DogBone_384

Going to be in Stoneham for a quick in/out at the end of August.

Great fish.... I have a black Hula Popper and JUST HAPPEN to be fishing in Maine towards the end of the month.... hhhhhmmmmm....

Anyone notice a considerable price increase in 4" & 5" Senkos here? I sure did while shopping their website this evening. I know they want to push their home brands, but to me, this is a little much. I checked their competitors and their pricing is unchanged (for now, I guess.)

Move?

Got out to BHR Thursday around supper time, made six or seven casts and got recalled to work..... I'm heading to VT next week. Planning on dropping the kayak in Kent Pond in Killington. Should cure my withdrawals.... I hope to catch something other than a buzz....

Kayakable?

X2. We're allowed moustaches & 'chops' only as long as they don't interfere with our mask's seal. No hair below collar either, even though our nomex hood covers our heads.

Most of the time I fish alone. I get out once or twice a year with a friend, the only times we're not working or committed to other things. I've fished here and there with a friend's son whose fighting lukemia when he's feeling strong enough. My daughter is 15 now, so I'm a ride/wallet...

My season's been way off too. Firstly, I've not been out nearly as much this year as last. Spring saw only one bass, under a pound, and a handful of yellow perch & pickerel. Early Summer was a complete bust. A trip to Virginia seemed to cure that, however, and just like many members told me, persistence and patience (tough for me....), it all turned. I've not been slaying them like other members around me, but dinks turned to 2 - 3 pound bass (big metro Boston area...). I believe I brought some VA bass-mojo back. Trick was that I went deeper and worked my soft baits more quickly than last year. I have a Lowrance Elite 4X on my kayak. Surface water temperatures are in the mid/high 70s where I fish, in medium ponds and a couple of reservoirs that run roughly 20-25' deep. I caught the largest on drop offs starting at roughly 10'. Keep at it, and good luck.

X2

In Massachusetts it's OK to print multiple copies. Check with your state's fish and game website. I, like other members, keep a copy in my fishing backpack, truck, and small tackle bag.

Housework & yard work done, new wheel cylinders installed, brakes bled, daughter out with friends, and wife still at work.... YEP, back to BHR before the phone rang with a 'honey-do....' A funky night. I brought a new Fenwick 7'6" ML/XF spinning rod with an also new Pflueger Supreme XT on it. Tied on a Mepps 1/4 oz. in line spinner to see what happens. Casting distance was shorter than I expected with a 7'6" rod, but sill acceptable. A few casts into it I get a little tap, then nothing. That nothing turned out to be a poor little fella barely bigger than the spinner: Believe it or not I got the treble hook out without hurting it. I keep playing with the spinner for a little longer and ended up with a decent yellow perch, a tiny yellow perch, and another bass not terribly bigger than #1. I figure it's time to toss a Senko. I put a 5" Baby Bass on my bait caster and toss it out. The third or fourth cast hit the water and within a couple of seconds a nice 2.64 lb. (new Rapala scale...) bass gulps it down. Nothing else for the rest of the evening. The last couple nights I've been here, there's been a lot of topwater movement by little fish. There are a lot of bugs on the surface, likely the reason for the action.

A search bait with a micro sized camera on its nose that transmits wirelessly at least 200'.

Back to BHR for a couple hours around supper time last night. Worked a T-Rigged watermelon/copper/red flake Culprit worm and landed one bass, about a pound. It was crowded there too, five others fishing there. I left when the lightning got close.

I CAN tell you that it WON'T come from any of the waters I fish....

My advice to you when searching for your first kayak is go see the models your interested in personally. Paddle them if possible. This forum holds tons of articles and opinions that'll help you make a list of your top picks. I started with an Ascend 128T. It's built in Missouri, has one of the best feature-$$ ratios in the market, is stable as an aircraft carrier and is reasonably priced. I added a FeelFree Lure 11.5 after a few months. It's lighter than the 128T, and is built better. Both are stable enough to fish standing on. The Lure was about 40% more expensive than the Ascend. Both kayaks have all-day comfortable seats. Something to consider, depending on how long you fish. Good luck finding your kayak!

Got out to BHR for an hour and a half two nights ago while the wife & daughter were off doing their thing. Caught a 1 pound bass on the first cast off a T-rigged worm. Felt some small fish picking at it a few times after, but nothing else. I was packing up to go and out of the corner of my eye I saw some movement. Lowe & behold, I'd have to say the biggest bass I've ever seen close up cruise past, along the shoreline.... I'm pretty sure I also saw him look up and sneer at me. Between the bait fish/baby bass I've seen lately, and the two good ones I caught a back in July, I'd have to say there's some life left in BHR. Returned for about a half hour or so before work tonight, but made only a handful of casts with a blue/black chatter bait.

Nice install. My 20 years in the car audio industry tells me he might have been or still be an installer. The wireless receiver, plywood, and closed cell foam are also clues. Good for him... Nice detail with the shrink tubing on his battery terminals.

No luck required. The first few times out you'll figure out how to maneuver, cast, and land fish while sitting. If you stand, take your time and remember your center of gravity is pretty narrow since you're now standing on a deck about 36" wide. If you've not already fitted your rig with at least one anchor trolley, do so. And ALWAYS wear your PFD.

Congratulations! Welcome to your next addiction!

Yes, every now and again I'll get into a slump and take a few weeks off. I work two jobs so time generally passes quickly enough i get reeled back into it.

I hunt deer. Personally I won't kill anything I won't eat. Killing Cecil, to me is wrong, but rules don't seem to apply a whole lot anymore. Different strokes for different folks.

He** of a first drop shot catch! I know what I'm doing before work tomorrow morning! Congratulations!

When I first tried baitcast reels, for the second time (read: as an adult) I was in your shoes. I read this forum to death and ended up buying a BPS Pro Qualifier and a 7' MF Ugly Stick. Under $150, it worked out great. The PQ was easy to learn on and the Ugly Stick was as good as anything I knew about at the time. I've since advanced by buying enough new 'upgraded' setups to pay for an additional wing on the Bait Monkey's summer house. Because of said 'advancement' I gave my first setup to my friend's 1st year electrical apprentice because he likes fishing at least as much as I do and is trying to save $$ for a house (a TALL order on 1st year apprentice pay!) Like others said already, read this forum and go with your gut. You'll be hard pressed NOT to get a good reel, used or new, around $100 and can bag a good rod if you look for sales/clearance. ADD: As far as rods go, handle as many as you can before you buy. Best of luck!