CTFishTalk.com: Bantam 9-26 - Connecticut Lake Reports ( CT Lake Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

Bass Sniper · Joined: 05 Feb 2010 Posts: 255 Location: west haven

Me and flipper got on the water at 7, water temp was around 67, light wind all in all beautiful day. Flipper IS THE KING OF PIKE FOR ALL OF ETERNITY, as it has been decided. He caught a 41 inch 17.5lb Pike at about 8 am, im sure pictures will be up soon enough, it was a monster. it was very exciting, I caught a bass and a pickeral, no pike.....fun day, im taking a nap now!
_________________
"Taco flavored Doritos
And my orange life vest
caught a hundred pound sturgeon
On twenty-pound test "

SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629

WHOA! -> Hold on BS! Shocked

Nice ! BUT!
That title is yet to be proven Exclamation

No picture (with length measured "properly" against a measuring tape/stick for authentication) then that title your bestowing is not valid!

If that Pike "is" as big as you say it is -> Then it could qualify as a possible "recent" state record!

Not saying the Pike wasn't a WHOOPER!
BUT, its always best to show proven evidence before bestowing titles on anyone!

Was the fish released unharmed Question

Best regards, Mr. Green

SeaDog1

P.S. State of Ct. "recorded" record Pike (29 lbs. No length recorded) was caught in Lake Lily 1980 by Joseph Nett

brennan · Joined: 26 Oct 2007 Posts: 334 Location: Trumbull, CT

That is a biggun....I am not sweating the pics with measuring paraphernalia. I know they are in there, but have never had one that big make it into the boat.....I lost one boatside about that big two years ago....

Did he get it on bait or something artificial?

B

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

Phil and myself can confirm this report Razz

We were fishing Bantam today too and saw the pics. It was truly a monster. I thought I was having a good day when I caught my pike but Damien definitely showed me up today.

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

To answer Brennan's question...it was caught on dead bait.

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

I have to say, "All Hail the Pike Kings!" (aka Flipper aka Damian and aka Bass Sniper aka Joe)! This morning, DirtyDawg10 (aka Derek) and I picked up the gauntlet that had been thrown down by Damian and Joe and took them on in the Pike Challenge:

http://www.ctfishtalk.com/pike-party-t5689.html

We launched from the Bantam Lake ramp at 6:15 am and headed north up the east shore toward the mouth of the Bantam River. I pedaled my Hobie and Derek paddled his inflatable sink. It was a gorgeous morning; overcast and cool. We stopped to fish the shallow area on the eastern shore that's marked by four buoys. I caught a 15 inch, 1 pound 8 ounce largemouth bass off of the big rock in the middle of the shallows with a wacky watermelon/red and black flake Senko. As we worked our way north, we pitched lures at docks, boats and swimming platforms. At 6:40 am, Derek threw a wacky Senko at a large plastic dock and got a good hit. He soon realized that it wasn't a largemouth bass, but a northern pike. And a good one at that! It was 27 inches long and 4 pounds:

Dawg will have to fill in the details of this and the rest of the fish that he caught. But at this point, we were feeling pretty good about the Pike Challenge. Dawg was so hopped up that he couldn't tie on a new hook for 5 minutes. But we continued up to the point at the entrance to the north cove of the lake, where I caught a rock bass. I'm pretty sure that Dawg caught one, too. Anyway, we continued up the mouth of the Bantam River and threw topwater lures over the pads. The water level on the lake is really low; none of the bass boats could even get close to where we were:

We got nothing, so we continued into the mouth of the river, where I gave Dawg another lesson on fishing with wacky Senkos. I caught three decent largemouth bass in the short stretch of river up to the beaver dam: 21 inches, 3 pounds 8 ounces; 16 inches, 2 pounds; and 18 inches, 3 pounds 1 ounce. As we left the mouth of the river, I spotted Damian and Joe in Damian's boat in the deeper water nearby:

I paddled over to say "Hi" and was disappointed to hear that Damian had also caught a northern pike that was "a little bigger" than Dawg's. But when Damian showed me the photo, all I could do was say, "Holy s#*%!", and break the news to Dawg that we had absolutely NO chance to win the Pike Challenge. Like I said before, "All Hail the Pike Kings!"

Derek and I explored much of the rest of the lake in our slow, methodical way. I caught a few more small largemouth bass, 14 inches, 13 inches and 13 inches. We got off the water at 5:00 pm and celebrated Derek's fantastic fishing birthday weekend with dinner at a restaurant in Litchfield. I'm already looking forward to his next birthday. Thanks, Dawg!
_________________
Don't forget to wear sunscreen and don't litter!

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

Congrats Flipper, I wish I could have been there. Derek, Phil great good by you guys, BS good day for you also, I will try for the next trip.

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

Phil schooled me on the Bass again today and Damian sure schooled me on the Pike but I'm not complaining by any means. It was a great day of fishing and I caught my own PB Pike.

As Phil mentioned we started off in the shallow area on the East shore and I picked up a 12" LMB on a wacky near the same spot Phil caught his. We weren't getting much so we decided to make our way up to the mouth of the River. On the way we decided to fish the docks which turned out to be a great idea. I threw a wacky watermelon senko at one of the plastic docks and let it sink and didn't pick up anything. I twitched it a couple times and still nothing but as I started my retrieve...WHAM!!...I knew it was something good size but I thought it was a bass. When I got it closer to the boat I saw clearly that it was a Pike and he must have seen me because he dove down and bent my medium weight rod right in half. I pulled to get it onto the boat as quickly as I could and just as I did he ripped my 17lb mono to shreds. I had to get the thing in a rear naked choke to keep it from flopping off the side of my yak and back into the water. What a rush that fish was to catch. Here's another pic of it while Phil was performing the weigh-in.

As Phil mentioned we paddled up to the mouth and I caught a rock bass on the way over. I didn't end up catching anything at the mouth of the river but here's just a sampling of what Phil caught...
3lb 8oz

3lb 1oz

After we left the mouth we headed West and I picked up a 13" LMB off the edge of some pads. We fished at the West edge some more but I didn't pick up anything else until I decided to troll a silver crankbait around the peninsula and into the South end of the lake. I picked up a 14" LMB and a 14" SMB 1lber. Here's a pic of the smallie.

We fished the marina a bit and I saw something that looked to be a good size bass follow my crankbait but it didn't bite. I followed up with another cast at a different angle and picked up a small yellow perch instead. I was about to toss it back and then Phil talked me into using it for bait so I tied on a big hook and floated it out on a bobber in hopes of a last minute comeback for the pike challenge but it just wasn't meant to be today. I picked up a white perch on the silver crank on the way back to the boat ramp then I released the YP. He will most likely become a pike snack very soon.

Thanks for keeping me company the last several days, Phil. As usual it was a pleasure fishing with you.

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

Derek didn't really point it out, but he caught everything but the kitchen sink, today. He caught a largemouth bass, a northern pike, a rock bass, a smallmouth bass, a yellow perch and a white perch. That's why Fishface calls him The Crankbait Kid; he catches everything with that crankbait! Very Happy

Here's a photo of Derek and his smallie:

_________________
Don't forget to wear sunscreen and don't litter!

Bass Sniper · Joined: 05 Feb 2010 Posts: 255 Location: west haven

we punched the fish and called its mother names before releasing it...
_________________
"Taco flavored Doritos
And my orange life vest
caught a hundred pound sturgeon
On twenty-pound test "

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

I'm dyin' to see that photo again.
_________________
Don't forget to wear sunscreen and don't litter!

Bass Sniper · Joined: 05 Feb 2010 Posts: 255 Location: west haven

im sure as soon as Damien gets the time to upload and resize, he will post...it was huge, the head on that fish was just enormous, had to be at least 8 inches wide....just incredible, and on a dead Alewife...not alive.....dead
_________________
"Taco flavored Doritos
And my orange life vest
caught a hundred pound sturgeon
On twenty-pound test "

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

Bass Sniper · Joined: 05 Feb 2010 Posts: 255 Location: west haven

absolutely cant wait. also cant wait for hard water!
_________________
"Taco flavored Doritos
And my orange life vest
caught a hundred pound sturgeon
On twenty-pound test "

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

OK, Flipper, is it Damien or Damian? And where the heck is that photo?

And Bluegill Terminator, before you jump in about the persecution of live bait users, I have no problem with using live or dead bait. I just haven't tried it, yet, but am sure that I will, soon. Towing bait under a bobber behind my boat while I fish with artificial baits sounds like a good way to cover all of my bases. Obviously, It works great!
_________________
Don't forget to wear sunscreen and don't litter!