CTFishTalk.com: Cedar Lake (Chester) - Connecticut Bass Fishing ( CT Bass Fishing ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

rxpxtx · Joined: 06 May 2012 Posts: 259

Had a nice 5-8pm at Cedar. Light breeze took me down the east tree line with little paddling. Four 12-15" LMB under the trees, but the best fun came from the pickerel fest in the underwater garden that runs down that side of the lake. I was bored at work (I run an ambulance and get paid for many hours of boredom, injected with random pucker factor) so I cut up an old walleye rig and used the balls and spinner and a gamu 3/0 weighted hook and texas rigged a 4" white/silver flecked senko to the whole affair. It was a goofy looking thing. The pickerel killed it. I forgot my gloves and my fingers are more than likely going to turn black and fall off. Here's my question. I fish the edges for bass. At dusk, on a calm night, the middle boils with small fish action hitting the flys, and it there is visible large fish turbulence around all this action. I sat in the middle of this and threw everything I had to no avail. It's a trout lake. Any opinions?
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Dave..... I can be a pain in the bass.

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

A small floating Rapala will get surface feeders, whether they're trout, white perch, sunnies, yellow perch, black crappie or even largemouth bass. If you toss one out there on light fluorocarbon line and give it l - o - n - g pauses, fish will swim up and hit it.
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Don't forget to wear sunscreen and don't litter!

TurtleKiss · Joined: 09 Mar 2010 Posts: 1200 Location: central CT

A tiny torpedo will catch the baitfish. Once you determine what they are, use a bigger lure that mimics that species to catch the bigger fish.
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Kira

*~ "Not everything about fishing is noble, reasonable and sane..." -Henry Middleton ~*

rxpxtx · Joined: 06 May 2012 Posts: 259

Now that ^^^is a logical tidbit of advice. TY!
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Dave..... I can be a pain in the bass.

Ryanmalloy44 · Joined: 24 Jan 2012 Posts: 92

It's most definetly not just a trout lake. It's one of the main lakes I fished with my dad growing up learning to bass fish. Let me tell you the quantity and quality of bass far exceeds what people think.

Keep it simple right now. Throw a tube or jig at all the light spots you see as they should be pre/post/or in spawn right now on the beds. They're there and trust me when I say I've caught quite a few over 4 and 5 in there. I know my father had one over 7 quite a while ago

rxpxtx · Joined: 06 May 2012 Posts: 259

You misunderstood. I've caught hundreds of bass at Cedar as I live 5 minutes away, and they are definitely bedded down right now. It's a trout management lake, and I'm pretty sure its not bass swirling under the baitfish just at dark out in the middle. I was looking for info on working these spots and I think surface rapala's will be the ticket.
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Dave..... I can be a pain in the bass.

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

You were seeing either trout, sunnies, or crappie coming up for their evening insect bite.

Throwing a light or ultra light shallow diving Rapala would be the trick. Even taking a 5cm or 7cm Original Floater and just twitching it on the surface will get the fish to come right up for it thinking it's an insect.

Ryanmalloy44 · Joined: 24 Jan 2012 Posts: 92

My bad brother... Mis read!

rxpxtx · Joined: 06 May 2012 Posts: 259

Thanks for the tips on fishing the evening boil. On a night with no wind, the whole middle really does come alive. Lake based trout really are my moby dick. I havent caught one in a lake since I was a kid on Lake (ocean) Champlain 40 years ago, where I thought I snagged a tree while trolling and drug up a 6.75 lb rainbow. If all the planets align, Im hoping to be out on Cedar by 1730 on thurs, and then hit Pattaconk (behind Cedar) same time friday eve. I'll be bass fishin, but I'm heading out from the beds when the flies hit the water.
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Dave..... I can be a pain in the bass.

MarkO · Joined: 12 Nov 2007 Posts: 330

I fished Cedar extensively back in the late 80's and early 90's. What you are seeing are giant schools of alewives. It use to happen to us every time at dusk also.

We never had any success catching anything around the schools, mostly I believe because the predator fish had such a buffet to choose from that our lures were ignored. Who wants to eat spam when steak is available?

I agree with the poster who stated about the largemouth bass, plenty of big girls in there.

rxpxtx · Joined: 06 May 2012 Posts: 259

Couldnt get a bite off senko or a spinner, so I switched to zoom green pumpkin lizard with a 3/0 weighted wide gamu with screw.. Drifted down the same tree line and boated a pair of 2 pounders and a 2 3/4. Picky effers. I was too annoyed to take pictures. It is weedy there and I shredded half a bag of new senko worms. I think they have too much salt in them. i fished some strikeking that looked almost the same in the water for half the price and they held up fine. It was also blowing like snot and a tree ate a spinner I just tricked out with extra skirting, a shad tail and trailer hook. Oh well, at least I came home smelling like fish.
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Dave..... I can be a pain in the bass.

mikey5string · Joined: 09 May 2012 Posts: 179 Location: West Haven

The large fish you see rolling around near the shore are most likely carp.
Ive never seen anyone catch them while they are doing this, its probably some sort of spawning ritual.

I love when this happens because everyone runs over to that spot and throws everything they can at them while I slip into the great spots they had and catch bass!

I dont fish for carp though. I dont fish for anything over 10lbs that bites a piece of corn thrown on top of them. Wink

I saw a guy catch a 16lb with a fly rod a few weeks ago, looked like a fun experience just not for me.