Fishermen not seizing opportunities winter season offers
The Atlantic striped bass, which can be caught during the winter season.
Many fishermen often fish the saltwater of New England in the prime spring and summer months for striped bass. After these seasons, fishermen dawn on the next season when quality striped bass can still be caught.
Every November, the striped bass population migrates up tributaries across the East coast, and can be found in almost any large river connected to saltwater. During these winter months, striped bass go into the spawn. Millions of eggs are laid each season, which keeps the fishery going and helps maintain a strong population.
With this, fishing in these rivers during the winter is an option that many fishermen do not know about or consider.
The fishing is prime on certain tides or days. Locally, the Connecticut and Housatonic Rivers are prime winter striped bass fisheries that hold quality fish.These rivers are very fun and interesting to fish because of how few people there are.
The fish are also more concentrated compared to the ocean, so having a 20 to 30 fish day is not uncommon. Fishing in the winter is scenic, and also is a nice change to the hot summer and spring months. It also requires a different style of fishing, since the striped bass are in the spawn during the winter.
During the spawn, they are less likely to eat, so it‘s a challenge and reward to catch them during this time of the year. I fish the Housatonic River a couple times each winter, and I enjoy the quiet for a change instead of the loud motoring Long Island Sound in the summer.
Winter fishing offers its own set of challenges because it is so different compared to fishing in the warmer months and requires a different approach to a successful catch,In winter, striped bass are slower moving due to the colder water,which makes it interesting when fishing for them compared to different seasons.
Fishing in the winter can help fishermen expand their knowledge to winter fishing based on the differences compared to the warmer months, and also adds another outside activity to the sometimes gloomy and cold winter months so that people new and experienced the activity can enjoy it and try a new season to fish.
