DogBone_384

I keep a jerkbait, jig, and 3.8" (ish) swimbait rigged at all times. Add a blade bait in the winter season.

Yes. I did mine on line.

I’m sorry for your loss. I’ve had cats my whole life. They’re better than most humans. I had to put one down 23 years ago. The vet was good enough to let me out the side door because I was 37 and bawling like a kid. The two we have now are our kids.

SEMI-SKUNK ... That's awesome! I'm stealing it!

Yeah ... 1,400+ bass in a weather shortened season! 🥲 We're all open in southern New England, come on down. Bagged my first fish for 2026 yesterday with @Saltysmalljaws. A beautiful SMB, 1.5 - 2#, on a blade bait in 30', 40* waters.

@Saltysmalljaws joined me today for some SMB hunting. We launched around 0730 and left at 1600. Jake's knows the water we fished very well so we focused on wintering areas. I finally checked off my first SMB for 2026 with a silver/black top Damiki blade bait in 30' of water. I brought 3 SMB to the boat, all around 1 1/2 - 2 pounds. Jake out fished me roughly 4:1, including a couple really good ones. There were four other boats there today. I spoke to one guy as he was coming off the water. He skunked. Water temps were 39.x when we launched and 41.x when we left. It got very cold and windy from mid morning to mid afternoon, but calmed down and brightened up by the time we left. Air pressure was 29.7 in the morning and rose to 29.9. I'm supposed to be here all week, but the weather doesn't look promising. It'll be a day by day decision.

Where? I've been out nine times this year and thrown just about everything and haven't gotten so much as a sniff yet. Water temps were 39.x - 41.x where I pretended to fish today on Cape Cod. I'm probably pretty close to setting a BassResource record for number of trips without a bite. Getting time to sink the boat, recycle the kayaks, donate my gear, and find a new hobby.

I started my week on Cape Cod this morning. ZERO #9. I saw a couple fish nose up to my jig on the Active Target, that was the only highlight. Water temps were 39.x - 41.x. Winds were 5-10 mph from the south. Air pressure was 30.1. I went to another lake but found 18 - 20 mph winds directly into the ramp. Nope.

I've had a few Rapala scales that worked well enough but were not at all water resistant. I keep a KastKing on my kayak and a Bubba in my boat. Both have been excellent and very water resistant.

I took my new Sportsman PDL Pro 120 out for the first time today. It's a lot bigger and HEAVIER than my Lure 11.5, but pedals very well. The gear ratio is different than FeelFree's Overdrive, I get 4 mph out of it with a little extra effort. It's gonna be a really good workout for while. @A-Jay would love it. It turns very well for a big kayak, and has more storage than I really need. The four rod tubes are great. I'll have to make some adjustments as far as hauling it to and from some of my waters' launches. Right now it feels too heavy for me to get on my truck's ladder rack. That said, I got some time on it at one of my favorite Plymouth ponds, though it wasn't my favorite today. I'm 0/8 for 2026. Water temps were 42.x, winds were light from the S/SE, and air pressure was 30.3. I'm headed to Cape Cod with my Ranger tomorrow morning. I'm staying a week. Even though it doesn't count, I might just pick up some shiners just to get that first 'tick & pull' .

Didn't they all! I have one of the last Sears left open a few miles away. It's really sad to see what it's become.

Hey @A-Jay! Are those Tough-Skins or Levis corduroys? I'll chime in. I'll put in my time. 5 years as a kid and 12 years as an 'adult'. 3925 + 17 = 3942.

I think that's @Fishing Rhino.

So far in 2026, ALL OF THEM! 😵‍💫. Spinner baits and bladed jigs have to be the worst performers in my arsenal.

That's a bummer. Is it in your wheelhouse to have them build a custom rod for you? Call or email them and ask about their Abrams' blank (I want to try one, but can't justify buying any more rods.). It's supposed to be sourced here in the US. You'll likely get and answer from Reuben or Trey in short order. Again, good luck finding your replacement.

How is the rod on its last legs? Have you considered sending it back to Kistler for repair? I sent them an old KLX that lost a guide. The repair was flawless and the rod's still in my rotation. I was going to suggest a LMH Helium, but they're not on your list. Most of my rods are Kistlers, going back 10 or 12 years, including the 6'8" He-3 LMH (NFC) you have. Best of luck repairing or replacing it.

I drove by Houghton's and Blue Hills res while running errands today. Houghton's was still locked up and Blue Hills had just skim ice on it.

@Saltysmalljaws and I hooked a couple fresh water clams. To bad they don't count.

I got the Ranger wet again today, mid Cape. There were five of us on three boats. @Saltysmalljaws was with me, ReelNorthernBass from YT on another, and one of Sean's friends was solo. Between us, Sean caught one nice SMB that probably came in at 3 1/2 pounds, on a tube. The rest of us took the ZERO. This was my 7th straight skunk for 2026. I had one SMB follow my Hula Grub back to the boat. Water temps were 38.x - 39.x. It was partly sunny most of the day and the air pressure was 30.5. Winds were light to moderate from the north. I took the scenic route home to see if other lakes were open. Wequaquet is wide open, Mash-Wake is covered in thin ice, and everything else in the beginning of the Cape and southern Plymouth are still locked up. Tomorrow's rain should open everything up.

If you want to drive to SE Massachusetts & Cape Cod, we're just opening up now. 😉 The Agawam River and Long Pond Harwich are open. I hear that Great Herring is open too, but I've not confirmed it. It's been a LONG winter, but thankfully, the season is upon us.

I got the Ranger wet today. It was cloudy, fairly windy from the S/SW, and the air pressure was 30.1. Water temps were 41.x - 42.x. I marked almost nothing and caught just as much. I'm 0/6 this year. It sure isn't the start I hoped for. At least it was open water and I got out. @Saltysmalljaws said LPH is open. Maybe Sunday? Who knows.

I burned a lot of dinosaur juice reconning my Plymouth/Cape Cod spots today. I have mixed results: Sunset Lake is locked up with a few inches of open shoreline. Bloody Pond, Hedges, and Great Herring are locked up solid. Great Herring was open along the shore where it's shallow to the left of the ramp. Agawam Mill is wide open. The ramp is clean and ready to go. Snake Pond is locked up with a few inches of shoreline open. Mashpee-Wakeby is locked up. The ramp is supposed to be closed until mid May. There were no closure signs, nor was there any construction of any kind. Santuit was covered in thin ice with some open shoreline. The ramp is under major construction. Don't bother. Santuit instituted a 15HP limit a few years ago. Wequaquet is locked up. Sections of Shoot Flying Hill are still closed. The ramp is accessible from the RT 132 side with a slight detour around the Service Road. I'll be out tomorrow. Best of luck to anyone else that gets out this weekend.

What!?!?!?!?! Your couch isn't comfortable? As far as diminishing returns on price points, I mix and match my rods & reels and keep a budget of $200/250 per item. I just don't see the need for more than that.

I stay within an hour and a half to two hours from home. I fish Plymouth/Cape Cod the most, followed by New Hampshire's lakes region. Any more than that and I book somewhere to stay for a couple days.

I keep a small bluetooth speaker in my boat. I listen to it when I'm fishing alone and the fish aren't biting.