No Fish Today
Member
Registered: 09/04/03
Posts: 1376
Short report: Fished for over 2 hours after work, still no fish today, man I'm off my game. Almost everyone else (9 others) landed at least one. Bill had 3, before I got there. I saw 7 caught, about 4 released while I was there.
The water was down about 1' from yesterday, with a clear, strong current. I didn't get a temp today, but as it continues to fall, it should be warming a little with the milder weather over the next couple of days. I'll be back tomorrow after work. And by Saturday or Sunday I think the CT river will have cleared up enough to fish the Wall, I'll have to scout it Saturday. In the meantime, tight lines!
Don D
Member
Registered: 01/03/02
Posts: 7295
Loc: Bristol, CT
Man, you sure put in the time. I used to fish behind Bart's every year off the rocks above the tracks. I no longer can get down that bank thus, no more shad fishing there for me. Hope you get some soon. That is a place where you have to be there when they come through. Thanks for the reports. They are very enjoyable.
If there are fish to catch. I'll be there to my end.
No Fish Today
Member
Registered: 09/04/03
Posts: 1376
Today's report is much the same-same as yesterday's, except Bill only managed to land one before I arrived. And he was leaving as I set up. Saw 6 shad caught, with most released, including a FAT roe. The water was down over 1' from yesterday, temp. 52ºF, clear with a good current. No fish today (for me), but there is always tomorrow. Tight lines!
No Fish Today
Member
Registered: 09/04/03
Posts: 1376
After I finished my chores, and contributing to the domestic tranquility, I headed down to Cromwell to scout the Wall. Only 2 people were fishing the far end, down toward Middletown, and they had meat sticks set out, marinating whatever they were soaking. The water there remains high, and quite turbid, but looked manageable. So I took a couple of casts to gauge the current. I had no trouble finding, and holding the bottom with a 1.5 oz drail. But I've never done well fishing in a coffee pot, so I bugged out to the Farm'y behind Bart's.
I arrived at Bart's a little before 2:pm, and a friend who normally targets trout and stripers joined me. He had come out once last year, and he hadn't hooked up then, but he was game to try again. On arrival, we found a half dozen reprobates (regulars) taking casting practice, and over the course of the afternoon, several more folx joined us. The water was about the same level as yesterday, clear, with a decent current, most were tossing 3/4 oz weights, and holding bottom was easy. However, the consensus was that this was not a good day, and shad were scarce. Fortunately, that was dispelled when a couple of shad were caught a little while later (3:15-ish?), and there were a few alewives in the mix for variety. My buddy hooked up, and lost his V-card when he landed a middling buck, a nice shad with good color. I FINALLY, got on the board when I hooked a middling buck with little fight in him. Until the water got skinny, and he didn't like the accommodations. After a few short, spirited runs, we netted my vitamin shad. I love the sound of my drag...
By 4:pm, the scattered run had died out, and it turned out to be a fair day after all. Not a lot of shad were caught, but enough to keep it interesting for about an hour or so. As my buddy and I were leaving, we saw another small shad caught, that was about 5:30 pm. Hunger was calling more than the shad, so we headed to our respective abodes for our suppers. I will be back again tomorrow, until then GL, and tight lines!
Tackle: Rod: Ugly Stik 4'6" U/L Pro Reel: a Penn 4200 SS, spooled with 15# Hi-Viz Yellow Power Pro
Terminal Tackle: 3/4 oz drail over a 3', 10# flouro leader. I have been throwing the rainbow at them, but today a hammered silver willow leaf in chartreuse and white with black lines and a dot sealed the deal.
No Fish Today
Member
Registered: 09/04/03
Posts: 1376
Today, after harvesting a handful of Ramps, and replacing the deadbolt that failed (pot-metal guts just CRUMBLED), I hit the Farm'y behind Bart's just after 11:am. Seven reprobates were taking casting practice, and only one shad on the bank. The water was down over 1' from yesterday, and clear, but the current was slow, and the temp was ~54ºF. I sized down to a 5/8 oz drail, and had no trouble holding the bottom. I eventually got a hookset close to the bank, but when the water got really skinny, it rolled and dropped the leaf before we could net it. At least I got a look, and it looked like a middling buck. We C&R a bunch of alewives, I had a half dozen, and saw another dozen caught around me. The highlight of the morning was when the pike that tried to steal Bill's stringer (TWICE in as many days..bold MF!) latched onto one of the alewives, mid-retrieve, right in front of Bill. I swear, it was taunting him, LOL! Bill tried netting the pike, but it dropped the bucky at the net. And then it came back at the bucky. Same-same result; 3rd time was the charm. The pike held fast, and was netted. After a Kodak Moment™, the pike was released, and the torn up bucky was given to the pike as a reward. At first it swam away, but circled back around, grabbed it and took off. And then we got the 411 from the Wall. They were catching a few shad. I had only taken my U/L this morning, and knew I'd need my heavier rod/reel set up, so I ran home before I headed down to the Wall.
I arrived at the Wall about 2:25pm. Bill, and our 411 reporter and a couple of other regulars were plying the water. A couple of shad were on the bank, and a couple of more had been sent back whence they came before I got there. Third time is the charm, on my 3rd cast I got a good hookset on the final retrieve close to the wall. We netted a middling buck. Sweet, another on the board. A few of the others also caught shad around me, and then things slowed down for a while. We were jawing with a curious on-looker, when a regular at the Wall landed a middling buck. And then another. He was using an U/L set up, and that got my attention. I set down my bigger rig, and grabbed my U/L from the car. And within minutes, hooked into a middling buck. We got a fair look at him at the Wall, but he threw the leaf. 15 minutes later I got a good hit, and hookset. This one was heavier, and gave me a good tussle with the U/L. Eventually I was able to work it into net range, but she wasn't having it and tried to run a few times. Have I ever mentioned how much I love the sound of my drag? Eventually she was coaxed into a net, a nice 3#+ roe. I love the fight with that U/L!
I had to cook supper tonight, so I headed home. It was a good day, 2 hours on the Farm'y this morning, and another 2 hours on the Wall this afternoon. I will be out tomorrow after work, probably at the Wall depending on the 411.
Tackle starting out at the Wall: Penn 4400 SS spinning reel, mated to a 6'0" Ugly Stik Med-Heavy action, Elite one-piece rod spooled with 15# Hi-Viz Yellow Power Pro. Terminal Tackle: 1 oz drail, over 4' of 10# flouro leader.
Tackle finishing the day at the Wall: Penn 4200 SS spinning reel, mated to a 4'6" Ugly Stik U/L Pro one-piece rod spooled with 15# Hi-Viz Yellow Power Pro. Terminal Tackle: 1 oz drail over a 4', 10# flouro leader.
I therw the rainbow at them today. Florescent pink w/black dot, chartreuse w/black dot, and yellow with red dot got the most hits today. YMMV, and invariably will...
No Fish Today
Member
Registered: 09/04/03
Posts: 1376
After work I headed down to the Wall, arriving at 4:30 pm I found 6 or so regulars working it. Bill C showed up as I was unpacking my tackle from the car. He said he had caught 10 there this morning, around 11-ish for a couple of hours. The water was down from yesterday, there was some flotsam drifting by, but the water was mostly clear. I used my U/L set up with 1 oz of weight, and had no problem holding the bottom. I got bumped once before 5:pm, and had a solid hookset right about 5, landing a middling buck which was promptly released after a Kodak Moment™. Within 5 minutes, I had my second shad of the day holding the line. He was spunky, diving and trying to stay deep. I had to work the U/L to get him to the net. Things got quiet after that, and a few more people joined us, bringing the total to over 1 dozen shadaholics.
Things picked up a little after 5:30 pm, and I landed another middling buck just before 6:pm. He was a fighter, running deep, and making a couple of runs to make my drag sing a little. [img]https://scontent-bos3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t...amp;oe=626D1BAC[/img]
Hunger drove me out of there around 6:45 pm. Today was a good day, a lot of shad were landed, and most released. We got the 411 about E Barbor St/Bissell boat launch from one of the regulars, he caught a couple of big roes there. Some of us will be headed to the Bissell launch tomorrow to try for a big girl, or two.
The winning leaf for me was chartreuse with an orange dot, it got all three today. Until tomorrow, tight lines!
No Fish Today
Member
Registered: 09/04/03
Posts: 1376
I slabbed by E. Barber St/Bissell boat launch at 4:30 pm after work. It was misty and drizzling, which may explain the presence of only 2 people fishing; one for shad, one drowning worms. Shad man said he had caught 2 about a half hour before I arrived, the master-baiter had caught nothing. Shad man managed to catch one before he left a few minutes later. And as I was setting up, one of the regulars from Bart's and the Wall showed up. The current was languid at best, but the river was clear, and at a good level, just below the 2nd cleat on the ramp.
After about a half hour of casting practice I hooked into a middling buck. I got a look at him as he threw the hook at the ramp before we could bring him to the net. Our regular guy hooked a shad quite away out, and it took him the better part of 10 minutes to get it close enough to the ramp to get a look at her. She was a big, fat roe, a nice big girl with good color, but she was not a fan of the skinny water. So she rolled, and threw the hook out of net range. Another regular, a young guy who showed up a couple or 3 years ago, but has established himself as a dedicated dead-beat on the bank at Bart's also showed up to take casting practice.
Other than a few taps and bumps, all I dragged out besides a limit of wooden eels (aka: stick fish; not to be confused with a fish stick), was a couple of 3/4 oz drails, and a nice, new hammered silver willow leaf w/reflective green tape, and yellow paint w/black dot. I lost one rig, weight, leader, and leaf, so I came out ahead today. Not a terribly productive day for 2 hours fishing, but the company was good. We'll see what tomorrow brings, but I'll probably head back to the Bissell tomorrow unless I get the 411 the Wall is producing. Tight lines!
Eventually she was coaxed into a net, a nice 3#+ roe. I love the fight with that U/L! 
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