DogBone_384

Got out to Blue Hills Res for an hour the other day before work. Caught the biggest LMB of the season, between 2- 3 lbs., which is surprising there because I've not caught much more than 'dinks' here since last August. Caught one more 'dink' before I had to leave too. I caught it on a dark green w/red flake swimming Senko.

I bought the red, 3 pound anchor kit from BPS. It works very well, but has only a 20', or so rope, which I might upgrade. If you don't already have one, install an anchor trolley on your kayak. It points you in the right direction. Good luck.

"Where" is 'killing it'? If you don't mind me asking?

I'll throw my 2-cents into the conversation: I use a Spiderwire backpack almost exclusively. Like many others, I carry my tackle, a raincoat/sweatshirt and a couple of rods and have both hands free. I don't think it weighs more than 15 pounds fully loaded. I generally carry two piece rods if I'm traveling through wooded areas. Anyhow, that's my take on carrying gear when shore fishing. Best of luck with your choice.

The tanks are underground on the hill east of the water. You'll see the flag poles. I've had my best luck by the valve house on the east corner, on the road side of the bank. I used a castable fish finder to map the place out best I could. The pond is a big cereal bowl, with maximum depth is roughly 25 feet. The North - North/East bank is best in the summer with a drop off roughly 20' off the bank. The south west corner, inside the point is only a couple feet deep. The point has another drop off 15 - 20' from the bank, though I've never had great luck there. This pond is young, with the tanks being finished somewhere around 2008/09. I've been told it was stocked, but fear that too many people are taking their catches home for dinner because my catch quantity & quality is way off from last year, and without catch & release, the population isn't going to recover quickly enough to grow big bass. This link might help: http://www.mwra.com/04water/html/blue_hills.htm

Congrats on catching the fatty! It's not Saturday night at the Chinese restaurant either!

Sounds like a trip (pun intended). One of the kids in my academy class was a Coastie - more work than I originally thought/assumed. My 'time off' consists of night tours at the Firehouse, can't fish however. I get the odd day here and there between jobs and family obligations where I'll get the kayak out for half a day or so. I'm lucky, however, because there's pretty decent fresh water fishing (by Massachusetts' standards, anyway) within an hour of home and salt water 300 yards down the street. I'm sure I could take off for a couple of days, but I'm on a mission to get the house paid off within 5 - 7 years. Anyhoo - good for ya & your kayaking weekend!

Looks like you had a heck of a weekend - how'd you get your wife to agree to let you go?

Got a quick hour at Blue Hills Reservoir between jobs. Caught one bass about a pound or so on a swimming Senko. With some luck and planning I should be able to get out Saturday afternoon/evening on the Kayak somewhere....

Got over to Whitman's Pond after work. Paddled out to a different section and caught a decent 2lber but gut hooked him and couldn't get it out. Ended up cutting line @ hook and releasing it. I accidentally killed another bass I gut hooked last year. Will research and hopefully not do it again anytime soon. Also caught a good Crappie on a T-rigged 5" Zoom U-Tail. Neither Senko or 8" Zoom produced as much as a hit.

I've never worked for BPS but can support their great customer service. I bought their 128T kayak in April but discovered in early June what other 128T owners have in that the deck warps in the sun, which prevents the hatches from opening and closing properly. I called my local store and was told to bring the 128T back with receipt and they'd replace it with a new one, which they did..... Have always had great experiences at my local BPS. Take your reels there and make a case, if you have your receipts, even better. Best of luck.

I like the Mobil-1 theory. I've been using it in my motorcycles and cars/trucks since the early '90s and can say I've never had any engine problems and the top ends of my 17 &19 year old Suzuki sport bikes still look great with 20,000+ & 37,000+ miles on them (respectively, with minor race track usage). Thanks for the post... something else to ponder on this winter when I can't fish...

X2 - I had Mike clean three of my B/C, super tune & upgrade my Abu Revo SX's bearings - well worth the money. Great service & communication from Mike too.

Ideally, I'd use my Remington 870: 00, slug, 00, slug, ..... Trouble is in MA it's illegal to have them loaded & unlocked in one's own house, so I'll have to get it from my safe, get the ammo (from another locked container, depending on your interpretation of the law), load it, then deal with problem.....

Got down to LIttle Pond in Plymouth at first light yesterday. Same story as last time. Caught 4 decent/OK bass right off the bat then practiced casting until after lunch when I switched to 5" Senko (T-rigged) which was getting hit, but I wasn't getting a good hook set. Had one more spit me when it came out of the water about 20' from the kayak. Overall, a good day. Good to hear Houghton's pond is producing, thanks for the report Jiggy. Might have to try it out after work. Blue Hills reservoir is just about fished out, methinks - too young a pond (2009) with too many folks taking their catches home for dinner.

""The carbonlite you have would be perfect for senkos. I use have 2 rods for senkos: dx743 and a carbonlite. The dx is my absolute favorite, but I also feel like the carbonlite is an excellent rod. Very sensitive for a $100 rod." What Masterbass said X2 - I have a Carbonlight with a Johnny Morris B/C reel on it and it throws 4" Senkos just fine.

I'm going to repeat what almost everyone has already said: go try as many as you can. This is my first year kayak fishing for which I ended up buying an Ascend 128T and a Feelfree Lure 11.5 so someone else (wife/daughter/friend) can come along. My 128T is big, stable, is loaded with accessories out of the gate, but it's fit/finish is a notch below my Lure. The Lure's keel mounted wheel is very helpful getting to & from the water. Both kayaks have great seats, which should be a priority if you plan on spending a lot of time on the water. The Feelfree's integrated handles (midship) make it easier to lift onto my truck's ladder rack than my 128T, though it's manageable too. The 128T's storage, deck size, and drink holder are advantages over my Lure. I live by the ocean and have had both in fresh & salt waters - the Lure glides a little better and the Ascend tracks straight and true. So far both make great fishing kayaks - the 128T costs roughly 2/3 the Lure, for what it's worth. Best of luck with your choice, and regardless of the model you end up with, Kayak fishing opens up a whole new world that pedestrians and bass boats can't touch.

My PB came around dusk @ Blue Hills Reservoir in the fall of 2012. I used a T-rigged zoom U-tale in gourd green, which is still my best performing worm. BTW - I hope to post another PB by the end of the season.

I use 3, 4, and 5" Senkos when I whacky rig, depending on my mood and where I'm fishing. I have my best luck with 4".

In my case I fished most of my life with one rod/reel combo, but now that I'm older (NOT grown up....) and in good financial shape I have a greater desire to learn new/different things about bass fishing. It started a couple of years ago when I wanted to try baitcasters, which started with an Ugly Stick and BPS Pro Qualifier and as I read this forum I became curious as to what type of rod reacted which way under certain conditions - you get it... It's just been an evolution. Being a teenager, I'd suggest sticking with what you can afford and upgrading as you get older and make more money. Not to sound like a parent, but I am, it'll happen in time. Good luck with it.

I like your favorite rod theory. It's very true, like tools, each has its own job and feel. Unfortunately, not finding your favorite rod keeps one's checkbook light and (in some cases) backside sleeping on the couch.... I 'think' I've narrowed down my favorite to my Abu Garcia Veritas rods, but more time on this forum and/or another trip to BPS might just change that.

Can you work via kayak?

"there once was a man from Nantucket...."

I keep them in the bags they come in. I use a tackle backpack; it's easier to hike to my spots & carry a couple rods. It fits nicely on my kayaks too.

Getting skunked during Summer isn't bad, for me, anyway. I've only gotten back into fishing in the last couple years so it's still a relearning process. Besides, working two jobs and family responsibilities makes me appreciate the time I get to fish, regardless of what I catch.