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Author:
PECo
Date:
Jul 12, 2011
Subject:
Connecticut River - East Haddam 07/12
Message:
Daryl (aka Daryl) and I decided to paddle down the Connecticut River from the Goodspeed Opera House to Chapman Pond (aka the cove). We each paddled a Future Beach Trophy 126 kayak. We got on the water at 6:15 pm and off by 12:45 pm. We launched at low tide and caught the beginning of the incoming tide. Right after we launched, we saw a couple of keeper striped bass leap clear of the water in the vicinity of the "No Wake" buoy next to Goodspeed Airport. Although we had planned to paddle straight down and into the cove, we each couldn't resist tying on a topwater plug and taking some long casts at the stripers. Nope, we didn't get any action. When we reached the first island in front of the entrance to the cove, we stopped so that Daryl could tie on a different lure. I threw a Stanley Ribbit Red Pepper Peeper frog on a red Gamakatsu Offset Shank Worm EWG 4/0 hook over some submerged grasses and landed a short largemouth bass: [img:5841ff28c0]http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/272/img0767wk.jpg[/img:5841ff28c0] We paddled into the cove with the slight incoming current. The tops of the normally submerged weeds in the cove were exposed, so I stuck with the frog. We were seduced by the splashing of some large carp in the weeds and headed to the south, where Daryl landed his first fish with a Scum Frog: [img:5841ff28c0]http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/350/img0768corrected.jpg[/img:5841ff28c0] It was a one pound, 13 ounce largemouth bass. Daryl headed down to the south end of the cove while I stayed near the middle. I landed another short largemouth bass in the hyacinths on the west shore and a chain pickerel toward the middle of the cove, both with the frog, as I slowly worked my way across to the east side: [img:5841ff28c0]http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/6647/img0769o.jpg[/img:5841ff28c0] [img:5841ff28c0]http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/8423/img0774k.jpg[/img:5841ff28c0] Daryl joined me on the east side and I switched to a wacky rigged green pumpkin/red flake Senko. Off of a small rocky point, I landed a largemouth bass with the wacky Senko: [img:5841ff28c0]http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/1292/img0775corrected.jpg[/img:5841ff28c0] And shortly afterward, I landed another: [img:5841ff28c0]http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/962/img0776f.jpg[/img:5841ff28c0] Daryl headed up to the north end and west side of the cove, while I slowly worked the hyacinths on the north end of the east side. I pulled out the frog when I got to the far north end and landed another largemouth when I threw it alongside a laydown: [img:5841ff28c0]http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/8264/img0777b.jpg[/img:5841ff28c0] The action died after about 10:30 am as the water level rose with the incoming tide and the wind rose out of the north. On our way out of the cove, I landed a short smallmouth bass with the wacky Senko: [img:5841ff28c0]http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/5007/img0778ef.jpg[/img:5841ff28c0] I think that Daryl landed a total of five largemouth bass in the cove but, unfortunately, his first fish ended up being the lunker for the day. Only two of my five largemouth bass were keepers and each was around only 1-1/2 pounds. We headed back up to the Goodspeed Opera House against the current and the brisk wind, and got off the water at the little public beach that's immediately north of the airport. Although we had a nice paddle, I have to say that I hate Connecticut meteorologists; they had predicted south-southwest winds for today. :?
Author:
Johnny Skeeter
Date:
Jul 13, 2011
Message:
Looks like an awesome day on the river! im jealous!!!! Been wanting to try kayaking for quite a few years. One of these days ill actually try it. haha Johnny
Author:
Passinthru Outdoors
Date:
Jul 15, 2011
Message:
What an awesome River trip. I do enjoy some CT river smallies. Thanks for sharing.
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