[PECo]

I fished the Connecticut River from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. I launched in El Habañero at the Vibert Road boat launch ramp:



The sky was overcast, the air temperature was in the upper 40s and there was a slight north wind. As the day wore on, however, the sky cleared, the air temperature warmed to the upper 50s and the wind died down. After I launched, I paddled upriver to a submerged wall that runs out from the east bank to the center of the river. I threw a white four inch curlytail grub on a 1/4 ounce shakeyhead jighead at laydowns along the bank in the calm water downriver from the wall. It didn't take long before I got a hit, but as I pulled the fish out of the laydown, it broke me off. Sonofab*!@# That's what I get for not re-tying! I tied on a new grub jig, but didn't get any more bites along the bank. I decided to head across the river and fish the downriver side of the submerged wall as I went. I finally got another hit on the grub jig about an hour after I launched:



It was just a little 14 inch schoolie striper, but it was a fish. Whoo hoo! I continued across the river to the east shore of the island that sits in front of the mouth of the Farmington River. I decided to drift downriver and enter the channel between the west bank of the Connecticut and the island. As I went, I threw the grub jig at laydowns on the east shore of the island and got another hit:



It was another schoolie striper, but a 19 incher this time. I rounded the south end of the island and entered the channel. I planned to paddle directly to the mouth of the Farmington, but couldn't resist throwing the grub jig at laydowns on the banks of the channel. I got a hit right away, but this time from a 19 inch northern pike:



After that, I threw the grub jig at every laydown I saw. That slowed me down a lot, but also got me a slightly better northern pike:




Unlike the weather, which got better and better as the day wore on, the fishing didn't. I didn't get another bite after I caught the second northen pike at 10:45 am. I paddled 50 yards up the Farmington, before heading back downriver and around the north end of the island to the Connecticut. I crossed to the east bank and back down to the submerged wall before drifting down to the laydowns on the east bank that are just downriver from the boat launch ramp. I think that the current was a little stronger in the afternoon than it was in the morning and I probably fished the grub jig a little too far off of the bottom of the river. The next time, I'll tie on an even heavier jighead (i.e., a 3/8 ouncer) or maybe even a football head jig. I really want to catch some smallies. Oh, well, at least I got to enjoy a beautiful day out on the water:


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[SAP284]

Nice! I noticed the wind wasn't as brutal today. What brand grub jigs are you using just curious? I picked up a handful of them couple weeks ago and only used one so far which was a Gulp. Seemed to work well....
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Steve

[chud059]

there are 2 islands on either side of the rt 291 bridge, in the summer it looks like a party out there! boats / jet ski's on those little islands....looks like a good time. Used to fish that area a lot as a kid on my Dad's boat....miss those days..

[PECo]

I tried the white four inch Gulp! curlytail grubs for the first time, yesterday. Yeap, they work fine, but they're soft and fragile compared to the cheaper non-stinky kind, which work just as well as far as I can tell. I'm not sure which brand of cheap ones I got at Dick's. Not Mister Twister, though. The cheap ones have better tail action at slower retrieves than the fat Gulp! ones.
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[Seahunt_al]

I've caught smallies further north in the Enfield area many years ago - I used the ramp off of parsons road. As for the stripers, they should be here in better numbers anytime now.

[Scott M]

That little island is a great party during the summer. I was there for 4th of July last year, you can see the Hartford fireworks and the group of brazilians playing soccer in thongs made for all kinds of entertainment while I sat and enjoyed a few tasty beverages...
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Is it duck season yet?

[BassRican]

Great job! You are on fire. Is this area accessable with a jon boat w/3.5 hp motor? Safe also?
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When in doubt, rip their lips out!

[PECo]

Yes, Carlos, it's accessible to bigger boats and is safe. The river is very wide and shallow in that section, so there 's not too much of a current. The channel between the west bank and the island at the mouth of the Farmington River is protected from the current and the wind, too.
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Don't forget to wear sunscreen and don't litter!

[Passinthru Outdoors]

way to go Peco. Looks like you had fun. Keep the reports coming.
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[DirtyDawg10]

Nice job out there, Phil!

[MarkO]

Nice set of fish there Phil.

[hila2006]

Hey Phil, another damn nice day out there. We're definitely getting out there someplace on Saturday, too many good reports from everyone else, time do post some. As long as I remember to shrink the photos first, and if I can figure out how to shrink them

[pikePERSUADER1]

Nice!

[snap fisher777]

Nice fish Phil!