CTFishTalk.com: Batterson Park Pond 07/26 - Connecticut Lake Reports ( CT Lake Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

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

After I dropped off my kids and nephews at Lake Compounce, I headed over to Batterson Park Pond to fish from my Trophy 126 kayak. When I arrived at 11:45 am, it was already hot and sunny. There was a slight south breeze. When I got to the ramp, I couldn't believe how far the water level has fallen:

The tops of the rock walls on the west shore are visible. Heck, even the submerged island is no longer completely submerged:

After I launched, I headed to the west shore. I had only one setup with me and had a wacky rigged watermelon/red flake five inch Senko tied on. I couldn't see more than a foot into the murky water. I didn't get any hits on the wacky Senko and, because of the shallow water, it wasn't long before I tied on a frog. As I headed up the west shore, I spotted a small dog digging in the new vegetation on ground that was underwater two weeks ago. It didn't have a collar, and when I moved closer to try and take a photo, it trotted into the bushes behind it. I think that it might have been a coyote pup. Anyway, I stopped in front of the first cove to talk with a fisherman in a green canoe. He said that he had caught only a yellow perch. But he said that a shore fisherman to the right of the ramp (when looking out) had shown him a big smallmouth bass that the fisherman said was 21 inches long. He said that the fisherman had caught it on a high/low worm rig suspended underneath a bobber. I told him that I had heard of only one other smallie being caught at Batterson (i.e., SkeeterJim's Personal Best) and he said that he had caught a few small ones while fishing there pretty regularly over the last four years. Rather than continue up the west shore, I headed for the weedbeds surrounding the no longer completely submerged island. I threw a bullfrog colored Zoom Horny Toad and a green pumpkin/pearl belly colored Rage Tail Toad, but got nothing. I let the south breeze carry me north of the weedbeds and paddled over to the shallows by the beach on the west shore. Still nothing, although I was able to scoop a dying 2-1/4 inch long yellow perch out of the water:

I fished the stinky cove in the northwest corner of the pond. Nada. I worked my way across the north shore, down to the last house on the east shore and back across to the island without a single hit on the frog. By this time, I had a baby bass colored Stanley Ribbit on the hook. When I threw it at the first (i.e., south) buoy, I finally got a hit. . . and a good one at that! I reeled in the slack line and set the hook:

Whoo hoo!

I finally boated a solid 17 inch largemouth bass. After I released the bass, I spoke with a fisherman in a green aluminum rowboat powered by a trolling motor. He said that he hadn't even seen a fish, which made me feel pretty good about my one fish in two and a quarter hours. I headed across to the west shore and worked my way south. When I got to the cove in the middle of the west shore where a creek sometimes runs into the pond and that strange guy sometimes sunbathes naked on the shore, I got a second hit as far back into the cove as I could cast. I reeled in the slack line, set the hook and pulled a 16 inch largemouth bass out of the heavy weeds:

After three hours, I had gotten only two hits on the frog, but had landed both fish. I worked my way down the west shore, across the south shore to the southeast corner and back to the ramp. I didn't get any more hits before I got off of the water at 3:45 pm. Man, it was tough out there today!
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MarkO · Joined: 12 Nov 2007 Posts: 330

Great job working with the weather and water level conditions presented to you Phil. Two nice chunkie bass there.

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

Nice looking fish! Sorry you didn't get to see your buddy sunbathing naked Sad

BigSteve · Joined: 05 Jun 2011 Posts: 27

Were you fishing the Farmington River today?

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

Yes, we were. Very Happy

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

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

Did we see you on the shore?

BigSteve · Joined: 05 Jun 2011 Posts: 27

Nice I was up on the bridge when you guys pulled in with all those fish.

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

Oh...OK...we did have a few spectators when we were paddling against the rapids under the bridge. It was a fun day out there. Was that you with your son?

BigSteve · Joined: 05 Jun 2011 Posts: 27

No we were walking right next to them, me and my girlfriend.