DogBone_384

Thanks for the advice. I've watched all kinds of informational videos on the Interweb and read this forum a lot. I'm sure I'll get the idea once I catch a couple bass with one.

Off the top ofmy head it folds to 24" and is plenty big to handle a 28" pickerel and 3 - 4 pound bass easily. There are three different sizes, so I'd get over to a local B*** Pr* if you can.

This sounds like a plan for Spring. I've got two fishing kayaks if a member without one wants to try their 'next addiction'.

I have a folding net I bought from B@%% P#%. Stows under my seat and flips open when I need it.

Scales don't lie.... If I get out again this year, I'll try some of my trout baits to see what happens.

You have an instruction manual for jigs? Many members rave about them and seem to catch big bass as a result. I started using them this fall and haven't gotten so much as a whiff.... I trust members' posts, so it's got to be something I'm doing wrong. Since you're an hour North of me, I'm hoping you might have a bit of advice for Northern bass.

I spent some time tossing a 1/8 0zjig head with a Z-Man TRD on a Diawa Pixy68 SPR mounted on an *** 6'10" ML/F casting rod for a while this morning. Didn't catch squat, but, YES, you can toss NED rigs on a bait cast setup.

Got to Long Pond in Plymouth just before sunrise. Kept it simple: a 3 1/2" swim Senko on 1/8 oz jig head, gold 1/16 oz spoon, and a 1/2 oz black/blue chatterbait. Water temperatures were 55-57, but after 4 1/2 hours of nothing, frustration got the better of me and I quit. My wife convinced me to try another pond, so I headed over to Sampson Pond, in Carver. My neighbor says he does well there. I've only fished it once, catching just a couple of panfish and a dink LMB. After about 45 minutes of half a@@ed effort with the swim Senko I just wasn't in the mood to fish, so I packed it in on probably the most beautiful fall day we'll have. To try and be positive about today, I used my new Diawa Pixy68 SPR reel on my 6'10" *** ML/F with the swim Senko & 1/8 oz jig head and it casts like a dream. So much so that I over-casted a couple spots and landed the bait on shore/in trees. This is likely it for my season. I have more side-work booked than I really want, but I can't say no. I caught fewer fish this season while fishing more, but managed a new PB, AND fished out of state three times (with moderate success). As much as today didn't pan out as hoped, I had a decent season and hope to break the 4 # mark for next year and locate bass better, which I believe is my biggest problem (other than patience). Have a great Holiday season and tight lines to those who are good at catching bass out there!

Big Foot, Little Foot...... What about CHICKENFOOT!

I've been to only two Cracker Barrels, one being at the Wrentham outlets, but had to stop at almost every Waffle House we saw the last couple trips to FL and VA... I'm heading to Long Pond in Plymouth before dawn to see what I can dig out of the water....

I have a 7'6" ML/F HMG spinning rod. To me, it borders a medium action rod, casts a mile, and is sensitive. It's not my lightest ML, built like a tank, perhaps great for fishing from shore. I just picked up a Kistler 6'10" MH/XF on sale from T**** W**** and really like it. It's light as a feather, well built, and the two outings I've had with it can say it's as sensitive as my *** and Villain. I like it so much I bought a MH/F spinning version 'just because'. I like my HMG well enough, but prefer my Veritas, ***, and Kistler rods (spinning and casting models). Good luck, whichever you choose.

Happy Halloween! I got called into work, so I'm in costume all night....

No reel ( ) technical reason... To me, the smaller, lighter reels just feel good. I primarily fish with bait casters and am used to light setups. I suppose that just transfers over to my spinning rigs.

I'll go with the consensus that spinning reel size is subjective. I use a Pflueger XX20 on my L, XX25s on my ML & M rods, and XX30s on my MH spinning rods.

Can't say 250 miles south gets you much warmer weather. Providence to Baltimore is 350+ miles.

You're in RI, yes?

I can tell you they weren't at Little Pond, Plymouth, MA today....

Too bad if you're done for the year, Tom. I told myself two weeks ago I was done, but when the wife and daughter at work & school, I figure I've got nothing to lose. I went to Little Pond in Plymouth this morning after my daughter went to school. It's a decent bass pond and is stocked with trout by the state so I figured I'd get something. I Spent 4 hours fishing a brownish/craw jig and a 4" Senko, covering the spots I've caught bass at, with nothing more than a nibble on the Senko from little Bluegill by the Northern shore's grass. Heck, I tried a Mepps spinner and struck out with it too. Surface temperature was 57-58 from 8:00 - 12:00. Admittedly, I've only fished a jig a couple times prior to today, so I no expectations there, but nothing from a Senko surprised me. There was one other kayaker on the water with me, and 8 - 10 shorebound fishermen. Nobody looked to be catching much today. Will I get out again? Perhaps once or twice. I'm going pack for trout more than bass, but I keep a M/F baitcaster in my truck... just in case. I work two jobs, so it's up to my schedule and the weather. And if I'm done for the year, just means reading lots of Bassresource.com to get through the winter so I can figure out how to get a PB for '16.

Gave Ponkapog one last shot (I shouldn't say that quite yet.... ) today. I got out of work at 8:15, and with a forecast in the 70's, what else am I going to do? I started with a jig, which was a bad idea. Ponkapog is too weedy. I switched to a small Heddon torpedo and quickly caught a pickerel, about 12" long. Changed the torpedo to a 4" watermelon/copper/orange/red Senko. Ponkapog pickerel like odd colored Senkos because I caught two more pickerel: one good one, about two pounds, and a PB that was north of 3 pounds easily (no scale today, I packed light). I've caught pickerel on pearl/flake and red/flake Senkos here too. No bass today, but I'll take 3 pickerel and 70 degrees just two days before Halloween... Surface temps hovered between 55-57 degrees. I might head down to Long Pond, or Little Pond in the morning, weather/schedule permitting. Long Pond reportedly has good smallies, and I know both ponds were stocked with trout.

Awesome... One more reason to move NORTH!

I have BPS Microlite, Fenwick HMG, and Abu Garcia Veritas ML spinning rods. The Microlite tosses 1/8 oz. baits like a champ, 1/16 oz. pretty well, and has the lightest tip of my ML rods. My Veritas is my favorite, almost an all purpose ML rig. Both are within your budget. I use Pflueger spinning reels on all, 10 # braid on the Fenwick/Abu, and 4 # Trilene XL on The BPS. Good luck, and have fun picking out your new rod.

I use Google translate. It translated a Japanese Diawa manual for me enough to understand what I needed.

My boss,err, wife, and I pretty well handle our own extra curricular expenses. That's because I follow the 'shut up... show up... pay up... regiment the rest of the time...

The only way to find that out, really, is to get the rod you want, put it on and go fishing. I have a bunch of Pflueger spinning reels. I use XX25s on my ML spinning rods and XX30s on my M and MH/s.

Got early relief today and had an hour or so to kill so I popped over to BHR to see if there was any life left there. I tossed a black/blue chatterbait, lifting/dropping it, dragging/hopping slowly, and steady retrieve. I didn't catch anything, but a bass 'tasted' as I reeled it back slowly, only 10' or so from shore. It was already dusk, so I didn't see much more than a flash after it grabbed (lightly) the chatterbait.