CT river coves?

[pikeman80]

     Do the coves on the CT river have any ice yet? I drove through hartford today and saw the river itself was pretty jammed up with ice which gave me hope for the weekend. Anyone have info?

[Josh B.]

Tough to say, Wethersfeild is wide open, so was keeney as of this morning, the rest of the coves have partial ice but we really need this wind to die down.  Im hoping they will be safe but realistically I think we may have to wait till next weekend.  Im going to scout some coves tomorow and I will post my findings on this thread.  Keep in mind that the river level is on the high side, so we need the level to return to normal to help the cause even more.

[cloughrog]

i live on the river and plan on scouting the coves saturday ill let you know what i see

[andrew]

Wrights had two and a half as of New Years Day, im assuming it built over night...it might be ready for the weekend!

[Josh B.]

The coves will be a close call for this weekend.  I scouted a couple today and they are in my mind not safe.  2-2.5 of gray ice on tidal water is pushing it.  Depending on how much we gain and how the open water freezes will determine the verdict.  Will post what I find after I scout them tomorow.

[Blaine]

Depends on where you fish... I was on 4" on one of the coves today. Granted, the thickness varied depending on snow cover but it was easy to decipher where to fish. Bottom line is I'll be out on SUNDAY, MONDAY and TUESDAY

[andrew]

Bottom line is I'll be out on SUNDAY, MONDAY and TUESDAY

Thats what im talking about!

[spanky1]

Are the two of you are braggin' again? 

Have fun guys, hopefully we'll be hooking up soon.

[pikeman80]

I went past wethersfield today and it was skimmed over, hoping to get out on Monday but we'll see if tommorow's predicted high of 38 happens (hopefully not).

[miket.]

Thats what im talking about!

and me also.

[rocklobster]

Fished a cove north of hartford 3 inches of frozen slop Not what I like to fish on but I could touch bottom if I went through. No flags one perch jiggin. At least I scratched the itch

[Blaine]

Glad to hear that place is finally fishable! I would have thought conditions would have been a bit better by now but it's better than nothing 
I'm headed out the door now to spend the morning on my favorite cove... Stay tuned!

[andrew]

I'm headed out the door now to spend the morning on my favorite cove... Stay tuned!

Im looking forward to the report and forward to fishing tommorow!

[pikeman80]

ok I'll bite (no pun intended) What is this mystery cove? Someone message me and bring me in the fold here! I got the fever!

[miket.]

ok I'll bite (no pun intended) What is this mystery cove? Someone message me and bring me in the fold here! I got the fever!

:icefish:likewise!

[Trooper Bri]

That cove fished today is surrounded by private property. The only legal way to access the ice is by entering from the CT river, or having permission from the landowners to enter their turf (good luck with that).

[Blaine]

The cove is called White Oaks. Yes, the surrounding property is controlled by the Wethersfield fish and game club and access is for members only. Years ago it wa a different story, anyone could fish there. My tackle shop used to run a tournament there every winter. Then a family was out there one day and some dumb a$$ kid fell out of a tree and broke his arm. The family took the club to court, and after a couple of years of fighting in the courts, the club settled a MULTI million dollar law suit. That was the final nail in the coffin... They were told by their insurance company that if they wanted to be able to afford to keep the place going then they had to make sure that it was closed to the public. The club president also happens to be the retired chief of police in that town and as you can imagine is a real by the books kind of guy. He filed paperwork with the state and now has given the EnCon Police permission to write trespassing tickets on the property. The club members all have stickers in their windshields and card in their wallets. If EnCon checks the gate and sees a vehicle with no sticker, they usually come down to check things out.

It sucks because I firmly believe that the cove is one of the best places in the state for big fish through the ice. I spent years trying everything I could think of to get in to the club. Free bait, discounted gear... whatever... I even offered them a couple of charters a year that they could raffle off at their game dinner to boost their profits but they didn't want to hear about it. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time when the club opened up membership briefly to non residents...

[miket.]

sounds like a nice place through the ice Blaine, what a shame to not have access there.if i were billed a couple mill., i would have to end the party myself. that's for sure.can"t wait to try the weathersfield cove with all the great stories i read about the place. not to mention the thought of a striper through the ice just blows my mind.