DogBone_384

ooops

I own a eight different manufacturers' rods but find myself going out with my Abu Veritas most often, followed by Kistler. I fish out of a kayak so I usually bring a MH, M, ML to cover all the bases.

That's the FISH OF THE YEAR for sure! Got out to Plymouth for some late 2017 SMB hunting. Launched around 1:00 and left at dusk. I managed two good SMB and two White Perch, one of which was 1-10. A 3/4 oz chrome Binsky was all I needed today. Water temps were 46.x If this is my last trip out for '17.... it's a good way to end the year...

I’ve been using blade baits and hair jigs the last few outings but wasn’t able to coax Plymouth Smallies to bite. Yellow, however, perch cooperated in a very short feeding window. I’ve got tomorrow off and might give it another go. Thanks for the tips.

I’ll just have to take you up on your offer.

Stop showing off! I doubt my lifetime total is half your '17!

Tell that to smallies in Plymouth, MA .... they're playing hard to get right now....

DEFINITELY NOT a Massachusetts resident....

Made it to Hedges around lunch time. Didn't have any more black/blue hair jigs, so I went with 1/4 oz. brown/orange. Shortly after launch I landed a big fat yellow perch on my perch blade bait. Four more came to the boat in the next few minutes. One fatty was 13" long. I was in 18' but casting towards shore and letting the blade bait sink to 10' +-. I moved around some and struck out with a green/red Hula Grub on a drop shot so I switched to the jig. Lowe and behold I pulled in a nice perch on it. Crazy thing is, I've caught more non-bass on jigs than bass when using them - what's up with that?. Worked a couple different jerk baits for a while without a nibble. Although I couldn't find any smallies, the perch were active and helped me achieve my goal of MA fish in 10/12 months without drilling any holes in ice. Water temps were 47.x when I arrived and 46.x when I left. Now I have to catch at least one more bass before New Years....

Tomorrow’s forecast is 50. You’ll find an orange Tundra at Hedges Pond, Plymouth. I’m bringing a black/blue hair jig, perch colored blade bait, and not much else. If sucessful, that’ll get me fish from MA waters in 10 of 12 months this year w/o drilling a hole in the ice.

Sounds about right.... The pond in Plymouth I’ve frequented this fall is big for paddle power. I’m headed to Hedges Pond in Plymouth next week. It’s a small, 15-17’ deep, cereal bowl with one hump in it. If I can catch something in December, I’ll have caught fish in 10/12 months in ‘17. Pretty good for eastern Mass.

My last catch was November third. I’ve been out twice since, in Plymouth, MA. I fish from a kayak and plan on getting out once or twice more. Blade baits, hair jigs, and jerkbaits couldn’t buy a whiff. I’m sticking to small waters in order to cover as much area as possible with the short days, bringing a drop-shot this time. So to answer your question. It’s only over if you don’t go out. https://youtu.be/ep-xgd_eETE

Nope... no luck either. Water temps were 49.X. I kept it simple with a gold Binsky, brown/mustard hair jig, and a back chrome/orange shadow rap deep. Paddled my usual trail and didn’t mark much. Looked at other drop offs, found some but nobody was interested in my offerings. Spoke to another guy fishing there who said he came for SMB but caught more LMB. He also said he’d found them shallower than he’d thought they’d be. He was fishing a drop shot while we spoke. The pond I fished today is 40’ deep in a lot of places with nice flats and drop offs (typical Plymouth) - I’ve never had great luck in deeper ponds. Just have to keep good notes and keep trying.

Tomorrow’s weather looks great for SMB fishing .... hope to see some of you in Plymouth .... look for the orange Tundra.

I don’t wear a belt today....

My Abu Gargia Villain is 40 ton. Funny, it feels light as a feather to me...

Happy Thanksgiving and God Bless all of you and your families.

Start North and head south .... after Google Earthing it of course ...

That’s roughly what I did. I found the bite nearly shut off there for the hours I was there for most of this fall. If I get back there I might try a Yamamoto Heart Tail. The biggest of the three bass I saw at the end was 3+ pounds, anyway.

The Villain 6’ 10” ML’s tip runs midline: it’s just stiff enough where you can use it for soft baits and have good hook setting power but soft enough to load up for a good hard bait launch. It’s a great all around rod. I hung a Pflueger Supreme XT from it.

I should have had this attitude today while I was getting skunked in Plymouth, MA while looking for smallies... Maybe I should have brought a couple topwaters ....

I have a 7'1" M/M Villain casting rod. It's a great rod: light, strong, and sensitive. I had a 6'10" ML Villain spinning rod that ended up at the bottom of Ponkapog Pond in 2016. While I owned it, it was my favorite spinning rod, by far. To answer your question, yes, they run stiff and a little heavier than their rating when compared to other brands I own (Fenwick, Kistler, St. Croix, G. Loomis, Diawa, Shimano, and BPS.) Hope this helps....

I launched in Plymouth this morning at 1000. I saw a nice school of frye in the canal between the two waters. 'Sweet', I thought, should see some action. I started along the West shore, where I've done well, with a black/blue hair jig, perch colored blade bait, and Rapala Shad Rap deep. I continued to the South end, back across to the island, and over to the canal. I threw in the towel at 3:00 without so much as a nibble. I tossed a Mepps spinner just for the heck of it, hoping for a perch, but nope..... not my day. To add insult to injury, the wind died down as i hit the launch. I also saw three NICE bass at the canal's mouth - they swam off slowly as I approached. I made a few more casts with a wacky Senko in hopes of grabbing one. Nope. Water temps were 50.x when I arrived and 53.x when I left. I'll try to get out at least one more time this year. I don't want my last trip of '17 to be a skunk.

The Monkey got me today. I drove to the Bass Pro in Hookset, NH, to pick up a new 7' M/F Veritas to replace the one that's at the bottom of Aaron Reservoir AND its 2.0 replacement that broke on the first trip out (if you read reviews on the 7' M/F 2.0, there are a number that broke near the tip - I got one too). For some reason, the 7' M/F Veritas feels great in my hands and casts great with any reel I've put on it. Hopefully the newest generation Veritas does too. Also picked up a couple odds and ends. Nothing exciting though. Anyhoo, I missed a bid for a *** baitcasting reel I really like and browsed around and found this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Roman-Made-Negotiator-HAMA-original-abalone-limited-color-VERY-RARE-BAIT-NIB/272895583955?hash=item3f89d826d3:g:39IAAOSw-eVZ6nhb I make a good living, but I just couldn't bring myself to pay more than my most expensive rods or reels for ONE bait.... I'd love to hear from anyone who bought a bait this expensive and caught fish with it... Cheers - Oh yeah, sadly, I saw ice on shallow waters along 93N on my way up to NH today...

Made a trip to Bass Pro in NH to pick up the new Abu Veritas, replacing my 2.0 that broke on the second cast of ownership (based on reviews it must have been built on Friday afternoon). Sad to say I saw ice on a lot of the small waters I drove past on 93NB. My truck told me it was 38 degrees in Hooksett and 45 in Boston. I guess I'm just going to HAVE to try out my new stick tomorrow. It'll be somewhere in Plymouth, where the SMB and trout hang out.