Joejr14
Grand Bubble Burster
So my Dad and I decided to expand our areas of fishing and we picked out a few new places earlier in the year to try out. This weekend happened to work out for East Twin Lake, which is in the far Northwestern corner of the state---what amounts to a stones throw from NY and Ma.
This place has some MONSTER trout in it. Many years ago it was Connecticut's premier kokanee salmon fishery---and then some idiots decided that it would be a good idea to use alewifes for bait. Those nasty little baitfish completely decimated the salmon population----however, they've made trophy brown trout a common occurance. The state has important some crazy strain of german brown trout that grow at a freakish rate to try and combat the alewife population, but it's like trying to put out a three alarm fire with a small fire extinguisher.
In any event, we got there just before 7:45 after a good long hour drive. Handful of boats on the water, and the weather was crappy. Slight drizzle the whole way there, but it cleared up for a while to start the day off. Normally it's mainly drift fishing with live bait, but last night I spooled up a reel with lead core line for trolling, and tossed the downrigger into the boat 'just in case'.
I figured instead of going right into drift fishing, we could try trolling. So I rigged up the pole with lead core line and put on a 'mooselook'---which is an awesome trout and salmon spoon. Not 5 mins into the water and the poll is bouncing away in the holder. Hoist it in---12" brown trout. Back into the water he goes because A) 12" is not a keeper trout for me, an B) the length limit for brown trout in East Twin is 20".
We poked around trolling from about 8am-9:15, trolling everything from that silver mooselook spoon, to a 4" floating rapala minnow, and even a 3" storm crankbait---everything caught trout. At 9:15 we decided we wanted something a bit bigger than the 14"~ fish we were catching---and started our drift in about 55 feet of water.
Shiners went down on two polls, and instantly my dad pulled up a nice sized rainbow. However, we were looking for that big fat brown trout so he was released. A little while goes by before we realize hey---we have nightcrawlers with us and we don't have one rigged up. I had two baitcaster polls with me, so I grabbed the unoccupied one and threaded on the fattest crawler in the box. Down to the bottom he went (about 60 feet by now), up a few cranks and I put the poll down. Literally not more than 60 seconds later, the rod tip bounces. I grab the pole and wait---and sure enough---tap tap---WHAM! Slammed into the fish and instantly knew I was going to need the net. You can tell when you've got something good---especially when you set the hook and the rod makes a great big upside down U shape. Fight on!
After feeling numerous head shakes and making no headway for a minute, I informed the old man that he would definitely be needing the net because I had a keeper that was coming up. I don't think he believed me, but he did get the net. I saw the fish about 25 feet down---and knew without a doubt that it was in fact a keeper. He finally saw the silver flash and knew it too. Another few minutes and I guided that fat brown trout into the net, and into the livewell. 21" on the nose, and a respectable 3#.
Kept with the drift fishing for another hour or so, and then gave up and went back to trolling. Picked up a 15" rainbow on our way out at 40 feet and he went into the livewell to join the brown trout for dinner.
Totals for the day (8am-Noon): 20-25 trout, if not more. You can probably toss in about 15 awesome hits while trolling, as well as 5-8 fish that were hooked but got off before getting them up to and into the boat. What an awesome day---and perhaps now that Roy Munson character will take up that fishing offer.
Who's hungry?
This place has some MONSTER trout in it. Many years ago it was Connecticut's premier kokanee salmon fishery---and then some idiots decided that it would be a good idea to use alewifes for bait. Those nasty little baitfish completely decimated the salmon population----however, they've made trophy brown trout a common occurance. The state has important some crazy strain of german brown trout that grow at a freakish rate to try and combat the alewife population, but it's like trying to put out a three alarm fire with a small fire extinguisher.
In any event, we got there just before 7:45 after a good long hour drive. Handful of boats on the water, and the weather was crappy. Slight drizzle the whole way there, but it cleared up for a while to start the day off. Normally it's mainly drift fishing with live bait, but last night I spooled up a reel with lead core line for trolling, and tossed the downrigger into the boat 'just in case'.
I figured instead of going right into drift fishing, we could try trolling. So I rigged up the pole with lead core line and put on a 'mooselook'---which is an awesome trout and salmon spoon. Not 5 mins into the water and the poll is bouncing away in the holder. Hoist it in---12" brown trout. Back into the water he goes because A) 12" is not a keeper trout for me, an B) the length limit for brown trout in East Twin is 20".
We poked around trolling from about 8am-9:15, trolling everything from that silver mooselook spoon, to a 4" floating rapala minnow, and even a 3" storm crankbait---everything caught trout. At 9:15 we decided we wanted something a bit bigger than the 14"~ fish we were catching---and started our drift in about 55 feet of water.
Shiners went down on two polls, and instantly my dad pulled up a nice sized rainbow. However, we were looking for that big fat brown trout so he was released. A little while goes by before we realize hey---we have nightcrawlers with us and we don't have one rigged up. I had two baitcaster polls with me, so I grabbed the unoccupied one and threaded on the fattest crawler in the box. Down to the bottom he went (about 60 feet by now), up a few cranks and I put the poll down. Literally not more than 60 seconds later, the rod tip bounces. I grab the pole and wait---and sure enough---tap tap---WHAM! Slammed into the fish and instantly knew I was going to need the net. You can tell when you've got something good---especially when you set the hook and the rod makes a great big upside down U shape. Fight on!
After feeling numerous head shakes and making no headway for a minute, I informed the old man that he would definitely be needing the net because I had a keeper that was coming up. I don't think he believed me, but he did get the net. I saw the fish about 25 feet down---and knew without a doubt that it was in fact a keeper. He finally saw the silver flash and knew it too. Another few minutes and I guided that fat brown trout into the net, and into the livewell. 21" on the nose, and a respectable 3#.
Kept with the drift fishing for another hour or so, and then gave up and went back to trolling. Picked up a 15" rainbow on our way out at 40 feet and he went into the livewell to join the brown trout for dinner.
Totals for the day (8am-Noon): 20-25 trout, if not more. You can probably toss in about 15 awesome hits while trolling, as well as 5-8 fish that were hooked but got off before getting them up to and into the boat. What an awesome day---and perhaps now that Roy Munson character will take up that fishing offer.
Who's hungry?
