CTFishTalk.com: Winchester Lake 08/14 - Connecticut Lake Reports ( CT Lake Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

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

mep21 (aka Mark) is moving out of the state, so we planned to fish at Winchester Lake before he left. Unfortunately, the weather forecast was awful, but we decided to head out there and take our chances. It was overcast and cool when we arrived at the boat launch ramp, but it wasn't raining. Mark paddled my Future Beach Trophy 126, because the movers had already taken his kayak. I paddled El Habañero. We got on the water at 6:40 am and began working our way up the west shore. We both threw unweighted Zoom Horny Toads on red Gamakatsu 4/0 Offset Shank Worm EWG hooks over the shallows. Mark was ahead of me and it wasn't long before I heard him yell that he had a fish on. I paddled over and saw that he had boated a northern pike:

It was 18 inches long and was the first one that Mark has ever caught, I think. We continued into the first cove on the south end of the west shore. Mark went along the south side and I went along the north. Mark boated at least one small largemouth bass before I finally got one:

Shortly after, Mark was thrilled to boat a small chain pickerel:

At the end of the cove, Mark lost two frogs to what we thought was a big pike. Both times, the frog was simply gone by the time that he tried to set the hook. His braided line was no match for the fish's teeth. Mark asked whether I had any steel leaders with me, but I didn't. However, I had a big black Booyah clacking buzzbait and tied it on. Mark said, "Go try over there where the fish took my frogs.", and on the third cast, the fish slammed the buzzbait. When I tried to reel it in, it pulled back. . . hard! I got it close enough to the surface to see that it was a big pike before it made one last strong run, pulling drag and my kayak before I turned it around. I had felt stupid about bringing my Hawg Trough measuring device along, but I put it across the cockpit of my kayak and hauled the pike onto it:

It was longer than the Hawg Trough by four to five inches, so I figure that it was 35 inches long. Mark got a couple of better photos that he said he'll post when he has a chance. We paddled out of the cove and headed for the north end of the lake. I trolled a silver Rapala Shallow Shad Rap SSR7 and got a small largemouth bass as I appoached the submerged island:

We went onto the west cove on the north end of the lake, but neither of us got anything other than small largemouth bass:

It started to rain at about 11:30 am, as we headed into the stump field on the north end. I threw a black back chartreuse Strike King KVD 1.5 Pro-Model Crankbait, and boated a couple of small largemouth bass and a small yellow perch:

At about 12:30 pm, we decided to head off the water. We each trolled a couple of crankbaits. I trolled the KVD and the SSR7. As we paddled along, I thought that the KVD caught a snag, but I had the drag set really light. After I tightened it up and cranked the reel a couple of times, I felt a couple of tugs. As I continued to reel, whatever was on the end of the line just felt heavy. I worked it very gingerly, because I often lose fish off of treble hooks. I thought that it was a big largemouth bass, but when I finally got it to the surface, it was another monster pike! I played it for a while before getting it beside my kayak. It was bigger than the first one that I got and was hooked through the lower lip with one hook of the rear treble. I put the Hawg Trough across the cockpit of my kayak and picked up my grippers. When I pulled the pike alongside the kayak right next to me, the angle on the hook changed and pulled out of its mouth. I could only watch as the pike slowly sank down, but was relieved when I saw it finally start to swim away. We got off the water at 1:00 pm and were both pretty soaked from the rain. We grabbed some lunch before Mark went on his way.

Have fun in New York and Tennessee, Mark! And don't forget to say "Hi!" to Bill Dance for me! Very Happy

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watthe555 · Joined: 11 Jun 2011 Posts: 120

wish i was as lucky as you

MarkO · Joined: 12 Nov 2007 Posts: 330

Winchester; the place where dreams live large and die small. Great job getting into the pike!!!

slim2043 · Joined: 11 Apr 2011 Posts: 446 Location: Plainville CT

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

Nice job! Hey Mark, good luck and keep us up to date on the fishing down there with some out of state reports.

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

Nice! Finally somebody catching some decent pike from that place.
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PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

Hey, Damian, I thought of you after Mark got the first one. When we released it, it sank to the bottom and stayed there. At least, we think that it did. I put my paddle all the way into the water and waved at it, but it was too deep. Hopefully, it was able to swim off. After that, I didn't even consider trying to weigh the next one. They're extremely hard to handle without hurting them. If I were to catch another, I think that I'd release it just like the last one. As much as I'd like to have gotten a photo of it on the Hawg Trough or in my hands, I really don't like harming fish that I'm not planning to eat. Now, it I were to catch a keeper walleye, I'd take a whole spread of photos. And then I'd eat it. Wink

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steven1smith · Joined: 05 Apr 2010 Posts: 206 Location: South Windsor

Did you find any of mark's frog rigs in the pike? I've been cut off by pickerel then later catch the same fish with my rig still in its mouth. Cool

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

You know, Stephen, I didn't even look into the pike's mouth for Mark's frogs, but it HAD to be the same fish. I really struggled with handling it. When I got my grippers on its mouth, it tried to do a death roll, and it was all that I could do to get it onto the Hawg Trough. Mark got a couple of photos of me with it, but I was really worried about hurting it. As Flipper has reported before, they're surprisingly fragile when the water is as warm as it is now. When I accidentally released the second pike that I caught later before taking any photos, I really wasn't upset about it. In fact, I was extremely relieved when I saw it begin to swim away.
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Fishface · Joined: 02 Jan 2008 Posts: 308 Location: New Britain

Nice job guys, Mark take care and good luck in the future,

Tim

bdiggy · Joined: 15 Aug 2011 Posts: 245 Location: Thomaston, CT

Always good to see more sizeable pike coming out of Winchester. I got that 41" a year ago, and my partner missed a good one this year back in the stumps, but other than those 2, we've only landed a couple of little guys. Nice fat bass in there as well!

hila2006 · Joined: 22 Jul 2011 Posts: 582 Location: Ellington

Nice day fishing guys, that's definitely one of the first places we're putting in our boat when we bring it down to Ct.
Awesome!!!!!

bdiggy · Joined: 15 Aug 2011 Posts: 245 Location: Thomaston, CT

If you're talking about the boat in your avatar, just be extra careful, go slow, and stay to the right of the lake as you go back. There's a reason you don't see to many nice boats hitting that lake. Those stumps will put an end to your trip real quick, and they're everywhere!

SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629

watthe555 · Joined: 11 Jun 2011 Posts: 120

after all the rain the water was really high there and there was a lot more trees in the water, now they are draining so watch out!