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Walleye

While MRW is seeking white perch along the shore, my target fish this year will be Ct river walleye. I have targeted and caught a few late spring and early summer walleye on the river but I’ve never fished the early spring spawning run below the hydro dams. Even though it was well below zero here in the Berkshires this morning that spawning should be starting in a couple weeks. Has anyone here fished that run?

I fished it for a few years in HS, mostly in Gill. We caught some nice eyes! I kept it simple and either fished a basic white or chartreuse curly tail grub with a pink or white jig head - weight based on current speed and depth, or the same jig with a minnow on the hook vs a grub - fished it basically the same. Hop it along edges and shoals in feeder rivers to the main river. Runs and pools worked for me. Occasionally I caught fish with the lure on the dangle - as one would do fly fishing with wet flies or a streamer at the end of a "swing".

I actually caught a small one up as far as the waste water treatment plant in orange once (not the river I normally fished eye's in). In fairness though, that was a surprise as I was bass/trout fishing...

Good info Will and thanks. How early in the year did you start fishing? Shore, boat or both? River flow and snow melt impacts? You say feeder river near Gill, so that would be the Millers? I was initially thinking of trying as close to the dams in VT/NH as possible. Maybe even launching at Northfield and heading upstream towards the Vernon dam.

The only part of the CT River I saw a walleye caught was under the bridge going into West Springfield.

I used to love using 11cm rapala perches for walleye. Shallow diver balsa.

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