Janderson45

Bears den is awesome!! Thanks for the clarification on the 1" clause Hamma, i hadn't seen that before.. scroungers i've found to actually work pretty darn good for me in clear cold water with just a plastic swimbait trailer.. I'm interested in the chatter bait/ feather combination for cold stained water. If I could send you a few tungsten bladed jigs do you think you could tie them up with some nice feathers? I'd pay you for your efforts via paypal obviously... shoot me a PM if you're interested.

Scroungers are good, and I have used them before, actually love them in colder water too.. But this blade puts off a ton of vibration and flash, even more so than a scrounger. Have you fished bladed jigs before? In stained water they can really do some damage, they come through vegatation better and generally give off more thump than a spinner bait, but otherwise are pretty similar. I hear you on that.. I fish all tungsten whenever I can, like you I changed out all of my terminal tackle weights for tungsten, spent quite a bit of money stocking up on tungsten over the past few years... Because this is a true "lead jig head" on this bait, I'd rather air on the side of caution and figure out a tungsten alternative, but you are absolutely right, it is not that clearly spelled out. I view this bait as essentially a lead swim jig with a blade added, lead swim jigs are illegal, so naturally I'm looking for a tungsten alternative.. But you are right, lead headed spinnerbaits are still legal. When looking at the laws and issues with some common sense, I think most of the issue with the loons was lead terminal tackle, like bullet weights, not full sized lead bass jigs complete with skirt and blade-- wouldn't think a loon would try to ingest that with a relatively small mouth, but what do I know. Nevermind the fact that loons are only prevelant in a select few Massachusetts water bodies... But I'm just trying to follow the rules to the best of my ability ?

I really want to try the Picasso Fx shock blade: they don't sell it with a tungsten head though, so technically illegal in mass waters, bummer. I may try to construct some of my own with tungsten swimjig heads, they look like they'd work really well around here in cold water.. Maybe not super cold water, but I'm still catching them on a regular bladed jig (chatterbait), one with feathers I think would work even better, and could be retrieved very slowly in deeper water.

You throw jerkbaits on a MH?? Is it just for larger jerks, or is this the rod you'll use for the majority of your jerkbaits fishing? I never really thought about throwing jerks on a MH rod, but I figure if you're doing it, there must be a good reason!

Definitely number 1 on my list.. What worries me most is guide size, as I referenced in my earlier post.. I'd probably fish the rig with mostly 40-50lb braid, but if i want fluoro for an application I prefer to rig up a leader instead of swap out reels, I don't have enough reels/setups to simply swap out a reel with braid for one with proper gear ratios and mono/fluoro main line. Maybe I'm over-stressing this concern though??

I'm looking to upgrade my MHF/MHXF setup for next season, with current Black Friday deals im interested in the st croix avid, LTB and Legend elite. Looking at 7' or 7'1 models.. I could be talked into other blanks if they fit the bill better, but I fish all St Croix currently. What I don't know is what price points make sense making the extra leap for.. I fish a few avids and love them, I also fish a legend extreme for squarebills and love it... But sensitivity on a MHM cranking rod has got to be a lot different than a MHXF jig rod.. I also fish Mojos with no complaint, but can notice the uptick in sensitivity on my avids vs my Mojos. Heres my current lineup of St Croix's : 6'6 MHF mojo bass casting 6'8 MXF avid spinning 6'10 MLXF mojo bass spinning 7' MF avid x casting 7' MF tidemaster spinning 7'2 MHM legend xtreme casting 7'4 HF mojo bass casting I'm looking to replace the 6'6 MHF mojo and relegate it close combat spinnerbait duties or something similar.. As you can see from this line-up I'm missing one of "the most versatile and important bass rods" that being a 7' MH Fast or Extra Fast action rod... I want to use this rod primarily for jigs of all kinds, pitching soft plastic baits, chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits.. Pretty much everything you'd use a MH stick for... My thoughts and concerns: Id be willing to spend more on a top end rod if it would be worth it in this particular model.. Lots of things that I've read said this rod in particular is one that you should not skimp on.. That said, I love my Avids, and if I'm upgrading hundreds of dollars to a legend elite series I want to notice the difference. I've read that the torzite guides on the new Elites are almost "micro" guides, which concerns me. I like my Avid X, but due to the small guides I prefer not to run braid to a fluorocarbon leader as it tends to catch in the micro guides. This concerns me about a new MH stick, as often times I have my reels spooled with braid but like to fish with a leader to reduce visibility. The regular Avid series with non micro guides eliminates this issue, but I'm not sure if the upgrade in sensitivity and quality make the legend elite worth it. to throw a wrench into the whole equation- I've never fished a LTB rod, and would consider these as well if they're an upgrade over similar blanks/tapers in the avid series and eliminate the issue of micro guides and leaders... Thanks for the help!

My girlfriends mother burnt herself pretty good early on thanksgiving morning.. Dressing it for her and ultimately taking her to the ER put a damper on my fishing plans ?. So I haven't been out. Winds permitting I was thinking of trying to fish Wequaquet in Barnstable for pike/LMB/SMB either tomorrow or Sunday. If winds kick up to much (looks like they could) I'll probably stay off the cape and head out elsewhere, potentially concord/Sudbury river as someone else recommended previously. I'm a little torn, I want to get out a time or two again before it really cools down, but I don't want to waste my time on less than optimal bodies of water and conditions. I'd rather splurge on a couple of good destinations where I've got ample depths,structures, and hard cover to fish. I don't know what water temps look like on a lake down the cape like Wequaquet, but I'm imagining it might still be holding around 50 degrees, perhaps a few degrees cooler but undoubtedly still warmer than all of the inland bodies of water. Edit: massyak- Brimfield res also a place I'd consider, I know I remember you fishing it in the past.. Only been there once this summer and didn't have a good day, but seemed like a decent place.. Supposedly a decent pike fishery for central mass too which is a plus considering I'd imagine it's water temps are mid 40s.

That's awesome.. some real great fish you caught this year! I was considering doing something similar with footage and pictures I've captured this year... mine won't hold a candle to yours, but I'd still like to have something to look back on anyways!

I'm heading out thanksgiving morning and hope to catch my first LMB with snow falling anyone with me?

Well it's illegal to take them before they're 28", obviously some will still fall casualty to poor handling practices before that, but I'd still bet Chauncey and A1 will be a decent little Muskie fisheries for a few years. I hope they keep up with stockings for years to come, but doubt they would. If the fish do well in these places the years 2020-2025 could produce some real trophies.. I still think the better areas will be predominantly western MA with the exception of Wequaquet, which has an established breeding population of northern pike. If you look back at fishing records kept by the state, each year people catch pike 20-25lbs, while a trophy tiger Muskie is more like 10-15lbs. This conversation has got me wondering., what is the the premier LMB fishery in the state now?? In years past it had been Webster, but I think it's been overfished for years now, and they harvested too many weeds I read.. Same thing with Whitehall. In 2016 Whitehall was the best LMB water according to fishing tournament data, but obviously that doesn't reflect everything. I think A1 was near the top about 10 years ago, however I've heard rumors of a really really awful fish kill there a number of years back. Smallmouth my guess would be Quabbin/Wachusett without much hesitation, but LMB I'm not really sure about. Anyone have any thoughts?

No, I haven't caught either. There are for certain Tiger Muskies in there now.. In 2015 and 2016 mass DCR stocked somewhere in the ballpark of 600 fingerling (8-12") tiger Muskie in A1 as well as Chauncey. It's illegal to take them before they reach 28", but obviously a large number of individuals will die from predation and fishing casualties. They're a lot easier to catch when they're young as they feed very similarly to chain pickerel until they obtain a decent size and their metabolism slows down some. A1 was stocked in the early 2000s with both tigers and northerns, so there is a small possibility that some trophy fish could still exist. There is no suitable spawning habitat for northerns, and tigers are sterile because they are a hybrid. Because of this all tigers or northerns in the reservoir were stocked there, either as a means of recreation or sometimes to control panfish or perch populations. Average lifespan of a northern is 10 years compared to 7 years for the tiger Muskie, but these are averages so obviously individuals can live a good deal longer than this.. All of that said though I personally doubt there would be much for pike or Muskie left over from those stockings. It's a pretty popular fishery that isn't particularly big, doesn't have any deep habitat, and is prone to fish kills.

A1 is definitely a unique and interesting place to say the least. Water levels seem to be up to around normal. I too thought that maybe the mound was just something I hadn't seen before due to low water levels, but I agree that it would stick up above normal water line regardless. I feel like there has to be some GIANTS in there, but I've never had quite the success I've hoped for. I've pulled 1 5lb and a handful of 3's out of there, but mainly 1-2lbers still. Here's my best fish to date from the A1:

I was wondering what that was, there are two of them! I wasn't sure if they had always been there and I had never noticed them or what, but I definitely thought they looked weird, I just hadn't considered it could be a muskrat den.. I know what I'll be throwing for a big topwater presentation there in the spring.. I see the Beavers there frequently, but they've never snuck up on me like that in darkness.. Also, quite the swan colony that has taken up residence there this year, is that typical? I hadn't ever fished it in the fall before this year.

Absolutely, I do the same thing all the time. Most hard baits are pretty much a no-go at A1, so I had to improvise. I haven't thrown a wacky rig since summer, and both the way I rigged it and the way I presented it were entirely new for me. Felt nice that it actually worked!

That's awesome that you saw a deer in the water... Similarly, I got out for a few hours this afternoon at A1.. As it was getting dark and I was paddling back two beavers appeared to scare the **** out of me with massive tail slaps. Probably about 10 yards away and I couldn't see them at all, darkness had fallen and I was still surrounded by stumps so I had to paddle slowly out of there not knowing where the Beavers went. I was a little spooked haha. Caught 2 largemouth and a pickerel. Missed a few good bites too.. Water temps were 47 and it was fairly windy out until dusk. Tried various slow retrieves on paddle tail swimbaits without any luck, couldn't get any action on a spinnerbait either (though I gave up on it quicker than usual). Started very meticulously working a weighted/weedless wacky rig and that's what I got bit on. I think a jig or weedless Ned rig might've produced nicely as well. Heres the bigger of the two LMB, 2.23

We are speaking about the northeast, Massachusetts specifically, so forage and bass behavior is bound to be a bit different. Water temps around here are dropping into the low 40s, I don't know much about lake fork but I assume it doesn't get that cold. That being said I'm sure there's people that catch bass on worms around here year round as well, it's just not a bait I would personally concentrate on this time of year.

I've had pretty good success this fall with a single tailed grub, flukes and paddle tail swimbaits. Like @Mainebass1984 said as the water temps dip into the high 40s here I'm more apt to throw other baits, like a lipless, spinnerbait, chatterbait or jig. I will still use a soft plastic trailer on a spinnerbait or chatterbait in most instances, mainly to increase buoyancy of the presentation, but also for a bit of a larger profiler and more action. I always fish some sort of plastic on the back of a jig. I did catch a fish last week that had very red lips, indicative of what you see in the spring when fish are feeding heavily on craws.. This was the first fish of the fall that I caught with red lips and gullet like that.. Got me thinking a little bit. I was under the impression that as water cooled in the fall most of the crawfish went into a pseudo hibernation during which they rarely ventured out from the security of rock piles and mud/heavy vegetation.. Am I misinformed? I've certainly witnessed bass feeding mainly on baitfish throughout this fall season, but as the water cools do they move back to feeding on craws and being more bottom oriented? I'll start throwing Texas/Carolina rigged craws and red rattle traps again if that's the case, they're some of my favorite baits to fish in the spring.

I run braid with a monofilament leader for my walking baits, poppers, and whopper ploppers. Straight braid for hollow bodies, and toads. Straight mono or copoly for wakebaits or buzzbaits unless I'm fishing them in very heavy cover, then I'll use straight braid. I like the monofilament leader on the ones listed above for a little bit more stealth and a bit more give in the line to play the fish. Might just be a confidence thing, but I fish these topwaters on an XF spinning rod. I add a 4-6' leader of 14-17lb test mono to help me not pull the bait away too quickly and to compensate for the braid and XF tip. Works well for me on hook up ratios, like Bluebasser I simply reel into the fish.

Personally, I'm not a believer that the moon has any true tidal effect on most freshwater fisheries.. The only way I could see it making a difference is in the way BobP said, more light at night for predator fish to feed/stalk prey, which could lead to less fishing during the day.

Most temps are creeping down into the upper 40s already, especially inland. Some of the waters closer to the coast are where the warmer water temps are currently, as still unseasonably warm ocean water buffers their overnight lows a bit more.

I wanted to get out today with the nice weather but didn't manage to do so. I'm blaming the Patriots.. looks like light rain and mild temps tomorrow, and more of the same on Tuesday. I'll probably get out there on one or the other. Might try to go throw some topwater or something from shore for an hour or two tonight and see if I can't pick anything up..

Schoolie to small keeper stripers are all over the Housatonic river.. On a good day this time of year you could easily catch a boatload of them. One of my buddies was out there 2 weeks ago and him and his brother boated over 100 fish. Candlewood has already been mentioned, that's a great option.. I also really like Mashapaug as a different option, a bit of a drive north but it holds some state records for a good reason.. It's in Bigelow state park, on the Massachusetts border.

I'll be out there at least once, possibly twice on Monday-Wednesday. If anyone has availability and wants to meet up let me know... Planning on hitting 1 smallmouth lake (likely great herring) and 1 largemouth lake which I haven't decided on yet. Possibly Whitehall, A1, Webster, or Nippenicket. Im hoping to get a few more real good bites, it's definitely a good time of year to catch some hawgs, but we will see, been a bit more of a tough go for me here lately.

What sorts of topwaters are you throwing? Wake baits? Large, small? I've had best luck with topwater this fall using wake baits that create a "V" behind them. Also caught a few on a megabass pop x.

Got out this afternoon for a few hours on Whitehall. Water temps ranged from 48-50. Didn't do as well as I had hoped, it did manage to catch a few. Caught 2 largemouth on a rattletrap in 6-7' of water.. But I couldn't produce anything consistently doing this, definitely just reaction strikes as I pulled the trap from the remaining grass. then I went out to the deepest part of the reservoir and marked a boat load of fish. I attempted to more or less fish vertically for them with a blade bait. I caught a few fish doing this, but they were all yellow perch ? . I saw no life at all in the shallows, so I figured bass might be holding deep and feeding up, if they were there and it wasn't just perch and crappie I was marking everywhere then I've got nothing to show for it.