CTFishTalk.com: Empty Lake Bass Club - Lake Zoar tournament 8-15 - Connecticut Fishing Tournaments ( CT Fishing Tournaments ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

slimecoat · Joined: 09 Nov 2007 Posts: 1576 Location: Newington, CT.

Time: 6:30am - 2:30pm
Winds: none to light / 6-8mph max
Water: Stained to extremely stained
Water temps: 74 degrees
Air Temp: 60 in am to 80 during the day
Weather Cond: mostly cloudy with little to no sun, a couple sprinkles late in the day

Pointing dog and I fished hard all day and only got 7 keeper bites, luckily 4 of the 5 were good ones.

We fished north of the 84 bridge for the most part all day. Pointing dog took us up a small river and fished a few docks and laydowns with only 1 blow up on a lucky craft sammy 100 that did not hook up. We followed it up with a tube and a senko with no pay off, so we left to head up river.

We fished a couple banks with laydowns and then an outside weed edge in 6 to 9 feet of water when we both put fish in the box. I started with a 2-lb smallie on a green pumpkin colored senko, and he got a 1-lber on a green pumpkin tube.

Then we moved back down south to fish some docks and pilings when I hooked up with a beautiful 4-9 largie on the same senko. Then on some pee gravel between 2 docks I picked up another nice largie that went 2.5-lbs on the same bait. We were both catching shorts from time to time, from under the docks and outside weed edges.

At this point we have 4 keepers for about 10-lbs, and need to get the limit fish. So we head back up river and fish the same banks with laydown trees and outside weed edges. This time one of the trees pays off, pointing dog hangs his tube in the tree below the water line on the 2nd cast, but as it pops off the tree, the line takes off for deep water. He sets the hook and the fight is on with a really nice 3-lb largie. We caught a couple smaller keepers after that from weeds and docks, but nothing that will help our weight.

We end up winning with 13lbs -3oz.
2nd place - Mike and Rich with 12lbs -3oz., with 2 really nice 3+lb smallies
3rd place - Greg and partner with 6lbs -4oz. for 4 fish
Lunker - Pointing dog and myself with a 4-9 largie
Congrats to the winners for catching them on a tough day.

The rest of the field really struggled to catch keepers and came in with weights under 5lbs.

We think the key was finding the cleaner water up north. The water in the southern half of the lake was really algae stained and not as bass friendly. The 2 top weights came from up north where we were fishing, and almost all fish were caught on senkos.

We were tied for 2nd place in the points with Mike and Rich before this event, so we took a slight lead with this win. Ron and Steve led in the points, but struggled at this event, and slid down some. But it is a much tighter race this year and more fun for all I think.

Our next event is on the CT River on August 29th.
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Life's Short - Fish Hard - Take a Kid Fishing

chumley · Joined: 25 Sep 2007 Posts: 210 Location: tolland ct

nice job guy!!! congats!!
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theres a skeeter on my peter wack it off!

DirtyDawg10 · Joined: 27 May 2009 Posts: 2238 Location: Granby, CT

Nice job on the win Gary and a great report too.

karate kid · Joined: 15 May 2007 Posts: 51 Location: Berlin,CT

Looks like your ready for the BassMaster Classic now.....Nice job!!

slimecoat · Joined: 09 Nov 2007 Posts: 1576 Location: Newington, CT.

No thanks, way to much BS for me. Besides I'm not nearly good enough to fish any circuit like that. I still learn something new almost every time I get on the water.

I forgot to add something on my original post. For any of you who may have been at the Zoar launch ramp and witnessed flying fish between 2 and 3pm, there were 2 clubs weighing in yesterday. The club weighing in near the launch ramp and dock with the fancy weigh in board for 6 boats,LOL, was keeping their fish in the weigh basket and hurling them in the air to set them free back into the water. I personally saw 3 baskets of fish take a 15 foot flight from the basket back into the lake. I want you to know it was NOT the Empty Lake Bass club. It was the other club that launched at 6am and weighed in at 2pm. We had a 6:30am launch time, and a 2:30pm weigh in.

Being the acting tournament director that day due to unforeseen circumstances, I spoke to the few folks out on the dock that happened to witness the flying fish. I explained that the old man who was mis treating the fish like that by launching them back into the lake was not with our club, and that he was not representing The Empty Lake Bass Club, or any other bass fishing club. I explained that he was a member of some animal loving, tree hugging group, and that he has an anger management problem. LOL

In all seriousness guys, that was pretty disheartening to see. He was too lazy to walk over to the waters edge and release the fish gently back into the lake. I want to make it known that this is the 1st time I have ever seen this kind of fish treatment at any weigh in -in over 15years of fishing bass tournaments.

This is not the kind of thing we need to fuel PETA or any other animal loving group. Please make efforts to release your fish gently back into the lake after catch and release tournaments. For most of you, I am preaching to the choir, but for those of you that are guilty, clean up your act.

I have already placed a call to Bill Foreman at the DEP to inform him of this poor fish treatment incident after a weigh in.
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Life's Short - Fish Hard - Take a Kid Fishing

SkeeterJim · Joined: 08 May 2007 Posts: 2219 Location: Newington, CT

Congrats on the win Gary and too bad about the dipwads mistreating the bass. I wonder what bass club promotes actions like that!!

Jim
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Eat, Sleep, Fish......I Love my SKEETER ZX225!!!
If I didn't have to work for a living....I'd be fishing.
If I'm not in my Skeeter then I'm in my Hobie!

slimecoat · Joined: 09 Nov 2007 Posts: 1576 Location: Newington, CT.

It was only 1 old guy, who was repeatedly bringing fish back from the scale to the edge of the dock and instead of bending down to release the fish gently he was flinging them back into the lake from the basket itself, and I mean these fish were getting airborn. They were landing 15 to 20 feet from the dock and atleast 8 feet high off the water. Not the kind of picture we want to paint for the general public. The DEP employee I spoke with said he would make a phone call to the other club's director and stress the importance of a gentle fish release, especially when kids and the general public is around.

Thanks for the Congrats guys and gals.
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Life's Short - Fish Hard - Take a Kid Fishing

Fishface · Joined: 02 Jan 2008 Posts: 308 Location: New Britain

Congrats Gary and Dog great report. Those knuckledicks flinging the fish will be the first ones bitching when there not catching any fish. Congrats again.

Tim