CTFishTalk.com: Lake McDonough 05/03 - Connecticut Lake Reports ( CT Lake Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

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

NWDarkcloud (aka Bob) and I planned to fish the Connecticut River from Salmon Cove, yesterday, but were scared off by the recent rain. We decided to try a lake, instead, and eventually chose Lake McDonough. We got to the gate at 10:00 am, but it was closed. The little girls who work there for the MDC were late! Evil or Very Mad

One of them finally showed up to open the gate at 10:15 am. Rolling Eyes

After we stopped at the boathouse to pay $6.00 for parking and $6.00 to launch Bob's powered boat, we finally launched at 10:30 am:

The air temperature was in the low 50s, the sky was overcast and foggy mist hung over the trees. There was a slight south wind, so we decided to motor down to the dam and let the wind slowly push us back up the lake. The water was flat calm near the dam, except for the splashes of rising trout. I threw a Pearl Silver 2-1/2 inch Gulp! Minnow on a 1/16 ounce round jighead, while Bob threw bigger lures. Once again, Bob was a good captain and allowed me to boat the first fish:

And then the second:

And then the third:

And then the fourth:

Yeap, Bob's a really, really courteous guy! Laughing

By the way, the minnow jig was catching fish deep. I'd throw it out and let out extra fluorocarbon line to allow it to sink as deep as possible before beginning a very slow retrieve and sweep setting the hook whenever I felt a tug on the line. Bob's boat isn't equipped with a fish finder, but we were in 20 to 50 feet of water. After I boated a few more black crappie at my secret spot Wink

, we checked the water along the face of the dam, but didn't get any action until I got a hit on a wacky rigged light green pumpkin/small red flake five inch Senko in the shallows by the spillway. We never saw the fish, but it felt like a largemouth bass to me. We suspected that the largemouth bass might be holding fairly shallow, so we decided to head up the east shore toward what looked like a laydown. We got more evidence for our "holding shallow" hypothesis when the minnow jig got me the first largemouth bass:

When we got to the laydown, we saw that there was barely any of it in the water and no fish were holding on it. The wind had swung around to blow from the west, so we decided to get alee of it and check out a couple of coves on the west shore. The first cove had a beaver lodge in it. We could see that the water was slightly murky from the recent rain, although we could still see the bottom eight to 10 feet down. The big schools of fish that I saw there a few days ago were gone, except for some sunnies and rock bass, of which the minnow jig got me a couple. By the way, does anyone else think that their big red eyes would make good jigging bait, too? Twisted Evil

Anyway, we decided to head up the shore to a laydown in the middle of the second cove, where I had caught the lunker largemouth bass a few days ago. Bob tied on a pink minnow jig that Mainers like him use and boated his first fish:

Yo, Adrian! It was the first fish that I've seen Bob catch. Laughing

But he followed it up in style, when the pink minnow also got him his second fish, which turned out to be the lunker largemouth bass:

We didn't measure it because Bob's hook got stuck in its mouth and we wanted to release it as soon as we got it free. But I know that it was 19 inches long and weighed three pounds, 10 ounces, because it was the same largemouth bass that I caught in the same spot three days earlier Shocked

:

Bob had dragged the pink minnow into what looked like a bed underneath and to the side of the tip of the laydown, where we had seen what looked like a 14 inch male guarding the bed. The big female drifted out from underneath the laydown to take the minnow. So, our "holding shallow" hypothesis was confirmed, because the largemouth bass at McDonough are already on beds. Pretty cool, huh? Very Happy

I caught another short largemouth bass with the wacky Senko before we decided to motor up to the shallows in the northwest corner of the lake. On the way there, Bob said, "But where are all of the pickerel that you talked about catching the other day? I want to catch a pickey!" I wish that he had said, "I want to catch the State Record largemouth bass!", instead, because we started to catch chain pickerel. . . lots and lots of 'em. Every laydown in the channel leading to the shallow coves in the northwest corner was loaded with pickerel. I caught a few, then Bob got some, then I got some more. They hit lots of stuff, including a wacky rigged black/blue flake five inch Senko, but they especially seemed to like a four inch white curlytail grub on a 1/8 ounce shakeyhead jighead. Here are a few of them:

And here's the lunker pickerel, which was a 25 incher that had some girth on her:

After a little more pickerel action, we headed into a shallow cove in which I know largemouth bass bed. I put a green pumpkin/red flake Zoom Baby Brush Hog on the 1/8 ounce shakeyhead jighead, thinking any bedding bass that saw it would eat it. However, it wasn't until we got to a laydown in the shallows at the back of the cove that the Baby Brush Hog got me a small largemouth bass:

And, after yet another pickerel, the Baby Brush Hog got me another short:

Both Bob and I had started to catch a chill as the day wore on. By this time, the wind was blowing fairly steadily from the southeast. Combined with the misty conditions, it felt cccold out there. We stopped at one more laydown in the channel, where the Baby Brush Hog got me a couple of more pickerel, and then we headed across the lake to the ramp:

While Bob was getting the trailer, I held the boat at the dock. But I still had the Baby Brush Hog tied on, so I threw it out in front of the ramp:

Bob was taking his sweet time getting back to the ramp, so I threw it out again:

The third cast got me a pickerel, just as Bob was backing the trailer into the water. I told him that I'd tempt fate with a fourth cast and was disappointed when I didn't feel a hit. But when I pulled the Baby Brush Hog from the water, look at what I found:

That thing even catches molluscs! Shocked

I have to confess to my Brush Hog loving friends that it definitely outperformed the wacky Senko on this one occasion. Embarassed

You got that, Mark and Tim? Maybe there's something to them, after all. Wink

We got off of the water just before 7:00 pm. I'm not really much of a bedding largemouth bass fisherman, but I'd still like to head back soon to check out the big shallow cove in the far northwest corner of the lake. It would be nice to finally catch a smallmouth bass in there. Very Happy

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

lol...interesting day out there. It's great that you didn't have to weigh that fish to know the size Wink

Nice snail too. I'm guessing that is your PB snail Very Happy

KingCranky · Joined: 07 May 2011 Posts: 52 Location: North Haven

A worthwhile read every time PECo.

Senko fishermen bore me (and truthfully I question their artistic integrity involving our wonderful pastime). Show me a little variety people! I can say, with the utmost pride and perhaps humility, that I have never once thrown a senko. The power hawg however was my go-to plastic in 2008. Can't go wrong with a creature bait. Ever.

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

Hey, them's fighting words, Crank! You get down on your knees and apologize to Gary Yamamoto right now or else I'll give you what for! Laughing

Senkos RULE! And Gary's my HERO!

Seriously, I don't throw bait or umbrella rigs and I think that the Hydrowave is kinda cheesy (sleazy?), but whatever rocks your boat is fine with me. Knock yourself out. Very Happy

Everyone has their own preferences. But I'll throw any artificial lure that I think will work. Does anyone have any spare Banjo Minnows that I could try? Laughing

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

Phil, was it the baby or full size or both? If I'm on a tough bite the baby brush wins all day. If they are hitting I coax the big ones w the big bait.

PS Brush Hogs prefer to be flipped and pitched on Baitcast tackle Wink

PSS nice post nice job guys

PSSS No Smallies, still Shocked

???

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SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629

Michael · Joined: 28 Jan 2012 Posts: 3823 Location: Bridgeport

Awesome job Phil and Bob!!! Nice size to that pickerel Bob!

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

Hey, Tim. I threw one of the Baby Brush Hogs that I bought to pay off my bet with you when I couldn't find the full size ones. You could bet that I'm going to throw it tomorrow, too. Very Happy

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jimbojonez · Joined: 04 Feb 2012 Posts: 295 Location: Berlin/Kensington

awesome pickerel! and that ugly ass rock bass. Smile

you don't see a lot of those rock bass.

Michael · Joined: 28 Jan 2012 Posts: 3823 Location: Bridgeport

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

You mean that YOU don't see a lot of rock bass, jimbojonez! Laughing

I caught 19 huge rock bass in one day on East Twin Lake last May and have caught dozens of them in the rocks along the shore of West Hill Pond on more than one occasion.

If someone could tell me whether they're good to keep and eat, I'd love to hear it.
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Michael · Joined: 28 Jan 2012 Posts: 3823 Location: Bridgeport

I've tried rock bass but don't find them as good as crappie and bluegill.

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

Well, that sounds like a "No" to me, Michael. Laughing

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CT_BASSman · Joined: 23 May 2011 Posts: 349

Another awesome report! You never dissapoint!

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

Only one pound, three ounces?!?! Wow! If anyone really wants to get a State Record fish, head up to East Twin Lake and target rock bass. There's a State Record in there, for sure. I probably caught one at this time last year:

Here's another:

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