MassBass

Not in NH but in northern Mass, we would go around in a small vessel trolling small diving lures like the rebel crickhopper and shiny flatfish. Even small bass crankbaits. The stocked rainbows and browns would be happy to cooperate with that presentation.

I like a float and fly on light spinning gear. They go after a realistic fly as good if not better than live bait. Your fly will be thrashed by the end of the day.

i think butterball is a good one

Thats an awesome creature. Definitely a good sign concerning water quality and pollution.

sow

Stripers and carp. I could be happy never catching a lm all season if I was catching carp and/ or stripers. I used to be committed to pike fishing but not so much lately. There are so many fish and so many methods, thats what makes being a multi-specie angler exciting. There is always something new to try to figure out.

Planning my fishing for the year ahead, I will find myself at university on the south coast of MA in the spring. I have found potentially good water during a scouting/casting expedition this fall (in-between studies). My luck is that there is a kayak rental place right off the road next to this river. When I went to the river it was rather pleasant, easy parking and a grassy slope down to the water. However the water was rather miserable when I went. I forgot to check the tides, the tide was low and the water was shallow as heck. Casting my lure was without confidence, but the mission was not for fish but for scouting. I did see some small minnows. I am confident that if i got in a kayak I would quickly come upon good water, with access to the open ocean if that was my destiny. Find the water, find the fish. My plan for ice out and spring weather is white perch. I am nearly certain the brackish white perch is in this system. The stripers will come up this system to; "during a certain time in the spring" a local on the bank told me. But my target before the striper run will be the white perch, and I am looking for info on brackish white perch. I have caught white perch before in big lakes but only by chance when targeting bass. My plan is to spool up a surf casting outfit with light mono and huck spinners off a kayak. My main mission with a kayak rental will be to find and scout water. If I find a expansive deep hole for example, i will venture there on bike/foot without spending the rental money. For the white perch I would cast a crawler under a float in the deep eddy and see if I get bit. Would a white perch hit a crawler on the bottom with lead? Is the inline spinner go to for brackish white perch? I love fishing spinners in moving water so i am confident and have a good collection of in-lines. I will pack my striper box, what would a white perch box consist of? White grubs to? thanks for advice.

auger, scoop, traps, line, hooks, split shot, minnows, boots and cleats. jigging gear is optional.

I caught a good number of carp this year before i went south to school. I did make another thread called the carp garden or something. I very much enjoy the carp.

I usually got to set the hook on cats, I will watch the tip of the rod and a cat will give the tip an aggressive tap tap tap, unlike a run from a carp or a light tap tap from a dace. I have pulled alot of cats and hornpout on canned corn. However if I were to target them I would use a crawler.

Whats the point of school if you got the musky bug in your head?

I have found with pike in the river that a pike hole is usually a pike hole. Time and time again the key spots will hold a pike. You should try your spot again.

I think timing is important this time of year. I am having good luck around sunset, both before and after. And night. I have been pulling some cats with my carp rig.

I would probably look for a quality baitrunner spinning reel. I have never caught one though.

I actually caught a real big pickerel last week. Probably close to 5 lbs I didn't put it on my buddy's digi scale but I have been thinking I should have. It was in a lake and I was sure it was a pike when it was in the water but it was a big pickerel. Probably about 8 fow hit a big husky jerk.

nailed one. wicked thick weeds i was wading in there trying to pull afew pounds of weeds off my line so I could properly play the fish. 31.5" Lets see that fish out of the water!

eel. They just spin and twist you up.

Thats a slob of a fish.

I guess uncle Chadd is havin mahi steaks for afew weeks. lol

might as well get on the phone with the fish market!

I think bass will often shy away from a thick wire leader with a big ugly clip. Especially if you are trying to use a natural presentation like a suspending jerkbait with long pauses. Straight braid pike will cut. My problem is the pickerel. I use 20lb fluorocarbon as a mainline with no leader. Have not had a fish cut through that stuff. Only downside is you can't cast light lures.

Thats some big leeg yak fishin guy

This thread made me think of something. What if you tied a knotless knot hair rig onto a small treble and rigged it just like a hair rig. There would be three times more points to ***** the fish and make it spook/bolt. I put something together that might work. Ill try it sometime. The picture isn't that great but you should get the concept.

These pictures are fabulous

The several skunks before today were quite frustrating. I took some days off from fishing and waited for inspiration. During a night of drinking, inspiration struck. The river smallies! They get terribly aggressive this time of year. I swapped out my carp box for my bait binder and went fishing the next day. I didn't get sm but I pulled a nice largemouth, a good catch I thought. The spot I went to was choked with weeds and one hole was riddled with carp. It never fails that I bring my bass gear and sight active carp, but as I walked upriver I realized this a key carp area and a unique spot to the whole river. There was a big laydown upriver, providing a large stretch of stagnant weeds, even some duckweed which I almost never see in the river. I came home feeling refreshed and thought I would try carp fishing the next day. There was rain in the morning and a favorable overcast sky by the time I got down there. The carp were fining right there, more downstream than the duckweed but in relation to the spot. I spooked some fish but also chummed some fish. Finally I got a scorching run and broke off. Son of a gun. My mono was not holding a knot for whatever reason. Maybe the heat and sun ruined the line. I checked my bag and I had my new spool of fluorocarbon in there. If I didn't make the decision to spool up new line on the bank it would have been another skunk. Caught a 35" and a smaller fish on a hair rig; one kernal of corn and one fake fluorescent orange corn on size 10 hook. Also caught a smallie reeling up the fake corn! Here is a picture of the carp and the water.