CTFishTalk.com: Mansfield Hollow Lake 09/10 - Connecticut Lake Reports ( CT Lake Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

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

Fishface (aka Tim) and I planned to fish Coventry Lake this afternoon. However, when we arrived at the state boat launch ramp at 2:30 pm, the lot was full and there was an ENCON officer making sure that more cars didn't park than there were marked parking spaces. We were second in line for the next space, so we checked Google Maps for a nearby lake and found that Mansfield Hollow Lake is only 10-1/2 miles away from Coventry Lake. I asked the ENCON officer whether he thought that Mansfield Hollow would be less crowded. He told me that there are enough spaces at Mansfield Hollow for 100 cars to park at the boat launch ramp so, yeah, it would be.

So, Tim and I headed to Mansfield Hollow. There were tons of spaces to park and we got on the water at about 3:00 pm. I pedaled The Other Woman (aka my Hobie Pro Angler) and Tim paddled La Tortuga (aka his Future Beach Trophy 126 DLX). It was hot and we had a bluebird sky. There was just a slight north breeze blowing down the lake toward the ramp. Apparently, Mansfield Hollow has a north lake and south lake. The water level was so high that we didn't even try to squeeze through the culvert to the south lake, which is right next to the ramp. Plus, the water looked like it was pouring out of the north lake and through the culvert very swiftly. We talked with a guy in a red Stratos bass boat who was preparing to get off of the water. He said that the fishing was tough today, not due to the high water but, rather, the bluebird sky. He said that the water was five feet higher than it was a week ago, when he had caught over 40 largemouth bass in the north lake, including a couple of seven pounders. After he left, Tim and I talked with a guy in a yellow kayak named Brian, who recognized us from CTFishTalk. Hey, Brian! He was also heading off of the water, but told us that he had spotted a northern pike in the water near the island on the west side of the lake. Tim and I decided to head to the island, and we each trolled a couple of lures. I trolled a silver Rapala Original Floater F07 and a big Bluegill patterned Persuader "Imaged Blade" 1/2 ounce double willow blade spinnerbait. Neither of us got a hit on the way to the island. However, shortly after we got there, Tim boated a keeper largemouth with a wacky rigged five inch Senko thrown tight to the island. Soon after, I boated a 13 inch largemouth with the spinnerbait:

I switched to a wacky rigged five inch green pumpkin/red flake Senko, and boated a short largemouth before I got a 15 incher:

Tim got a second largemouth near the island, but we soon decided to explore the lake and headed for the river that flows into the northeast corner. As we headed across the lake to the mouth of the river, I trolled the F07 and Tim trolled a Rapala Shallow Shad Rap SSR7. We paddled right next to each other, and as we approached the river mouth and the bottom began to come up, I had a tug on the F07. As I told Tim that I thought I had just gotten a hit and a miss, he got a definite hit and began reeling in a fish. Then I realized that I also had a fish on. I said, "Did we just troll through a school of perch?" when Tim said, "Yeap!", and pulled up a yellow perch. I stopped reeling in my fish and took a photo of Tim with his:

Then I finished reeling mine in and confirmed that it, too, was a yellow perch:

We paddled into the mouth of the river and up the river until it narrowed. I use the term "river" loosely, because it was more of a stream. And when the water is at its normal level, it's probably more of a creek. Anyway, we got nothing but small panfish nibbles, so we headed west along the north shore. There were a lot of small, flooded coves on the shore, but we didn't boat any fish in them. At one point, I threw my wacky Senko at a splash in the water about 15 feet off of the shore and it was picked up by a small chain pickerel, but the pickerel spit the hook a few feet from the boat. After two hours of not much on the north shore, we headed toward the culvert in the northwest corner of the lake. There were a couple of kids fishing from a wall on the north shore in the corner. One of them said that he had just landed a four pound largemouth. Tim headed for the mouth of the culvert and I fished the flooded channel created by the water flowing out of it. From 6:15 pm to 6:45 pm, I boated eight largemouth, seven of which were keepers:

The biggest were two that were each just over 15 inches long. I'm pretty sure that one of them had recently been mauled by a northern pike:

I paddled to the mouth of the culvert and boated a short largemouth, before Tim and I decided to paddle through it to see what's on the the other side. Although there's a wide open area and a nice looking river on the other side, we boated only one fish when the wacky Senko thrown tight to the shore got Tim a keeper largemouth. By this time, clouds had begun to roll in and we could see the nearly full moon beginning to shine, so we decided to head off of the water. I trolled the F07 and Tim trolled a spinnerbait through the culvert and back toward the ramp. Darkness fell quickly, so we stopped to put lights on our boats. By the time that we got to the ramp, the clouds had covered the moon and it was pretty freakin' dark. But we had a pretty good afternoon of fishing. I ended up with ten keeper largemouth and three shorts, and Tim got eight keeper largemouth and two shorts. Oh, and we each got a yellow perch. We're both looking forward to getting back out to Mansfield Hollow again soon.
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DirtyDawg10 · Joined: 27 May 2009 Posts: 2238 Location: Granby, CT

Nice job guys!

SAP284 · Joined: 07 Jun 2011 Posts: 655 Location: Central, CT

When I launched my boat I really wasn't sure where the ramp was it was so flooded lol. I talked to the same guy on the Red Bass Boat which I put in my report lol thats funny.

-Steve

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

I thought that we might have spoken with the same guy in the red bass boat when I read your report. Surprised

The water level dropped a ton while we were there. A concrete curb over which we floated when we launched was several inches out of the water when we came back in to the ramp. I wasn't kidding when I said that I can't wait to get back out there. It's a really nice lake and there's a lot more of it for me to check out.
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Flipper · Joined: 21 May 2010 Posts: 347 Location: Enfield

I love Mansfield Hollow, however I find the fishing very tough for Northerns. Lots of bass in there and real pretty scenery. The other side of the culvert is where I always go. Way back next to the dam where the river comes in is a good spot-real weedy. Just can't figure out where the pike are in that lake.
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toptech · Joined: 12 Jul 2007 Posts: 322 Location: Vernon

I have fished mansfield a lot...there are some big bass in there but I think that guy was giving you the old fish story "a couple 7 pounders" I really hope you didnt believe him. When people lie they could atleast try to make it a reasonable statement. Mansfield is a tough place. I always fish the launch side. To the point that you couldnt pay me to fish the other side.
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