well 11 degrees F out this morning, so I'm just thinking about next spring. Hopeful as always. Maybe I will try deeper cover. I probably should have stopped using jigs for panfish, and tried dunking a worm. Maybe they just wised up last summer! Or maybe it was the unusual rains and more people out fishing in the places I usually do. Who knows?

I'm mainly a pan fisherman. Not to say I don't enjoy catching a bass or pike, but I fish mainly for the table, and crappies are our favorite family dinner fish. I also like to smoke trout. I'm happy catching 5 or 6 crappies, which is enough for a meal for the 3 of us, and about all I like to clean at a time. Not too keen on the perch I've caught, since they always seem to have yellow grubs.

I haven't ice fished, but I may wander out to Retreat Meadows or Hunts in a week or two just to see some others catching something. Otherwise it's going to feel like a long winter waiting for spring!

Anyway, best to you all, and seasons greetings! And may you catch whatever fish you set your hopes on in the coming year.