In the Snow

Yup, that is SNOW on the ground.

For the last two weeks I have been concentrating my fishing in my spots where I catch wintering over stripers. Even in good years winter fishing is inconsistent at best. My experience thus far has lived up to the inconsistency.  I have been out about 8 or 9 times in the last couple of weeks and I have only blanked once.  My best day has been 11 schoolies and I have had multiple days with only one fish so it has not been hot and heavy fishing. Still, in my mind it has worthwhile since little else is going on right now, and besides I love being outside in the winter.
While I normally fish in the evening and at night for winter stripers, I decided to get out this morning in the snow and rain.  I found one lone fish that wanted to hit (see photo at right).  The fish took a Zoom fluke mounted on a quarter ounce jighead, a hot lure for me in the wintertime.
Wintering over stripers exist in many of the river systems in southern New England.  The big rivers along CT seem to be the hottest areas where large numbers of fish hunker down for the winter months. Smaller river systems in RI as well as the backwaters in the coastal ponds also have them if you can find them. They also exist in places where power plants send out warm water outflows. So, if getting a striper in December or January is your goal, look around, because they do exist, even on a cold and snowy December day.