According to my log, I hadn't been to Mashapaug Lake since 1979. This is
the home of the longtime CT LM record and former CT SM record. Gin clear
water, minimal vegetation. By my recollection of the lake, it was a tough
place to fish, but should be the ideal place fro drop shotting. So I left
home just after 4AM on Staurday and slid the boat off the trailer at the
lake at 6. Hit a couple likely looking spots with some likely early AM
lures (Fin-S fish, jerkbait, topwater) and got nada.

Went to the spot I last caught from Mashapaug, 25 years ago. Picked up the
drop shot rod and cast to the top of the breakline. Caught a 12" LM. Next
cast, I worked it over the edge of the break into about 20 feet of water
and caught a SM about 15". That would be my last hit.

Worked that and other deep breaklines through the driving rainstorm that
arrived a few minutes later, and got nothing. The rain let up some and I
was pondering my next move whenI heard the first roll of thunder. Another
thunder clap a bit closer a few minutes later made my mind up, and I was
putting along toward the ramp (the place has a 10mph speed limit) when the
skies opened up again and the T-storm hit. I was off the water at 8:30. I
waited it out for about 15 minutes, then decided to strap things down and
hit the highway.

A 4 hour round trip for 2-1/2 hours of fishing is NOT my idea of a great
way to spend a Saturday. But by the time I'd driven about 25 miles, the
lighting and thunder had desisted and the rain had become a hard drizzle.

I decided that a detour to Congamond on the way home was in order. Slid the
boat of the trailer there at 10AM. There was a club tourney going on. Went
to my favorite offshore spot in middle pond, which was surprisingly
unoccupied, and by 11, I'd caught 5 bass, all on a drop shot rig. The rain
had stopped completely (the sun even made a half hearted attempt to show
itself) and the fishing seemed to get better (average size wise) the longer
I stayed. Talked to several of the guys in the club tourney, and they all
said that the fishing was great first thing in the AM, then had died
completely after a heavy downpour that lasted over an hour.

There's one spot there that everyone fishes. It's an old ice house
foundation. I decided to hit it at about 12:30. Went around the corner from
the bar I was fishing and there was a tourney boat fishing it. I fished my
way toward it and waited for him to leave. He did, and I moved in and
tossed the DS rig to the first corner piling. It hit the bottom, I shook it
once and got bit. Turned out to be my best fish of the trip. Went to the
next piling and caught another. Then the first clap of thunder in the
distance sent me packing. It was just about 1pm.

Hated to leave with the fish biting, but it was an awfully good 3 hours.
Got 14 bass, all on the drop shot rig, and after the first 4 that were
little 13" to 14" bass, all the others were decent fish, mostly in the
2-1/2 to 3 pound class, with the one in the 4-1/2 pound neighborhood that I
caught right before the end. I sat out the worst of the first part of that
thunderstorm in the car, then got out and strapped things down and headed
for home. Most of the ride home was some of the worst driving conditions
I've ever pulled a boat in that didn't involve ice or snow. Torrential
rains and steady lightning. I'm sure glad I got off the water when I did.

RichZ©
www.richz.com/fishing