Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 5:04 pm Post subject: Middle Bolton Lake 7/31/11
Got out and did some fishin with PeCo and Daryl. I put on the sun spray the wrong way and cooked my arms. This polack did it wrong. O Well. Did some paddlin and fishin and caught a couple.
_________________ I Love My Fishing And NASCAR. But When There Is ICE On The Pond Bet Your Britches I Will Be There.
Bassin In The Summer Perchin In The Winter Mr. Green
Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT
Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 7:11 pm Post subject:
Yesterday, metalfish (aka Ian) asked me whether I wanted to fish Middle Bolton Lake with him this morning and I said, "Heck, yeah!" I had never been to any of the Bolton Lakes before. For a half hour this morning, I wasn't sure whether Ian was going to make it. I texted and called him, but he didn't answer his phone. I called Daryl (aka Daryl), and told him that I would get on the road and hope that Ian would call me back. When he finally did, I learned that he had gotten bitten by a dog last night (aka he was hung over) . However, he was still game to go paddling, so we arranged to meet up in the parking lot at Cabela's and carpool to the lake. When we finally arrived at 8:45 am, Daryl was already on the water in his Future Beach Trophy 126. Ian paddled my Trophy 126 and I paddled El Habañero (aka my Hurricane Santee 116 Sport). I started throwing a frog over the beds of lily pads near the launch. I got a few hits on the frog, but kept missing the hookset. I think that the fish were on the small side. Daryl headed for the dam on the south shore of the south bay and Ian headed for the middle of the north bay. I continued to throw the frog at any pads that I found and the shoreline, but couldn't hook up with any fish. Then I paddled across the north bay to the opposite shoreline that was a little bit shaded. On my way across the bay, I threw a wacky rigged Senko at a couple of splashes and landed a couple of really small largemouth bass:
From what I saw, the entire shoreline of Middle Bolton is shallow. There are no deep shoreline dropoffs to be found. It wasn't until I got to a bed of pads on the east shore of the north bay that I finally set the hook on a couple of small keepers:
Daryl called to tell me that he had been having some success with a drop shot, so Ian and I paddled down the length of the lake to the dam. I didn't have much luck with a drop shot three inch Gulp minnow and I landed only a bluegill:
Daryl had to take off, but Ian and I continued fishing counterclockwise around the south bay from the dam. I threw a frog at a shady area of the shore and set the hook on this monster:
Yeah, that's a bluegill! It managed to get the whole back half of the frog into its mouth and I set the Gamakatsu 4/0 Offset Shank Worm EWG hook through the roof of its mouth. Unfortunately, it did not survive the experience, even after I spent five minutes trying to revive it. I was really hoping to keep that bluegill's genes in the lake. As we worked our way around the shore, Ian tied on a weighted Texas-rigged purple swirlytail worm. When I threw a wacky Senko and he threw the Texas worm at the same swim platform, the 2-1/2 pound largemouth bass that was holding underneath it chose to eat the Texas worm:
Shortly after, I caught another largemouth with the frog:
As we headed off the water, I continued to throw the frog over the pads near the launch and, as I pulled into the shore, I boated my "just one more" largemouth:
Whoo hoo! Ian and I got off the water at 2:00 pm. Although the fishing was slow, I'm glad that Ian suggested Middle Bolton today. It's a beautiful lake with very little powerboat traffic, because it's very restricted. However, I gotta admit that I have the lily pad and weed covered shallows of Upper Bolton Lake in mind for my next trip out there. _________________ Don't forget to wear sunscreen and don't litter!
Dawg - I was just going to say that. I think it is definately a green sunfish. Phil - was it a lot thicker than most bluegill you have caught? If so, it was a greeny. _________________ Go big or go home!
Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT
Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 9:49 am Post subject:
I didn't notice the girth of the fish, just the relatively massive size of its gaping maw. It had a black crappie's mouth on it. Unfortunately, I think that I set the hook through its brain! _________________ Don't forget to wear sunscreen and don't litter!
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. However, he was still game to go paddling, so we arranged to meet up in the parking lot at Cabela's and carpool to the lake. When we finally arrived at 8:45 am, Daryl was already on the water in his Future Beach Trophy 126. Ian paddled my Trophy 126 and I paddled El Habañero (aka my Hurricane Santee 116 Sport). I started throwing a frog over the beds of lily pads near the launch. I got a few hits on the frog, but kept missing the hookset. 
I think that the fish were on the small side. Daryl headed for the dam on the south shore of the south bay and Ian headed for the middle of the north bay. I continued to throw the frog at any pads that I found and the shoreline, but couldn't hook up with any fish. Then I paddled across the north bay to the opposite shoreline that was a little bit shaded. On my way across the bay, I threw a wacky rigged Senko at a couple of splashes and landed a couple of really small largemouth bass:
It managed to get the whole back half of the frog into its mouth and I set the Gamakatsu 4/0 Offset Shank Worm EWG hook through the roof of its mouth. Unfortunately, it did not survive the experience, even after I spent five minutes trying to revive it. I was really hoping to keep that bluegill's genes in the lake. 
As we worked our way around the shore, Ian tied on a weighted Texas-rigged purple swirlytail worm. When I threw a wacky Senko and he threw the Texas worm at the same swim platform, the 2-1/2 pound largemouth bass that was holding underneath it chose to eat the Texas worm:
Ian and I got off the water at 2:00 pm. Although the fishing was slow, I'm glad that Ian suggested Middle Bolton today. It's a beautiful lake with very little powerboat traffic, because it's very restricted. However, I gotta admit that I have the lily pad and weed covered shallows of Upper Bolton Lake in mind for my next trip out there.
