CTFishTalk.com: what was It? - Connecticut River Fishing ( CT River Fishing ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

toonces · Joined: 26 Oct 2011 Posts: 31

i fished my backyard ponds yesterday evening and took up at the outlet which feeds to a big river. the water was up thanks to the rain and there were people already fishing so i picked an opening between a couple trees and started casting. i guess the water had just recently receded from where i was standing b/c i lost my feet and almost slid into the drink on my ass. i got up and stood back a couple feet hoping no one saw that.

i was pitching a wacky worm upstream and as it drifted in front of me on the next cast, i felt the tug and set the hook. i know LMB occupy this part of the outlet and usually stack up here waiting for a meal and that's what i thought i had until it started peeling off drag in a crazy burst of speed. it went upstream against the current forcing me to reach around the tree to my right since i was about to slip down the bank again. i thought i had it as it went kinda limp but instead, it peeled off again, this time downstream and right into the base of the tree to my left where it came loose.

i couldn't express my thoughts at that very moment as kids were around but needless to say, i was a little disappointed. i was using a 3000-size Stradic and 7' inshore rod and the biggest fish i've caught with this setup is a 30" striper. whatever i hooked yesterday surely ran harder that that fish by a long shot. i was thinking, '@&@#^#&#!!!, tighten the drag!!!' when it started to take off so i think i was screwed from the get go. plus, no room to play the fish didn't help.

anyhow, any guesses as to what i was? do pike reside in this type of area and do they fight like that, or maybe a big trout? i've been thinking about this thing non-stop and want to take a heavier stick back to the pond to try and nab it again (yes, wishful thinking). gonna empty my pockets and jump in after it if i have to!

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

Seeing you said "a big river", possibly the CTR, then it was either a pike or channel catfish. Possibility of a carp too.

If it wasn't the CTR, then I'd say carp.

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

Northern pike or bowfin.
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avidangler · Joined: 08 Jan 2013 Posts: 469 Location: Forestville

The name of the river would narrow it down but i think that Michael and PECo covered my guesses.
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scotcho05 · Joined: 30 Jun 2013 Posts: 8

Have had several carp do this to me with light tackle...thats my educated guess

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

JustinSolak · Joined: 17 Jul 2011 Posts: 245 Location: East Hartford, CT

I'd say tarpon... or mahi... Idk, you didn't really specify the river.

But a carp will hit an artificial and will fight like that. Though its usually the smaller fish that pull like that. In the area of 15lbs. ESPECIALLY the males. The larger fish upwards of 30lbs usually fight like a tractor, as Peco put it.

You can never judge the size of a fish by how hard previous fish have fought. I gotta 31in striper last night a was convinced was a skate til it popped off on the shore and dinner almost swam away.

As far as your fish, I'd say carp, but it coulda been any of the fish everyone's named so far. And if its the CT river you speak of, then that includes tarpon and mahi Laughing

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