CTFishTalk.com: Toll Gate Pond 8/5 - Connecticut Bass Fishing Reports ( CT Bass Fishing Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

lamdesign · Joined: 02 Aug 2011 Posts: 50 Location: Ridgefield, CT

Went out to Toll Gate this morning for an hour before work to test the spot out. It's the closest decent fishing to me, and I want to be able to fish before work during the week, so I was hoping for something with potential.

Fished from 6:30-7:30 using a 4" Senko-esque bait (forget the name of the brand, but they sell it at Wal-Mart and its "Made by Yamamoto"). This was my first time "Wacky Worming" and first time on the water, so I had pretty low expectations.

The area is pretty shallow around the breaks in the trees and full of top water vegetation. Although, I found a small area where it connects to another pond. It was pretty clean and had nice water clarity. Fish were also pounding the surface for bugs, so if I had a frog that would have been effective.

5 casts in I nailed a 14" LMB and felt pretty good. 20 minutes later a 12". I also had 2 strikes that dragged into the weeds and let it off and 2 more missed hook sets. Not bad for an hour of fishing.

The wacky worming was real effective and I enjoyed getting a feel for how my movements interacted with the liveliness of the lure. Definitely going to take some practice to get the mimic down properly.

The place is so close to my office, I plan on going back after work to get some more casts in and hopefully some more LMB.

ALSO, quick question for those who may know. The pond is listed (in the CT DEP Guide) as being open from 6am to 9pm. How strict are ponds on these hours? I saw no signs posted, and it was in the middle of the woods in the middle of Greenwich (Glenville area). Just was wondering, because it would be nice to be able to get there at 5 AM so i could get in a little more time before work.

Cheers

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

Where are you seeing those hours listed in the DEP guide? In my experience the hours likely won't be enforced unless there's a gate and/or sign. Doesn't look too residential or like a campground so I say fish it, but bring a print copy of the 2011 guide with you in case you get questioned. And yeah, throw a frog in there!
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Johnny Skeeter · Joined: 06 May 2007 Posts: 700 Location: Vernon Ct

boat ramp there???
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pondhopper · Joined: 31 Mar 2011 Posts: 49

Glad to hear the wacky senko is working for you already.
I find the 5" senko to have the best balance of action in the water, wait for casting, and size for tempting anything from 1lbers to double digit monsters. Especialy during the spawn!

Keep workn it though man, you will most likely come to depend on its consistent ability to produce hits under almost any conditions.

The hook setting with a wacky rig hook seems to me to be the weakest link, but I found that an extra fast action rod will greatly reduce missed hook sets.

Good luck!

PS: I also agree with the frog throwing tip. Rage tail frogs or shads have produced great for me this summer.
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pondhopper · Joined: 31 Mar 2011 Posts: 49

Oh, and when I typed "wait for casting", I meant "weight for casting".
I suck at spelling, but I at least know better than that kind of mistake...
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Am I obsessed, or is it normal to play with my lures every night?

lamdesign · Joined: 02 Aug 2011 Posts: 50 Location: Ridgefield, CT

Thanks for the heads up on the frogs and Senkos. Was out all weekend in the Danbury area fishing and was tryin out all kinds of stuff. Been readin up on topwater techniques. I think im fishing the frog too slow. I pop the head about 4 times and let it sit for 2 seconds, then repeat. So far its not effective. Wacky worming has been pretty solid, but my best luck has just been on texas riggin with a 1/8 bullet with either a 7" Power Worm or Power Craw. Even the 4" Lizard i was using produced. Just fishing them off the bottom.

Also, there is no boat ramp. Its a 7 Acre pond in the woods surrounded by private lots just off the Merrit. Shore fishing is pretty easy though. Not too thick to find solid points to cast.

rpucci · Joined: 09 Aug 2011 Posts: 12 Location: Darien, CT.

lamdesign · Joined: 02 Aug 2011 Posts: 50 Location: Ridgefield, CT

Went back out there last night after work to just throw a few casts (it's close to my office). It was still raining and for how small that pond is, the current flowing from the connecting pond was going really really hard. I was really surprised to be honest. This caused a bunch of kickup in the mud, so visibility was gone for the fish. No hits whatsoever, but I think it was still too murky from the storm. I only shore fish it though, which is tough. The weirdest part was I saw LMB just nailing bugs in the center of the pond. Probably about 10 hits in an hour at water level. Really frustrating considering i was getting nothing from the shore. But it is encouraging to see how aggressive the fish are in this pond.