CTFishTalk.com: mattabasset river - Connecticut River Reports ( CT River Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

JesseC · Joined: 26 Jan 2013 Posts: 128 Location: Cromwell

heading out on the mattabasset today off the launch behind dunkin' in cromwell in my new 10' jon boat i picked up off of craigslist yesterday to do some exploring and fishing Very Happy

will write a report and hopefully have some pics to go along with too later when i get back

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

Looking forward to the report!
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JimiChanga · Joined: 04 Mar 2012 Posts: 195 Location: Meriden

I also am awaiting to hear how you did.

John.

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

I hope you did better than TurtleKiss (aka Kira) and I, today. The Connecticut River is DEAD to us.
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JesseC · Joined: 26 Jan 2013 Posts: 128 Location: Cromwell

just got back after being on the water for pretty much the whole day, tryed uploading pics from my phone to my laptop but im having some issues so i think i'm going to bring an actual digital camera next time. anyways, on with the report! noticed the water was higher than i've ever seen it there before, it was going up well over the makeshift boat launch, the current was also moving very fast so i decided to just try and drift down the river a bit before making my way back up since i havent picked up the motor yet. Started off tossing out a rapala flat rap flr-8 in silver i just picked up the other day at cabella's after reading so many good reviews about them, didn't seem to get any takers on it but i love the super fast wobble action it has. Eventually i drifted down to the first little cove type area before the cromwell wetlands where the water was only about 2' deep and dropped my anchor. hung in that area for a couple hours and played around with some buzz baits, spinner baits and chatter baits, didnt get any hits so i drifted down a bit more towards the ct river and tryed dragging a carolina rigged senko along the way. It started to get pretty chilly around 4 so i decided to call it a day and paddled my way back up river and switched out the senko for a pearl white half ounce swim bait. Here's the kicker tho, as i'm paddling up the river against the current trolling my swimbait only about 10 minutes away from the launch, my phone starts ringing, i go to grab the phone and answer it out of the front of the boat in my tackle box and all the sudden the line got hooked on something and went flying out of the back of the boat and underwater downriver ,could have been a log submerged in the water? either that or it was a monster pike with a voracious appetite for swimbaits! i guess i'll never know unless i find it someday lol (the rod was just resting on the transom) so anyways i frantically drop my phone and try to hang over the side of the boat as i see my rod and reel get sucked into the murky freezing fast moving water which seemed to be over 10' deep because i couldnt even touch the bottom with my oar! to make things worse, while all of this is happening, i forgot, once again, lol, how fast the current was moving in the middle and since i wasnt pushing the boat forwards and didnt drop the anchor, the current quickly sucked me about 20' back down the river within 10 seconds even further away from where my rod fell in the water, at this point im yelling and swearing, all i can think is "OMG i need to act fast or the current will take it somewhere and it will be gone forever!" quickly paddled back up to where i thought it might be but like i said it must have been at least 10' deep where i was and there was like no visibility in the water at all, not to mention the current was pulling like crazy. at this point my hands are pretty much frozen and it was getting dark, so as i much as i wanted to try and find my pole, i had to give it up Crying or Very sad

nothing worse than seeing a hundred bucks just slip away into a watery abyss. Whats even more ironic is that before this happened i was planning on making a trip to dicks or cabella's tomorrow to get some rod leashes and holders Mad

Looks like i need a new rod and reel now too! all in all tho it was still at least nice to get out and try out my jon boat for the first time! couldnt have asked for a better boat, very stable in the water, and it only weighs about 100 lbs. so it was really easy to throw it on the roof of the car and carry it. lesson learned tho, dont ever troll without a rod leash or holder!!! Embarassed

BTW if anyone ever happens to pull a rod outta the mattabasset send me a message! Wink

JimiChanga · Joined: 04 Mar 2012 Posts: 195 Location: Meriden

Sorry to hear of the bad day there Jesse.
Just go back when the river goes down to normal levels & use a grappling hook type gadjet to retrieve your lost setup if you really want to get it back?
Also when you get any kind of motor (gas or electric) you'll have to register the boat. Yes even an electric motor.

John.

JesseC · Joined: 26 Jan 2013 Posts: 128 Location: Cromwell

thanks john thats a good idea, i'll definitley try and skim the bottom some more around the area where i dropped it when the water lets down and i can see better, is it always really high and fast moving this time of year? and its aright i guess things could always be worse, the good thing is at least i wasnt crazy enough to jump in that freezing water after it! anyways, hopefully i'll have better luck next time and actually hook some fish! i wonder if i there's any chance a fish finder might help me find it ?

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

you may find it in a log jam somewhere downstream, other than that the Mattabassett is like a black hole, but don't give up hope. My buddy had a surf caster wedged in some rocks at night and had it ripped out by a big striper. He was walking the adjacent beach a month later and saw a guy pulling it out of the sand pole and all. If you register the boat let me know, I've got a 7hp 2 stroke and a 10hp 4 stroke all tuned up itching to go for a spin. Im right near the Mattabasset in Berlin. Actually i live on Mattabassett Street lol.

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

The Mattabassett always gets flooded with the spring runnoff. There will be some monster pike and carp in there. I don't fish carp, but whenever I head in there they are jumping and rolling all over the place. There are some monsters, especially around where the Coginchaug flows in. I'll probably start fishing in there soon.
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PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

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

I usually run up from Haddam. It's about the same down from Rocky Hill. I think you can pay to launch from one of the marinas in Portland, but I've never done that. I've got a couple of nice spots I like to fish on the run up. It will be a much easier run in the Gemma Rose II. You fishing this coming Sunday?
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RNA - It's in my blood.
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Weekly reports from around CT, the LIS and beyond.

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

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

frankeality · Joined: 10 Jul 2011 Posts: 7

I just moved to a complex on the mattabesset in Middletown on the Cromwell line. There seems to be some good shore access on a bike trail that winds through the apartments. Has anyone had luck fishing this river from shore?

JesseC · Joined: 26 Jan 2013 Posts: 128 Location: Cromwell

jimbo, hopefully i'll be getting the boat registered sometime soon, i would definitely be down to go out for a spin on it with you as soon as i do
Very Happy