Connecticut Contact Numbers

To Help Fight For the Rights of Connecticut Outdoor Enthusiasts Call:
1-800-842-8267 CT House of Representatives - D
1-800-842-1423 CT House of Representatives - R
1-800-842-1420 CT State Senate Democrats
1-800-842-1421 CT State Senate Republicans
1-800-406-1527 Gov. Jodi Rell
1-202-224-2823 U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd
1-202-224-4041 U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman

Norton Park Plainville a Great Place to Fly a Kite

Most locals know about Norton Park in Plainville, CT. Norton Park is your standard municipal park. It's a great place to go for a lei surly bike ride, rollerblade, walk, or run. It boasts a playground, baseball fields, tennis, basketball, soccer fields, picnic area, and a paved marked pedestrian path.
It's not the kind of place that someone would travel a great distance to visit. However, if you're in the neighborhood or new to the area, you might consider checking it out.
Norton Park is flat and open, which makes it very versatile. Over the winter I participated in several pick-up flag football games at Norton Park. This weekend there was a decent breeze, so I took my son and we had a fun time flying a kite. There were two other kite fliers at the park on this day. The address for Norton Park is below:

72 Norton Trail
Plainville, CT 06062

Finding the Ideal Dog

I found a good on-line tool to help find the ideal breed of dog for you and your family. I've seen these tools before, but this one is from a company and website I trust. It asks 16 questions in order to match you to a breed. It's an interesting tool.

http://www.eukanuba.com/EukGlobal/GLOBAL/en/jsp/breed/breedSelector/DogBreedSelector.jsp

By the way, it said my ideal breed was an English Setter, with a Golden Retriever a close second match.

Blog on Temporary Hold

Please bare with me as the blog is on temporary hiatus. I am traveling to attend to a business emergency. Regular posts will resume upon my return.

J

Winter 2009 -- I'm not dead yet!

As usual, March is coming in like a lion.

The number of posts had dwindled lately, as winter -- aided by a busy schedule -- has put a damper on the number of outdoor activities I've been able to do during this late winter season.

However, as March goes from lion to lamb, expect that to change. By the end of the month the first significant outdoor hike of 2009 will certainly occur. I already have a new hike on the Metacomet trail in mind. That will lead into opening day of fishing, and eventually preparations for spring turkey hunting.

Even through 8 inches of snow, signs of spring are there.

Tough Day of Ice Fishing on Bantam Lake Derby

Conditions were rough -- windy and cold. The weatherman called for sunny and in the 40's, but we never saw anything near that, and the wind was cold and steady. The fish were not active. One guy in our group caught a 1.5 pound pickerel that was in 4th place when I left. He caught that within the first hour on a medium to large shiner. Besides that, our group of about 6 guys had one other bite all morning. According to the game warden, it was slow across the whole lake. When I left I took a look at the top fish. The first place fish was a bass probably between 2 to 3 pounds. The number of participants was down from last year. Rumor had it that the Morris Fire Department did not collect enough money to pay out the $500 dollars, and the first place prize would be reduced.
Our lack of fish was off set by some good Italian sausage and venison steaks on the grill, as well as plenty of beer for all. Depending on my schedule, I might give it a go again next week.

Bantam Lake Ice Fishing Derby

On February 15th the Morris Volunteer Fire Department will be holding an ice fishing derby on Bantam Lake south bay from 7:30 AM to 1 PM. Registration starts at 6:30 at the Morris town beach. Address below. Entry fee is $20.

I went to this derby last year, and I plan on going again this year.

Morris Town Beach at State Boat Launch
Route 109 to East Shore Road
Morris, CT

Ice Fishing Tip

Quick tip: Keep your live bait in an insulated container. An uninsulated bucket will surely freeze on a cold day and kill your bait.

Sanzeri's Bait Shop, Store

I have recently been asked where I get my bait for ice fishing. I get my bait on the way to the pond or lake at a small bait shop in Thomaston called Sanzeri's. I used to have to drive out of my way before I found Sanzeri's.

Sanzeri's carries fishing and outdoor equipment. They have all kinds of live bait. You can also buy your fishing/hunting license there.

Their contact information is below:
Sanzeri's 288 S Main Street Thomaston, CT (860) 283-8654

Ice Fishing -- West Side Pond, Goshen, CT

This past weekend we had a family ice fishing adventure. We went to West Side Pond in Goshen, CT. There was well over 15 inches of ice.

We fished from about 10 AM until 1 PM using medium-sized shiners. The weather was brisk (about 25 degrees) with a tough breeze. Unfortunately, we did not catch any fish. Nobody around us seemed to be having too much luck either. However, we all had fun getting out onto the pond. Several of our group were ice fishing novices, so it was fun introducing them to the activity.