Photo Credit #1: CT DEEP
This is my 3rd installment of eastern Connecticut's freshwater lakes & ponds series with Mono Pond State Park Reserve - a small pond located off State Route 66, on 120 Hunt Road, Columbia, CT.
This little gem of a pond was once covered with milfoil. I had spoke with a local resident a few years ago about the possibility of this pond being a potential candidate for trophy bass management. He said, "The state of CT's DEEP stepped in and used an experimental treatment to rid the invasive weed from the waters. Unfortunately, without proper testing of the treatment, it killed the milfoil, but it also killed off a lot of fish in the process."
At 120 Hunt Road in Columbia,CT, the road going in is paved, as is the rest of the parking area, with a cement ramp for small boats.
Photo Credit #2: CT DEEP
After 5 years or so, the milfoil has been eradicated from the waters, the fish have made a comeback, and the bass were huge! I had paddled out to the opposite end of the pond one afternoon and saw some pretty big bass lurking under the lily pads in numerous spots.
Photo Credit #3: CT DEEP
The parking area at Mono Pond is very small and fills up quickly in the early Spring with only 6 spaces. I've been down here a few times and it's absolutely crazy with cars parked on both sides of the road on opening day! Those that don't have boats will stand on the mound of grass near the dam's deep end.
Photo Credit #4: CT DEEP
The ramp is made from cement and has a low grade angle so 2wd cars & trucks shouldn't have any problems getting their trailers out of the water.
Photo Credit #5: CT DEEP
The angle of the ramp is easy for cars & trucks to haul their boat trailers out of the water.
*Note: Shown in the Fall when the state draws down the water at the end of the season.
Photo Credit #6: CT DEEP
A map of Mono Pond.
Photo Credit #7: NortheastBass.com
A kayak angler stalks fish in a dense area of lily pads.
Photo Credit #8: CTFishTalk.com
I have started to replenish my freshwater boxes with top water frogs and some new experimental plastic baits that literally "float" horizontally. Not really sure how the company pulled that off, but they did! They're locally made in Glastonbury,CT and the company is "Area 51 Fishing".
You can see their Pilot Fish baits in action here on YouTube: Area 51 Fishing's Pilot Fish
Looking forward to next year in 2019 to try out these new baits and see how well they work. I've paddled out to the other end of the pond and saw several large bass amongst the lily pads. The pond itself isn't very big, but it does however, hold some truly big bass - which is good for us kayak anglers because we're able to get away from the large crowds, and bigger boats and get at all the hard to reach trophy fish.
The pond itself isn't very deep - 3.5' feet at 80% of the lake, 6' feet near the boat ramp, and 9' feet near the dam.
The photo above shows you the dense area of lily pads that cause some grief with the bigger boats and their trolling motors. Where the kayaks will shine, is their ability to glide over these often overlooked, and hard to reach places to get at your next prized catch!
As usual, keep those lines wet & tight! - J
