Several years ago, I took an ice-fishing trip to Moodus Reservoir in East Haddam, Conn. While I was setting out my tip-ups, I found a few suckers in my bait bucket, leftovers from a recent northern pike expedition. Knowing the lake had a good population of trophy-class chain pickerel, I rigged one of the 6-inch bottom feeders to the line. Within minutes I connected, not with a toothy pickerel, but with a 24-inch largemouth bass.

The remaining two suckers produced 22-inch and 20-inch largemouths. Since then, I have been hooked on catching big bass through the ice.

Catching trophy-sized bass in winter requires three essential elements the right bait, fishing at the right time and being in the right place. I'll leave the first two items to the reader. But the following locations may provide the third ingredient for a successful winter bass trip:

CONNECTICUT
Upper Moodus Reservoir
The Upper and Lower Moodus reservoirs are really one lake divided by a road and causeway. The fish can migrate under the bridge, but fishermen cannot. Thus, the two ponds act as separate and distinct fisheries.

Upper Moodus, the site of the above sucker-bait scene, consists of 360 acres of shallow and weedy water. It has an average depth of only three feet. With some effort and a good through-the-ice depthfinder, anglers can find a few "deep" holes in the 6- to 9-foot range.

The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection also includes the Moodus Reservoir complex in its Trophy Bass Program. Anglers must adhere to a 15-inch size limit for both lakes. This restrictive size limit was designed to encourage growth and protect the larger bass. According to DEP surveys, the largemouth bass have responded well to the regulations and fish well over the 15-inch length limit are common.

Ice-anglers should concentrate on the lake's deeper holes. One of the better ones is found on the southeast side of the island. Another tempting spot, which requires a bit of walking, may be found at the extreme southern end of the lake. Look for a 6-foot pocket in the center of the back cove. The water flowing under the causeway is also deep, but ice-anglers should avoid this area as road salts and under-ice currents degrade the ice, making it unsafe.

Because the pond is weedy, use double split shot above your bait to keep minnows from becoming entangled in the green stuff. Stout lines (10-pound-test or more) will reduce break-offs from large bass and toothy pickerel. The pond also has a healthy population of yellow perch that will plague your baits unless you opt for medium- to large-sized minnows.

The DEP maintains a launch ramp on the lake where ice-anglers can park. Take Route 2 south from Hartford to Exit 18. Follow Route 16 west for about three miles to Route 149. Turn south on Route 149. After crossing the lake, turn left on Bashan Falls Road. At the end of the road, turn left on Haddam-Colchester Turnpike. Just before the reservoir causeway, turn right onto Launching Area Road and travel about one half-mile to the ramp.