December 7, 2017 New England Fishing Report with Toby Lapinski HD

If you haven’t already done so, be sure to sign up for the FREE weekly electronic newsletter from The Fisherman as we are beginning a watch and win promotion for all subscribers of the enewsletter. Right out the gate we have an awesome prize for you to win, a brand-new ACCURATE FISHING VALIANT BV2-800 reel. Check out all the details and get a look at the reel and sign up by going here: http://www.thefisherman.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=feature.display&feature_ID=1917&ParentCat=5. Connecticut • With blackfish season closing on December 6 in Connecticut, most local anglers are hanging up their rods for the season, heading to Rhode Island where the season goes to December 15 or hitting the local tidal rivers and surrounding shoreline where striped bass from small schoolies to 30-plus pounds are being caught. I got out for a few hours over the weekend and had a steady pick of bass out in the salt on light gear to about 27 inches. There are also hickory shad and sea herring poking around for the larger stripers to feed on before the winter cold arrives. Rhode Island • As noted in the Connecticut discussion, blackfish season in Rhode Island closes on December 15 so there is still a little bit of time to get in on the excellent, just don’t delay too much longer. When Capt. Tony of Booked Off Charters checked-in this week for his report, he said that he has been doing very well on the blackfish with the biggest of the week going 13.18 pounds. • There are cod to be caught at Coxes right now, but a lot of the boats report having a tough time getting through the massive schools of large black sea bass that are still hanging on the cod grounds. That said, Fisherman subscriber Alfonzo Sirica sent me a picture of a solid cod he caught over the weekend while fishing off Block. Massachusetts • With the final commercial bluefin season of the fall in the books as of Wednesday, and migratory striped bass now well south of the Bay State, Massachusetts angler focus is squarely on freshwater pursuits with trout leading the way. It won’t be long before we’re talking about ice fishing, so get your open-water trips in now before it’s all about the ice.