DogBone_384

Your nearest smallie pond is Massapoag, in Sharon. Kayaks are welcome. There's a 60 HP limit if you have a boat. Otherwise, you're headed to Plymouth/Cape Cod. Ponkapoag is my 'home' pond. The parking lot is on Randolph Street, right next to Temple Beth David Good LMB and picks. You'll need a cart to get your kayak to the water. Two other LMB ponds near you where you can launch are Sunset Lake in Braintree and Reservoir Pond, in Canton. It's easiest to launch at Sunset is the Braintree HS side off Franklin St. Reservoir Pond has a nice parking lot off Pleasant Street. Further South is Whitman's Pond in Weymouth and Jacob's Pond in Norwell. Both have good ramps. I've dropped my Ranger in Whitman's a couple times. I've never done great there. Jacob's is paddle only. Both are pressured. I do well at Jacobs. https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-pond-maps Hope this helps. Best of luck.

Mine was close... maybe I should keep my scale & ruler with me...

Looks like I'm taking a road trip. I've never fished it. I live south of Boston so most of my smallie hunting happens in Plymouth & Cape Cod. I caught a few over 4 pounds, but never more than one during a single trip.

Spent the last couple days on Cape Cod getting my Ranger out for some exercise... Fished with @Saltysmalljaws Sunday morning at LPH. We covered a lot of ground despite 12-15 mph winds coming from the South. I came up with two decent SMB and one yellow perch off a steep drop off. Jake had family duties and stayed until 1230. I continued covering as much water as possible until dusk. I came up empty after lunch, but two good SMB teased me my taking my jerkbait but self extracting before I could get them to the boat. I spent A L L of Monday at Weuququet. Most of my fish came just after first light on a perch V110 on a rocky wind blown shore. I picked up a LMB and pick here and there the rest of the day. My perch V110 did most of the damage, but did pretty good with a drop shot too. I totaled 18 fish for the day. Most were picks, with a few LMB and a couple yellow perch mixed in. Two picks were north of 3 pounds. Everyone else was a pound or less. Winds were also 12-15 mph in the morning and waned a little by the time I left, around 3:00 PM. After Wequaquet I donned my waders and took my perch V110 to Hinckleys in search of a late afternoon SMB. No dice on the smallie, but in short order caught the biggest white perch of my life. I wish I'd brought my scale, this was by far a PB for white perch. I planned on Mashpee-Wakeby this morning, but with winds 15+ at 8:00 AM, I changed my mind and went to Santuit in hopes of some cover. Santuit wasn't much better. I stayed about an hour and a half and managed three picks on a black 3.8" Keitech on a chrome under-spin. Santuit's vegetation was surprisingly green for this late in the season. From Santuit I again donned my waders, but this time at Hedges, hoping for some smallies. I walked down to the water with a Rapala Rip-Stop tied on but saw beaucoup baitfish tight to shore. I returned to my truck and switched to a Duo-Realis Rosante 77SP in Half Mirror Ayu. I grabbed three big yellow perch in three casts within 5 minutes, with a few misses to boot. Again, no smallies. Water temps varied from 61.x to 64.x. It was WINDY. Air pressure was 30.3 Sunday, 30.1 Monday, and 30.4 today. Looks like it's time to break out the BLADE BAITS if I'm gonna bag me some brown bass! ?????????

Spent this afternoon at Great Herring. I caught two SMB, both around 1.5 pounds off a steep, rocky drop off with a 5" Green pumpkin/purple flake/chart tail, wacky rigged Senko. One small yellow perch made it to the boat after hitting an American shad LV500. I marked a lot of fish suspended off drop offs and on bottom in 25' but couldn't get anything to bite. I threw V110+1, drop shot, chatterbait, crank bait, 2.8" Keitech, and Yamamoto Zako. Water temps were 60.x, winds were STIFF from the S/SE, and it was nice and sunny. Air pressure was 30.3. I've penciled in Cape Cod from Sunday to Wednesday .... hopefully I can figure out what the smallies are doing down there. Best of luck to anyone that's getting out this weekend. The weather's going to be great!

Fished Jacob’s Pond and Hedges on foot yesterday and today. Grabbed a chubby little Larry at Jacobs on a white/chartreuse spinnerbait. I landed 4 smallies and lost 2 at Hedges, all on a 2.8” Bluegill Flash Keitech. I had one good hit on a bluegill Rapala Skitter Walk and nothing on jerkbaits/crankbaits. Hedges still has some live vegetation on the NW shoreline. I saw scads of baitfish tight to shore along said shoreline. Tomorrow’s plan is to get the Ranger wet at Great Herring or Mash/Wake, depending on winds and what time I can break free.

I experience the same thing. I think the temperature swing puts fish in a funk. Maybe stick to small waters and force them to react. That’s my plan if I can get out!

Firstly, welcome to the forum. While we might not have many double digit LMB here, talk to @Mr. Aquarium, @Fishing Rhino, and @Saltysmalljaws.... There are big bass in Massachusetts. Read and follow this thread: https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/102228-eastern-ma-fishing-reports/ It's real information on many waters around eastern MA. If you have a boat/kayak, here's some help finding new places to explore/fish: https://mass-eoeea.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=c956ffbcff3142c2b6295985cce37372 I fish mostly south shore MA and Cape Cod and generally come up with good fish. I try to fish the Quabbin reservoir once or twice a year too, which is one of the best places to fish in MA. I'm just a 'hack' compared to the guys listed above, but I've got one LMB just over 6 pounds and a handful of SMB over 5. Keep at it and don't be shy about trying new waters and techniques... Best of luck, and again, welcome to the forum.

I know exactly what you mean. I fished Billington Sea in Plymouth yesterday afternoon. I came up with a good mix of LMB and picks, with the biggest Larry being 2 1/2 pounds. Jerkbaits and Ott’s Slim 6 were the only baits they would touch. It was mostly sunny, winds were 5 - 10 mph from the SE, water temps were 62.x - 60.x, and air pressure was 30.1. Here’s proof that jerkbaits truly cause a bass’ reaction strike (one of my best catches this year!):

The town posted it NO PARKING during covid.

Two cars can park by the pump house @ Little South. That’s it.

Had a good afternoon with @Mr. Aquarium on Great Herring in Plymouth. I caught one SMB, one LMB and two pint sized yellow perch. Mike grabbed a SMB in the 9th inning on a tube (?) by a rocky point. Two of my fish came from a clown V110jr +1, my SMB chomped a copper/green/shad Ott's Garage Slim 6, and one perch thought a 3.8" Keitech looked good. It was blue bird, with light winds and water temps in the mid 60's. Air pressure was 29.9.

Vision 110’s and LV500’s are my most productive baits, with a couple Rapalas thrown in for good measure. Soft plastics did not produce this year as they usually do.

Dropped into Massapoag this afternoon looking for an October bass. A nice dark brown smallie grabbed my clown V110 but spit me at the kayak. Two white perch made it to the kayak, both chewing a GP Pro Blue V110. I hooked onto something good on a copper/green/shad Ott's Garage OG slim, but it spit me before I could see it. A chatterbait, Ned, tube, and 3.8" Keitech proved ineffective. Water temps were 60.x - 62.x. Air pressure was 30.2, and winds were STIFF from the SE.

That's believable ... but for whatever reason, I've never grown a liking for the place when Great South, Hedges, and Great Herring are a short drive away.

Same here. I have first generation A’s, C’s, one E, and a couple Z’s. They’ve held up very well. The A’s & C’s are close to Shimno & Diawa, and the E is equal to anything in its price point. The Z’s are good, require more maintenance than the others, and cast a mile. My Shimano and Daiwas are a little smoother, but bang for the buck, 13’s a good brand.

@Don51, I’ve only fished Billington with my kayak & Ranger. I’ve been told there are big LMB there. I can take it or leave it. I focus on smallies when I’m that far south.

Tossed the waders in the car and headed off to Hedges in hopes for some fall smallies… My hopes were dashed! I threw a good mixture of topwater, jerkbait, lipless, and soft baits and came up with a couple ‘pick-pick’s from a perch with a T-rigged Yum swimmer. Most of the vegitation died off and there were small baitfish, shallow in the N corner. The one highlight was the otter I spooked out of some reeds in the SE shallows. I moved over to scout Bloody pond. Made just a few casts before thunder came in and sunlight went out. Most of it’s private and posted. It’s a long walk to the town’s conservation area. It looks like a typical Plymouth/Cape Cod kettle.

We'll cure that this week.

I keep a M/F casting Ardito under my truck’s back seat for quick stops. They’re great rods.

My Kistler KLXTCRWJ70MH. It’s a 7’ MH/F that just feels ‘right’ with any bait I’ve put on it.

Senkos will still catch fish and BassResource will remain a great forum, though Glenn’s Grandchildren might run it by then…

I almost bought a couple. Matt Allen mentioned them in one of his recent YouTube videos... Currently holding the bait monkey at bay... it's a tough battle.

Fished with @Fishing Rhino at his home pond this afternoon. They were chewin', big time. With baitfish blowing up around Lilly pads, I decided on topwater, which was the right choice. I ended up with 6 LMB, 6 picks, and 3 bright Crappie. Two LMB were over 3 pounds, three others north of 2. Had a few picks 'self-extract' which is fine by me. I swapped between a T1000 Whopper Plopper, bluegill Rapala Skitterwalk, and another unknown pencil bait. One crappie took a bluegill Rapala lipless I had dangling off the canoe's side while unhooking a pickerel. One of my bigger pickerel and bass took a brown/tan Biospawn creature out of some lilly pads. @Fishing Rhino did pretty well. He stuck with his regular rotation of soft plastics. It was cloudy and almost calm most of the afternoon, with a front OTW. Air pressure was 29.9 and falling.

Any pros, really. I follow a couple pros’ YouTube channels. They appear to enthusiasts, like ourselves, when they’re in their social groups.