CTFishTalk.com: Salmon River 10/30 - Connecticut River Reports ( CT River Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

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

Fishface (aka Tim) and I had planned to fish Keeney Cove today, because Tim had never been there when the water wasn't frozen solid. When we arrived at about 7:00 am, the gates across Point Road were closed and pallets were piled on the road just inside the gates. We wondered why until we saw that the road was one or two feet under the water! Shocked

So we changed gears and decided to head down to Salmon Cove. On the way there, we saw that Upper Moodus was waay low. We arrived at the Salmon River boat launch ramp around 7:30 am. There was only one boat trailer in the lot. The air temperature was about 40 degrees, but rose to about 55 degrees by the time that we left. The sky was overcast, but we got some sun after noon. There was just a little bit of wind out of the south, but it rose quite a bit after noon and was blowing at about 10 miles per hour as we headed back to the ramp. The water temperature at the ramp was 44.7 degrees, but was as high as 53.2 degrees in the Salmon River. The weeds that Tim saw near the ramp when he was there earlier this year are all dead and mostly gone. Soon after we launched my Hobie and Tim's kayak, I landed a healthy looking 14 inch largemouth bass:

It picked up a Strike King Rage Tail Space Monkey on a weighted 5/0 hook off of the bottom in only a couple of feet of water off of the point that's directly across from the ramp. We didn't get any action as we continued up the cove to the tidal flats. As we rounded the bend into the flats, we saw swans everywhere. There were hundreds of them:

Other than the hard to locate channel, the flats are extremely shallow and covered with mostly dead weeds. On our way up the cove toward the Salmon River, they were about one and a half to two feet deep. On the way back, they were about one to one and a half feet deep. Yeap, I had a tough pedal back. We headed across the flats to the western shore and began throwing lures at the shore. Tim worked a laydown and landed an 18 inch, two pound, nine ounce largemouth bass:

It was tight to the shore in only about a foot of water and hit Tim's wacky five inch black Senko as soon as it hit the water. I thought that it would weigh at least three pounds. You agree with me that Tim's scale is busted, right? Anyway, we continued through the cove to where the Guide (i.e., A Fisheries Guide to Lakes and Ponds of Connecticut) says that the Salmon River actually begins (e.g., the Moodus River also empties into the cove). The mouth of the river is a steeply sided narrow channel that's 20 feet deep. In the deepest part of the channel, I drifted over the biggest bait ball that I've ever seen on my fish finder, which also marked a half a dozen fish. However, we couldn't get the fish to bite anything that we threw at it. As we continued past the first bend up the river, I drifted over another fish filled bait ball off the tip of a laydown. Again, we couldn't get the fish to bite anything that we threw at them, although I got a good strong tug on a wacky rigged, five inch, green pumpkin/red flake Senko. However, on the upriver side of the laydown, I landed a 16 inch, one pound, 15 ounce largemouth bass on the wacky Senko. And shortly after that, Tim landed another largemouth bass on a jig in the same laydown. Unfortunately, I was too slow to get over and take a photo. Tim had been holding the jig up for about 30 seconds when the almost foot long fish shook itself free. He said that it looked like it had been very recently bitten by a much larger fish, but had somehow managed to escape with only bite marks on both sides of its body.

We traveled quite a bit further up the river but didn't get any more action. We probably traveled about two miles from the ramp. I got within sight of the Route 151 bridge, but we had to head back to get Tim home on schedule. On our way back over the tidal flats, we were about 20 feet apart when a two and a half foot long carp decided to rise up and do a donut on the surface of the water between us. We were off the water by 3:00 pm. We had a pretty good day, especially after talking with a couple of other boats that we saw out there. One boat got only a couple of yellow perch and the other one got the skunk. In the end, I'm really glad that Keeney Cove was flooded out this morning.
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DirtyDawg10 · Joined: 27 May 2009 Posts: 2238 Location: Granby, CT

Sounds like a nice trip. Wish I could have joined you guys. I tried to fish Keeney on Friday and it was flooded and the gate was closed. Next time I'll post something to save someone else a trip.

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

Gee, thanks for the heads up, Dawg! Rolling Eyes

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

Sorry...

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

Very informative. I knew that there was some deeper water way back in there from satelite photos of the area. Gaurantee it was a pike that hit the bass. Also good to know there is a lot of bait back there. Don't know how far back I can get in with my boat, though. I'm surprised you guys didn't get any pike action Question

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

Hey, Flipper. It gets really shallow, really fast, once you get past the first houses on the river, near the islands. And we weren't throwing anything that northern pike like to eat.
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asianfisher · Joined: 12 Jan 2009 Posts: 920

kinda looks like hamburg cove.......

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

Sorry I have not been able to post my part of report Phil covered most. I do have some pictures to post I will get to them. I had some family stuff to take care of. My Mom had a heart attack early Sunday morning. She is doing better today. I will post them when I get 20mins free. Oh yeah great report Phil

Tim

Daryl · Joined: 24 Sep 2010 Posts: 70 Location: Simsbury, CT

Best wishes Tim. I'm glad your mother is doing better. My thoughts go out to you and your family during this stressful time.
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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

Just take care of your mom, Tim.
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Don't forget to wear sunscreen and don't litter!

SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629

Hi Tim!

Hope your Mom gets better -> family always comes 1st!

SeaDog1

asianfisher · Joined: 12 Jan 2009 Posts: 920

Yeah man... Hope, goes out to you and your fam man..........

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

Sorry to hear about your Mom, Tim...hoping for a quick recovery for her.

Phish · Joined: 22 Aug 2008 Posts: 454 Location: West Hartford

I hope she gets well soon, Tim.

Rippin' Hawgs · Joined: 10 Jan 2010 Posts: 47 Location: East Haddam CT

i think i passed you guys in salmon. i had the red ranger with a merc on it.... i was headed up the salmon you were headed back down..