DogBone_384

My LMH (light-medium-heavy) Kistler KLX's serve as almost universal rods. They're a mod-fast blank with a nice light tip and plenty of backbone. I carry a couple when kayak fishing and throw just about anything with.

Congratulations on discovering Kistler rods. I bought my first Kistler in 2016. I now have 20+, including a couple customs. They've always been high quality rods, made right here in the US. Sign up for Kistler's email promotions. He has them a few times a year. I bought a couple Heliums last year at $200 each while they were on sale. I kept the Bait Monkey happy without spending 'too much' money.

I checked off my February box today at my favorite little smallmouth kettle. I started with a blade bait and 2.8" Keitech then swapped the Keitech for a drop shot after an hour of nothing. I went another hour without a whiff so I stopped for lunch and rethought my game. I tied on a perch Shad Rap deep and started to troll. I came up with a 1-4 yellow perch in about 16' of water. A short time later a nice smallie grabbed the bait with enough force to turn my kayak as I started reeling it in. Unfortunately it got off when it came to the surface and shook. Water temps topped out at 40.4 and air pressure was 30.1. It was 1/2 iced over when I arrived and fully open when I left around 2:00 pm.

We had LeafGuard gutters installed when we built our house in ‘01. I live in Massachusetts and have oaks around the house. I’ve never had to clean them.

Bill Dance, Roland Martin, and @Fishing Rhino.

Congratulations!

Unforgiven.

You beat me to it! Jerkbait: @Saltysmalljaws Swimbait: @Mr. Aquarium “Wacky-worm”: @Fishing Rhino

… yes …

Took a short trip on the kayak to a shallow, weedy pond on the South Shore. Got on the board for '23 with a nice 2_8 LMB on a chrome/black/red Damiki Slim Jack jerkbait. Larry didn't have much fight in him and the bite was just some weight. It was the only one that ran shallow enough not to get bogged down in gunk. Water temps were 43.x and air pressure was 29.9.

Struck out at my favorite little SMB pond this afternoon. Stuck with the basics: a blade bait, drop shot, and Easy Shiner. I was on foot. I bet I just couldn't reach them.

My biggest fish this year was a 5_1 smallie. I caught it on a hail-mary cast, late in the day, with a T1000 Whopper Plopper 110 on a lake that beats my butt 90% of the time.

I'm lucky to live near enough to Cape Cod that I've had open water the last four years. If I do get locked out, I hunt for smallmouth first, but will take anything, when waters open up.

I closed out ‘22 fishing with @Saltysmalljaws Thursday and Friday on Cape Cod. Thursday was a grind on Mash-Wake with not so much as a whiff for the day. Jake found yellow perch with his magic blade bait. Water temps were 40.x - 41.x Yesterday started out like Thursday at Peters Pond, but we found a large group of perch and got them fired up where it was a perch on every cast for a little while, with a blade bait, of course. One of my perch was a fat 1_6, a new PB. We moved over to a hump and started the same perch dance. We marked bigger targets at the base of the hump so I tied on a green/black flake Swim Senko and dragged it S L O W L Y and came up with a beautiful 1_10 smallie. Water temps were also 40.x - 41.x. Air pressure started on Thursday at 30.3 and didn’t drop until Friday afternoon. Everything we marked both days was stuck to the bottom in deep water. Happy New Year and best of luck to everyone in ‘23.

Yes.

My MA sporting license covers hunting and fishing. Adding salt water fishing and archery gets me to $84.

I bring only one rod when I bank fish, but if I were to bring three, here's the list. Like @ATA, I leave my higher end stuff home. An Abu Garcia Veritas 7' M/F spinning. It'd be used for finesse, small cranks, and jerkbaits. An Abu Garcia Veritas 6'9" MH/F casting for small swimbaits, creatures, jigs, etc. A casting Abu Garcia Veritas Winch casting 7' M/M for treble hook baits.

Went west today. You poor guys out there are all pretty well locked up. Ashland Reservoir: Thin ice from ramp to 100 yards out. Otherwise, open. Blue Hills Reservoir: Locked up. Buckmaster Pond: Locked up. Looks too thin for ice fishing yet. Lake Cochituate: Skimmed over at the ramp, which is closed, I assume for the season. Most of it is open. I've never fished it. It's a tight ramp. Maybe I'll give it a go in the spring. Houghton's Pond: Locked up and too thin to walk on. Lake Winthrop: Locked up. Sign at ramp said electric motors only. Too bad, it looked like a good fishery.

Went for a drive today. I have good news and bad: Boot: skimmed over along. Bloody: locked up with thin ice. Halfway: 75% skimmed over. Hedges: locked up with thin ice. Long (Plymouth): a little ice along ramp, otherwise open. Little Long (Plymouth): skimmed over. Mash-Wake: wide open. Orchard: 50% skimmed over. Peters: some thin ice along beach/ramp. Otherwise open. Pimilco: skimmed over. Ponapoag: locked up with thin ice. Santuit: 75% covered with thin ice. Mr. & Mrs. Bald Eagle were snacking on a carcass on the ice. Snake: 90% open with some skim ice along the beach. Sunset Lake: 75% covered with skim/thin ice. There’s a bit of a warm up coming this week. I expect everything but Sunset & Ponkapoag to open up. Good luck to everyone getting out!

Merry Christmas to all!

Our cats are outdoor cats. They only use a box when the ground is frozen.

My brother was allergic to dogs but not cats, so we had cats. Dogs are often more fun, but when it comes to taking off for a couple/three day days, cats are easier: clean box, food & water … they could care less. … yes we are …. ?

Still no real WINTER in Boston/Cape Cod yet. It's 11 degrees out as I have coffee this morning. I expect to see skim ice around, but it won't last. Next week's forecast calls for mid to high 40s. I'm lucky to live within an hour of Cape Cod. It hasn't frozen over the last few years. Merry Christmas to everyone!

TW has them on sale right now for $10.49 .... that's like getting gas for under $3.00/gallon today...

I keep four or five setups on my boat's deck when fishing and as many as will fit in the rod locker. I have between three and five on my kayak.