DogBone_384

CONGRATULATIONS! I'm still waiting.... it's really been an off year.... I was in Lincoln NH the other day and stopped at Beaver pond. My SonarPhone showed surface water temps in the 40s. High 50s & low 60s @ Stinson Lake, about 1/2 hour south of Lincoln. Not so much as a strike at either using t-rigged worm, in-line spinner, & slow crank baits I usually catch SOMETHING on....

I took my brother's '86 Ninja 600 for a ride one afternoon and that was it. I immediately bought a Suzuki Katana 600 and rode it year round until I wrecked it. In '95 I bought a RF900 from the dealer my 600 came from. I still have it, and it looks almost new with 36,000+ on it. A few years ago I bought a TL1000S in the same factory color as my RF. They're both covered in my heated garage when not in use. They're also going up for sale this year because it's time for the BMW K1300S I want. As far as getting started, look for a Motorcycle Safety Course in your area and take their class, if offered. In MA, they offer weekend classes with 250CC bikes and classroom time. If you pass the course, you go to the registry and pick up your license. When you're ready to buy, get something used, that you like, and can handle. I've been riding almost 30 years and have some track time, and don't recommend ANY 1000CC bikes for beginners. Bottom line is riding is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

Have you tried holding your rod at different angles? I fish mine from a kayak and wonder if that makes a difference. I've seen mine do spirals while retrieving them with my rod at a slightly upward angle while sitting. I've not caught much in deeper waters, but have caught a couple in shallower ponds.

Thanks for the input. Tried Beaver pond for a few, until it got dark Monday night, nothing. My Sonarphone showed no signs of life and a surface temp in the high 30's - low 40's. Tuesday morning I drove down to Stinson Lake. The weather was cold & drizzly. I paddled around most of it, saw two bass and a minnow sized fish in the shallows by the road. After 6 hours of catching nothing but a stick, and getting cold through my layers & rain gear I packed it in. Water temp @ Stinson was in the low 60s. My fishing karma went missing this year so I returned home. Have plenty of work and home duties to take care of there so a vacation for myself will have to wait. Again, thanks for the info. Perhaps I'll get back to NH at later date. The posts of all the members catching fish gives me something to look forward to, hoping I'll catch something good this year.

i have a Spiderwire backpack & bag. They're imported, but are well built & durable. I've had the backpack three years now, not a rip or tear anywhere. For plastic boxes, I prefer Plano. They have a wide selection of size & configuration. Most of them are made in the US.

I have Lowrance Elite 4Xs for my Ascend 128T & FeelFree Lure 11.5 (HAVE to have two just in case two of us go fishing...). I picked the smaller display because I felt it would work best for the limited cockpits in my kayaks and I use it to determine depth and structure. I used Lowrance's scupper mount kit for the Lure's transducer and made my own mount for the 128T with a 3" plumbing flange & rubber cover. I use two Pelican cases just big enough for a 12V 7.4 aH battery and the Lowrance display itself. I use industrial Velcro to keep the cases fixed in each kayak's hatch. The batteries lasted all last summer. I got out at least once a week from May to October. This is my second season using fish finders. It took me a while to read them properly, though sometimes I still have doubts I'm doing it right. I'd say pick the unit you like best and mount the transducer where it can't get damaged/torn off if you hit something in the shallows.

Now I'm practicing back handed casting.... I figure to be learning until I can't cast anymore.

Practice... Practice... Practice... It took me a full season to cast consistently w/o backlashing. As I got better, I backed off my brakes a little at a time. I'm in my 3rd season and still call bad outings practice sessions. Once you get the hang of it you'll not want to use spinning gear again.

Had a busy day so to Whitman's Pond in Weymouth after dinner I went. Hit the water about 6:45. By dusk I'd had not so much as a whiff of a hit, throwing a T-rigged zoom I generally do well with, a perch flavored scatter rap, a 1/4 oz gold in-line spinner, a blue & chrome shadow rap, and a brown/black/red spinner bait. Here's my big catch of the night: And what my Lowrance showed me: Have no answers....

Spent a few hours yesterday fishing with a friend's son who's fighting (and winning) leukemia at Little Pond, in Plymouth. Evan did well, with my wife paddling him around on our 128T, though he didn't catch anything. I had two bass that felt good on a T-rigged swim Senko, but poor hook sets aided their escape, so they don't count, not making it to the kayak. I thought I had them - they held onto my bait like I hooked them. Between the Bruins not making the playoffs, the Sox return to mediocrity, and my inability to catch much of anything this year - the mojo's sure gone somewhere else.... Too bad Fr. Guido Sarducci's not around anymore....

Too many ?!?!?!

Grampa Casey always said, "believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see."

Bought one last year. It's everything you already mentioned and the favorite of my fleet. Can lift it onto my ladder rack easily, even at the end of a full day fishing. You'll love it.

No worries, I'll post my success / failure while I'm in NH. I'm hoping for some good fish.

Funny you mention that OTHER bass... I live on a peninsula on the ocean and saw a few comorants diving in the creek on my street at high tide. I don't usually see them doing that until the pogies & little stripers come in, which is usually late June, early July. I too am still waiting for my 1st LMB of the year. Heading to NH in June with a kayak, my MTB, and plans on catching some bass.... They're not cooperating here in Eastern MA...

I woke up with the sun this morning and drove to Blue Hills Reservoir before work. Almost 2 hours of casting practice, and nothing more. The water level looks lower than after the melt, and at least 15' down from last fall. What were previously beds are now shoreline. I walked the perimeter figuring I'd see something with a fin on it, but I hate to say it, there isn't a sign of life in the water. This reservoir was reopened in 2008-09 after the state drained it and installed two underground storage tanks, so it's a young system. I've never confirmed whether or not it was stocked after completion, and the three years I've fished there my numbers steadily decreased. I also witnessed people taking their catches home many times. If that's the case, this water might be plain old fished out. Too bad. I saw two bass my last trip there, I hope they're not the last two....

X2 on the Radio Shack, if you have one near you. Any inexpensive meter from Home-D, Sears, or alike will suit your needs, especially if you're on a budget. If you're looking for something that performs load testing, you'll spend between $50 - $100. We can bring batteries to most auto parts stores up here and they'll load test for free. Check with your local stores to see if they offer the same.

Thanks for the info. I plan on hitting at least two different locations.

Grampa Casey always said, "believe none of what you hear and half of what you see". I' am, however, gonna give this one the benefit of doubt on it.... CONGRATULATIONS!

Prayer & faith are your strongest allies. I had a brain injury from a fall 10 years ago where my wife & parents were told I'd likely have to be taught to walk, talk, and start over again. I went back to work at the FD 3 months & 2 days after accident. I also finished a Bachelors & Masters Degree since. Prayer & faith had EVERYTHING to do with it. You & your family are on my nightly list. If they took your brother to Boston Medical Center, he's in good hands. They saved my life & are one of the top trauma centers in the US.

Look at photos of dedicated fishing kayaks & just model your kayak like it, to your specifications. I have a FeelFree Lure 11.5 with anchor trolleys on both sides (1 x 3 pound claw anchor from BPS), a Lowrance Elite 4X, and an extra rod holder. Works great.

I just got a few days at a resort in Lincoln comp'd in the first week in June. Any recommendations for good kayak fishing within reasonable driving distance? Thanks, in advance, for your help.... buying my non-resident fishing license after I post this.... looking forward to a few days of 'uninterrupted' fishing.

Does lobster count?

The Pats are probably guilty, but who really cares, rules no longer apply.

Congratulations. Happy hatch-day too.