Shane J

Congrats again on that PB, man. You earned it. To everyone else... notice how the shoreline is waaaaay back there? Yeah. Couple other friends of mine on the same lake that day, both of em got skunked. They were fishing traditional grasslines and such. Adjust to the bite you are facing, find your fish.

Come over to the Southern New Hampshire or New England threads.

1/2oz football jig with Rage Craw. Catches smallies everywhere they swim. Oh, and a Tx rigged Bug!

I feel like the red guy in the M&M's Christmas commercial "AAAHHH...they DO exist!" The elusive 10 pounder in NH. That's a heck of a catch. He shoulda put it back, and caught her again when she hit record size. Keeping that fish was a mistake, especially when he thinks there are bigger there.

Fish are scattered When they are aggressively eating (which at some point in the day, they are), they will kill all your moving baits- swim jigs, cranks, spinnerbaits, Rage Rigs, etc Always fish a jig on the drop offs, or next to any isolated structure, like a submerged tree or rock pile You will find some fish shallow, and some deep As the water cools, don't expect to catch a ton of fish, but do be ready for when one hits, cuz it could be a good one (for real) The fish will change patterns on you throughout the course of the day several times, so check back in on likely structure often

Nice job, Jitterbug. What was the big fish for the first one?

That's pretty good right there. Congrats on hitting the 50 over 5 milestone, that's awesome!

Newfound is sweet. Bring a Tx. rig rod for your Blue Craw Rage Bugs with 12lb flouro, Another with 15lb flouro for tubes, and a drop shot rod and plenty of Watermelon Red or Blue Craw Cut'R Worms. For the drop shot, bite about an inch off the top of that bait, and rig it tail down. A jig rod is obvious, and I'd try lighter weight jigs with Rage Craws on 'em. Let the conditions tell you dark or light. That place is crystal clear, and deep! Steep drop offs, very close to shore are gonna hold fish. The place is windy when everywhere else is light and variable, so plan on working against the wind. Alot of guys will probably use cranks, and catch fish, but not the better fish very often. Jigs and plastics will get you the bigger fish there.

Colors will vary, depending on water clarity, cloud cover, chop on the water, etc Clear=Watermelon Red, Green Pumpkin/Purple Gold, Bama Craw Stained=Green Pumpkin/Chartreuse, Falcon Lake Craw Muddy=Black/Blue, Falcon Just a loose guideline really. You can see the Craw I was catchin' some fish on, isn't any of those colors (as a matter of fact, that color doesn't exist, and is just a figment of your imagination!)

Wow. They couldn't figure anything out, I guess. That's cool the new stuff's already paying out. Awesome, man!

Anything on the new stuff we found?

This is one dedicated cat. There will be plenty more pics. Nice thread idea, too, man.

Yeah, that was a blast! Had a great weekend of fishing with Mainebass. Just as suspected, the guys a great stick, a great host, and a great fishing partner. Yeah, the weather threw a curve ball at us, but we figured it out. It was awesome, and plan on doin' it again soon as possible. Here's a couple pics. (and yeah, it got hot!)

Jay, I'm not sure when they draw it down,but I would guess it'll be down by the end of October. The laydowns and weed edges in Pickerel Cove on that lake in the fall, OH,BABY! Hang on to your hat! Few other places there, but I'd have to show ya, which would be cool, ya know? Schedules are tough, I know.

Oh yeah, and we are tearin up Maine this weekend, so be prepared for an onslaught of fatties pics! I'm looking forward to fishing with someone with as much passion for the sport as myself, and someone who works very hard on the water to find those bigger fish. There will be mayhem.

Hey, guys, c'mon now. The way I see it, this thread has evolved into a New England thing, if for nothing else, than just for participation from others that understand our weather patterns, fronts, fish here in general. I for one welcome the input from anybody, but in particular, I pay attention to what's happening throughout the northeast. Mainebass's contributions to this thread have been very forthcoming, and helpful as well, to myself and others. In fact, this year he has smashed me,as far as big fish go. Let's all just fish, share, and have a good time.

If I remember right, it's 15 bux. Worth it, if that's where you wanna fish.

That seriously looks amazing. Probably one of the nicest I've ever seen. I was also curious as to why you didn't go with a tilapia , just because that's what she was eating just prior to your crank coming along. Either way, it's amazing, and you will forever be able to tell the story, with a gorgeous visual, the story of that awesome fish. Now, you're kinda gonna have to do another mount every time you break that PB, and that could get expensive, because there are many more bigger than that in your future if you keep going down there!

Just like Roadwarrior said, but my preference most of the time in those conditions, is the Tx rig. Oh, and a Rage-rigged Craw will "hold up" just fine. I use one all the time. On that same Moaner Hook, too.

Rage Recon Worm and Thumper Worm With an un-pegged tungsten (unless it's grassy).

I'm one of the ones that fish with Rage Tails 99% of the time, and have found that there is a bait in the lineup for every situation, and every mood of fish. If I'm fishing a jig, there's a Rage Tail Craw, Baby Craw, Lobster, or Menace on it 100% of the time. Shallow grass often calls for a Rage-Rigged Anaconda, Craw, Cut'R, or Recon. Ledges and rocky points, most of the time will get a Tx Rigged Recon or Lobster. Carolina rig ALWAYS gets a Lizard or Eeliminator. For flippin', I almost always go with the Space Monkey, Bug, Hawg, or Lobster. New punching favorite is the Bug. For spinnerbait fish, or for a search bait, I Rage Rig a Rooster, or use a Craw on a bladed swim jig. Topwater, is usually the Shad. So, I guess, to answer your question, I use them all, and all colors, however, my favorite colors across the board, are Blue Craw, Falcon Lake Craw, Watermelon Red, and Green Pumpkin/Purple Gold.

Big O showed me this a few years back. cut out the inside of the Toad's legs, like this one. When he said he flips it, he's talking on a flippin' hook, and into some trees.

It's for when you want a swimming type retrieve, and a horizontal fall. I use it most in shallow grass, but yeah, I've flipped a Rage Rig.

Usually, but not always. Sometimes the bigger-profiled skirted jig, adds just the right bulk to put it over the top for bigger fish. The main difference in those two presentations, is the Tx rig will come through weeds better, and you can let the weight slide up and down in deeper water so they don't feel the weight when they grab it.

My man, think the other way. Go up to a jig/Craw or a Tx rigged big worm, and just really creep that thing along slowly along ledges. Oh, and try to hang on to those rods! Carolina rig is a good idea, also. Try an Eeliminator on that. I almost guarantee you'll end up with the biggest fish of the day.