DogBone_384

@padlin - I’m on the coast, south of Boston. Winds are light. I fished in Hingham the last two days. Did OK Thursday but couldn’t buy a bite with Apple-Pay yesterday. All my panfish were on jerkbaits in ~ 10’ and the bass were tight to shore on steep shorelines. All the bass wanted was a Senko. I’ve fished here on/off since the early ‘80’s and never caught bass over 2 pounds here. The water is black tea/coffee colored. The panfish are good sized and the bass are short and fat. Water temps were 80.x and it was about as bluebird as you could get.

It's not. It's also a great deep water rig when reaction baits don't work.

I finished up another trip to Cape Cod, this time with the kayak. I started at Blueberry Pond because I never fished it and took directions to the ramp from the state website (https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-pond-maps) and when I got to what I thought was the ramp, found a locked gate with signage saying membership only. Off to another pond I never fished before. Luckily it still has public access. I did well there, finding a bunch of Larries between 1.5 & 2 pounds in ~ 20' at the bottom of steep drops, with a bluegill 6XD. After a while I decided to go to one of my favorite Cape Cod waters. I found a lock and chain when I pulled up to the dirt road I usually launch from. Quite a surprise! I called Harwich town hall to ask why the chain, and they directed me to Harwich Land Trust. I called them and spoke to one of the Trustees. As is turns out, this dirt road was private property where the owner didn't mind people launching 'car tops', but the property was sold. The Harwich Land Trust bought the property to prevent developers from buying it and building houses, which would eliminate public canoe/kayak launching. Erosion, litter, and vandalism to the property are the reasons the trust locked the road access - a few bad apples .... You can still launch a canoe/kayak, but for now you have to park at the Cape Cod Rail Trail and wheel down the bike path and then to the beach/water. I lucked out and got permission to launch through a resident's property. I figured it was my last trip there and wanted to make it count ... I caught white/yellow perch and a 2 1/2 pound catfish (my second in a week!) on jerkbaits and crankbaits. On the LAST cast of the evening I bagged a 2_3 SMB on a jerkbait. Nice finish! My last pond on the Cape produced too. Jerkbait, crankbait, drop shot, and 3.8" Keitech brought up an assortment of pickerel, white/yellow perch, and one each SMB, and LMB. Larry weighed 3-3 and Sally came in at 2-9. All fish the last two days were deep. I saw a few groups of minnows tight to shore, but not many and didn't mark much shallow. It was cloudy/drizzly Monday and turned bluebird this afternoon. Water temps were back to the low 80's and air pressure was 30.

Awesome! I've not been able to buy a topwater bite this year. I've not thrown a popper or frog ... I'll bet that's the ticket. I'm heading back to the Cape tomorrow through Tuesday. I'm leaning towards the kayak so I can hit smaller ponds. There's one in Harwich I'm confident I can get a couple good smallies on topwater. Congrats on the 4's!

I took my Ranger to Cape Cod last Tuesday - Thursday, fishing the bigger waters I generally struggle at. Tuesday & Wednesday went well. I marked baitfish clouds near bottom in ~ 25' and a few groups tight to shore at the island I stopped to eat lunch at. My big smallies, a 3-11 and 4-11, came on a Stunna 112+1. The 4-11 hit my bait as it landed and was one of those bites where I set the hook and the fish held its ground like I snagged a stump or something. My next biggest SMB was 2-8 and it ate a 3.8" Keitech at the bottom of a steep drop. The 3.8 also got me a 4-5 catfish on top of a hump, a first. I fished two different ponds Thursday and had very different results. I marked little or nothing and that's what I got. The second pond looked like pea soup. It was in the 90's and humid, so that was a short trip. Water temps were in the mid-high 70's. Air pressure started at 29.9 and dropped to 29.8. It was bluebird and very humid. Most fish I marked were still deep, but my biggest SMB were shallow. The fall feed is upon us. Good luck to everyone getting out. I'll be back on the Cape this Sunday - Tuesday, though I've yet to decide whether to bring the Ranger or Kayak...

Dropped into my home pond for a little bit this afternoon. I was surprised the water level was low, especially compared to the South Shore & Cape Cod. I managed a good pickerel straight away on a light green 7.75" Kut Tail. That was it. The top eye of my MH rod lost a chunk and the reel on my M rod threw up. I was already tired and not in the 'mood', so I called it a night. Water temps were 78.x, it was dead calm, and air pressure was 30. We've got cooler nights OTW and September is a week away ... it's gonna get good right quick!

The Boss Lady was busy so I hit my favorite little kettle in Plymouth. It was near calm and overcast with rain coming, I was hoping for some topwater smallies. I hooked onto four SMB. One on a perch V110 and the other three took a green/red flake Rage Tail Grub on a Matt Allen head. All four came out of the water at least a foot. The fourth was the best, I was switching the grub from a ML to M rod and dropped the grub in the water. As I was tying a Ned on the ML rod I thought it would be a good idea to put my foot on the M rod, even though the other two fish took it off the bottom. Sure enough, a couple seconds after I put my foot down, the rod bent over. The fish came out of the water and hit the kayak's bow as I set the hook and still managed to unhinge. I'm counting it. I'm also getting a hook sharpener. Water temps were 77.x and air pressure was 29.9. @MassYak85, There's only a couple weeks left this Summer anyway, I'll be on Cape Cod with my Ranger a couple times in September if you have the time/interest. I'm going to break the code of my nemesis lake, no matter the cost.

Fished in Hingham yesterday. Came up with three Larries between a 1 - 1.5 pounds. They weren't interested in anything with treble hooks on it. I found them tight to cover with a wacky Senko. Water temps were 81.x, winds were stiff from the SW and air pressure was 29.8.

I fish with an Abu Veritas M/F spinning rod when I run quick shore missions. It handles anything I tie to it. One rod is my answer.

I have 22 baitcasters. They're a mix of nearly every brand. My longest casting are: 13 FIshing Concept Z Abu Revo MGX (Tuned by DVT in '17) Diawa SV TW 103

You watch too much YouTube too ... !?!?!?!?! Just blame Matt and Tim like I do.

Am I the only one in eastern MA getting out? I fished the Plymouth pond I love to hate today. I picked up a pile of white perch on deep jerkbaits, a Rapala jointed crankbait, and a LV500. A couple thought they were smallies with the way they hit and faught. Only found two smallies via drop shot. They were DEEP. I am getting out so much these days because I'm OTW to retirement and have the time.

I've not been out early/late much this Summer. The only pond I've done OK with topwater on was in Harwich. Other than that, a few bites, nothing worth a d**n. Jerkbaits and jigs have been my best baits this year. I'm finding fish deeper this year, 10' - 12'. I have no confidence in d e e p water, 20'+. Hit up @Saltysmalljaws... he's a deep water Jedi Master around here.

Any MH/F rod that's in your budget and feels good in your hands. I like Kistler rods, myself. Good luck choosing.

I stuck close to home and fished Hingham yesterday for a couple hours. Came up with 2 LMB and a slab of a Crappie. The big bass just broke two pounds and smashed a clown Shimano Flash-boost jerkbait. The second bass ate a green/red flake jig under a ledge/rock on a steep shoreline. Mr. Crappie tried to fit a table rock colored Stunna 112+1 in it's wittle mout .... Drop shot, Ned, and wacky Senko didn't produce. It was hot, mostly sunny, and winds were about 10 mph from the SW. Water temps were 86.x - 87.x and air pressure was 30. Good luck to those getting out. It's been a pretty good season so far.

Packed up and headed south yesterday. I fished two ponds in Plymouth and one in Bourne. Plymouth gave up a few good SMB on a perch V110+1 jr and clown Shimano Flash-Boost. It was my first time at the Bourne pond. It's small. I caught a nice Sunny, Yellow Perch, and three dink Larries. The panfish came on a green/chartreuse Ned. Two LMB liked a 4" black/blue flake Senko and the third took the Shimano jerkbait. It was hot, humid, and pretty breezy. Water temps were in the low 80's and air pressure was 30.1

Took a drive to my favorite kettle in Plymouth with one rod and water shoes... Came up with 3 SMB on a Rapala Shadow Rap jerkbait and 2 more on a PINK 3.8" Keitech. All in all it's been a good year. Both size and quantity have been good. Hope everyone else is having the same luck this season.

That pick was caught at a pond just outside Otis AFB …. ?

I kept the oil companies profitable yesterday by fishing in Rochester, Plymouth, and Wareham. Rochester and Plymouth gave up some good LMB, with a few getting close to three pounds. Wareham almost gave up a smallmouth, but he spit me OTW to the kayak. A nice assortment of panfish made it to the kayak in Wareham. A Berkely Stunna 112 was the most successful bait of the day. Soft plastics got a couple fish, but that's it. My jig got some panfish nibbles. Shimano's Flash-boost World Minnow and a Vision 110 also brought a few fish in the kayak. Weather was cloudy/rainy/cloudy, in that order. Winds were light and air pressure was 29.8. @Kites R4 Skyfishing - here's a picture of the blue pickerel I caught on Cape Cod:

Traffic is light at 0530 in the morning .... I avoid it during 'rush hours'.

Threw a dart at the map and fished a new pond on Cape Cod today. Ended up with 7 LMB and 1 SMB to the kayak and a handful of hits/misses. All the baits I threw worked: jerkbait, crankbait, Senko, and jig. All fish were in 10’ or deeper. Water temps were in the low 80’s. It was overcast when I arrived and bluebird when I left around 1400…. I gottsta win the lottery and move to the Cape!

My cats woke me up early again (have to hide the coffee better!) so I took one rod to Plymouth and found a few angry smallies from shore. All they wanted was a perch Rapala Shadow Rap. Grabbed a couple small yellow perch too. It was near calm and overcast with a little on/off drizzle. Not a bad start to July. I'm still on track to catch fish in open water here in MA. Happy Independence Day to the membership, and best of luck to everyone getting on the water!

…. Buy stuff that’s well built & doesn’t break ….. ?

Happy Father's Day AND National Go Fishing Day to everyone!