CTFishTalk.com: Bantam River 6/26 - Connecticut River Reports ( CT River Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

Fishface · Joined: 02 Jan 2008 Posts: 308 Location: New Britain

Got out around 5:15am. It was a mite foggy for a while. I decided to try some Texas rigging which I have not done a lot of. With a 5" black Senko and a 5" watermelon flaked Dinger that PECO gave to me the time we were fishing it. Did pretty well caught 2 off the get both on black 1st was13", 2nd was 14" fished down to the circle (I forget what PECO refers to it as) The bend right before it I got a 16" of the watermelon. No luck in the circle. So I fished down to where Phil caught caught his 3.1lber and where I got the large on on a pervious post. I had switched to fishing wacky style. On my first cast a hit a big LMB at least 3lb. fought it for a few it came out of the water a good foot on entry it spit the hook. Glad there was no one around. A few bombs came out . All in all I caught 5 or 6 two I did not measure do to lack of size. Good day, unforunately back at the launch if you want to call it that. My phone decided to commit a Kamakazi dive from my shirt pocket to the river. Not sure what possesed it to do that?. My phone never is out of my water tight bag till Saturday. I guess I'm lucky It was not like Kira's and others the have lost much better phones. First time this has happened to me and it is a pain the ass when you get so dependent on technology, and how fast it will cripple you. Will post a couple of pics later in the week.

Tim

PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

I should have met you out there. My in-laws didn't even show up until after 10:30 AM.

Hey, are you absolutely sure that there are northern pike in there? My father-in-law and I saw a lot of chain pickerel on Sunday, but no northern pike. He landed four decent-sized ones (i.e., 18 to 21 inches) and intentionally shook off more at his kayak. I lost one decent-sized one and we each had several strikes from little ones that we could see pretty clearly were chain pickerel. One little guy hung in the water next to my kayak for 30 seconds, just staring up at me. I think he was saying, "Throw that worm in here again. I dare you."
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PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

Thanks for the photo, Tim. I hadn't seen one of these since I was 12 years old:

I gotta catch me one of those! I guess I'll start throwing a spinnerbait.
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TurtleKiss · Joined: 09 Mar 2010 Posts: 1200 Location: central CT

Flipper · Joined: 21 May 2010 Posts: 347 Location: Enfield

Peco
There are definately Northern Pike in Bantam Lake and I assume in the river as well, since the pike from the lake spawn in the river mouth. A small pike and a large pickeral look very similar. Just remember that a pike has a dark body w/ light spots and a pickeral has a light body with large dark chain links on it. Bantam Lake was one of the first lakes in CT where DEP started to manage the pike fishery. I believe they still take fingerlings from Bantam and use them to stock other lakes. Bantam was one of my favorites before the town shut it down to the public. Looks like this year I'll have to plan a camping trip at Whites Memorial just to get on the water.

PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

Flipper

Yeah, Fishface sent me a photo of a northern pike that he caught in the river. I posted it above. I guess that the chain pickerel are just more willing to eat a slow-moving wacky- or Texas-rigged worm than the pike. I plan to try a spinnerbait or swimbait the next time I'm out there.

If you paddle, you could get your boat into Bantam Lake from the river by portaging the beaver dam. It's not a very big dam. The last time I was out there, I saw a few kayaks and canoes on the river that had come up from the lake. My father-in-law and I would have checked it out, but the wind was blowing pretty briskly and we didn't feel like fighting it.

Phil
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Tom · Joined: 20 Jan 2010 Posts: 19 Location: New Milford, CT

The launch in Bantam is not really closed. I have fished tehre 4 or 5 times this year. Just ignore the sign. The state attorney general's office has told the town they can not exclude non-residents. The town is still planning how to charge us, but for now no one will bother you if you use the ramp.