CTFishTalk.com: Mansfield Hollow Lake 10/05 - Connecticut Lake Reports ( CT Lake Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

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

There was still a lot of lake to check out after my last trip to Mansfield Hollow Lake on 09/30, so I headed back, again. NWDarkcloud (aka Bob) and JJay (aka Jason) left insanely early to get there, and got on the water at the Mansfield Hollow Lake Boat Launch in Bob's boat, The Way More Better, at around 7:30 am. Just before I launched in The Other Woman at 8:30 am, Jason texted me a photo of their first fish, which was a short largemouth bass that he caught tight to the shore with a wacky rigged five inch Senko:

Since Bob and Jason were in the lower lake, I headed through the culvert right after I launched. It was a beautifully windless, cool and foggy morning:

Yeap, that's Bob and Jason in The Way More Better, somewhere along that shoreline. Surprised

I started by slow rolling a black Strike King Midnight Special spinnerbait from the shore, while trolling a Perch Rapala Jointed Shad Rap JSR07 behind me. As I headed clockwise along the shore toward The Way More Better, I got a hit on the Perch JSR07 and boated my first fish, which was a cannibalistic yellow perch:

As I pedaled past The Way More Better, I asked Bob for the water temperature, because the in hull transducer in The Other Woman hadn't warmed up, yet. The transom mounted transducer on The Way More Better read 65 degrees. I continued to work my way down the shallows along the east shore, while Bob and Jason motored off down the lake toward the dam. I didn't get any hits or mark any fish on my fish finder. By that time, the fog had begun to burn off, but it was still a beautiful morning:

A little after 10:00 am, Jason texted me a photo of Bob with a small largemouth bass that he had caught near the dam:

After I struck out with the Midnight Special and a white slow sinking five inch Sebile Magic Swimmer in a shallow cove along the east shore, I headed down the lake toward the dam. I trolled a Perch Rapala Shallow Shad Rap SSR07 when the water was less than eight feet deep, and switched to the Perch JSR07 and a Silver Shad Rapala Jointed Shad Rap JSR07 when the water was deeper. As I approached the dam from the east, the fog had completely given way to bluebird skies and I easily spotted The Way More Better off in the distance:

I couldn't believe how shallow the water is on the south end of the lower lake. The deepest parts of the channels are only eight feet deep and they're surrounded by huge flats of two to four feet deep water. In the full sun and completely calm water, I could see the mucky brown bottom four feet down. I decided to hit the shady shore to the south of the dam and threw a wacky rigged green pumpkin/red flake five inch Senko at it. It wasn't long before it was picked up by a short largemouth bass:

After I made my way over to The Way More Better, Bob and Jason decided to head back to the east shore and continue working their way down to the southeast corner of the lake, where the Natchaug River flows into it. I struck out in front of the dam and soon followed them. I went only part way up the river, while they went as far up as they could go in The Way More Better. I saw only one short largemouth bass in the river that picked up my wacky Senko a couple of times without catching the hook. At 12:45 pm, TurtleKiss (aka Kira) texted me that she was finally on the water and had gone through the culvert into the lower lake. I advised her to try the upper lake, instead, since the bite was so slow in the lower lake. After I headed out of the river, I continued clockwise around the southeast end of the lake and along the south shore. The water was less than three feet deep and fairly weedy all the way along the shore. I saw The Way More Better motoring back up the channel that runs along the north side of the southeast end of the lake, so I decided to follow. After I got into the seven to eight foot deep channel, I cleared the weeds from The Other Woman's drive fins Rolling Eyes

, and began trolling, again. As always, a couple of cannibalistic yellow perch couldn't stop themselves from biting the Perch SSR07 and the Perch JSR07:

I got back to the north end of the lower lake without getting another hit on my trolled crankbaits. However, I enjoyed the beautiful fall foliage:

At about 2:30 pm, I finally pedaled past Kira in Dinghbat. She had caught some short largemouth bass with a spinnerbait along the west shore, just south of the culvert. As I headed toward the culvert, I got one, too, but with a wacky Senko:

When I approached the culvert, sbehuniak (aka Stephan) paddled out of it:

Hey, Stephan! Very Happy

I told him that the bite was slow in the lower lake, but he decided to check it out, anyway. I decided to throw a wacky Senko in the culvert on my way through it:

As I emerged on the far side, I got a hit and boated another short largemouth bass:

I decided to head straight to the northwest corner of the upper lake, where the Fenton River enters it through a large double culvert. I knew that largemouth bass held there from a couple of trips I made to the lake last year. Along the way, I trolled the Perch JSR07 and Silver Shad JSR07, but didn't get a hit or mark any fish on my fish finder. When I got to the second (i.e., north) island, the wacky Senko got me a dinky smallmouth bass. Shocked

Yes, that's right, I said a smallmouth bass. Unfortunately, as I held it in my left hand while I reached for my camera with my right, I squeezed it a little too hard, and it squirted out of my hand and back into the water. Crying or Very sad

And like a bar of soap in a prison shower, I wasn't able to bend over and get it back. Laughing

I continued to throw the wacky Senko at the edges of shallow weedbeds between the island and the old tree, but didn't get even a nibble. I'm surprised that the old tree didn't come down during last year's October snowstorm:

When I got to the culvert, the wacky Senko quickly got me three largemouth bass. From 4:08 pm to 4:16 pm, I got a 13 incher, a short and a 14 incher:

After the slow bite all day, I never thought that I'd have a shot at a five fish bag of largemouth bass, so I didn't weigh either of the two keepers. I headed east along the north shore, through the weedy and shallow two to four feet deep water. When I finally got out of the weeds, I trolled the Perch SSR07 behind me as I threw a small white Strike King Redeye special spinnerbait and a wacky Senko toward the shore. And, of course, the little cannibals couldn't help themselves:

When I spotted an old stump in less than two feet of water, I threw the wacky Senko at it and the Senko actually got picked up by a fish:

Whoo hoo!

The lunker 16 inch largemouth bass wieghed two pounds, two ounces. After I rounded the northeast corner of the upper lake and headed down the east shore, I spotted another old stump in less than three feet of water. I threw the wacky Senko at it and got a hit from a fish that swam back down into the stump and broke me off. Shocked

I quickly tied on another wacky Senko, threw it back at the stump and got another hit. I boated three largemouth bass off of that stump. From 6:03 pm to 6:23 pm, I got a short, a 12 inch keeper that weighed 14 ounces and a 14 inch keeper that weighed one pound, seven ounces:

I actually got a full five fish bag! Whoo hoo! Very Happy

Assuming the two keepers that I got near the culvert weighed the same as these two, my five fish bag weighed 6-3/4 pounds. We all got off of the water as darkness quickly fell, at about 6:45 pm. Surprisingly, despite the full sun, the water temperature never quite hit 68 degrees all day. Although I had a pretty decent day of fishing in terms of results, I still felt like I was missing something, since I had ended up boating 11 bass, which is one bass shy of an even dozen. Confused

But when Bob, Jason, Kira and I stopped for dinner nearby at the Altnaveigh Inn & Restaurant in Storrs, I soon fixed that Very Happy

:

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

Nice Bass in that last picture...looks like a smallmouth to me

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

Oh, I almost forgot. Just before Bob and Jason decided to head back to the ramp, they were fishing close to Kira over some shallow weedbeds near the west shore of the upper lake. Kira told Jason that he should tie on a frog, so he did. A Stanley Ribbit got him a topwater hit from a largemouth bass. He set the hook and boated it:

I envy his topwater hit, because I could only get the bass to hit a wacky Senko.
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Don't forget to wear sunscreen and don't litter!

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

Great job Phil!

sbehuniak09 · Joined: 10 Jul 2012 Posts: 229 Location: Seymour, CT

I only stuck around for about 2 hours. I fished a few of the coves in the South end and got nothing. I trolled a perch Rapala (not that I have any idea what I'm doing) with no luck. I threw a big green and white spinnerbait all around trying to get a pike, but again, no idea what I'm doing. I did get quite a few hits throwing a wacky Senko under trees and along rocks/weeds, but they were all very quick and never big enough to get a hook set. I really think there are a ton of fish holed up near the edges where they is a lot of cover or logs in the water but I'm having a tough time getting them. Phil, looks like you were able to find them pretty damn good though! Hopefully I'll see some of you guys again soon.
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The fishing was good; it was the catching that was bad. ~A.K. Best

NWDarkcloud · Joined: 23 Apr 2012 Posts: 474

sbehuniak09

sorry i missed ya.......

Jjay and I must of been way up north about the time you put in ....maybe next time
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JJay · Joined: 23 Sep 2011 Posts: 113 Location: Farmington, CT

Thanks for the report Phil, good stuff !

NWDarkcloud · Joined: 23 Apr 2012 Posts: 474

Sorry it took so long to add my part of this tail but its been a real crazy last couple days.

Luckly Peco(Phil) is realy detailed at his reports make my part easy . It was a great mornng fog was so thick you could cut it with a knife all the signs lead us to think it would be a rockin day.
Shortly after we hit the water Jjay (jason) pulled the first fish

After that the bite went cold for us we fished for a hour or so before we heard Phil pulling ito the launch area shortly after that we saw a gloomy specter creeping through the tunnel

We fished together for a little while, Phil fished the shoreline while Jason and I focused on open water structure fishing humps and ruts on the bottom.
The skies started to clear we where still unable to pull another fish, so Jason and I made a big jump to south end to scout for a bite.
All the way down didnt mark a single fish. Shocked

on the finder. Did mark a few near the boom by the southern end and I pulled 1 but after that nada. We fished the area Phil joined us working the area hard but the now clear skies bright sun made the open clear water a tough fish.
Even though we didnt have the success fish the bottom structure that Phil did pounding the shore line it was a beautiful day.

Later that day Turtlekiss (kira) joined us and even though we never met up with him sbehuniak09 managed to make it.
Later that evening Jason , Kira , Phil and myself met up for dinner .Phil definatly had the big bag of the day , most all the fish where close to shore or real tight to shallow structure and as you could see he even manage 1 more bass from the dinner table with a short cast to the bar Razz

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I Love to fish......Not a big fan of sitting in the boat alone ....the Conversation and the company make it perfect