Wild Fishing At The Lakehouse

I recently returned from a session at the stunning Lake House in Connecticut, which was wild for a number of reasons (some not so good).

A quick introduction: the Lake House is a luxurious property with high-end facilities, including two king-size beds, two kitchens, a large lounge an enormous TV, a bathroom, a waterside gondola with outdoor TV with all streaming channels, a fire pit, a grill, a large mooring oh and a boat house boathouse for those who like to be on their rods.

Lake Lillinonah has over 40 miles of shoreline. From personal experience, big water fishing leans towards the extreme with different variables to small water fishing (small being anything under 20 acres)—and this was our experience!

My good friend, Rich, was visiting from England. We booked three nights at the Lake House and were super excited about the fishing. Last year, I fished this stretch and landed 16 fish, including several stunning fully scaled mirrors and a couple of thirties. Therefore, enthusiasm was high!

We arrived on a beautiful sunny afternoon. Two eagles flew overhead, leaving their nests in the tall trees opposite and swopping down just beyond the dock in search of prey. What a backdrop to start fishing! As of my previous visit, all rods were fished no further than 40 yards from the bank, with rigs positioned on clear spots near weed. Depths varied from 8-18ft. Any further out and the depths dropped to 40-5ft, which, from my experience, is not ideal. A generous offering of Mainline IB boilies and a few handfuls of maize was deposited over each rod from the boat. We were fishing!

As the first fire of the trip began to take, and the steak started to cook, the first rod was away. Rich landed a hard fighting common, and we were off the mark. Thankfully, as the food neared ready, the rods remained quiet for a few minutes. We sat, caught up on many stories and enjoyed great food in the gondola with the rods waiting expectantly. Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait long. The action was steady over night with several fish landed, the best weighing low twenties. The following day followed a similar pattern: slow hours with little happening, and then evening, night and early morning action. During the slow hours, Rich rested in the supplied Adirondack chairs, watching the outside TV in the gondola after finding a channel that streamed endless Baywatch episodes!

As the second evening began, the rods started to receive bites again. A mixture of fish in the 12-20lb range moved through, with some beautifully scaled mirrors in the mix. As is often the case, wild fish fight so hard—often suggesting they are much bigger than the scales indicate. We continued to catch overnight, but again, nothing big—the biggest, weighing low twenties.

The next day, everything changed, and I mean everything. We woke to heavy grey skies and rain. As the morning continued, the rain increased, with us sheltering in the house at times to keep dry. At one point, my phone received a warning alert for our area, warning of flash flooding and rising water conditions. Cynically, I ignored this and Rich, who was keener than I, kept by the rods, determined to catch one of the large, fully scaled mirrors this lake is known for. During the afternoon, my phone received another warning, this time from the local town, stating the dam would be opened to lower the lake because of the considerable influx of rain. Again, from the sanctuary of the house, I played this down. And then we saw it—or I should say, Rich did. I had spent a few hours in the house and hadn’t seen what was happening by the dock. Rich insisted I leave the sanctuary of the warm house by saying, ‘I think you need to see this’. With waterproofs on, we walked down the hill to be greeted with a sight I never imagined possible. The water was covered in floating trees and branches, wiping every rod out and creating impossible conditions. The water had risen considerably and then dropped quickly as the nearby dams managed the influx. Any debris or loose trees along the water's edge had been uprooted and carried into the lake. What a sight! And what a sudden ending to the fishing. It was such a shame as the bites were building, and fish were beginning to move through. We spent the final night in the comfort of the house.

In many ways, this can happen when fishing wild waters. However, I have since learned that Lake Lillinonah has not seen such conditions in over a decade, so seemingly, the odds are small.

Once again, the Lake House greeted us kindly—what a place! Sadly, the weather, not so much.