CTFishTalk.com: Connecticut River - Hamburg Cove 03/23 - Connecticut River Reports ( CT River Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

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

TurtleKiss (aka Kira) and I snuck onto a private estate on Hamburg Cove before dawn this morning, so that we could put into the cove at the boat launch ramp next to the owner's yacht. Rolling Eyes

Okay, so we really put in at the ramp next to the Hamburg Cove Yacht Club. Laughing

The weather was beautiful when we launched. Although the sky was overcast, the air was warm and there was just a gentle breeze from the north. The water temperature was 58 degrees and the water was murky, with visibility down only a couple of feet. It was low tide. Kira pedaled The Other Woman and I paddled El Habañero. After we launched, we headed toward the channel that leads to the outer cove. Kira's not much of a white or yellow perch fisherman, so we focused on trying to catch largemouth bass and chain pickerel. As we passed the steel seawall, I threw a white four inch curlytail grub on a 3/16 ounce shakeyhead jighead past it and, as always, I got a hit:

Well, it wasn't what I expected, but it was the first sunny that I've caught in Hamburg Cove this year. Very Happy

I switched from the grub to a white 3/8 ounce Strike King Redeye spinnerbait as I entered the channel and hooked into a 11 inch largemouth bass:

Before I got out of the channel, I had a bite on the spinnerbait from a 22 inch chain pickerel, but it got off of the hook while I played it to tire it out. However, right after I got into the outer cove, the spinnerbait got me an 18 incher on the west shore:

I decided to head to the other side of the cove and trolled the grub behind me. As I paddled across, I got a hit and boated a 14 inch schoolie striper:

When I got to the east shore, I switched back to the spinnerbait and, yeap, there were pickerel there, too:

By this time, Kira had tied on a spinnerbait, too, and got a pickerel of her own:

And then she got another, which turned out to be the lunker pickerel, at 27 inches and four pounds, 13 ounces:

As I went down the east shore, I got another schoolie striper, just a 10 incher this time:

I got a couple of more pickerel and Kira got a short largemouth bass, before I decided to spend some time fishing for white perch. Kira continued down the east shore in search of largemouth bass, while I headed back across the cove to the west shore and tied on my white perch jig, which is a smelt patterned 2-1/2 inch Gulp! Minnow on a 1/16 ounce round jighead. The bite died on me for quite a while, before I finally got a hit and boated a chunky 13 inch yellow perch:

Although I got another tiny yellow perch, I couldn't find any white perch. Anywhere. Crying or Very sad

I zigzagged up the outer cove without a single hit from a white perch. When Kira caught back up to me, she told me that the bite had died completely for her, too. I think the lack of activity coincided with the slack high tide. I decided to switch back to fishing for largemouth bass and chain pickerel, and tied the four inch grub back on. It didn't take long to boat a 24 inch pickerel on the west shore:

After we got back to the channel that leads to the inner cove, Kira proposed a chain pickerel catching contest on the northeast shore of the outer cove. We headed over there and Kira threw a spinnerbait, while I continued to throw the grub. I didn't get a photo of the winning fish, but it was mine, not Kira's. Very Happy

After I won the contest, I tied my white perch jig back on and did another quick loop around the north end of the outer cove, while Kira fished the mouth of the channel. While I got nothing Crying or Very sad

, Kira boated a rock bass. While she was filling me in about her battle with Rocky, we both heard a splash on the shore near where a creek flows into the channel. Then we saw and heard another. We both thought that it was a largemouth bass feeding on the surface. I paddled over and threw my white perch jig to the spot, and got a hit. As the fish pulled down and toward the center of the channel, I yelled to Kira, "Aha! I got a REAL bass!", but when I boated it, it turned out to be a white perch Shocked

:

Actually, I was more right than I knew, because white perch are a true bass, unlike largemouth bass, which are really a kind of sunfish. Wink

I went to the other side of the channel, where the grub got me another short largemouth bass:

It also got me another pickerel. Rolling Eyes

When we entered the inner cove, I just had to throw the grub past the steel seawall and, whoo hoo, I caught the lunker largemouth bass, which was 15 inches long and weighed one pound, 10 ounces:

I caught a couple of more pickerel before we got off of the water at 4:15 pm. The tide was just starting to flow out and the water temperature had risen to 62 degrees. All told, I ended up catching one sunny, three largemouth bass, at least a dozen chain pickerel, two striped bass, three yellow perch and one white perch. Kira got a bunch of chain pickerel and one largemouth bass. Oh, and one rock bass! Rolling Eyes

As we were coming off of the water, a fisherman was getting ready to put into the water in a canoe. He was talking with Kira as she pedaled up to the ramp. When I walked over, he turned and said, "I know you. . . from the Internet!" It turns out that he's a lurker here. Hey, Paul! Wink

Post a report. I want to know how you did on the outgoing tide! Very Happy

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

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

Fun day on the water!

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

That was a huge pickerel! Nice job out there guys Cool

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

I probably should have varied my bait offerings a bit. I was wishing I brought my umbrella rig because Hamburg is probably one of the best places in CT to throw it. It's also a great candidate for holding the state record pickerel. Weight to beat: 8lb 9oz. This was the first time I actually targeted them...I had my grippers with me and the bass were playing hard to get, so why not.

I caught 2 pathetic largemouth & the rock bass on a 1/8 oz black/blue jig. The pickerel liked the white/blue spinnerbait. Thanks again, Phil. I had a lovely, drama-free time fishing with you, as always. I especially enjoyed the excessive enthusiasm you displayed upon catching that one white perch. Smile

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Kira

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

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

I had given up on getting a white perch, so the last minute surprise was a happy one. Very Happy

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

fishfinder · Joined: 19 Jun 2011 Posts: 1672 Location: Naugatuck, Ct.

Great report you two!
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There's a fine line between fishing....

and standing on the shore like an idiot!

BassRican · Joined: 21 Mar 2011 Posts: 116 Location: Meriden

Great job PECo & Turtlekiss!

I hit the Cove on Saturday. I will post a report tonight. Laughing

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When in doubt, rip their lips out!