CTFishTalk.com: Empty Lake Bass Club - Gardner Lake Tournament 9-13 - Connecticut Fishing Tournaments ( CT Fishing Tournaments ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

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

Fished 6am -2pm
Water temps 68 to 72
Air temps 65 to 78
Water clarity clear in most areas to slightly stained
Winds 5 to 10mph
Skies cloudy in the early am, giving way to bright sunny skies by 10am

Pointing dog and I started off throwing sammy's, and pop r's over shallow and deeper weeds with only 1 slime dart to show for it. With the winds picking up pretty quickly in the am we switched to spinnerbaits and rattle traps with nothing to show for that. I finally caught a short largemouth from a dock with a texas rigged baby bass senko. So we started fishing docks and got nothing else. We took the tube and senko and started catching them out in 6 to 8 foot weedbeds. So we started hitting the deeper weedbeds at our first stop and had a limit of 12 to 13 inch largies by 7:45am. We proceeded to spot hop our usual weedy spots at Gardner, duplicating the same depths and culled 2 fish for a few ounces each time. We still had under 6lbs at this point for 5 fish.

I had mentioned to pointing dog that we should try a new weedy/fishy looking spot, that I had stumbled upon the weekend before when doing the bobber and worm thing with my 4 year old and my niece and nephew. He was not in favor of this decision, and we hit a few other spots, but with no fish caught in the last 3 hours, so at about 12:30pm, and with nothing to loose at this point, he finally said ok lets go hit your spot.

So we pull up on this spot and P dog casts to some very thick coontail and picks up another 1.25lb largie which culls out our last 12 incher. Then no sooner does he get his bait back in the water, when I cast towards shore and drag my senko to the inside edge of another really large thick patch of coontail that drops into about 4 to 5 feet of water, and it gets heavy. So I set the hook on a fish that I think is just another cookie cutter 1 or 2 lber, because it swims directly at me into the thick stuff.

At this point P dog asks me " Is it a big one?" Thinking the fish is mostly weed weight around a small bass, I answer "I don't know? I don't think so?" So I proceed to horse it to the top of the coontail patch and this monster largemouth shows herself with no weeds attached. At this point Pointing dog just about craps himself, he stumbles and trips scraping his hand reaching for the net. Keep in mind neither of us have seen a bass bigger than 1.75lbs today, or any bass for that matter in the past 3 hours. She surges under the boat and I work her out and she goes into the deep coontail again. Finally she comes topside and P dog lands her in the net. All this 40 yards from another team, that at the sight of all this, 1 member drops his rod on the deck of his boat and puts his hands on his hips shaking his head. She was beautiful, and went 5-2 on the digital scale. She only measured 20 inches, but she was a porky thing with shoulders and girth!

At this point I am jumping up and down and all around on the back deck, hootin and hollerin, knowing that this fish will probably give us another good finish if not a win, on a day where everybody semed to be struggling to catch any good sized fish. When it hits me P dog had left her flopping around in the net on the back deck, reality check time dummy, get the fish in the box then celebrate.

That would be the last keeper we put in the boat for the day.

1st place - Pointing dog and Slimecoat with 9-14 (lunker a 5-2 largie)
2nd place - Sarom and Steve with 8-14
3rd place - Mike S. and Rich B. 8-7

All in all a good day, all teams caught fish, most had 5 fish limits, and a lot of pickeral caught. Pointing Dog will post the picture of the lunker at some point I'm sure.

Our next outing is Lake Zoar on 9-27
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mongo · Joined: 10 Sep 2009 Posts: 2

what a difference a day makes - we had a tourn there on saturday - a 5lber was also caught , but for the most part the rest of us stunk up the joint - noone had theire limit - inlcuding yours truly - winning weight was only 7.26
gardner has become a 'luck ' lake - you just gotta either wait them out on the flat or just stumble on where they are feeding at that moment...i guess it's too pressured with the new ramp and all...ah well.. but that wont stop me from going up there especially to camp out at pequot ledge..top notch people
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slimecoat · Joined: 09 Nov 2007 Posts: 1576 Location: Newington, CT.

Find the weeds, and the bass are usually there. The giant flat has been crap since they initially sprayed the weeds 8 years ago. For the most part you need to fish super slow and drag senkos, tubes, worms, and jigs. It's all about spending time on the water, and finding deeper weeds that don't get pressured too much.
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SkeeterJim · Joined: 08 May 2007 Posts: 2219 Location: Newington, CT

Congrats on the lunker and the win Gary.
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slimecoat · Joined: 09 Nov 2007 Posts: 1576 Location: Newington, CT.

Thanks Jim......
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SkeeterRon · Joined: 01 Jun 2007 Posts: 1173 Location: Newington, CT

Nice job buddy.

Congrats on the Win/Lunker
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slimecoat · Joined: 09 Nov 2007 Posts: 1576 Location: Newington, CT.

Thanks Ron!
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Pointingdog · Joined: 06 Dec 2007 Posts: 113

HERE IT IS....!!!

Also... Take a look at how he handled the fish, absolutly professional!...good points below!

Tips for Proper Care and Handling of Lunker Bass

1.Land the fish as quickly as possible. Playing a fish to exhaustion diminishes its chance of survival.

2.If possible, refrain from using a dip net that has a mesh larger than ¼ inch and /or is not a smooth mesh. When using a net, always make sure it is wet before it touches the fish.

3.Avoid excessive handling or dropping of the fish while removing the hook. The fish will benefit from remaining in water (boat livewell or a large cooler filled with water) while the hook is removed with needlenosed pliers. Hold the fish vertically by the lower lip while it is in the water so that the total weight of the fish doesn’t rest on the lower jaw.

4.Take the fish to a marina or closest certified scales as soon as possible. Transport the fish in a properly aerated livewell or a large cooler equipped with an aerator.

5.Before removing the fish from the transport container, have the certified scales ready for weighing. Try to arrange to hold the fish in the marina’s minnow vat after it is weighed.

6.To reduce stress when removing the fish from the transport container for weighing, move the fish as close as possible to the scales and holding vat before removal. If everything is ready before the fish is removed from the transport container, weighing time can be less than one minute.

7.It is best to sedate the fish in the transport container before weighing or taking pictures. Marinas and bait shops can supply the recommended chemicals. Wet your hands before handling the fish. Lift the fish from the water vertically by clamping your thumb on the bottom lip. To raise the fish into a horizontal position, support the fish’s weight by placing your off-hand under the fish just behind the anal fin. This method should also be used if the fish is not sedated. Don’t roll back the lip in an effort to paralyze the fish. This can damage the lower jaw and hinder or prevent the fish from feeding after being released. The fish should not be out of the water longer than 30 seconds. Persons taking pictures should have their cameras ready before the fish is removed from the holding container. Holding the fish out of the water two to three minutes, or holding it in a plastic bag without proper aeration, causes stress that can damage the eyes or cause a bacterial and/or fungal infection. Such damage could cause mortality even several weeks later. Note that stress is increased by extremes in temperatures and/or windy weather conditions.

8.Ideal water temperature for holding fish is 55 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, and the water temperature should not be changed more than five or six degrees per hour. If water is aerated and treated with bacterial/fungal retardant, low water temperature may not be crucial.
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Justin Tralli · Joined: 05 May 2007 Posts: 656 Location: Glastonbury, CT

hey nice sweats Gary!! Smile

you know what they say, "when people where sweat pants in public, it tells the world, I give up!" Smile

Nice fish brotha!!
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slimecoat · Joined: 09 Nov 2007 Posts: 1576 Location: Newington, CT.

For the record Justin, they are sweat pant shorts cuttoffs. I'm also not concerned with the "fashion show bass fisherman", Shocked

I'm there to catch hogs like the one above, looking good doesn't concern me so much anymore.But yes you're right, I've given up the fight. LOL Laughing

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Pointingdog · Joined: 06 Dec 2007 Posts: 113

All that needs to be said is.... Elastic Waistband!!!
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slimecoat · Joined: 09 Nov 2007 Posts: 1576 Location: Newington, CT.

Pointing dog, Is that why you don't wear underwear? Shocked

Oh I forgot, I wasn't supposed to mention that in public. Embarassed

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