Mainebass1984

You really believe that those bass that spawn on those tree tops never leave that area for there entire lives ? That maybe but I do not believe that to be the norm. I guess the fish up here in the north act differently as well as all the other bass that I have studied in Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Maine and Florida. Up where I currently live The Lake Champlain Research Institute has been doing a radio tagging study on tournament caught large and smallmouth bass. The preliminary results are intriguing. One smallmouth was tracked from the Plattsburgh, NY boat launch 12 miles down the lake across water over 200 feet deep to the mouth of the Winooski river on the Vermont side of the lake. Without a doubt bass do move seasonally. Whether it moves 200 yards or 2 miles depends on the fish.

Gobies certainly grow big bass no doubt there. They love to eat fish eggs though. You pull a bass off a bed and gobies can quickly pick it clean. Not to mention the effects gobies have on fish species other then bass.

That is terrible news. Another invasive species that will that will change the ecosystem and alter it forever. People have to stop moving fish. Next thing you'll hear is there is Asian Carp in Oneida......

Absolutely yes. Its part of the biological programming of a bass. They can swim a great deal further then 2 miles and have been documented doing so.

well said

When taking a picture of your fish do you prefer to hold it with bent arms or to "push" it towards the camera ? I like to take my fish pictures with bent arms. I personally very much dislike pushing fish. I feel like it distorts the size of the bass, making it look bigger. On the other hand several friends of mine push the fish towards the camera saying they want to get more detail of the fish, not make it look bigger. What is your opinion ?

They definitely would be bigger. Another 10-15% bigger.. d**n that would be almost a full pound on that 9-1.....

Is anyone still getting out on the water ?

Bass will seek out areas that are for whatever reason are warmer or cooler then the rest of the water depending on the time of year. In the spring bas will most definitely seek out the warmest water in the lake. Sure not all of the bass will be doing this but the vast majority of the population will be doing so. If the main lake temp is 45 degrees and the northern section of the lake is 50 degrees there will be that cove because it is warmer. Bass most certainly do have a range of temperature that they are most active and comfortable in. Too warm or too cold then they will not be nearly as aggressive but, you can still catch fish. If the shallows are super warm over 80 degrees and there is an area of the lake that is 70 degrees then again there will be bass there. It is the biological nature of a bass to seek out water temperature that is most comfortable in. You can seasonally follow bass movements and you can predict what most of the bass population will be doing. There will always be fish shallow, deep, and at mid depths. I like to follow what the majority of the bass population is doing. Thermocline is the stratification of the water column. For example during spring, fall and winter there is very little difference the surface temperature and the lake bottom temperature. As the spring gives way to summer the surface temperature warms. This cause a temperature gradient in the water column resulting in different layers in temperature. The surface will be the hottest. A few inches down it will be slightly cooler. Another foot or two and its cooler. This stratification continues down through the water column. Turnover is term people use to describe a process that occurs each fall on every lake and pond. During the summer the water column is stratified as I described above. During the fall we experience cooler daytime and nighttime temperatures. During a cold period of time the surface water cools to the point that it is cooler then the water beneath it. Since water is denser at cooler temperatures it sinks to bottom. That causes the warmer less dense water to rise. This process continues and the temperature gradient of the water column becomes less pronounced. It continues to turnover until there is no thermocline and water temperature is relatively uniform through the water column.

Just like the bass the baitfish go deep during the summer and winter as well. Follow the bait and the bass will be there. When there is ice up here in New England I have found that the water temperature on bottom is usually around 36 degrees. If you find a spring though the water can be much warmer and usually there are lots of bass there.

Well it was a pretty amazing season for me. I fish only in Maine and Vermont My first day on the water was on April 19th less than a week after ice out. The spring bit was pretty good. A lot of good quality fish. Biggest largemouth in April was a 6-8 that I caught o a jig. Early May was fantastic. Most memorable day of the month was taking a co worker after working one day. We didn't have much time to fish maybe 3 hours. We spent 30 min motoring across the lake to where I was on fish the weekend before. First two casts were a 5-11 and a 6-1. My coworker got into some good fish as well. He got a couple 3-4 lbers. In maybe 2 hours of actual fishing time we caught over 45 bass, from one spot. That was a very fun afternoon after work. Biggest bass for the month of May was a 7-2 I caught on a rubber worm. I did not have much time to fish after the second week in May til July unfortunately. I had some issues I had to deal with. I missed the spawn which I always a great time to fish. I fished twice in June both tournaments. Finished 3rd in one and 6th in the other. July was a decent month. Always a little tougher for me when the bass up here go deep. Biggest bass for the month of July was a 5-9 during a tournament, we finished 8th. August I was able to get on the water a little bit more as I was fully recovered from my issues earlier in the year. I had my best numbers day of the year this month catching 76 largemouth and 2 smallmouth. Biggest bass for August was a 5-5. Fished in two tourneys in August placed 4th in one and 3rd in the other. As September came around it was time for some early fall fishing. I love fall fishing. It is my favorite time of year to fish. All the summer vacationers have gone, fish are shallow again, temperatures are cooler, there are no ********** power boaters skiing circles around me, and the fishing is just amazing. I took a week off and went back to Maine bass fishing. The fishing was great. I caught my biggest so far of the year a 8-5 on a frog during an insanely windy day. For the week I caught 119 largemouth and 51 smallmouth. I didn't get any smallmouth over 3 lbs which was pretty unusual. The largemouth fishing was pretty good I was catching them on frogs, crankbaits, rubber worms, and a jig. For the week I landed 1 over 8lbs, 1 between 7 and 8 lbs, 3 between 6 and 7 lbs ,3 between 5 and 6 lbs, 5 between 4 and 5 lbs and 10 between 3-4 lbs. October I was able to get out fishing 9 times and had my best day of the year weight wise. I absolutely love fishing this time of year. I feel like I have them figured out pretty d**n well in Oct and Nov. One of my favorite spots caught fire and never cooled off til it was frozen so thick I couldn't get my boat there. On the 25th I caught a 8-1 off my favorite spot. The very next day I went back there and off the same spot I caught a 8-3 on the first cast. The 26th was my best day weight wise for the year. My biggest 5 that day was a 8-5, 7-4, 5-1, 4-8 and a 4-0 for a total weight of 29 lbs 2 oz. I only caught 10 largemouth that day but 8 of them were over 3 lbs. I also got a nice 3-14 smallmouth. November is traditionally hunting season here in New England and I do hunt. It is just so tough for me not to be bass fishing if I still can get out there. I was back hunting in Maine for the week and we had a warm windy rainy day. No way I can sit in a tree in the rain all day. Fishing in the warm (50 degrees) rain, I can do that. I am so glad that I did choose to go. I only caught 5 largemouth but they were all good ones. I went to my favorite spot. First cast with a crankbait I hooked into a giant bass and it came unhooked. I had it on for maybe 15 seconds. I was bummed out. The last two times I fished this spot I had caught an 8 lber off of it. I took a few more casts with a jig and then on the third hop a bass inhaled it. I set the hook and it felt like a giant. It pulled the boat left then it pulled the boat right... I had to chase it down with the trolling motor a bit. After a little while I got it up near the surface. It was ginormous. I thought I had a 10lber. It went down back to bottom. I fought it back up by the boat and reached for the net. The net was stuck on one of my other rods !! After few tense moments and something just short of a miracle I got the net unstuck while fighting the fish. I got her back to boatside, slid the net under her and lifted her in. It was a very fat fish. I took some measurements of her. She measured 23.5 inches long and had a 19.5 inch girth. She weighed in at 9 lbs 1 oz. The biggest bass I have caught. I took a couple pics, a couple scales sample and a short video. I put her back in the water. She tail splashed me in the face as she swam away maybe to be caught another day.. What a huge fish... Probably getting a replica mount. I also caught a 7-6 durijng the day too one of my biggest bass for the year. The next opportunity I had I took a friend back there. He had never caught a 5 lb bass and it was my goal to put him on one. After a 3.5 hour ride, some slick roads and breaking through ice we were there. Over the few hours he caught the two biggest bass of his life a 6-4 and a 5-12. For the day we caught 7 bass for 30 lbs 9 oz. That was the last day for me... Until next year, which cant come soon enough. My biggest 5 bass for the year. Nov 7th 9 Lbs 1 oz Sept 16th 8 lbs 5 oz Oct 26th 8 lbs 3 oz Oct 25th 8 lbs 1 oz Nov 7th 7 lbs 6 oz It was a very successful season for me 921 largemouth 189 smallmouth 1 over 9 lbs 3 between 8 and 9lbs 5 between 7 and 8lbs 7 between 6 and 7lbs 16 between 5 and 6lbs 25 between 4 and 5lbs 57 between 3 and 4lbs I am already excited to see what next season will bring. I have been buying new gear and lures. Just got to wait 4 months....lame. It truly was an amazing season for me. Of all the fish I caught and all the lunkers my most favorite memory of the season was one of the days I took my mom fishing. She had broken her arm in may and had just got it out of the cast. When she felt that she could reel in a fish again I took her fishing. She has terrible eyesight (I often hear where does the water end and the shoreline begin) and arthritis in her fingers. We pulled up to tree I have caught many lunkers off of. I cast for her and put it right on the sweet spot and handed her back the rod.. Before the lure hit bottom a fish inhaled it. She did not feel the bite but I could see the line going sideways. I told her to set the hook and the fight was on. The fish pulled us into deeper water. After a spirited fisht and a couple completely airborne jumps the fish was in the boat. It weighed in at 5 lbs 12 oz and was by far the largest bass she had ever caught.

I have had some pretty good luck with the original chatterbait. Biggest largemouth I have caught on one is a 5-13. Biggest smallmouth a 4-2. I fish them when conditions are good for spinnerbait fishing. Pro fisherman use them quite a bit as well. They call it a bladed jig though and not a chatterbait. One thing I have noticed about fishing a chatterbait. For example If you catch 5 bass along a shoreline and then turn around fishing that shoreline again then maybe you get one or two if you fish the spinnerbait. If you were to go back down along that shoreline with the chatterbait for the second pass you will catch more fish then you would if younhad fished the spinnerbait. That is when I have found I have the best luck with a chatterbait. I think that it gives off a way different vibration then a spinnerbait and when fished behind one it will pick up fish that have already seen the spinnerbait.

Those smallmouth numbers are incredible. I also keep track of bass I catch, largemouth though. I have weighed every single largemouth I have caught 3 lbs or better since 2004. I am in Maine right now. When I get back to VT and my fishing journal I will post my totals. Those smallmouth numbers just blow my mind....

I don't know Shane... Not sure how much bigger can they get around here....

I was catching those fish on a jig with a pretty amazing trailer. Seemed like the trailer made all the difference. Shane you every heard of rage trail ? I was using a rage craw as a trailer.

I like to get a more accurate weight of fish then within a quarter pound. A quarter pound to me is a significant amount of weight for most bass where a quarter pound makes all the difference. That's just me though I guess.

How often do they need to be calibrated ? A friend of mine owns a boga grib and he swears but it. The only problem is that it isn't very accurate, being off at times by over a quarter pound. I check the accuracy of my digital scale before each outing with a one pound weight. It is always spot on, all things considered, weighing the one pound weight at 0.99lbs to 1.01 lbs.

This past Sunday, November 17th, my friend Brandon and I decided to make a day trip back to Maine. Brandon is relatively new to bass fishing and had never caught a 5 lb bass. He also had never fished a jig either. The weather forecast was for light winds overcast with a day time high of 49 degrees. We met at 530 at my place loaded up the boat and we were on or way to Maine. To get to Maine from where I live in Vermont you have to go through 3 mountain passes including on e in the heart of the white mountain national forest. The roads were pretty slick up in the higher elevations. It was time to take it slow and easy. There was over a foot of snow in the mountains, it looked more like winter then late fall. We were lucky to witness and amazing sunrise. When we arrived at the launch the weather wasn't to bad, chilly but not terrible. We unloaded the boat and headed out onto the lake. It was very foggy. We had to break through over 100 feet of ice to get out to the main lake which luckily was still open water. After we were done breaking through the ice I looked down at the depth finder. The surface temperature was a balmy 36 degrees. By far the coldest water I had ever fished from my boat. The fog was still thick but with the aide of my gps we made it to our first spot. I set my friend Brandon up with a Jig and trailer. I gave him the first few casts on our first spot. NO hits so then I took few casts as well with my jig. After some time Brandon got a bite on his jig. The fish came up to the surface and sure enough it was a lunker. Brandon got reel excited and was standing up trying to high five while he was still trying to fish the fish. I had to tell him lets get it in the boat first. The fish tired and I netted it. It ws the biggest bass Brandon had ever seen or caught, a 6 lb 4 oz largemouth. After fishing that spot for a few more minutes it was on to the next spot. It was nearly identical to the last spot. We fished it for a few minutes throwing jigs, cranks, spinnerbaits and chatterbaits. I was just about to move when I figured I would take one last cast with a weightless worm before moving on. The worm never hit bottom and the fight was on. After a couple tense moments when the fish was stuck on bottom I landed my biggest bass of the day a 5lb 0oz. A few more casts later and we were onto the next spot. The weather conditions worsened. It was still very very chilly out and it had begun to lightly rain and a slight wind had picked up. Our next couple spots produced zero bass. I could tell my friend Brandon was starting to get cold. We were determined to tough it out no matter what. I let Brandon have the next few casts on our next spot. On his third cast he hooked into another good fish. After a lengthy battle he landed the second biggest bass of his life a 5 lb 12 oz largemouth. The bite slowed for while after that. We both started getting even colder. After driving for 3 hours to get to the lake we were fishing there was no way we were leaving early. Brandon didn't have much luck the rest of the day. He did catch a couple pickerel. I landed 4 more bass a 3-12, 3-11, 3-2, 3-0. It was slow fishing numbers wise but we knew it would be like that and the water was 36 degrees... We called it a season at about 3 o'clock. It had been a successful mid November trip for sure. We landed 7 bass for a total of 30 lbs 9 oz. It was a good day to finish the year on. Once I got back to my place I looked up the weather and the daytime high had been 38 degrees. No wonder we were cold. I had a very productive fall with some of the biggest bass I have ever caught. When everyone else had called it is deer hunting or called it a season that is when the big bass bite.

The post I made here was deleted due to the website being down. I wrote up a detailed report of my last day out fishing in the fishing reports section. My friend and I had a great day fishing. I was able to cull out my smallest fish a18.5 incher with a 20.5 incher that weighed in at exactly 5 lbs. That brings the total for the month to 106.25 inches

Good job man ! Glad to here your got into them pretty good. What did you think of the blade baits ? What kind of retrieve did you use ?

Awesome Shane ! How many did you guys get over 10 lbs ?

There comes a time each year when most fisherman, even die hard fisherman have to call it a year. A few people will still get out on the water where there is no ice and there are still opportunities to catch bass. I would consider myself a die hard fisherman but its time to call it a season here. The last 3 times out this year I had to break ice with my small boat. One of the days I had to break through well over an inch of ice for 200 feet to get to open water. The water temps here are now in the mid 30s. I was going to get out fishing one last time before the season closes here in VT at the end of the month. With weather forecast for highs in the 20s and snow for this weekend I have decided to call it a year. Now is the time to look back on your season. There were surely countless memorable moments and big fish caught for everyone out there. I would love to hear how everyone's season went. An amazing day ? A funny story you want to tell ? Did you catch more fish then ever before ? Did you set a new personal best ? Were you tearing up lunkers ? Learn a new technique ? Was one season or time of the year better then the other ?

Correction. A total of 104.25 inches.

Well yesterday was an interesting day to say the least. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. When we arrived at the launch there was a lot of ice built up where we had to access the lake. I could stand just off shore on the ice and not break through. After breaking enough ice to get the boat in we then had to break through ice that was over an inch thick for about 200 feet until we got to open water. We broke a trolling motor pin in the process. I was able to come up with another one after a quick trip back to my place. After much delay we motored across the lake to the spot we wanted to fish. The water temp on the northern end of the main lake was 44 degrees. The fishing was slow but I managed to fish on a jig. We decided to move up into the upper pond. That ended up being a bad decision. That section of the lake was 38 degrees and a large section of it was frozen. Yet another time consuming mistake. So after that we motored back to where the water temp was warmer. We had little time left to fish. Then the prop to the trolling motor came off... It was time to paddle. We paddled up to where a road came close to lake. We had to go across private property to get the road to load the boat. Getting the boat through the thicket really sucked and someone went down really really hard face first in the mud (webertime). It was such a failure of a day. I have never had so much go wrong in one day. Lot of ice, trolling motor pin busted, lost props, and I only caught two fish... Here is the path we made through the ice. Not to be defeated I decided to go back out fishing the next day after I found another prop. Unfortunately webertime could not go. The weather was great 50 degrees sunny with no wind. I didn't have to worry about breaking ice today, we did that yesterday. I motored up the lake to the same spot I caught two fish yesterday. I focused my time on that area for most of the day. I caught 3 fish pretty quickly on a jig. I had a badd follow my jig all the way to the boat. I stopped reeling and let it free fall to bottom. The follower slammed it before it hit bottom. It was my largest bass of the day. A largemouth at 19.75 inches. It was very very skinny and weighed in at 3 lbs 6 oz. 19.75 inches 3 lbs 6 oz The jig bite slowed as the day went on. I started fishing a weightless worm. I was fishing 15-30 feet so patience was important. If there was any wind doing this would have been near impossible weightless. I ended up catching 7 more bass on the weightless worm. The biggest were 2 lbs 10 oz, 2 lbs 9 oz, and 2 lbs 8oz. I called it a day about 2:30-3:00. The sun was setting behind the mountain and the wind was picking up. For a mid November day when a good portion of the lake covered in ice it was a good day of fishing. I caught 10 largemouth and 1 pickerel on the day. It was my last day of the year fishing Vermont. The season ends at the end of the month. I will be getting out a couple more times in Maine. I am making a day trip there tomorrow. The 19.75 incher culls out my smallest bass a 18.35 incher. I think my biggest 5 for the month are 23.5, 22.5, 20,19.75 and 18.5 for a total of 104 inches.

I would keep on fishing for bass. In the winter you may not catch that many but its a great time to catch a lunker. Just today I broke through 200 feet of ice to get out to the main lake to catch some bass.