CTFishTalk.com: Manitook Lake 11/06 - Connecticut Lake Reports ( CT Lake Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

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

I just had to take my sexy new kayak out for a spin, so I met up with DirtyDawg10 (aka Derek) and we checked out Manitook Lake for the first time this morning. Derek paddled The Manatee (aka his inflatable kayak). I haven't chosen a name for my new boat yet, but what do you think of "El Mango"? We had permission from a riparian property owner to park in his lot and launched in the south end of the lake. We got on the water at 7:15 am and were off the water by 10:45 am. Derek got called to help his wife with a power outage at their house and I was shivering by then, anyway. I wore my winter coat and waterproof pants, and even fished with gloves on for a while, but brrrr! I felt almost blind without the fish finder on my Hobie to tell me the water depth and temperature, but "freakin' cold" sums up the conditions fairly accurately. The air temperature ranged from the mid 30s to the low 40s. There was a cold mist when we launched and the sun peeked out from the behind the clouds for only 10 minutes during the whole time we were on the water. Thankfully, there was little to no wind until 10:00 am, when a slight breeze began to blow steadily from the north. It ended up pushing us along on our way back to the south end when we were leaving, so it wasn't a bad thing.

The south end of the lake is a narrow channel that's only two to three feet deep. Since the water was so cold and shallow, and there was a fair amount of green slime on the bottom, we decided to paddle straight to the main body of the lake. When we got there, we spotted a romp of otters in the water. They porpoised up and out of the water to check us out from a distance, and then quietly disappeared into the shoreline on the east side of the lake, which is largely undeveloped. It was still misty and cold, so we decided to continue paddling all the way to the north end of the lake. Derek trolled a shallow diving white Bomber crankbait, and I trolled a 1/2 ounce red spinnerbait with double willow blades and a trailer hook. We didn't get any hits along the way. The north end of the lake is pretty shallow. Although the water was pea soup stained and clear down to only a couple of feet, we could see the bottom. I began throwing the spinnerbait toward the center of the lake and got a good hit on it. I caught a 15 inch chain pickerel, which was unexpected because the Angler's Guide lists sunfish and largemouth bass as the only species of fish in the lake. I didn't want to put the pickerel in the boat on my lap and it shook itself off of the hook beside the boat before I could get my cellphone out to take a photo of it, but trust me, they're in there. I began throwing the spinnerbait to the south, parallel to the west shore. About 10 feet off of the tip of a laydown on the shore, I got another hit and landed a decent largemouth bass:

The bass was 19 inches long and weighed exactly three pounds. And you can see that I was fishing with black leather gloves on! Very Happy

Unfortunately, neither Derek nor I got any more action after that. There are definitely some decent largemouth bass in Manitook Lake. A guy who was taking photos on the shore told us that ice fishing is popular there on the weekends during the Winter. I'd love to head back there in the Spring, but would rather fish a larger lake or a river in this frigid weather. Brrrr!
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Daryl · Joined: 24 Sep 2010 Posts: 70 Location: Simsbury, CT

Phil, I hear your new kayak is sexy because she has great curves. Is this true?
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Daryl

"Fishing is much more than fish. It is the great occasion when we may return to the fine simplicity of our forefathers." - Herbert Hoover

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

She has a sexy "Swede form design". Very Happy

Ooo la la!

For a shorter kayak (i.e., 11-1/2 feet), she tracks really well. And the two cupholders really work. I didn't spill a drop of my coffee. Perhaps I should name her "Sexy Mango" or "Hot Mango". Too weird?
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DirtyDawg10 · Joined: 27 May 2009 Posts: 2238 Location: Granby, CT

Manitook is a beautiful location and it looks pretty bassy but other than the one bass Phil caught we didn't see any other bass. I caught the skunk on my short trip there. I mostly threw a chartreuse spinnerbait and a silver crankbait but didn't even get a bite. I did come away with some good pics though...including Phil's new "sexy" yak and his 3lber. When we first hit the main lake it was filled with fog which eventually burned off.

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

She looks like a "sexy creamsicle" Smile

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

Hey, hey, hey! You're just jealous. No licking my boat, Dawg!
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DirtyDawg10 · Joined: 27 May 2009 Posts: 2238 Location: Granby, CT

lol...I am jealous...I love creamsicles. Plus you can stand up at the shore without getting your feet wet and your new yak makes the manatee look like it's standing still.

SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629

Hi Phil!

Like I gave Daryl the idea to name his boat "MOBD" (My Other Brother Daryl).

You could name your Kayak "TOW" for (The Other Woman) -> Least it's short and will fit about anywhere on the boat! Very Happy

SeaDog1

Oh! Just thought of another name -> How about "FANCY" after the song Reba McIntyre sang! That's pretty good and "Oooo la la" does seem to fit! Very Happy

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

Daryl and I discussed the name for my new boat and came up with "El Habanero". I think it's HOT!
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DirtyDawg10 · Joined: 27 May 2009 Posts: 2238 Location: Granby, CT

It is about the same color as a habanero.

SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629

Hi Phil!

I gave this some serious thought and came up with the following!
These are names in the Phillipino language Tagalog.

Aglibut -> To roam around
Angara -> Beautiful
Biloy -> Small boat
Kahel -> Orange

I named my Guideboat "Chasee Mare" which means "Small Coaster" after the small coastal sailing vessels in Europe.

We mariner always call our vessels as a "She" and I just think one should name their vessel with a name that has some personal meaning to it.

Of the names above -> I like "Angara -> Beautiful" and "Kahel -> Orange" in that order -> Just seem to have a nice ring to them!

Still "She" is your boat and any name you pick will be just fine -> as long as you christen her properly! Razz

Best regards,
SeaDog1