Go fishing on MLT properties

#Middlebury #MiddleburyLandTrust #Fishing

Larry Wolff of Southbury fishes at Lake Elise, a MLT property. Unlike the reporter, Wolff enjoys fishing. (Curtiss Clark photo)

By JANINE SULLIVAN-WILEY

I cannot claim to be any kind of fisherman. A true fisherman (or woman) enjoys fishing for many reasons. They may enjoy the contemplative opportunity, sitting on a stream bank, by a lakeside or on a boat and casting the line, watching the slow sweep as it drifts onto or plunks into the water. They enjoy the quiet suspense, waiting for the tug, the playing out of the line. They enjoy the fight (even the tiny fight of small freshwater fish) as they bring the fish in. They enjoy the satisfaction of setting a fish free again, perhaps to lend sport to another day.

I discovered (somewhat to my surprise as my dad was an avid fisherman. both fresh and salt water) that actually I don’t like fishing. I like catching fish. Sadly, that has never happened with sufficient frequency for me to make the transition to liking fishing.

When we first moved to Middlebury, I dutifully obtained my license and trundled down to the local stocked stream, Hop Brook. There I was, with a thermos of hot tea and all the right equipment (I thought). I tried to catch a trout. I caught branches, I got soggy trousers, I drank tepid tea, and all I caught was the attention of the local game warden. (Very glad I had gotten that license first.) No fish.

But my experience is not mirrored in that of many others who enjoy (they really do!) hours of quiet and happy time fishing, including in some of the Middlebury Land Trust (MLT) lakes and ponds. I have encountered them smiling as they leave, fish caught and released, having enjoyed their time casting, reeling in and admiring the finned residents. The solitary stillness or the pleasure of fishing with friends can be one of the many ways to enjoy these local resources.

Both Lake Elise and Larkin Pond are open for fishing, with the right permits from the state and a simple-to-acquire and inexpensive permit from the MLT that costs $20 for an individual and includes membership. To get a permit from the Land Trust, visit middleburylandtrust.org.

The fish reported most often in Lake Elise and Larkin Pond are bass, crappie, perch and bluegills. For more information about the freshwater fish you might encounter there and in other locations around Connecticut, and even tips on what fishing technique and bait to use, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) offers a nice, full-color pamphlet you can find online at http://tinyurl.com/yb4qffg8 (Click on “Angler’s Guide” under Featured Links). You also can pick up a copy in the town clerk’s office in Middlebury Town Hall.

The site also has information on getting a Connecticut fishing license, which is required of anyone 16 and over, and the fees involved. Kids under 16 don’t need a license, 65 and over can get theirs for free, 16- and 17-year-olds are half price. Connecticut residents in the middle pay $28 for an inland license, which goes to support conservation and fisheries. You can buy a license online or at most sporting goods stores.