[imsafanct]

Bill and I hit Wethersfield Cove Labor Day morning after reading Friday's CT DEEP fishing report, indicating a largemouth bass and pike bite. The report indicated the cooler temps were helping to provide the bite. Unfortunately, by yesterday the temps had been back up to more late August like temps for a few days, and it was hot, sticky and foggy even at 6:00AM when we arrived.

I got us on the board early with a 2lb. largemouth on a Johnson Silver Minnow. We worked counterclockwise around the cove without any further luck and decided to try something new. We exited the cove and traveled North up the river to about Goodwin College. We hit the old oil barge pilings on the Eastern shore and then jumped across to the Western shore and drifted back down to the Cove, hugging the Western shore. Our only luck came right at the beginning of the drift where I grabbed a very small smallmouth and another 2lb. largemouth from some very cool submerged weedbeds, both on a green/red flake Senko.

Beyond that, I managed one more smallmouth no more than a pound at the entrance to the cove at the end of our drift, again on the Senko.

Upon entering the Cove, we elected to take one more quick trip around the cove and then call it a day. As you enter the cove from the river, the portion to your right, as the cove opens up, is shallow and weedy. We went around this weedy portion so as not to get hung up, while casting into it; me with the silver minnow and Bill with a swim jig. It's amazing what you can see with polarized sunglasses because I saw a fish come up and hammer the silver minnow, only to spit it before I could set the hook. What it was, I just don't know. But at that exact moment, Bill got his only hit of the day, right at the boat, from, you guessed it, a nice pike. He missed the fish but we both got a good look. We worked that weed edge again and again with nothing else to show for it.

It's funny how serious I take fishing, because I was having an enjoyable day to that point, having caught a few fish. But, as I've said here before, I'm on a mission for pike. My joy turned to momentary frustration as we were loading the boat as I was thinking about how I just can't seem to catch them. But I soon got over it. That's the exact feeling that keeps me hooked on fishing. I'll get you pike next time!

Oh ya, and to make myself feel better, I kept telling myself that pike just aren't very active in 74 degree water under sunshine.

- Eric

[PECo]

Dan1 (aka Dan) and I enjoyed a good paddle, but had a frustrating day of fishing, yesterday. Dan's best hit was in Raspberry Brook, when a fish came up and grabbed his Zoon Horny Toad. He paused for a second and set the hook, but the fish bit right through his 30 pound test braided line. We both think that it was probably a small northern pike, but we never saw it in the murky water of the brook.
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Don't forget to wear sunscreen and don't litter!

[imsafanct]

Phil,

I started the day with a Horny Toad on my big rod, care of our last outing at Upper Moodus. I cut it off before we started though, and tied on one of the 80lb. S-Pro flouro leaders I use for pike water. I then attached a 5" Reaction Strike Revo Shad to the leader and switched between the Revo, a hard Savage 4Play Herring and a LiveTarget blue back herring during the morning.

Since the beginning of the year, I've stubbornly been stuck on throwing these larger hard swimbaits for pike and stripers. I've seen all the photos on Blaine Anderson's blog showing all his catches on these swimbaits. They've done nothing for me this year, yet I still throw them. My point is that there was more than one time yesterday that I wished I had the Horny Toad ready to throw, especially over weeds, considering the success I've had with it this Summer.

To all/any of you, what is your opinion/experience with 5+ inch hard swimbaits? Obviously they work, but I imagine I simply haven't mastered them yet.

Thanks.

- Eric

[bdiggy]

I had the same luck up on Winchester on Labor Day. Cast into some shallow weeds in the end of a cove with a Horny Toad and the water boiled right behind it 3 times on the way to the boat, missing the bait all 3 times. My friends and I watched a 30" northern swim away. Still get goose bumps writing about it, lol! Would have made an otherwise busted holiday worthwhile. Ended up boating 4 shorts and a 10" pickerel by trips end.