Posted by Paulie D on 2002 PM:

Lilli -Revisited

John, my dear friend. I do not wish to beat a dead horse and I am in no way accusing anybody of being a cry baby or malcontent. However I do differ with you on this one. Lilli is a Quality Bass lake. It is a very tough lake to fish for any angler experienced or other wise. And I aggree it can be a very mysterious body of water. But it is not unlike the CT river which is absolutely cursed by many of my club members and CBF members alike and a much more intimidating body of water. Yet, there are some peolpe I know who just love it. Maybe because it is such a challenge and they thrive on figuring it out. I can't explain the inconsistent fishing on Lilli or Zoar for that matter. But as Dean put it earlier that's April fishing for ya. The high water temps this fast may have moved the fish deep into the coves, I don't know. But I do know many people who fish it regularly and have figured it out and consistently do well. April is not a good month for me on Lilli and I have been skunked on it quite a few times. I have also been skunked on Mighty Mahopac and I know I am not the only one. But I really love fishing Lilli. When I figure it out and do well there is a great feeling of accomplishment. Yesterday I fished my first TX on Candlewood. Talk about tough times. Not a great day. And I talked with a many people yesterday that said Candlewood is the most difficult lake in the area to fish. Sure the Corbins and Ziolkowskis and Baileys all fared pretty well, but they know that lake inside and out. Many others did not perform well. John in summary all I am saying is that Lilli is a tough lake and a challenge, but that does not exclude it from being a Quality Bass Lake. If that is true then we could add many other bodies of water in the North East to the list. All in all this is what 's great about this sport is the many viewpoints we can share and debate on the various subjects. I repect your opinion and wont belabor the point. I just needed the last say. I am a Leo so that should explain it...LOL

ciao

paulie

Posted by Bass Rat on 2002 PM:

Paulie

Well said. I too like Lilli, & Zoar for that matter. Last year I won a club tournament on Mahopac and then got skunked there 2 Saturdays in a row in September.

I love Candlewood, and frequentlt do well on that lake. but I have fellow club anglers who always have a tough time.

What constitutes a bad lake? Is it seasoned anglers not fairing well.

I concur that Dean summed it up. That's Tournament fishing in April.

Me & Dean fished the Foxwood Challenge Last April (2001). we skunked 2 days. We both have faired very well on this lake both befor that Tourny & after. Along with us another 120 boats also had a tough time of it that Tournament.

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Posted by JOHN G on 2002 PM:

Paulie and Nicky, I love you guys, I wasn't singling you out as critisizing me.....but here is where I really have to disagree with you both: You say, "that is April fishing".....but this April is not like a normal April....the time of the year is relative to the prevailing weather conditions....after the mild winter we had, and since it has been ice out for so long, when you look at the water temperatures the time of the year should not mean as much....Water temperature is such a big factor in fishing, especially in the transition seasons of Spring and fall.....in most normal Aprils, that water may never even leave 50 degrees, but when it rises to 65/70....c'mon! now the day I was there the water was 48 degrees and there were 20 MPH cold winds....yes, I concede in April that is not a lock day, but the conditions have really changed dramatically.....right now, as I type this, I am looking over some unprintable pictures of huge fish that some members have caught that for obvious reasons cannot be posted right now...how come all of those fish were responsive? Mamanasco had water temps in the mid sixties also, and the fish were acting like typical prespawn pattern fish....oh sure, such a tiny water compared to Lilly.....but results from so many places mirror the same thing.....Candy is NOTORIOUSLY slow in April, in fact, most people will do better in Lilly over Candy until about mid May and then Candy will leave it in the dust. I have had 30-40 fish days at Candy (combined for boat), on many occasions, and too numerous 20s to mention......that has NEVER happened to me at Lilly, not with bass anyway, panfish, yes, have had silly fishing days there with the crappie and the white perch....two years ago, friend and I caught 169 crappies at that steel bridge!! Now that was a gas....we caught ONE bass that day! HAHAH...and it was in early June...we would catch at the bridge, leave and bass fish...flunk...go back to the bridge , catch crappie...leave to bass fish....flunk...etc...what a hoot! So like I said I know there are tonnages of fish in that water....just as we agree mysterious , in that it is so difficult to pattern them there......to me a Quality bass lake is one with such a great population of bass, that even average anglers will do okay on most days, and have great days in the best parts of the season...when advanced anglers en masse struggle in good parts of the season that could sure make a water not a fun place for many. I don't ever deny this this though: Lilly is a charm to look at, so beautiful, scenic, lots of different shorelines and spots, long enough to leave room for many anglers....not nearly as developed as other similar waters so way less boat docks....maybe a lot more docks and a lot less weed treatment would change the perspective on that lake considerably...... JOHN G

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Posted by JOHN G on 2002 PM:

by the way, rush over to John from New Hampshires post about Lake Winnie! go ahead, read it! JOHN G

Posted by Bass Rat on 2002 PM:

John, those water temps that where being read last week were surface temps in big water. There was a serious thermocline present.

No problem, I can agree to disagree.

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Posted by Paulie D on 2002 AM:

John , I understand and respect your point of view. The term "Quality Bass Lake" and how we each percieve it is the crux of the argument. This point could be debated for hours , I wont. And I certainly would not compare Lilli to Winni - two different bodies of water. Lilli is for river rats , the guys who love the CT river love Lilli. With that said the DEP must consider LIlli a decent enough lake to exlude it from the BAss Management program at this time. John when are ya taken me to Winni BTW.... I'll trade ya for a trip to the Housy....LOL

ciao

paulie

Posted by JPBass on 2002 AM:

quote:

Originally posted by Bass Rat
John, those water temps that where being read last week were surface temps in big water. There was a serious thermocline present.

Right Nick, The thermocline was showing at around 5 to 7 ft.. I'll wager it was considerably colder under that. I shoulda brought a thermometer to drop down there. I thought I was gonna be too busy catching fish to be doing any recon. .

John G, You locked a thread because you didn't want to hear a response to your own post?? cussin I was kinda hopeing to get some feedback from that thread on why it was such a tough day. Oh well, hence the title Evil Tyrant!!! LOL

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Posted by JOHN G on 2002 PM:

that's right John, I locked it, and now I am going to lock you , Nicky, Paulie and all the other lily-livered Lilly lovers the hell out of here!! ROFLOL!! Nahhh......I will figure it out someday, was talking about it on the phone today with Scully, he still hasn't figured it out....maybe one season fish nothing but that lake,,,,,imagine! But that would be the way to learn every bit of structure...... JOHN G

Posted by BASSMANinCT on 2002 PM:

Hello everyone.

I am responding to your posts because I just joined up with a club here in Fairfield County, CT this April, and will be fishing my first tournament at Lilly this Sunday.

I am not a rookie to tournaments, clubs or bass fishing. I have been fishing since I was 9 all over CT, NY, and New England.
I have fished Lilli only during club tournaments, and in 1989, won the Master Angler State Team Tournament with 3 other pals.

I have not fished Lilli since about that time, but I am not worried.
During that tourney back in 1989, out of 40-2 boat/4 man teams, very few teams caught fish at all, and only my team caught Bass that day, which allowed us the win. The tourney was not a bass only tourney, but a 7 species tournament. Each boat could weigh in the largest fish of each species caught (trout, SMB, LMB, yellow perch, white perch, crappie, sunfish). Each 2 boat team could weigh in 2 of each. Highest weight won. We caught 2 LMB in the 3 lbs range, and 2 SMB about 2 lbs each. We did not catch any trout.

So, I would have to agree, this lake can be very tough. My new club I am in now fishes it regularly, and two members recently placed 4th in a tourney there this April, with a 7+ LMB. This would support it that this year, along with the weather, seems different than most years. Pics and reports can be found here:
http://www.ctfisherman.com/

I have the same name there as well. Enjoy the site, and wish me luck on Sunday!

"A rotten day of fishing still beats a great day at work!"
"See ya at the weigh in!"

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Posted by JOHN G on 2002 AM:

Bassman, what a fabulous idea for a tournament!! an all species, best weight of 2 of each... I love that idea, almost like a Noah's Ark tourney!! LOL.......great great concept...this way, a guy doesnt have to get frustrated if a pickeral or rock bass or whatever is on the line instead of a bass....... JOHN G

Posted by JPBass on 2002 AM:

Hmmm, great concept but was it a catch and release tournament? Some of those multi-spieces tourneys aren't.

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Posted by BASSMANinCT on 2002 AM:

Yes, it is a great fun tourney. It was catch & release ofcourse.

I enjoyed this tourney because it allowed anglers to really show just how great a fisher person they could be. You have to know your species and where to locate them all, not just one fish.

Posted by BASSMANinCT on 2002 PM:

Lilly Revisited: An update!

Hello all again.

It's Monday, April 29, 2002.

I just wanted to update everyone about Lilly and the topic mentioned here in this string.

I fished Lill Saturday to practice for the CT BASS Federation first tournament of the year. It was a beautiful sunny day, and we really enjoyed it. We found many LMB bass on beds already, though we didnt want to catch them until tourney day. There were a few smallies bedding as well. I teamed up with David Paul, who placed 2nd last year at the Lilly Fed Tourney, and he is very familiar with Lilly. He had quite a few spots we explored that were great spots Saturday and normally.

But Sunday, tourney day was quite different weather wise. It poured rain all day (over 2 inches of much needed rain). Many people did not catch fish at all. I think everyone was catching fish, mostly shorts. The fish had moved off most beds, the water was more murkey, it was cold too. Patterns we practiced the day before didnt work at all for most. (My own partner got skunked Sunday, caught lots Saturday, though he was also fighting with a bad back injury ).cussin

Myself, well..I have to brag because I am still high from it, so please forgive me for braggin...I finished 2nd place in the "B" division with over 7.74 lbs (5 fish/all smallies, biggest for me was 2.51). 1st place had 10+ lbs with the lunker LMB at 5+ lbs.
I don't know any stats on the "A" division, though my club president said I would have kicked BASS and won more cash than I did, and should have been in that division. I can't be yet until I earn enough points.

Yes, Lilly can be tough, but if you stick to what you know, any lake can pay off. Lilly and Candlewood Lakes are the most heavily fished lakes, with tournaments every weekend, some mid-weeks too. Fishing pressure is high, which is why we caught so many shorts. I have not fished Lilly since 1989, and didnt know any specific spots. What I do know, is BASS..especially smallies, and also how they live in the early season pre-spawn. Water temps Saturday were in the low 60's, but with the rain, it dropped into the mid-50's. Smallies, when the water hits 50 to 55, they get very active. A rainy day is great for smallies, especially wind driven rocky points near flats.

After we launched, we zoomed right down to a spot we saw a 4+ LMB on a bed on Saturday. There was also a SMB about 6 feet away, also on a bed, under some wood. Sunday, neither were there. When we got there, 2 other boats, faster than ours, had gotten there first. They were not near the beds, but fishing the cove leading into those beds. We had to wait until they moved along, so we started on the sandy point that led into the cove. We had not fished the point the prior day, but on my very second cast.. wham..I got my first and biggest smallie. The boat we were waiting to move on watched in amazement for sure. After they moved on, we checked the beds, which they had casted on without success. The fish were gone, either caught by someone or the cool weather chased them off. The other boat didn't get any, and didnt know the beds were there.

Anyway, we fished spots my partner knew as productive, they weren't Sunday. But rocky points were, and that's where I got all my smallies from. I took some pics on Saturday of a NY BASS Federation Club Tourney (the Orange County Bass Masters) and placed them here with my other fishing pics. No pics from Sunday..too wet for a camera.
http://cards.webshots.com/cp-238255.../36735372eeHAOd

Enjoy!

Posted by JOHN G on 2002 PM:

Bassman, that was an excellent report, I really enjoyed reading it.....fishing pressure sure can be a factor as you have shown, that thrown in the mix can make Lilly even tougher than it has to be....... JOHN G