CTFishTalk.com: Windsor Locks Canal Trail State Park 07/01 - Connecticut River Reports ( CT River Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

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

I was going to meet a high school buddy of mine for dinner at the Maine Fish Market Restaurant in East Windsor, so I headed out that way early to check out the Windsor Locks Canal Trail State Park. I also wanted to stop by the Costco in Enfield, so I decided to check out the canal from the parking lot on the north end in Suffield. I got to the lot at 3:50 pm:

Even though the air was warm and extremely humid, I decided to wear a jacket, more to keep the mosquitos off of me than to keep me dry. I walked down to the trail from the parking lot:

Here's a view of the Route 190 bridge, looking north from the mouth of the canal:

I headed south down the trail:

I went less than 1/4 mile, because I saw that the very shallow water in the canal suddenly went from murky to caffè latte:

I figured that it would be waste of time to try fishing in the opaque water, so I headed back up the trail. I threw a wacky Senko and a white spinnerbait across the canal from a couple of spots along the shore on my way back to the mouth. I got only one hit on the spinnerbait when I pulled it from the water and also spotted a 24 inch long carp swimming slowly down the canal. After I gave up on trying to get a bite in the shallow, murky water of the canal, I threw a wacky Senko into the eddies formed by the Connecticut River as it flowed past the mouth. I got only one hit from a short smallmouth bass:

I left the park at 5:15 pm. I ended up with four mosquito bites on my hands and the one short smallmouth bass. I'd love to paddle down the canal when the conditions on the water are better, but didn't see any regulations regarding boating there. Does anybody know whether it's permitted?
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Don't forget to wear sunscreen and don't litter!

chud059 · Joined: 29 Mar 2011 Posts: 413 Location: Manchester

www.ct.gov/dot/LIB/dot/Documents/dbikes/128.pdf

I hope this link works, but in the bottom corner it does NOT allow, ATV's, Drinking, Snowmobiling, horseback riding or motorcycles... it doesn't say anything either way about putting a canoe in the canal. As a kid, I used to see a lot of people in canoes in the canal even as far south as the locks.

It's great how the park in suffield has changed, the parking area used to be just a big dirt bumpy crater filled parking area... although, there were no fences back then either, we used to climb down onto the dam itself when the water was low... we used to open and close the one lock before they chained that up. on the bank side of the canal is where you could launch a canoe or small boat.. used to be deeper also. They used to, maybe they still do, drain the canal once a year, I remember dropping my fishing box in there in front of the montgomery building on a walk bridge that they've since removed, and waiting til' mid august to use a rope and hook to retrieve it.

We used to ride our bikes up and down the canal... about half way up is an island in the river, we called it devils island, had fresh water poisonous clams, and in the summer we'd walk across the river to the island. Supposedly there are dinosaur tracks in the river but I've never seen them.

My next day off from work I'll have to take a ride up there, it's been a couple of years since I've been down there.

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

dogfishhead · Joined: 18 Mar 2013 Posts: 82 Location: Cromwell

At least u didn't get the skunk!

I used to shimmy down that fence in your third pic during the spring time fishing. Those were in my lighter days, LOL. I don't know if you can still get there but the 190 bridge abutments are a good spot too.
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Got em!!

Gee_Boog · Joined: 27 Apr 2013 Posts: 47

That place is a really nice spot to grab a few SMB anytime. I've found it to be at its best when the water is at its clearest and the depth is somewhere near medium (10ft) from the center, and trust me, I HAVE waded this place and it gets deep! As far as kayaks or anything floating for that matter in the canal, I can't say I have ever seen someone in there (10+ years) but I think you would get some friction from people seeing how they been really trying to clean up the place. It gives someone the perfect excuse to complain.
I've had people yell and holler at me while I'm fishing on PUBLIC land before, guess they didn't like me catching bigguns' Smile

chud059 · Joined: 29 Mar 2011 Posts: 413 Location: Manchester

I used to fish down by the locks end, it's deep there.. .also, way before it became overgrown and fenced in you could drop a line into the other locks and where it lets out into the river.