I heard about a few walleye being caught in the Housatonic above Lilli a few years ago. I traced upstream sources and could not figure out where they came from and came to the conclusion they came out of Squantz as fingerlings, into Candlewood, down to the New Milford arm, through the Pen Stock and into the river. Walleye are notorious wanderers.
I heard about a few walleye being caught in the Housatonic above Lilli a few years ago. I traced upstream sources and could not figure out where they came from and came to the conclusion they came out of Squantz as fingerlings, into Candlewood, down to the New Milford arm, through the Pen Stock and into the river. Walleye are notorious wanderers.
Of course the state TRIED to start a walleye fishery in Lilli when it was first impounded. It didn't take, but enough fish escaped to Zoar to start a tiny population there. I don't fish the lake enough any more to have any idea whether or not it still exists, but when i did, we used to catch a couple a year from Zoar. But this one threw me for a loop in '81. As far as I can tell, that's either a sauger a saugeye. Note the general lack of gold in coloration, the blotchiness, and most important, the lack of a white tip on the lower tail.
RichZ
Everybody's got to believe something — I believe I'll go fishing.
Sure looks like a Sauger. And being in 1981 it would have to have been bred in Zoar. So where did the Sauger come from? Almost every impoundment stocked with walleye ends up dumping walleye downstream somehow. The Lilli to Zoar transition was from a hurricane flood if I recall the history of that correctly. Saltonstall dumps walleye into the outlet stream, same with the Saugatuck Res. in to the lower Saugatuck River. Over in NY Sodom Res. dumps walleye into the lower Croton River and into the Diverting Res. Boyd's Corner Res. dumps them into West Branch Res. Squantz into Candlewood, etc.
#1631257 - 05/01/1510:17 PM
Re: Big Striper caught in candlewood lake!
[Re: JoeyHBCT]
big_mike
Member
Registered: 12/11/11
Posts: 401
Loc: Bethlehem
They should stock them in there. After malloy is done there won't be any trout anyway. I would rather catch a 5 pound schoolies than a largemouth or smallies any day of the week!
#1631272 - 05/02/1505:35 AM
Re: Big Striper caught in candlewood lake!
[Re: JoeyHBCT]
tommy
Member
Registered: 04/23/05
Posts: 5054
Loc: Danbury
#6 RANGERZ21 RANGERZ21 is offline Club Angler RANGERZ21's Avatar
Join Date Sep 2003 Location Flanders, NJ Posts 519
Yup - A member of Bergen Bassmasters was pre-fishing our 4/20 tournament the day before and was in the Danbury arm. His buddy hooked into this 34 pound 15 ounce striper using a jerkbait fished on 10 pound test. After it nearly spooled him and they had to chase the fish with the trolling motor, they finally landed it.
No, Stripers are not native to Candlewood nor are they stocked. Clearly this fish was dumped into the lake and got fat feeding up on trout! It was not a hybrid either but stripers can survive in freshwater as this one has. The fish was released so it's still swimming around out there...
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