[steven1smith]

Made the hike to lakeville yesterday in search of some bass, since the lakes in the hartford area are just not producing. The weather was cloudy with a little breeze throughout the day, with a few rain showers. Just about perfect weather conditions. And the fishing was just about perfect too.





Lunker of the day at a little over 3.5lbs


And the surprise of the day:


We ended up with about 20 bass for the day, with most of them in the 2-3lb range. Most were caught on the shakey head and the lunker was caught on a jig off a dock. All fish aside from the jig fish were caught in 5ft of water near submerged trees.
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Catch and release only.
A 4lb bass is not going to grow to 8lbs on your wall.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxCdnQ8WEfQ

[FishesFins]

Nice job making a trip to the northwest corner! 2 of the top 5 fisheries in Ct are right next to each other up there! Lakeville and East Twin. I am surprised not more people on this site head up there but oh well their loss is your gain! I used to live in Cromwell and I recently moved to FL. I still however am always checking on the fishing were I used to live. I have fished many tournaments in Ct and if I had to make a top 5 list for lakes they would be as follows. 1. Candlewood 2. East Twin 3. Lake Quassapaug 4. Lili 5. Lakeville. Candlewood without question is number 1. I have had days in the 40's and 50's numerous times especially when its overcast and rainy. East Twin might be the best big bass lake in the state. I have seen bags of 20-25lbs for biggest five in tournaments when they are spawning! Just unreal the size of the fish in that small place. Big trout equall big BASS! My favorite spot on the list comes in at number 3. Lake Quassapaug. Yes it is private however you can gain ramp access by paying a yearly club fee of 500 bucks! That is a lot of money, however if you split it with a friend it worth it! The lake takes a little time to learn however once you know it, look out! I would say that 6 out of 10 trips I would catch 15 lbs or so for my biggest 5. Even on extremly slow days if you bust your but you can get 5 good bites. When the bite is on however its non-stop all day. I have had days of 60+ fish during the spawn. The smallmouth in that place are enormous and 5 smallies going 15 lbs is not uncommon. I will try to post some pics later of a 4-12, and a 4-15 I caught from there within 5 minutes of each other. The other cool thing about that lake is the trout! I have never actually targeted them however I have caught them on tubes and senkos by mistake. They are not small either. I have caught numerous 3-5lb rainbows while fishing for bass. A nice little bonus which a couple I have kept for the dinner table! This without a doubt is the best legal place I know of to catch both numbers and good weight. Again though you have to know it well. Its very clear water and gets to about 60+feet deep. Light flourocarbon line is a must along with long casts! At number 4 comes Lili! A very tough lake at times however you can clean up at the right times. Lakeville is another hidden gem. I have actually seen the biggest bass I have ever saw in CT dead on the top of the water in Lakeville. Im sure it died of old age and the thing was at least 24" long and probably was in the 8-10 lb class. Hard to tell when their dead was this thing was a pig! The big ones are down deep and again feed on those masssive trout! Anyway Im glad to hear you had a great day. try throwing a drop shot in Lakeville in some of the deeper holes. You can be rewarded nicely! Watermelon has always worked well for me there along with a smoke or natural shad color. Dont be afraid to throw a huge trout colored swimbait either. Good luck and tight lines!

[Phish]

Great day! Congratulations on finding some nice bass.

[SkeeterRon]

Nice fish..!

I havent been there in a long time. Looks like I need to plan a trip.
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Sleep...Eat...Fish!!!!! Then do it all over again.

[admin]

great Job!
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~ Marc

Just one more cast...

[DirtyDawg10]

Nice fish!

[RobO]

Steve,

I do not know how you can not smile in those pics with those nice bass..

Nice poker face!
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I'd rather be fishing, than sitting here in front of this computer,,,