CTFishTalk.com: Bantam River - 9/4 - Connecticut River Reports ( CT River Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

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

Since my NH cod fishing trip got cancelled due to the "hurricane" I decided to hit the Bantam River with the usual suspects, Phil & Tim. It was a beautiful day to be on the water. The skies were clear but the wind gusts were pretty good and very unpredictable. We got on the water around 5:30am and I was off just before noon while Tim and Phil stayed out for a bit longer. The fishing was pretty good and I definitely caught a variety of fish. I started off throwing a crankbait and a spinnerbait because I need to get some work in with the spinnerbait. After about an hour I decided to take it off because I still can't throw it so I tied on the old faithful wacky worm.

My first fish was a rock bass right near the boat launch which I caught on the crankbait. We worked the first pool for a while and the only person having much luck there was Tim. We moved on and down around the corner I finally landed my first LMB on a 5" watermellon Cabela's (senko) wacky rigged. It was a 16" 2lber.

We kept moving down the river and came to a 90deg bend in the river where of all things I caught this 11" Bullhead on a shallow diving crankbait. It was definitely a surprise.

I caught a few more rock bass on the wacky worm and then a decent 11.5" LMB on the worm. It was getting close to time for me to leave so I decided to move ahead of Tim and Phil and fish the "doughnut" for a bit. I ended up landing this 16" pickerel on the 5" wacky.

After that I only ended up catching 1 more rock bass on the wacky again and then it was time for me to leave. I headed back to the launch while Phil and Tim continued to fish. When I was about halfway back to the launch I heard some grown men screaming...I found out afterword that it was Tim and Phil when Tim hauled in a close to 4lb lunker. Seems I picked a bad time to leave Wink

Either way it was a great day on the water. It wasn't the 30-40lb cod I was supposed to be hauling in but it was fun none the less.

SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629

Hi DD!

Cod????? -> In Sept?
Definitly not the best time to go for Cod.
Even the commercial guys don't fish for Cod or Haddock this time of year, because even the bottom water is too warm.
As a Teen I worked the fishing fleet out of New Bedford, Mass. and they know!
All the regular Cod grounds should be LOADED with Dog Fish right now!

Doormat size Fluke or Flounder (Saltwater) would be better to target this time of year for good eating type fish.

I'm now targeting (for fall) Big Slab Crappies! (Freshwater)
Here in the NW corner -> West Twin, Tyler, Dog, and Park should be good for them.
You, Phil, and Tim should give them a try.
Make for a great fish fry! Very Happy

Best regards,
SeaDog1

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

Nice report Derek. Looks like you left too soon.

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

Nice report Derek, Sorry you had to leave. I'm glad I sounded like a grown man I have been working on it for a lifetime. If it was a 5lber it mite have sounded like a little girl. LOL

Tim

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

I will post a few pictures on Tuesday.

Tim

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

Hey SD, yeah we were heading out for some cod. We also usually catch more pollock this time of year. We catch an occasional dogfish too but it's usually not too bad. Besides catching dogfish is still fun you just don't end up with as many fillets in the freezer. The cod trips usually go until the middle of November. They usually just line right up for us off the Stellwagen Bank. I may just have to try those crappies out at some point though.

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

I arrived at the canoe launch on Whites Wood Road at 5:30 AM. Tim and Derek were already there; I think Tim said that he got there before 5:00 AM. He's nuts! It was still pitch black out there. It was so dark that I threw my wacky Senko into the same overhead tree three times! Well, part of that was on me, but part of it was due to the fact that I couldn't see anything for the first 45 minutes we were there. However, the wind was negligible, and it was nice and cool. I definitely played third fiddle to Tim and Derek. While Tim was catching more than a dozen fish and Derek caught some decent fish, including a bullhead on a crankbait for goodness sake, I caught only 6 little fish:

14 inch LMB
14 inch LMB
10 inch SMB
10 inch SMB
RB
12 inch LMB

Yes, I caught a couple of smallies out there. Until Tim landed one just before I did, I didn't know that there were any smallies in Bantam River. Here's what Tim caught:

17 inch CP
15 inch, 1 lb 11 oz LMB
11 inch LMB
RB
15 inch, 1 lb 5 oz LMB
12 inch CP
12 inch LMB
15 inch, 1 lb 2 oz LMB
9 inch SMB
9 inch LMB
12 inch YP
21 inch, 3 lb 13 oz LMB
12 inch SMB

Yeap, it was the 21 inch LMB that made Tim squeal like a little girl. Shocked

Just kidding. He gave a very manly yell. Cool

The wind continued to build during the time we were on the water. I think it started to blow fairly noticably around 10:00 AM or so, when Earl showed up. But that's why we chose to fish the relatively wind-sheltered Bantam River. We got off the water by 1:45 PM and I headed off to a small bass pond in the Poconos of western PA, where I caught only 7 little LMB and 1 sunnie. I gotta say that I would rather have been fishing in CT than PA this weekend. It's good to be back home.
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Fishface · Joined: 02 Jan 2008 Posts: 308 Location: New Britain

Thanks Phil for posting my fish sizes. Greatly appreciated. I have a couple of pictures of my lunker. Sorry about I thpught they were both small

Tim

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

Nice!!