Date: Fri 05-Jan-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

ice-fishing-Taunton-Pond

Full Text:

with cut The Icy Obsession

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

Newtown's lakes and ponds may be covered with snow and ice this time of year,

but to the die-hard fisherman, that's no reason to stay inside.

Armed with coffee and hot chocolate, bait and tackle, and ice drills, ice

fishermen converged on Taunton Lake earlier this week to pursue what is for

some an icy obsession.

The ice on the lake is currently between 10 and 11 inches thick, but the most

serious fishermen say they will venture out onto ice a mere three or four

inches thick in order to drop a line. Some will even go sooner.

"Two inches of black ice will hold a man," explained Charles Reichardt of

Castle Hill Road, a longtime resident and fishing enthusiast.

The sport of ice fishing involves fishing through a hole in the ice, requiring

no more than a baited hand line, but fisherman usually set up a number of

tip-ups or flags in several holes.

Many anglers find ice fishing to be more social than summer fishing. For one

thing, they don't have to keep quiet (fish can't hear through the ice) and

many bring along food to cook over open fires, even though most fishermen will

tell you they'd rather eat food that's caught rather than bought.

More fish are caught during the winter months as well, according to Mr

Reichardt, a member of the Newtown Fish & Game Club, who had just returned

home from a morning of ice fishing.

"You've got a lot better chance of catching fish through the ice because

you're allowed to put six lines in during the winter and only two in the

summer," he explained.

Three other members of the Newtown Fish & Game Club braved the wind and snow

Tuesday in search of Taunton Lake's finest.

"I've been here since before seven o'clock this morning," said Harry Novak of

Trumbull. "I really enjoy being out here, maybe even more than when it's warm

out."

He and friends John and Vito Sanzo picked a good day to drop their lines as

the flags on each of their holes were raising faster than the snow was

falling. Unlike warm weather fishing, ice fishing can be strenuous as anglers

often break into a sprint at the sight of a raised flag.

Using small minnows, the three men pulled in several large bass and trout.

"You need the little fish to catch the big fish," Mr Novak explained.

Mr Reichardt remembers one early winter day when he extended a 45-foot

extension ladder across the ice to drop a line because the ice wasn't thick

enough.

"We wanted to fish," he explained.

The Newtown Fish & Game Club stocks Taunton Lake twice during the winter

months.