CTFishTalk.com: Mattabesset River, Best Day Out this year - Connecticut River Reports ( CT River Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

Basstrapper · Joined: 04 Apr 2011 Posts: 71 Location: Prospect Ct

Started off slow, Working our way down the river towards CT river. Started in at the dunken donuts in cromwell... we used the outgoing current to take us slowly down the bank for aprox 1mile. first couple bends. we got some small bites but landed no fish..

After a short time of small bites and missed fish, we finaly landed a few Yellow Perch. On of them Being th biggest yellow perch i ever caught pushing a pound and a half easy... Now action picking up. and tide is moving full blast now and it seemed the smallmouth action started. couple hooked on and lost.. then i brought in the largest smallmouth i ever caught. pushing 2+pounds.

Now the day is great already. Catching a tan. and getting bites. was loving it.. The day was winding down.. getting out the last few casts before heading in. when i casted towards a tree hanging into the water 15 feet out into the river witha nice current underneath it... I threw out a white on white Rooster tail. first cast saw a little movement in water.. Second cast.. lure hit water and was instantly snagged, Or so i thought.... After pulling with my 6lb test and ultralight trout rod with all my lines might...> It moved.. I instantly had a burst of adrenaline as the spool started screaming out line... After 10 min fight i finaly saw the fish... Huge HUGE 30+ inch pike... Wow... first pike ever. got him to the boat, wasnt sure what i was going to do.. so i just held him there so excited and loving every min of it. he gave one good wack against the yak and snapped the line and off he swam... What an amazing day out..> 3 first time fishies for me.. Wooot.. Gonna get back out here asap... Great river system. Lots of habbitat and species... never a dull time...

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

Nice day on the water. I'm gonna need to fish that place one of these days.

Johnny Skeeter · Joined: 06 May 2007 Posts: 700 Location: Vernon Ct

the bugs in the mattabest can be brutal and bug spray duznt work...dammit vicious for sure. 30 in pike in a "yak" i would have been pretty scared of that for sure. Thats a great fish man congrats. There are bigger pike on the main river tho.....pm me for some spots.
Johnny
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slim2043 · Joined: 11 Apr 2011 Posts: 446 Location: Plainville CT

Nice man! I had a similar pike experience Yesterday! (see Pachaug Pond 7-31 report)

What to do w a beast like that in a kayak Question

I think I'll invest in a lip grip scale myself because it was such a thrill I'd like to have a momento of the catch rather than a blurry memory of the pike giving me the stink eye!
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PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

You could spend big bucks for a Boga Grip or Lipper Gripper, but a Norton Fish Grip does the same job for less than $15. This reminds me of a fish story that DirtyDawg10 told about his fluorescent plastic fish grippers:

http://www.ctfishtalk.com/farmington-river-simsbury-9-18-t5669.html

Seriously, though, they work great on toothy critters.
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slim2043 · Joined: 11 Apr 2011 Posts: 446 Location: Plainville CT

Thx for the tip! Just ordered the GLOW ones!
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DirtyDawg10 · Joined: 27 May 2009 Posts: 2238 Location: Granby, CT

lol @ Phil - I won't forget that day with the grippers...and I won't forget having to get a few pike in a headlock to keep from losing them off the side of my yak. You gotta do what you gotta do to boat a fish sometimes... Very Happy

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

Be carefull with those lip grippers and big pike. You can actully rip thier bottom lip right off of them if you pick a big one up out of the water. Always support the belly as well, because they can break their own backs if they start to shake and you are only holding their head/mouth. Nice report though! I keep hearing about the pike in that small river, but have yet to try it. Gotta get me a yak soon.
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slim2043 · Joined: 11 Apr 2011 Posts: 446 Location: Plainville CT

@Flipper - How do you normally wrangle those big mothers? I was pretty intimidated by the fish I caught Sunday @ Pachaug after it dragged my kayak 30 yards and then when I finally settled it in it took off again and when I finally finally settled it down beside the boat, it just stared at me. I felt like if I stuck my hand anywhere in the water it was going to attack Mad

I figure if I grab his face with the lip gripper and curl my other hand under him I could've landed him safely for both of us removed the hook and snapped a couple pics, but I was at a loss in the kayak and tried to bring him on shore with my buddy's boat towing mine in... didn't quite work out when the pike went airborne! He got off and just left me wet and wondering.

Also curious, what is the biggest one you have landed? I thought the one I had on was huge and he felt like he had to be at least 8 lbs but I couldn't know for sure.
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PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

Tim, you just have to look at Flipper's avatar! That's a 41 incher!

Cabela's sells a Fold-n Stow landing net for $49.99 that's designed for use in a kayak:

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Fishing/Fishing-Tools/Landing-Nets-Seines%7C/pc/104793480/c/104720580/sc/104427180/Cabelas-Fold-n-Stow-Landing-Net/1166992.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse.cmd%3FN%3D1100393%26WTz_l%3DSBC%253BBRprd701396&WTz_l=SBC%3BBRprd701396%3Bcat104427180

I picked one up recently and have already used it more often than I expected I would. I've caught a white sucker and a yellow perch with it. It's telescoping and collapsible, and the netting is hook free. It fits in my kayak, either behind my seat or lashed to the deck. Now, it won't hold a large northern pike, but it could definitely support the back end of the fish if you were to use grippers on the front.

That said, I'd just gill a large pike if I were to get one next to my kayak:

Just stick your fingers underneath the gill plate with your thumb outside and squeeze. Of course, the pike might slap you in the face with its tail, but that would be refreshing on a hot day!
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Flipper · Joined: 21 May 2010 Posts: 347 Location: Enfield

The biggest one I've landed is 41" & 17.5lbs. I'm still looking to join the 20lb club, but I'm getting closer. I actually use a big net and drop them onto the floor of my boat. A yak is a little different, though.

I would use a good thick blue rubber glove (they are sold everywhere) but make sure it has enough rubber coating to cover the back of your hand as well (pike actually have "teeth" on their gills). Get the fish close and slip your hand under the gill cover. Try to make sure your fingers are against the gill plate only and not over the gills themselves. You have to hold on tight and squeeze once you get in there! If you have a loose grip and the fish starts thrashing - this is where you could get hurt.

Use a long pair of hook extractors to remove the hook. If you lift it out of the water be sure to support the belly. Something to consider (fear factor) is that the fish will not try to "bite" you. All it wants to do is get away. However, if it is thrashing around with it's mouth open, it is definately possible to get cut. Just remember the fish is not looking to attack you.

One of the things I love about catching pike is that getting it in the boat is only half the battle. I still have to get it out of the net, get the hook out, get a measurement, weight, and a picture. Most of the time I am by myself and the adrenalin is pumping the whole time. It's unlike any other fishing I have done. There is definately a risk factor involved, but for me the rewards are worth it! Very Happy

I'm not a big fan of lip grippers for pike , but here is an article on the subject:

http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/fishing/more-freshwater/how-fish/2010/04/how-catch-pike-or-muskie-kayak
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Flipper · Joined: 21 May 2010 Posts: 347 Location: Enfield

Phil - where's your glove? Didn't that thing chew up the back of your hand? That's how I landed my first one and paid the price for it!
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PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

Nah, my hand just got scratched up a little bit. I wouldn't bother with a glove.
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slim2043 · Joined: 11 Apr 2011 Posts: 446 Location: Plainville CT

Thanks for all the tips guys! You are the best! No place else could I get information and advice this good!!!

I agree with the adrenaline rush Flipper. It's pretty amazing!

As for gloves I have crabbing gloves that should work and I keep a large rubber mesh trout net and very long pliers on my yak just in case at all times. Hopefully I will man up next time and there won't be another "one that got away" like that. When I was a teenager I tackled a 10lb bluefish for my buddy so it wouldn't get away. Not sure when that fearlessness escaped me so I'll have to get it back!!

Thx again guys!
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