CTFishTalk.com: Bantam Lake 09/11 - Connecticut Lake Reports ( CT Lake Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

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

I just had to get outside, today, so I drove out to Bantam Lake this morning. I launched in The Other Woman at the State Boat Launch at 9:45 am:

As you can tell, the sun was shining, but the air was very cool and there was a brisk north wind. The water was murky; I could see my shiny lures down only a couple of feet. The water temperature ranged from 70 degrees in the morning to 72 degrees in the afternoon. I'd swear that the water level is down a foot from normal. I couldn't believe how shallow everything was in the south cove. And the wind! Rolling Eyes

The forecast said that there would be a north-northwest wind at seven miles per hour and it was every bit of that! I had planned to drift down the west shore from the ramp, but fighting the wind while fishing pads in less than two feet of water and open water flats in less than four feet of water was more than I felt like doing. I headed back to the marina at the State Boat Launch on the north end of the south cove to get alee of the wind behind Deer Isle. I still had northern pike on my mind, so I threw my big 5-1/2 inch slow sink LIVETARGET Blueback Herring swimbait behind the docked boats in the marina. Only 30 minutes after I launched, I got my first ever fish on the swimbait:

Yeap, it was a standard size 26 inch northern pike. Very Happy

After I passed the marina, I fished a big bed of lily pads along the shore:

I threw a Scum Frog Bigfoot frog over the pads, and the LIVETARGET swimbait, a wacky rigged green pumpkin/red flake five inch Senko, a small white Strike King Redeye Special spinnerbait and a Perch Rapala Jointed Shad Rap JSR07 along the edges of the pads. I got nothing, not even a nibble. Confused

I decided to troll the Perch JSR07 and a Perch Rapala Shallow Shad Rap SSR07 past the buoy marked submerged rocks, back to the west shore and counter clockwise around the south cove. As I approached the west shore, the Perch SSR07 got a small yellow perch:

I worked the beds of pads along the shore with the Bigfoot frog and the edges of the beds with the spinnerbait and the wacky Senko, but got nothing. The entire cove seemed to be less than four feet deep. As I trolled past the Morris Town Launch on the south end of the east shore, I decided to pedal up to the north end of the lake where the Bantam River enters the lake in the northeast cove. Bantam Lake seems a lot bigger than it is when you're pedaling against the wind. Wink

It took a while for me to get there, but I made it:

I pedaled into the river, over the small lower beaver dam and up to the big upper beaver dam. I didn't get so much as a nibble on the Bigfoot frog, the wacky Senko, a Texas rigged Senko and the Perch JSR07. I headed back out into the northeast cove and started to troll clockwise around it at a depth of eight to nine feet, but soon realized that I should start heading back to the ramp. I cut across the cove and back into the main body of the lake. I decided to head to Nick's Cove on the northwest side of Deer Isle, before working my way around Deer Isle and back to the ramp. There's a submerged tree in the shallows on the west shore in front of the mouth of the cove, off of which I've caught fish before. Sure enough, it still holds fish:

It was just a 13 inch largemouth bass, but that's a keeper! Whoo hoo! Very Happy

And in the shadow of a swim platform just inside of the cove, I got a 14 incher:

I didn't get any more action before I got off of the water at 5:00 pm. I probably spent as much time just pedaling The Other Woman around as I spent actually fishing. Hopefully, the bite will pick up later this Fall.
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jjbassfishn · Joined: 17 Jun 2012 Posts: 209 Location: Northwestern CT.

Nice report! I have been wanting to head there some weekend. My son isn't into pike so now I can show him there is bass in Bantam. Maybe he'll be on board with a weekend adventure? Wink

How is the boat traffic on weekends? I'm kind of spoiled with a few lakes so close that don't have ski-boats or jetski's. Just hate getting tossed about!
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DirtyDawg10 · Joined: 27 May 2009 Posts: 2238 Location: Granby, CT

Nice looking pike! At least you had a beautiful day to be on the water.

pikePERSUADER1 · Joined: 07 Dec 2010 Posts: 521

That lure catches big fish! Cool

mep21 · Joined: 01 Mar 2011 Posts: 65 Location: West Hartford, CT

Good to know someone is out there enjoying this weather. Nice catch Phil!

x182dan · Joined: 19 Mar 2009 Posts: 329 Location: Seymour, CT

nice phil I got a nice 35incher on monday but the wind killed me I was only able to fish for a couple hours.
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x182dan · Joined: 19 Mar 2009 Posts: 329 Location: Seymour, CT

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

Great job Phil!

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

jjbassfishn · Joined: 17 Jun 2012 Posts: 209 Location: Northwestern CT.

Redneckangler · Joined: 05 May 2012 Posts: 851 Location: Meriden, CT

Nice report. Was going to fish out of Niantic this weekend, but all these pike post have left me undecided. Piking is really starting to pick up, but my usual spots are around Haddam, and the weekends in the early fall are really busy. Not as much fun when 20 boats are in the old outflow. On the other hand, a 3'+ pike is hard to beat. If not this weekend, then soon! Keep the reports coming in.
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NWDarkcloud · Joined: 23 Apr 2012 Posts: 474

ya about ready for a trip back out there again seeing the skiers are thining out
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