Border Bait & Tackle LbNA #53395

BORDER BAIT & TACKLE

Before We get started here I just want to mention that every one of these boxes survived the Flood of Spring 2010, PLEASE lock them down & close them TIGHTLY.

Well seeing how much “Fishing” that is going on in the area we decided to “Open Up” a tackle shop here on the CT border. These areas all hold Fishing Memories to Me, with more to come!
Explore a little & you may want to bring your Camera, Some places are Historic & Beautiful!
You’ll Want Your Markers , I’ve colored one on the log book for you to see how they look.
BOX #1
Take 95 north or from the South and take exit #93. From the South go left under highway & through 4 way intersection. From the North, Take Right at end of exit ramp. This is Denison Hill Rd. continue for A couple miles until you reach another 4 way intersection and you should see a Green sign “Clarks Falls”, & a cow farm on your right. Go Left slowly & a hundred yards or so, soon on your right See “Avalonia” sign – Park off Rd. at small dirt pull-off. If you walk down to the stream you’ll see a stone bridge, A stone Bench, & some Old “Machinery” pieces. See if you can figure out which one was the Paddle wheel from the old Grist Mill, & look inside the end of a 5x5ish piece of old wood attached to it, behind a “Lockdown” rock! Have a seat at the stone bench to stamp in!
BOX #2
heading back to your car you will be crossing the street & headed kind of into the “Woods” soon you will come to a wrecked Foundation, an Overflow pipe, spillway etc. Turn around once you’ve reached this spot and see a “Pile” of Mossy covered brick. As if looking out to the road, on your Right side of these bricks #2 hides behind one of these loose bricks!
BOX #3
Hopping in your car you should be facing in a west direction, drive just a short distance and take your first Left onto Boom Bridge Rd. and continue until you come to Rt. 184. Go straight across onto Boom bridge Rd. again passing The Beriah Lewis farm. You will see Cows & Oxen & maybe even see them working the Oxen Team & training for the Oxen Pulls you see at Fairs! Shortly you will be going around a sharp corner – Go Slow. There is a pond on your right with a Dirt Pull-off, - Park Here by the pond. After viewing the Pond, walk down the Rd. a bit crossing by a dirt driveway You will find your prize in a stonewall, on your Right, chest high behind a small Diamond shaped flat Rock, in about the middle of the wall, is what you seek. You should have a pretty view of the waterfall which makes a nice picture, from here.
BOX#4
Back in your car, turn around (The Bridge itself a ways down is Out) and go back out to the stop sign take a left onto 184, follow this to a light. Take a right onto route 49. Follow route 49, north there are Very Sharp Corners here, please be careful & drive slow. Take your first left onto Babcock Road. (Be careful, it’s kind of tuff seeing traffic from the opposite direction) Follow this to the end, at the stop sign take a LEFT, ( if you took a right you would go to the North Stonington Fair Grounds) At the next stop sign you will be looking at what was the quaint “downtown” North Stonington the bridge is now impassible so take a right at the stop sign, the town green is on your Right about 40 - 50 yards. Park here and enjoy #1 “Cutie’s”, home town.. Walk to the gazebo with the 2 Stone benches, behind the Brass plaqued rock, under some Well Placed stones you will find your prize. Have a seat & enjoy the Stream!
BOX #5
Leave the benches and walk over the bridge. Go to another Stone Bench, facing the wooded Area which is Northerly, Look to the left at 320 degrees, and you will find a Pile of a Few Stones, The Top one has a “Blue-ish Hue” to it , inside this pile is is your prize – again you have a Bench to stamp in on!
BOX #6
Return to your car, heading down main street to the light, take a left on Route 2, follow this to the rotary, take your 3rd left through the rotary on to 184. ( you will see mystic pizza 2) Continue aprox. ½ mile to a small bridge park on the right before the guard rail starts. Take a careful walk up to the Bridge to take a gander at the Brook, on the way back to your car, find where “Metal meets Earth”, (Hint: A fence for Cars) tucked under this safe spot behind a couple of small rocks is your prize!
BOX #7
Getting back in your car, continue a few hundred yards to a Stoplight, Go Right. This is again Rt.49. Pass a cemetery on your left and come to another stoplight. Take A Right here! Follow this past “James Romanella & Sons, (On your Right), l & over this next Bridge come to a paved entrance of a Business and Hang a U-turn. You will see a dirt Pull-off over a curb park here, not to close because you need to back out,… but before the Guard rail. Staying inside the guard rail walk over the bridge & one of my favorite streams and find a path downhill to the stream. Once there follow downstream until you come to a hemlock tree. Look up toward the road & find a “Y” shaped Maple, behind this under a rock is your prize.
BOX #8
Back in your car, & carefully backing out of here, go back past Romanella’s to the light again. Take a Right and proceed under the 95 Bridges. Continue a ways until you come to another Bridge & small green sign saying “Shanuck Brook”. Find a place to Park in the dirt pull-off, and walk back to the stream. Here I felt like the 70’s commercial with the “Crying Indian” This is REALITY & I’m ashamed to even think there are “people” in this world that consider themselves human & actually contribute to this, Even though I did nothing here or anywhere else, to “contribute” to this type of atrocity. This WAS one of my favorite spots as well, with a “Few” Decent Fish through time,... Once again find where “Metal meets Earth”, & hidden under here is your prize.
BOX #9
If you are facing North, you need to turn around, You will be traveling past a Stop & Shop, and Regal Cinemas on your Right. Come to the Stop light and be in the Left Lane, you are going left. After passing another2 Stoplights and traveling past Rt. 78 (RI Beaches), and go about a mile heading down hill past St. Michaels Church which will be on your right. ALMOST AT BOTTOM OF THIS HILL, take a left onto Stillman Ave. Go All The way down this road until you are at a stop sign & an old Brick Mill on your right, you should be Seeing in front of you a Business called “Techno Logo”. Diagonally to your left, a small road across from you, - Take It! This will lead you to St. Michael’s Cemetery. Once through the gate, stay right and not very far until you come to a WHITE statue on your left, (I believe it is an Angel). Pull over here & you will see the river on your right. Spot a Large 3 sister Red Oak and make your way to it. On the Back Side, under rocks is your Box! After re-hiding the box, This Cemetery loops around so you can get back to the gates.
BOX #10
Going out the way you came, all the way to Liberty St. take a left at “The Pizza Lady” (by the way,..”It’s Good”!) Come to a Mobile station, cross traffic and an immediate Right under bridge, And immediate Left 50 ft. or so. Into C.C. O’Briens Irish Sports Bar , if you passed Han’s Dynasty, (which is good Chinese Food) you missed it…. C.C’s is a great place too, if you’re hungry or thirsty after all these Stops,… & they Have restrooms and the people are friendly!. You can go in the back door, because this is where you want to be parked, facing the river. Spot a Boat launch and an Observation/Fishing dock on the right corner of the lot and go to it. Standing on the deck with railings, take a bearing of 290 degrees , on the right back corner of this familiar “sitting”, tucked away with a small rock is what you’re looking for, Have a Seat!
BOX #11
Leaving this parking area, head Left for aprox. 1 mile , following the scenic river to your Left as you go. You will come to a stop sign, (with A small building on your left), proceed through, & shortly on your left you will see an Avalonian land trust, with a blank brown sign board, parking lot, & green gates. Pulling into the parking lot you want the green gate on your Right. (There is other fishing to be done, at the other gate). Follow this nice wide path to a clearing. Continue to the next “Little” clearing which is off to your Left. Follow a faint path to the water, just when you go up a little mound in the path, Stop & look right to a “cluster of 0ver grown “Scrub” Trees (15 ft. Tall), on your Right & closer to the water is another Grouping of scrub trees. Under some placed Rocks at the base of the first clump of trees close to that mound, has your find.
BOX #12
Go back to the trail and head east past a “Forest of Fragmites”. Again look Left, For a 3-4 sister “Whitish” Birch tree to your left, and then go to A Lone Birch with a clump of “Scrub brush behind it, at the water’s edge,… on the right side of the “Loner”,… under rocks is your next Piece!!
BOX #13
Continue all the way to the end of the trail. You should be seeing a very large cemetery across the water. This is known as River Bend Cemetery. Look For Two (2) pieces of metal that almost resembles A “Fish that Jumped to far from the water & got his head stuck in the ground”. Right in the middle of these two pieces of “Re-Bar”,… (Metal), is the last piece of your Bait & Tackle! Return to your car for one more prize.
BOX #14
Do You think WE would make you pick up all these fishing “necessities” and not give you a place to put it all ??? Head out of the parking lot and go back the way you came, I’m heading you back towards the “95’s”, so you can get home! Go under Railroad Bridge & take an extreme rightpast the blue fish market,& “Yummy” Dairy Queen is on your left, keep heading up Rt. 2 (Liberty St.) to your 2nd Stop Light. You will have “La Quinta” Hotel & Suites on your right – Take this Right at This Light which is White Rock Rd. The best place for parking is to take your first left onto Elmata Dr.. turn around and park in front of the cement platform. Carefully walk across the road toward the bridge, there is an opening in the guard rail, so you can enjoy the bridge and it’s views, please take the time to walk to the middle of the bridge and look at the mighty Pawcatuck River. (when we were kids this bridge was a one on one car at a time, one lane, with this wooden platform, if you walk to the end you will also see a canal, which used to channel water, etc.) Go back to the end of the black railing , and you will see a small steep path on your left. Go to the bottom and turn left. You will see a horseshoe wall around a big Mighty Red Oak. Once inside the “Horseshoe”, Put your back to the tree and look to the bottom of the wall to Probably the only loose, un-cemented rock we could find, behind this small rock, you will find the Last piece you’ll need, & now you can go “Fishing!.
To get home: go back out to route 2/liberty street, take a right- for route 95 north take your next right onto Rt. 49, (Voluntown Rd.), it will be on your right ; for 95 south continue straight on Rt. 2 (Liberty) Past The Shopping center on your right, under the bridge, it will be on your left.
We hope you enjoyed this series, Please remember to close tightly & Lock them down.
HAVE FUN!!! -
“The Compass Cuties”