DogBone_384

Looks like the weather is cooperating again. If I don't pick up any extra shifts this week, I'm heading to Plymouth in search of Smallies....

...both...

You did your best. Hopefully it lived. If not, don't sweat it, you can't save them all.

Oops, forgot...

Fishing Rhino and I launched at Saudy between 8:30 & 9:00, betting on the weather forecast's accuracy. It was cold to start, and didn't get warmer. Toss in a pretty stiff wind from the N/NE around 10:00, it was a pretty tough morning, even layered up. I managed a 1-7 pickerel on a green pumpkin Ned and a 1-11 Larry on a Yamamoto Heart Tail. Water temps were 41.x. Warmer weather is just around the corner, as is Quabbin's opening day.....

I've been out 8 times this year and caught seven smallies and a fat yellow perch. Water temps have been 48 degrees or lower each time out. Today was the low temp, barely breaking 42.x degrees. Hopefully we'll be clear of winter this week and Massachusetts bass wake up.

Mother Nature cooperated today. I launched at Hedges around 9:00, starting along the northern shoreline. I switched between the haloween Shadow Rap deep that worked here before and a white ice Zoom Super Fluke on a drop shot. A nice 1-11 smallie chomped on the fluke in about 8' of water along the west shore. Like the other smallies I've caught here this year it was good sized and skinny. After an hour or so of practice casting I moved across to the two humps my Lowrance located for me. I threw perch and wallye colored Shad-Raps, the fluke, and an orange/brown Ned all over the place with no takers other than a 3 pound stick, a new PB. Just like the last two times here I had major birds' nests with my Patriarch XT. So much so that I was down to about 1/4 a spool. I'm using 8 pound Yozuri Hybrid for the first time and am guessing I got a spool made late on Friday afternoon. Respooled when I got home. We'll see what happens next time out. Water temps started out in the high 41.x and finished low 42.x.

The kayak's in the back of my truck. I'm hoping the weather cooperates. I'm headng south in search of some Smallies.

Did you sit in them, even if on the floor at the store? Go with the one you feel most comfortable in. You're gonna be in it for hours at a time. I have a kayak dealer near me that encourages test rides. I bought my Lure 11.5 because of how comfortable it is.

I keep a tackle bag with some Rapalas, Senkos, and Berkley soft baits in the back seat of my truck during the Summer. I keep all my soft baits in their original bags. My two travel rods are in their cases behind the back seat. I've never had a problem with melting or color fading.

Oh yeah, I drove by Sunset lake in Braintree this afternoon. It was wide open.

I hear you. This cold snap has the bass hunkered down. Another week or two and we'll be good.

Bill Dance, no question. To answer the question why: It's Bill Dance.

How is catching 2 bass and a pile of panfish tough? I'm on a 0-3 streak like the Bruins right now.... Swamp Hawgs got skunked too, which is a rarity!

After my daughter and I got done at the RMV (she got her license), she dropped me off at home (?!?!?!) and drove to school. I did the housework and figured I'd give Hedges another go with my waders. Talk about KARMA: I brought spinning gear, knowing it was going to be breezy. On my second cast my Pflueger coughed up a ball of line, just like the other day. Cut and retie and off I go. A few casts later, another line ball. Cut and retie, again. I kept working my way down the shore from the North, but the wind was all but stopping forward progress. I worked my way around the pond to cast into the wind and work the hump I found on my kayak. By the time I got over there the wind change direction and again I was casting into a stiff wind. I gave it a half-arsed effort for another half hour but lost motivation and split. My Rapala Shadow Rap, Yozuri jerk bait, and Mepps caught a lot of weeds, so salad it is... Fishing Rhino and I are fishing Great Herring tomorrow, launching @ 9:00 AM.

Drove past some local haunts yesterday while out doing errands and I'm sad to say we're losing ground south of Boston. Houghton's Pond is half locked up. The middle half is open. Blue Hills Reservoir has a skim coat on about half of it. Some of the rock shoreline is fishable. Ponkie is locked up and looks borderline safe. St. Moritz is completely skimmed over. Brockton Reservoir looked half locked up with a skim coat on it from route 24 NB. I'm taking my daughter to the RMV first thing in the morning to get her license and will have my waders and a couple light setups ready for who knows what later in the day. With this cold spell I'm bringing blade baits, hair jigs, some jerk baits and NO expectations. Best of luck for anyone else getting out there.

Try taking a fishing net attached to a broom stick long enough to reach the phone and try to scoop it up. Best of luck. I lost a $350 spinning setup last Summer so I feel your some of your pain.

I have a FeelFree Lure 11.5 and an Ascend 128T. Both are stand up stable and have all-day comfortable seats. The Ascend's seat swivels and the Lure's elevates. The Lure is lighter than the Ascend and has a wheel in the keel that makes it easy to transport short distances.

Any medium spinning rod of your preference......

I'm not sure where people shore fish the Charles. Looking at pictures posted here I'd say from Watertown back in towards Boston. Maybe other members can chime in and help.

How far are you from Plymouth/Cape Cod? It's wide open down there. Add: I talked to a guy leaving Hedges who said he did well on the Charles River from shore just last week.

Bummer ... got snow shoes?

OK, after burning almost half a tank of gas, here's what I came up with: Blue Hills Reservoir is open. Houghton's Pond is open on South/South West half. Ponkapog is 80 - 90% locked up. All water along the highway from Route 1 south from Bass Pro to 495s to 44E was 50 (or more) percent locked up. Little Pond, Billington Sea, Long Pond, Black Jimmy Pond, and Hedges in Plymouth were all wide open. I bought a pair of Neoprene waders that were $50 off @ Bass Pro and figured Hedges would be a great place to try them because it's a cereal bowl you can wade all the way around and cast to 8-10' depths. I got there about 2:00, rigged up my travel rod, dressed and walked down to the water. On my second cast I blew up a 'cut me out' bird's nest that ended my day. I can't say for sure how because Diawa T3s are set and forget reels. Regardless, it's still balled up in the back of my truck... I'll try to pick it out at work tomorrow. At least I waded far enough to know I made a good purchase. The highlight of the trip was the Bald Eagle I saw flying above Rte 3 between exits 10 & 11.

How about fishing with it and letting us know how it works out?

Thanks. Will post my findings tomorrow.