Lake Saltonstall

• Lake Saltonstall in East Haven: Saltonstall is a public water supply reservoir that is open to limited public fishing by permit only through the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority. The lake supports a healthy population of above-average size largemouth bass, panfish, carp and is stocked with walleyes and brown trout.
• Thanks to its 100-foot plus depths, which gives trout the potential to grow to gigantic proportions, this lake produces some very big trout every year. This place grows big fish in general.
• Saltonstall is one of the state's premiere walleye fishing lakes. Its deep cold, food-filled waters are the perfect habitat for this aggressive cold-water species. Department of Environmental Protection sampling data and some of the catches made at this place, prove the fact that the "marble eyes" grow fat and happy.
• Two years ago, the state electro-shocking boat turned over multiple, 10-pound class walleyes in a single night's sampling. That same year, I received an e-mail from a hard-core Saltonstall walleye angler who told me about a kid who caught a stocked 13 to 14 inch trout on the opening weekend of trout season. The young angler placed his catch on a long stringer that was tied off to the public fishing pier at the access area.
• All of a sudden a huge walleye, that this experienced angler said was well over 30 inches long (which is a 10-pound class fish), swam out of the depths grabbed the kids trout and swam away. The young angler had a tug-of-war with the big fish in order to recover his now half-filleted trout. Walleye have a mouth full of needle-like teeth and an aggressive attitude to go with them.
• I had the unique opportunity to fish Saltonstall when I was working for the DEP -- about 20 years ago -- before it was open to the public. The DEP was gathering baseline angling data from a couple of reservoirs to use as standards for supposed "unfished lakes" for its comprehensive Connecticut Lakes Study.
• The results are published in "A Fisheries Guide to Lakes and Ponds of Connecticut -- Including the Connecticut River and Its Coves," by Bob Jacobs and Eileen McDonnell. It's available at the DEP bookstore in Hartford.
• Obviously fishing in this relatively untouched reservoir was fantastic, and we caught a bunch of largemouth bass up to nearly 6 pounds every time I fished this lake. I've only fished there twice since. Both trips were targeting the lake's big walleyes. One time, biologist Bob Jacobs caught a 4 pounder. On the other trip, a friend and I didn't land an "eye" but, I landed a 1 1/2 pound largemouth. [Bob Sampson Jr. Norwich Bulletin

Here are some area lakes known for walleyes within an hour's drive of Norwich:

• Lake Saltonstall in East Haven, Gardner Lake in Bozrah, Coventry Lake in Coventry, Mashapaug Lake in Union, Beach Pond in Voluntown, Rogers Lake in Lyme (no longer stocked but may hold some monsters if any survived to the present).
• Lakes stockedwith walleyes are color coded (brown) in the Connecticut Anglers Guide for easy reference.
  

Here is the schedule for Lake Saltonstall:

Annual permit holders can fish from shore from sunrise to sunset throughout the season.

Boat rentalsare available from 6 a.m. until 1 p.m. Tuesday and Friday, when all boats must leave the water; and 7 am to 2 p.m weekends through the end of September.

In October the lakeis open weekends only to provide an opportunity for some fall walleye fishing.

Daily permitis $5; boat rental is $10/$15 on weekends.

Bring your ownelectric trolling motor (no gas allowed) or rent one from the water authority for about $10.

Best dealis to rent boat, battery and motor for $25 weekdays and $35 on weekends.