Mainebass1984

Yes I have. Shane has as well. Lets see some of your big fish from last year MikeOGNR

Ha ha. I am not pale.

On the bed. Defending against intruders.

Without going into to much detail : Bed fishing does not have a significant impact on bass populations. For every fish you see on a bed there is one or two behind you in deeper water that you cant see. More fish spawn in deeper water then we as anglers would like to think. We assume that the fish we can see on beds shallow are the only fish on beds and represent the entire fish population. Bass spawn will spawn in deeper water then most people target, in an excess of 15 feet at times. Bed fishing in water this deep is difficult, the water could be muddy, it could be windy, beds aren't as pronounced. The deeper bedded fish are seldom targeted. In many states bass can not be kept during the spawn. In some states, New Hampshire for example, it is illegal to target fish on beds. You can get a ticket for making repetitive casts to a fish on a bed. The amount of time a bass is off a bed is pivotal to egg survival. The longer the fish is out of the water and off the bed the more time other fish have to raid the bed. Harvesting of more smaller fish will lead to more larger fish and a larger average size. By specifically targeting the smaller size fish you are reducing the competition in that year class. Less fish in a year class leads to faster growth rates and a much healthy condition factor. Removal of larger fish does harm to the overall fish population. The larger fish grew to that size for a reason. In there genetic makeup they have faster growth rates, longer life spans, greater survival instincts, etc, then the fish that were not able to become adults and attain larger trophy class size. Look at the success and results of the Texas share a lunker program.

I am hoping for an early spring too. One thing that helps is looking at last seasons big fish pics. Lets see some.

You cant go wrong with squarebill kvd 1.5s and 2.5s

I would fish a jig. When its not iced over I fish a river near me a lot from my boat. It maybe 15-20 feet wide. I have had great luck with a craw imitating jig and trailer.

Smallmouth are just so easy to catch on a bed. I target them maybe 3 outings a year when I am taking a kid fishing or someone new to fishing. My niece gets a kick out of watching them inhale the lure. It really gets new anglers hooked on fishing. Its pretty exciting when a 3-4 lb smallie inhales your bait within 10 feet of the boat and sky rockets right at the boat. Largemouth... they usually aren't so willing to cooperate when they are on beds. I would just rather target fish not on beds.

It depends on the body of water I am fishing but anything that impersonates a baitfish or a crawfish is a good bet. Cant go wrong with a brown/orange jig with a craw colored rage craw on the back.

Everybody play nice and go catch some fish how ever you would like to catch it.

I fish a lot in New England. Mostly in Maine and Vermont. It is very difficult to beat SK kvd 1.5s and 2.5s. My favorite colors are chartreuse black back, tennesee shad, crawfish and yellow perch. I prefer to use the 1.5 when I am looking to catch numbers of fish. They still will certainly catch big fish. If I am specifically targeting the larger fish then the 2.5s are the way to go. Some of the biggest bass I have caught have been on the 2.5s.

I have had some amazing success with the squarebill. Crawfish is my favorite color.

A white buzzbait is my number one producer. If its not white its not right.

Alewives are not very durable. They can die easily. There are alewives up here in my neck of the woods. In most waters they are extremely plentiful. I have had great success fishing in areas where there are large schools of them. If the body of water you are fishing is connected in any way to the ocean then the alewives will run out to the ocean in the fall and then return in the spring as adults to spawn. They return in staggered year classes. The amount of alewives per acre of water can be mind boggling. When I am imitating an alewife I often have a lot of luck with spinnerbaits and chatterbaits.

I am hoping there will be some open water in APRIL. It was -26 degrees on the way to work yesterday and we have got 43 inches of snow in the last week. New England winters SUCK. I am glad the fishing is so good once the lakes thaw... It keeps me from moving south.

This has been an interesting topic to follow. It is interesting to hear all the opinions of the amateur bass biologists on this subject. There is a lot on non sense being thrown around with very few facts mentioned. Some are so greatly ill informed it is shocking. Everyone is entitled to there opinion though. I am not an avid bed fisherman. I never target largemouth on beds. I do on occasion take a kid or someone new to fishing out for a day of smallmouth bed fishing. It is fun to see them catch fish and they get hooked.

One heck of a win. They made the plays needed to win that game. That 4th quarter performance by Brady was one for the ages. Greatest quarterback of all time. Seattle couldn't make the plays on offense or defense during crunch time. I am sick of hearing about all the conspiracies and crap from all the Patriot haters. I want to sink there boats.

It is all about the girth. I have caught 6 over 8 lbs in Maine, only one was longer the 24 inches.

The first one had a 19.5 inch girth, 22.5 inches long. Weighed in at 8 lbs 1 oz. The second one was a full pound bigger at 9 lbs 1 oz. It also had a 19.5 inch girth but was a full inch longer at 23.5 inches. Both caught off of the same sunken tree way way off shore on the same lure two days apart.

Here is a couple Maine bass that were fattys. Some serious girth to the first two.

Lake Champlain is amazing in May.

That is pretty cool. The Champlain Bass Series is best tourney trail on Lake Champlain. Very well organized with some very, very, knowledgeable anglers. I haven't fished any of there tournaments. I have thought about fishing with them as a co angler. I don't have much free time since I am fishing with another local club, Rutland BASS. This Tuesday I am picking up the Angler of the Year trophy.

I would suggest fishing a Frog early and late in the day. Being July the lake can get very very busy for the majority of the day. There are a lot of humps in that lake to fish. Night fishing can be really good in late July.

Sweet video nhbassin. You got some pretty impressive fish on there. One of these days I will figure out how to make a video. I saw a Champlain BAss Series shirt during your video. I am curious, who do you know that fishes the Champlain Bass Series ?

May is an amazing month for bass fishing in Maine. The lures MainelyBASS mentioned work well in the spring. Spinnerbaits and crankbaits can produce as well. I myself am a Jig fisherman. Without a doubt I have caught more big bass in May on Jigs then anything else. China Lake is an amazing fishery. Giants swim there. There also are a bunch of other lesser known bodies of waters near there that have huge bass in them as well that don't receive the attention that China Lake does.