CTFishTalk.com: Nell's Rock Res & Golf Course Pond - Connecticut Bass Fishing Reports ( CT Bass Fishing Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

Michael · Joined: 28 Jan 2012 Posts: 3823 Location: Bridgeport

Member sbehuniak (AKA Stephan) and I took our kayaks out onto Nell's Rock Reservoir (AKA Hope Lake and Shelton Reservoir) around 10am today. Forecast was calling for showers more likely towards the afternoon hours.

Finally got to use my new Lowrance X4 Pro for the first time. Water temp stayed steady from 77.3 to 78.3 degrees while we were out there. Marked fish above stumps and suspended with bait. Also saw 2 schools of bait being chased on the surface.

Stephan and I covered the shoreline and some deeper areas. Stephan stuck mostly with a wacky rigged Senko. I tried throwing a few Rapalas and a Pop-R before going with a Texas rigged 4" Berkley.

Stephan had a number of hits and landed 4 with 1 being a keeper. I landed a total of 4 but not as many hits as Stephan had and all were no bigger than 10".

NWS seemed to be wrong with the hourly forecast. 2 quick passing showers went by and 1 downpour stayed around for a while. We had to take cover under branches twice.

After taking cover under the branches for a while and it was still raining, Stephan told me his girlfriend saw the rain wasn't gonna end for a while. He still had time so we went to a golf course I've been fishing since the late 90's and hadn't been to in a while.

Covered a number of ponds. Stephan stuck with the Senko, which landed him 6 bass. 1 was chubbier but shorter than the keeper he caught at Nell's Rock.

I landed 5. One was about 1 1/2 pounds and chubby that came on a Pop-R. 2 others came on the Berkley and the other 2 came on a shad Husky Jerk HJ-8. One fish landed on the HJ-8 was a 15" bass just under 2 pounds.

It rained for a while while we were on the golf course but no downpours like when we were at Nell's Rock.

We hit the road around 3pm.

Stephan will have a pic coming showing what the average 1 to 2 pound largemouth looks like at the golf course.

avidangler · Joined: 08 Jan 2013 Posts: 469 Location: Forestville

You're lucky.There's no golf course around here that can be legally fished.I would love to hit some of the ones around here without sneaking in at night
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...Randy...

Leeway and elbow room.There's plenty of water to fish!

avidanglingadventures.blogspot.com

"If we concentrated on the really important stuff in life,there'd be a shortage of fishing poles."

Michael · Joined: 28 Jan 2012 Posts: 3823 Location: Bridgeport

One nice thing about the golf course I fish is access.

Instead of parking in the main parking lot, there's a path that leads to the first hole and a few ponds by parking on the side of a road.

avidangler · Joined: 08 Jan 2013 Posts: 469 Location: Forestville

That's pretty convenient.Does anyone get upset that you fish there?
I've gone at night to a few around here but,that was a few years ago.There were some big bass in them.They would hammer my blk/silver x-rap.
_________________
...Randy...

Leeway and elbow room.There's plenty of water to fish!

avidanglingadventures.blogspot.com

"If we concentrated on the really important stuff in life,there'd be a shortage of fishing poles."

Michael · Joined: 28 Jan 2012 Posts: 3823 Location: Bridgeport

I used to get kicked off more often years ago until rangers got to know me better.

I know my way around the golf course making me keep my distance from the golfers and having a good idea on if we're in the path of their ball. Buddies and I even help golfers find their balls or tell them if it went in the water.

My avatar was caught at one of the ponds there. My PB 8 pound 1 ounce pig came from one of the ponds. Length was 22 while girth was a monstrous 20.5. Bluegills and pumpkinseeds fight twice their size and will even hit a bigger Rapala.

The golf course is what got me into bass fishing and is also how I got serious with Rapala.

A great time of year to fish there is the early spring. That's when you have the non-stop action and better chance of getting a 5 or 6 pound pig. The golf course usually doesn't open to golfers until air temps start warming up enough.

sbehuniak09 · Joined: 10 Jul 2012 Posts: 229 Location: Seymour, CT

Turned out to be a very productive day despite the crappy weather. Here is a picture of Michael with a nice 1.5lber from the Golf Course pond.

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The fishing was good; it was the catching that was bad. ~A.K. Best

BeersNBass · Joined: 23 Apr 2013 Posts: 80 Location: New Britain CT

I used to fish a golf course in college about 5 ponds on the course they all held fish and NOONE fished them so they hit everything which was awesome. We went after 4 during the week and during other slow times like when it rained etc.. Most people were cool with it like anything there were jerks but generally as long we were quiet and respectful to the golfers and all the staff it wasn't a problem.

Michael · Joined: 28 Jan 2012 Posts: 3823 Location: Bridgeport

Ponds on the golf course are original farm ponds connected by a small brook. One pond is 15 to 20 feet in its deepest area.

Over the past few years more brush has grown along the edge of certain ponds, making it impossible to fish areas that used to be accessible.

Muskrats and huge snapping turtles also live in those ponds. Green and great blue herons are found at some ponds often. Deer can be seen on the edge of woodlands in the early morning and towards sunset. Years ago when I lived right near there with my family, I once saw a red fox on a fall evening.

My family and I lived on a street in the golf course neighborhood. Our backyard was on the edge of the 9th fairway, making many balls end up in our backyard. My brother and his neighborhood friends would collect golf balls from the backyards and sell them to golfers. My tradition was to walk there with my fishing gear after dinner on summer evenings, on weekends during the school season, and afternoons during summer vacation or when I'd have a day off from work.

Stephan will tell you how bad the golfers are at the golf course. One evening during dinner, my family and I heard something hard hit the kitchen area of the house facing the backyard. It was a golf ball.

Mac · Joined: 05 Aug 2013 Posts: 10

Do you guys think most golf ponds hold fish? I have one fairly close with easy pond access. I just always figured there wasn't much in there.thanks

Mac

Michael · Joined: 28 Jan 2012 Posts: 3823 Location: Bridgeport

If the pond has the right structure and is deep enough, it should hold fish.

Wanna Fish · Joined: 30 Jan 2012 Posts: 662 Location: Earth I Think

Michael · Joined: 28 Jan 2012 Posts: 3823 Location: Bridgeport

News I have is starting this year there will be no more fishing the golf course Crying or Very sad

Last year in November while I was out there, I saw many signs put up along the shore of most ponds. All read "No Trespassing No Fishing No Hunting Private Property".

So long to a place that got me into Rapala lures, serious bass fishing, personal best largemouth, and traditional early spring pig Crying or Very sad

Here's pics of pigs that have come out of those ponds.

8 pound 1 ounce largemouth April 2007

9" bluegill pumpkinseed hybrid July 2009

6 1/2 pound largemouth March 2009

Megaman · Joined: 08 Nov 2010 Posts: 85 Location: Central CT

Wow Mike..those are HAWGss..myself and another member here have one particular golf course pond...we visit..we did get the angry GTFO one time..but we have obtained access from a public spot...GOLF Course Ponds are amazing!!!
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Success Favors the Brave..........

Michael · Joined: 28 Jan 2012 Posts: 3823 Location: Bridgeport