CTFishTalk.com: Silver Lake 09/26/10 - Connecticut Lake Reports ( CT Lake Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

Daryl · Joined: 24 Sep 2010 Posts: 70 Location: Simsbury, CT

Okay first lake report, so here goes....

09/26/2010 - Silver Lake, Berlin, CT
65 Degrees - 68 Degrees Air Temp
Partial Overcast, with blue skies visible

I bootlegged a copy of the Aquatic Plant Life Survey Map the CT Agricultural site. So its copied and pasted, but still credited to them. I just removed all the plant life info and just left the bathymetry (depth markings.) FYI you can also get these down to the point where they are just a black and white outline of the lake with a North arrow and depth markings only. Forum, let me know if we need a tutorial on how to get these maps and print them.

We all arrived at the boat launch a little later than desired. Didn't hit the water until 9:30am. As I already knew we had probably missed most of the bass biting for the day, but nonetheless, family, friends a dog and a canoe and kayak is all I need for fun.

Right out of the boat launch we headed down the East side of the lake up against the railroad tracks. We went all the way to the Northeast corner in the back cove next to the tracks. Dad caught a large pickerel in the 17"-18" range on the first cast. He was using a Yamasenko Pumkin Green 4" Worm, rigged wacky on a Gamakatsu 1/0 Weedless Worm Hook. Spot is indicated between T11 and T12 markings with a WHITE CIRCLE. Time 10:15am

Drifted northwards a little way throwing wacky worms and a holographic minnow with a squiggly tail with a few hits but no fish. Then we hooked into a few 14"-16" large mouths near the T12 marking labeled with a GREEN CIRCLE. Both of those bass were caught on a thin, long shank panfish hook. Emily (our friend) was using a nightcrawler for bait and a bobber about 12 inches above the hook - dead sticking it. The ladies always show us up! Time 10:45am

Then were were ambushed by D.E.P. fisheries boat with two younger college students doing Angler Surveys! Yay! They asked all sorts of questions about what time I fish, how many times at that lake, what I was fishing for and so on and so forth. We discussed the lakes pollution level, and also touched on the stocking of Channel Catfish in that lake. Then they gave us some direction towards where others had been catching bass. Oh yeah, at the end of there survey it we had to cough up our conservation ID#'s (fishing license #'s) but did not have to show them. We all keep e-copies on our smartphones, and it was no problem reading it off the cellphones. Another noteworthy thing is that we had a small 30lbs thrust Minn-Kota trolling motor on the side of the un-registered canoe. The surveyors made no comment of that violation, thankfully. Maybe because I was in the kayak doing all the talking.

Next, we headed over the cove area near the T7 and T8 markings (people were using shiners on bobbers for bass along the green lined area there and doing well.) There is an area off the point that the DEP folks said was good, and there was like 3 or 4 boats over there. They said one fisherman pulled 7 largemouths off that point, which is dotted with broken lily pads. That area is marked with a GREEN CIRCLE and is just to the west of the T7 and T8 marked cove.

We worked our way north and found a nice area with a lot of fish. It's between T7 and T6 just north of a large pontoon boat that has red railings and has not moved from the shore all year (as a reference point.) The yellow area housed some black crappie, the white line area held some nice long pickerel and the green circle of course was largemouth bass. The pickerel and bass were hitting on a small 2" long Storm Wild Eye Shad (Orange/Green with stripes on it) which I found at WalMart.

Finally heading back towards the launch at around 4pm we found some more black crappie which is another yellow circle.

I've lined a few areas with light green lines, and a few more with heavier green lines that indicated other places that I've had pretty decent luck landing bass. As Kira has stated befored, it's about quantity in the lake but I've heard a few rumors of 5 to 6 pounders getting pulled here on the regular. There was a guy yesterday that landed a 30"+ norther pike early on Saturday morning. I would have been more surprised (and doubtful) to hear that if I had not paddled by a very large northern pike myself earlier this June.

Additionally I have labeled a BLUE CIRCLE where I caught a few nice catfish on Yamasenkos (go figure) of various color, wacky style in the first cove off to the left when your leaving the boat launch. Try early morning for bass in this cove as well, cast around the docks and pad edges or try skipping a texas rig or something under the weeping willow in the shallows of this cove for bass to. Also someone else managed to catch bullfrogs on this forum at this lake. I must say, I got one or two myself here, it's hilarious.

Hope the report helps! Enjoy!

Daryl

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

I've always wanted to fish Silver Lake. This will help a lot. Thanks.

I, too, have referred to the bathymetric data from the CAES' invasive aquatic plant survey maps from time to time. Here's a link to the index of the available reports:

http://www.ct.gov/caes/cwp/view.asp?a=2799&q=377004&caesNav

Not all of the maps have bathymetric data, but some of them are very helpful. But, as SeaDog1 always says, the best source of bathymetric data for most of the fishable lakes and ponds in Connecticut is "A Fisheries Guide to Lakes and Ponds of Connecticut", which is available from the CT DEP bookstore. And I said "most" because Scoville Reservoir and Nod Brook WMA, for two, are missing from the Guide and I have no idea why.
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TurtleKiss · Joined: 09 Mar 2010 Posts: 1200 Location: central CT

Nice report Daryl!
1. Your white line denoting the "nice long pickerel" is exactly where I lost the tails off several monster worms last time at Silver.
2. DEP can't do anything about the motor on an unregistered boat except notify the EnCon police...they're the ones with the authority to issue fines/a citation.
3. I've got my conservation ID memorized after having been asked for it 9 times this season.
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Kira

*~ "Not everything about fishing is noble, reasonable and sane..." -Henry Middleton ~*

SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629

Hey Kira!

"9 times!!!?" Shocked

Any of the officers repeats?

SeaDog1

TurtleKiss · Joined: 09 Mar 2010 Posts: 1200 Location: central CT

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

Are any of the officers male Very Happy

SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629

Hi DD!

Looks like we here on CTFT aren't the only ones that like our Kira! Shocked

SeaDog1

SWfish · Joined: 31 Aug 2010 Posts: 21

Great report. Thx.

TurtleKiss · Joined: 09 Mar 2010 Posts: 1200 Location: central CT

Phish · Joined: 22 Aug 2008 Posts: 454 Location: West Hartford

Nice report. Hell, I used to think I gave pretty detailed reports. Laughing

I like it. The trend may make me figure out how to use some of the tools on my computer one of these days.

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

Plus, I learned something about the division of enforcement resposibilities between the DEP and EnCon. Thanks, Kira.

I hooked up my fishfinder last evening/night. It has GPS. Once I figure it out, I should be able to produce some pretty detailed charts.
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Daryl · Joined: 24 Sep 2010 Posts: 70 Location: Simsbury, CT

Thanks for all the compliments on my report. I look forward to posting/reading more in the future!

Peco, I'm stoked to hear about your new depthfinder setup! I hit up Nod Brook today and fished during the afternoon with a friend from 1 to 4 and got skunked. However on the bright side I found out from a local DEP worker and a good friend that there are some spots supposedly over 70ft dep over in the upper pond there.

No that it's a target fish, but they both told me that some HUGE carp live in there and would probably be a great fight on light test.

I would be very excited if you would be able to try and depth find over there and that way you would know where all the fish are going to stack up when the ice starts.

Also, my superintendent/friend offered me a free 12 foot flat bottom fiberglass boat today. It's some old Sears model but nonetheless, it's free. I gladly accepted. Its light enough for me and my friend Dan to easily lift, so once the winter comes around we are going to re-glass the rear part of the hull were there is some slight damage. After that we are going to do some modifications for rod holders and a trolling motor mount as well. Very inexpensive project but it should provide a platform that can be launched in any small pond even without a paved boat launch.

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

You know, Daryl, I heard the same thing from a slightly wacky older gentleman who told me that he grew up on the farm that used to be there. He said that the ponds used to be private and the upper pond was several ponds stuck together. I think he also mentioned that some of the ponds were dug pretty deep as rock quarries. I've never been able to find bathymetric data, so I'm looking forward to mapping it out for myself.
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