CTFishTalk.com: Nod Brook WMA 11/05 - Connecticut Lake Reports ( CT Lake Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

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

I spent part of the rainy day yesterday replacing the lug nut that fell off of one of my trailer wheels (yikes! Shocked

), re-torquing all of the critical bolts and putting some air in the tires (they were each down 20 percent from the cold!). After reading Dawg's post about how Nod Brook WMA would be closed for a dog field trial this weekend, I just had to fish it today. So I hooked up the trailer and towed my Hobie to Simsbury. When I arrived at around 10:45 am, it was overcast, cold and slightly windy. The air temperature ranged from 50 to 59 degrees. The wind blew steadily from the south at seven or eight miles per hour. It never rained, but for a while around noon there was a steady mist that made me wish I had worn my waterproof pants and chilled me to the bone. The water temperature was 47 to 48 degrees, and the water was very stained and clear down to only two feet. I decided to fish the lower (i.e., north) pond from the north end and work my way to the culvert on the south end, against both the wind and the current. Rippin' Hawgs had posted that he had some success with a spinnerbait at Salmon Cove, so I decided to throw a 1/4 ounce yellow spinnerbait with a single colorado blade. On my first cast up the channel on the north end of the pond, I got a hit from a good largemouth bass, but it somehow spit the hook, sending the spinnerbait whizzing over my Hobie. The rubber band that held the skirt on failed, so I had to tie on a new lure. I did some cursing because I didn't have another yellow spinnerbait, so I tied on a 1/2 ounce red spinnerbait with double willow blades. I was relieved when I caught an 11 inch largemouth bass with it in the channel on the north end of the pond. I worked my way toward the south end of the pond, but didn't get any more hits until I got within 60 yards of the southwest corner of the pond, where I landed a 10 inch largemouth bass. I was at the edge of some weed covered shallows, so I decided to pitch a wacky rigged four inch green pumpkin/red flake Senko at them and landed a 10 inch rock bass. I pedaled over the heavy weed cover around the south end of the pond and didn't get any more hits on the wacky Senko. My fish finder marked quite a few fish a couple of feet down in four to six feet of water, so I thought about tying on a jig to punch through the weeds. However, I decided to pedal back toward the north end of the pond and out of the worst of the weeds so that I could begin throwing the spinnerbait again, instead. As the wind and current pushed me along, I hooked up with what I knew was a big largemouth bass and landed this 18 inch, two pound, 13 ouncer:

I sent the photo to DirtyDawg10 (aka Derek) and Fishface (aka Tim) as a picture message with my cellphone. Somehow, Derek and Tim both knew that I was a Nod Brook. Go figure. Anyway, I thought, whoo hoo!, now I can get off of the water and warm up! But as I continued to drift back to the north end of the pond, I kept throwing the spinnerbait. When I neared the channel again, I landed a nine inch largemouth bass. No biggie. However, a few casts after that, I got a strong pull on the line that got stronger and stronger as I reeled it in. I started whooping it up as I pulled this 22 inch, four pound, 10 ounce largemouth bass out of the water:

That's the biggest largemouth bass that I've ever pulled out of either the lower or the upper pond at Nod Brook. Whoo hoo! I got off the water at 1:45 pm and was still shivering when I loaded my Hobie onto the trailer. The big red spinnerbait got me two big largemouth bass today. The wacky Senko just might get a break for the rest of the year.
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SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629

Hi Phil!

Is this new fish bigger than the one in your present avatar Question

SeaDog1

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

Nice job, Phil. Sweet looking fish!! I'm not sure how I knew it was Nod Brook either...somehow i just knew.

Maybe it is fishing buddy ESP? Cool

Aj1986 · Joined: 29 Jan 2010 Posts: 87

nice fish!

gecabert · Joined: 14 Jun 2010 Posts: 55

Nice fish Phil!

~George

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

Thanks, everybody. I just wish that I had been able to get a better photo of it. I was pretty cold and starting to shiver at that point. I wish that I could fish Nod Brook again this weekend. Stupid dog field trials! Confused

SeaDog1 - No, the largemouth bass in my avatar photo was also 22 inches long, but it weighed five pounds, two ounces.
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SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629

Hi Phil!

Boy! Those 2 Bass are almost Twins Exclamation

Ah! I see the one in your avatar has a bit deeper belly. Very Happy

SeaDog1

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

Hey, you can't see my big belly in that photo! Wink

Today's fish weighed less, but they both strained my thumb when I held them up for the photo.
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steven1smith · Joined: 05 Apr 2010 Posts: 206 Location: South Windsor

You are really being rewarded this fall for all of the time you have put in this season. Thumbs Up

It almost seems like we have another Jimfish on our hands...
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basswacka19 · Joined: 05 Jul 2009 Posts: 217

Awesome job peco!
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this fish here is a real donkey!!!

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

Nice fish, Phil!
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Daryl · Joined: 24 Sep 2010 Posts: 70 Location: Simsbury, CT

Nice fish Phil!
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PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

steven1smith - Hey, it wasn't just Rippin' Hawgs that made me pull out the spinnerbait. You mentioned having some success with them in your last couple of reports. I still need to get a chartreuse spinnerbait or two, since my yellow one self-destructed, yesterday.

BTW, I got a another good fish on the spinnerbait this morning. Report to follow.
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Stratos17 · Joined: 31 Aug 2008 Posts: 372 Location: Bristol, Ct.

Nice job Phil!!!!

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

Nice one Phil, congrats!
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