DogBone_384

I'm back from Aruba and don't go back to work until Saturday, so off to play I go... I had to go to the Apple store in Braintree to swap out my phone (Lifeproof case didn't 'Lifeproof' while snorkling ) so to BHR go I before the mall opened. Got 5 little ones on a wacky rigged Senko. It's good to see the population coming back here. The sun worked its way out after the Apple Store and housework so I explored the Charles River in Dedham off of Common Street. Found an open weed bed with a dip to 6' that looked good. It looked good enough that a two or three pound bass came fully out of the water at the northern edge. GAME ON! I tossed a bluegill Whopper Plopper, wacky Senko, my trusty Zoom U-tail, a mouse, and 5" swim Senko but couldn't coax it out of hiding. I paddled around some more with not so much as a nibble so packed it up I did and drove to Ponkie for some more fun. Ponkie was as smooth as glass when I showed and I started in my usual spot with the Whopper Plopper, U-Tail, and 4" weedless wacky Senko. Ponkie was 7' in April and read between 3 1/2 - 4' today. I moved southward little by little and struck out until the very last cast of the day where a 4-3 liked my Zoom U-Tail. A nice play on a ML spinning rig in the weeds.... I'm planning on taking my wife's friend's son fishing after school tomorrow. Don't know where yet....

A #5 jointed Rapala Shad Rap flavored in Smallmouth. I do very well with it at Great Herring, Plymouth, MA.

I own a couple Kistler rods that have shorter handles than my other rods. They don't hit my PFD or seat when I'm sitting. As far as rod length in my kayak. I own 6'6" - 7'3" and don't have a preferred length.

X2 ... and welcome to the forum

Launched at Ponkie at dawn this morning with water temps in the mid 70's and BP @ 29.8 with a slight breeze from the NW. Tossed a Bluegill Whopper Plopper, 4" Bluegill Senko, a 6.5" Pumpkin grn/blk flake Kut Tail, and my trusty Zoom U-Tail. I landed two on the 4" Senko, one each with the Kut and U-Tail worm. Mr Whopper Plopper struck out. Nobody was scale worthy, but good enough for a quick Friday morning paddle. Heading to Aruba for a few days. Planning on Quabbin upon return. ADD: I HAD to get out once more before heading out to Aruba. I launched at Sunset Lake around 4:30 and started out on the Braintree High side where I caught my 3-0 the other day with Fishing Rhino's 'secret weapon'. I caught 3 small bass straight away. I moved to the public beach area and worked a nice 3' - 10' drop off with no takers (?). The weeds at the drop off were dark and limp, unlike the HS side which were bright and green. No harm, back to where I started. Got three more little ones and capped off the evening with a 2-14 with a 4" Bluegill Senko, rigged weightless.. Gonna put my feet in the sand for a few days and strategize some Smallie tactics for the Quabbin upon my return. Have a great weekend everyone!

Congratulations on a great fish! Too bad your season is so short... Mine doesn't end until baits bounce off the ice, then I cut a hole!

I've never tried it this way.... Looks like I am next time out, thanks!

Droppd Kat off at work and hit Ponkapog before dawn (getting old is a drag - can't see in the dark anymore ?) and started off with a Bluegill Whopper Plopper, green/red flake Kut Tail Senko, and my trusty gourd green Zoom U-Tail. Did pretty good on only one cup of coffee: A 2-8 on the Whopper Plopper and a 2-5 on the U-Tail with a handful of little ones along the way, including a Bluegill who thought he could eat my Whopper Plopper!

Took my wife's friend's son to Sunset Lake, Braintree, for one more go around before he head's back to school. Sunset is down a few feet, but still ranges between 2-24' with a lot of hills, drop offs, and weed flats. Surface temps were high 70's and BP was 29.8 with a slight breeze from the NW. Evan threw a red craw hard bait, Zoom U-tale on a pink jig head, and a white spinner bait. He hooked a nice bass but got spit off before he got it in the kayak. I switched between a 4" wacky rigged Senko, blue/black Kreature, and a bluegill Whopper Plopper. Mr. Wacky garnered 3 bass around a pound or so and a nice 3-0 Larry at dusk. A 2-14 pickerel ate my Whopper Plopper in 2' of water. Boy he was ticked! Lucklily I'm on vacation and have to take my daughter to work at 4:45 AM tomorrow and my kayak is coincidentally still in my truck. I'll be at Ponkie at first light.

Fished Cape Cod two days this weekend with Fishing Rhino (Tom). We launched between 5:45 and 6:00 both days. The weather was perfect with temps in the '80s and BP hanging right around 30 with variable wind. The first day I got ten fish to the boat, a mix of Larrys, Picks, and Yellow Perch. and lost a couple here and there. Day two was just a touch better, landing an even dozen fish, mostly LMBs, with a couple little Picks and Perch. Tom tore it up both days, landing between three and four fish for every one of mine. I learned a lot fishing with Tom, too. Some new baits, fresh techniques, and retrieve patterns. A gracious host and excellent teacher. He's SO GOOD, in fact, I managed big fish of the day two of the three days we fished this month. There's still a ton to learn. IF I get some time tomorrow, I'll take what I learned and apply it to Ponkapog. Thanks again Tom!

Best of luck - no matter which one you get, you'll love fishing from it.

Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and Virginia. More to follow, hopefully ?

A two pound anchor isn't going to be enough. I started with a five which didn't always hold me in place, especially in muck/weed bottoms. I use a seven pound collapsible claw anchor.

The most important points are covered: PFD PFD PFD Paddle as many different models as possible. Weight - how are you transporting it? Seat comfort. I started with an Ascend 128T because of its reviews and price. It's great kayak, has an awesome seat, and is stand up stable. It's a big kayak and has tons of storage but weighs in at roughly 90 pounds empty, so getting it on my truck's ladder rack at the end of the day isn't always easy. I paddled a FeelFree Lure 11.5 at my local dealer and fell in love with it. It's more stable than the Ascend, weighs 20-25 pounds less, but gives up some storage space. It also has a wheel integrated in the keel, making it easy to transport short distances. Of my two kayaks, I use the Lure more. I'm 6'1" 190 and after kayak fishing for three years I'd not go below eleven or twelve feet in length. I believe the shorter kayaks give up too much stability. I fish standing most of the time. Beyond the basics, think about how you might accessorize your kayak. Anchor trollies, additional rod holders, and fish finders are common items. I use wheel dollies that go through the scupper holes to transport both kayaks longer distances. Keep your eye on Craigslist. You might just find a bargain. Best of luck getting your kayak. It opens up a whole new world of fishing.

Caught my PB Larry on a MH/F Veritas with a banned reel on a black /blue Chigger-Craw. My PB Smallie came on a Kistler Helium M/XF, also with a banned reel on a wacky rigged 4" smoke Senko.

Thanks. It was a nice fish, fought well. I was glad I was using a M and not ML rod. I haven't kept count like I planned on, but I'd say Smallies outnumber Larrys for me too. Can't complain either way. It's been a good year so far and we still have fall fishing ahead of us! And renting a boat at the Quabbin is the best $46 you could spend on a day fishing!

Pflueger, Pflueger, Pflueger... I own Presidents, President LTDs, Supreme XTs, and a Patriarch XT (currently $149 on Cabela's site) and dig them all. I also have one lonely Abu Revo SX....

Bassresource.com.... combined with my daughter reaching her teen years and 'not wanting anything to do with Dad anymore' and the boss, err, wife, going back to work full time....

Yep, we all do stuff we 'think we can still do' .... and later realize we don't bounce like the old days. That's why we get smarter as we age! Expanding on that, everything my Father told me about my forties came true ... he DIDN'T say squat about what happens in one's fifties .... OH CRAP!

FIshing Rhino (Tom) and I fished Great Herring in Plymouth Friday. We hit the water at about 5:45. Weather was perfect, starting off in the 70s and moving to the 80's with not much of a breeze. Surface temps hovered around 80. Business started off slow, but Tom nabbed a couple Smallies and a Larry first while I practiced casting until about 8:30 until I landed a small Smallie. Fishing was on and off while we moved around when Tom landed a nice 2-8 Smallie at about 10:45 AM. I jokingly said 'OK, now I have to beat that one...' and like Gomer Pyle says, " SUPRISE... SUPRISE ... SUPRISE..." less than ten minutes later I dropped a wacky rigged Senko in front of a floating dock and pulled up a 4-7 Smallie! It's a Smallie PB for me (and almost an overall PB). Fishing was again on & off for the rest of the day. Tom caught a few more Smallies and I managed another Smallie, a White Perch, and a long but skinny Yellow Perch. Overall a great day, and a BIG thanks to Fishing Rhino for offering me the empty seat in his boat for the day. He's very knowledgeable and a great host.

Are you saying it's quick water or should I wear my hazmat suit?

I use a SpiderWire tackle backpack for all my fishing (it has two integrated rod holders). When I beat the bank I carry a M/F baitcast setup and one ML spinning, both two piece rods.

Good thing gas isn't $4+ a gallon anymore... My Tundra gets 17ish and I can't get a kayak on my motorcycle..... Great Herring is 45-1:00 from me w/o Cape Traffic ... Staying closer to home I hit BHR for a little bit while the rest of family was at work or dance. Managed a quick 6 bass on wacky rigged 4" Senkos. Three were not much bigger than the bait and three were 1.5ish. Lots of little ones picking at my wacky rig and 5" swim Senko. I've not been here since April. Good to see some action here: historically I've never done well here in August.

Hmmmmm ... New targets ... Never thought, nor caught, catfish in MA.

A+ Mike! .... And this was Massachusetts?