CTFishTalk.com: Farmington River - Farmington 08/21 - Connecticut River Reports ( CT River Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

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

I was supposed to meet someone at River Mead (aka the Wannowmassa Lane canoe launch) to fish the Tunxis Mead section of the Farmington River this morning, but someone didn't show up. I launched at 7:30 am in El Habañero and paddled upriver. I brought my trout/white perch setup with me (i.e., a seven foot spinning rod and reel spooled with six pound Tilene monofilament) and threw a small rainbow perch patterned inline bucktail spinner. It wasn't long before I boated a small yellow perch:

I got a few hits from what I think were small trout, but all of the fish were able to pull free of the tiny little wire treble hook on the spinner. I hate treble hooks! Evil or Very Mad

At 8:15 am, I spotted a kayaker below the pedestrian bridge, so I headed downriver and shot the rapids. It wasn't someone, but there were two kayakers, Bob and his son Matt. Hi, guys! Bob paddled a Hobie Kona and Matt paddled a Heritage Redfish 10, I think. I couldn't believe that Bob's Kona is a tandem! He had only one seat in it and it's only 11-1/2 feet long, the same length as El Habañero, but it can seat two! And a dog, too, according to Bob. Bob told me that he had hit a bunch of nice fish, including some sizable smallies, just below the pedestrian bridge in the evening the other day. Unfortunately, he ended up getting only five short largemouth bass there today. I waited around below the pedestrian bridge for someone to show up until 9:00 am, and then I paddled downriver to the far east end of the Tunxis Mead section of the river. On the way down, I boated only a short largemouth with a wacky rigged five inch Senko on my bass setup (i.e., a seven foot spinning rod and reel spooled with 40 pound PowerPro braid), although I got a couple of more to the kayak before they thrashed off:

I intended to catch a mess of white perch in the cove for lunch. I even cut off a section of my anchor rope to use as a stringer. Before I started fishing in earnest for white perch (i.e., trolling a silver Rapala Original Floater F07), I explored the cove a bit. I hadn't fished the bottom yet, so I tied a weighted, Texas-rigged Yum craw onto my bass setup and dragged it over the bottom. The only thing that I caught with it was a 12 inch black crappie, which went onto the stringer. I swapped out the craw and began trolling the Floater, and boated and released a couple of short seven inch white perch, before deciding to also rig up my trout/white perch setup for trolling. Fishface (aka Tim) had suggested trolling a white grub, so I tied on a 1/8 ounce round jighead with a white three inch Powerbait Power Grub. I finally got a decent nine inch white perch on the Floater and put it on the stringer, when I noticed that the line on my trout setup was fairly taut. When I began reeling it in, it began pulling back pretty strongly. I thought that it was either a huge white perch or a decent largemouth bass, but it kept pulling. . . and pulling. . . and pulling. When I finally got it to the surface, Surprise!, it was a 14 inch smallmouth bass. With the grub!

***** WARNING - Any militant catch and release guys should stop reading this report right here. *****

Yes, the smallie went onto my stringer. The white perch bite was slow and I was determined to get enough fish to eat for lunch, so on it went. At 12:15 pm, I decided to head out of the cove and back upriver. I was curious to see whether someone had shown up at all. As I paddled out of the cove, I got another nine inch white perch with the grub. And another nine inch white perch with the Floater. And then I got a big hit with the Floater and boated a 16 inch, one pound, 15 ounce largemouth:

It went on the stringer, too. Now I had a crappie, three white perch, a smallie and a largemouth to eat for lunch! As I paddled back upriver, I boated three small yellow perch with the Floater. I paddled as far up the rapids as I could and pulled out just below the pedestrian bridge at 1:00 pm. Someone never showed up. Rolling Eyes

But I'm glad that I went. Very Happy

After I got home, I filleted all of the fish and pan fried them. It was all good, although I think that the texture of the crappie was still too mushy. The white perch fillets were tiny! My kids preferred the smallie. My wife and I preferred the largemouth. Anyone who says that largemouth taste muddy must fish in a mud puddle. The largemouth that come out of the Farmington are absolutely delicious! Very Happy

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

Those Mead bass taste good because they eat mostly leeches.
Someone sounds unreliable.
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Kira

*~ "Not everything about fishing is noble, reasonable and sane..." -Henry Middleton ~*

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

Someone wishes his day didn't go to $41+ and is VERY SORRY...

VERY SORRY that he didn't show up and VERY VERY VERY SORRY he didn't get to catch that Smallmouth BASS!!!!
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Never give up!

SAP284 · Joined: 07 Jun 2011 Posts: 655 Location: Central, CT

Hi Peco,

How do White Perch and Calico Bass taste? I have never tried them before...big fan of SMB and LMB...Sounds like you had a great day.

-Steve

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

Nice day out there! I know I wasn't meeting you but somehow I kept thinking "someone" was me...lol. Thanks for clearing that up for me Slim.

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

Steve

White perch are delicious, although nine inches is the smallest that I'd take. When the sea run white perch come into the coves off of the rivers, I'll head down there whenever anyone wants to go. Well, at low tide, of course. Paddling over huge schools of delicious fish is fun! You can catch your limit of 12 inch plus white perch pretty easily with just a small 1/16 or 1/8 ounce round jig head and a two inch chartreuse swirlytail grub.

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

Fishface · Joined: 02 Jan 2008 Posts: 308 Location: New Britain

Nice job Phil, I am sure glad the Someone was not me either. Kira right on about the leaches also there on many different bugs.

Tim

flippy · Joined: 25 May 2008 Posts: 1150

well Peco,,, theres always a someone,, now you know never to invite or ask someone ever again,,that is one thing that really upsets me,,, once bit twice shy,,, too many other people that are more reliable, or that really want to fish,,, not even a phone call..