CTFishTalk.com: Pike Party - Connecticut Lake Reports ( CT Lake Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

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

I'm gonna need some bigger bobbers. . . . Very Happy

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

Sunday's wind forecast looks terrific. I'm gettin' e'cited, Lucy!
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TurtleKiss · Joined: 09 Mar 2010 Posts: 1200 Location: central CT

It is with great sadness that I must inform you all that I won't be attending the Bantam pike party. After fishing Bantam today, I've decided that going back in 2 days with my boat on a Sunday will truly suck. I'll still be targeting pike on Sunday, but for my own sanity I'll be taking my "party" to 8mph limit Hopeville instead.
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Kira

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

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

I was also wondering how the water traffic would be on Bantam on a Sunday. So how was the fishing on Bantam today?

SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629

Hi!

I'm with Kira on this!

I don't fish open water at Bantam, Highland, Gardner, or any other big waters in Ct.

Too many hot rod boaters with no sense of marine courtesy to those in small crafts Exclamation

I prefer to stay on smaller waters where I don't have to constantly be looking over my shoulder and have to watch out for the high powered boats, their wash and wake, and the noise Exclamation

The exception was last week up at Otis Res. where the big high powered bass boats actually throttled back to a crawl to pass by smaller crafts.
Even the jet boats stayed well away from those in small crafts.
I was amazed and pleased to see them do this!
Real marine courtesy on their part!
I'll be going back to Otis real soon!

SeaDog1

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

DickVanPike · Joined: 29 Sep 2010 Posts: 150

sorry i missed this event, maybe next time....

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

DickVanPike - Not that it wasn't fun, but it wasn't much of an "event". There were only three boats and four guys on Bantam Lake, plus TurtleKiss (aka Kira) and her boat on Hopeville Pond. And then the Pike Kings ended the contest at 8:00 am with their 41 inch, 17-1/2 pound monster. But after Pike King Flipper's post about his failure to find pike in Mansfield Hollow so far this year, maybe we should organize a search party out there. Very Happy

BTW - I wanted to mention that I've been using a 17 pound fluorocarbon leader on 30 or 50 pound braid in hopes of not getting broken off by any chain pickerel or northern pike that I might happen to come across. I figured that fluorocarbon would be more abrasion resistant than braid. Of course, I haven't come across any pickerel or pike with this setup, yet (my first 23 inch pike was caught on braid only, which snapped immediately after I got it aboard my boat), but the captain of the fishing charter that I was just on, Cap'n Mick, told me that braid alone is sufficient. We threw spinnerbaits tied directly to braid, and landed 22 pike and pike/pickerel hybrids, with only one break off. I think that's a pretty convincing success rate for braid only. Does anyone have an opinion about the value of using a fluorocarbon leader?
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Bass Sniper · Joined: 05 Feb 2010 Posts: 255 Location: west haven

in my opinion braid is good by itself unless your fishing for chainsaws.....just my two cents...
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DirtyDawg10 · Joined: 27 May 2009 Posts: 2238 Location: Granby, CT

I'm not really sure either but I would guess that the wire on the spinnerbait itself helps prevent pikes from tearing through the line most of the time. It would only depend how deep the lure ends up in the fish's mouth.

The day I caught my pike it was on 17lb mono and it carved right through it like butter. Of course the setup I had with a steel leader on it never got hit by any pike...just bass.

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

Got my pike on a spinnerbait with a steel leader.
After that bowfin shredded my 17lb mono earlier this year, I decided to use steel when targeting anything with sharp teeth.
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Kira

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

Flipper · Joined: 21 May 2010 Posts: 347 Location: Enfield

I use 17-20lb mono but attach to 2-3ft of 30lb Spiderwire then steel leader. Not sure if all braids are made the same way, but that spiderwire is strong - you can't even cut it w/ nail clippers. I have literally dented the metal that they are made of. I was using just the spiderwire and never had a problem, but added the steel to keep the sunfish I use as bait from tangling up. It does knot very easily when tangled and I got sick of tying new riggs.
I do know of a guide that uses 30lb braid for his main and 50lb flouro for a leader. Judging by the pics he has it seems to work fine. I have yet to try it myself.
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