DogBone_384

Firstly, welcome to the forum. I took my Curado DC out for the first time yesterday and was impressed with its casting distance until my FG knot failed, resulting in a cut-me-out bird’s nest I couldn’t reproduce on my own if I tried. Other than that I like it and find it casts a little farther than my other reels at similar price points. If you’re already comfortable with baitcasters, I suggest the MGL. Best of luck picking out a reel.

Drove to Hedges in search of some SMB. I found one in about 12’ of water with a red Tactical DD crankbait. It was 2-6, 17” long and skinny. Nobody wanted the jerkbait, chatterbait, underspin, Ned, or Rapala DT’s I threw at them. Water temps were 49.x - 50.x, winds were stiff from all directions, and the air pressure was 30 and rising.

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Boss lady (wife) braved the rain with me Thursday afternoon for some time on LPH. We didn't mark much and came up empty. I fished Wequaquet Friday morning. I was the 6th boat on the water, with perfect weather conditions. I came up with a 2lb 4 ounce LMB and a few picks. Mr. Bass hit my bait pretty hard and had some fight in him, so things are waking up. The biggest pick was 3 1/2 pounds, 24". The bass and all but two picks ate a blue/purple 'regular' Keitech on an under spin. The remaining pickerel came on a shad V110. From Wequaquet I went back to LPH in search of a good SMB. Had the same luck as Thursday. Water temps were 47.x at Wequaquet and 44.x at LPH. Winds were light and air pressure sat in at 30 both days. LPH's deep fish still escape me. Good thing I'll be back there next week.

I planned on fishing Sawdy pond today but home duties called. I managed a good couple hours at Ponkapoag this afternoon. And guess what .... water temps hit that magic 50 degree mark! I came up with a pick and LMB, both just making the 2 pound mark. Mr. Pickerel hit a green pumpkin / orange chatterbait HARD and Larry swiped at my new copper green shad Rapala Ott's Garage crankbait. I'll be on Cape Cod the next couple days with the Ranger and kayak, expecting good things. Good luck to everyone getting out this weekend, and don't forget RED (as per the TacticalBassin' boys) is the color when water temps hit the 50's.

There are a few big rocks just left of where you launch and lots along the Northern shore. The S/SE shoreline also has a lot of stumps and flooded brush. I’d call dense vegetation structure too. It’s a place for bass to hang out & stay out of sight. Ponkie’s my ‘home’ pond. If you see an orange Tundra or green CRV with BassResource decals on them in the parking lot, that’s me.

I bought a ‘17 RT178 in July ‘20 and so far love it. Like @gimruis, I use it on small lakes and fish solo most of the time. My boat is powered by a Yammy 70. I get a full Summer out of one tank. Best of luck finding a boat.

My #1 MH/mod rod is a 7’ Kistler Feel ‘N Reel labeled as all-purpose-power.

Pretty much. This time of year you'll find them along the northern shore where it transitions from rock to vegetation. Medium heavy gear is a minimum there and leave the treble hooks at home after mid April. There are big fish in there, and it's great when you find them. Most of my LMB over 4 pounds came from here. I've never had much luck in the western part where it's really shallow.

Dropped into Ponkapoag late this morning and stayed until mid afternoon. A 4lb. 4oz., 21", LMB made it to my kayak, biting a threadfin shad Chubble square bill along the north shoreline. I hooked onto another good bass with a green pumpkin/orange/silver chatterbait, but lost it. I had my drag too light and was using a crank bait rod whose tip was too soft and gave up enough slack for Mr. LMB to escape when I set the hook. I also threw a couple jerkbaits and a 3.8" Keitech on an underspin that didn't produce. Water temps were 43.x, air pressure was 30.1, and winds were light from S/SW. Today sure makes up for last March, where I goose-egged the whole month.

USA made? Look at Kistler. I own 18, from Argon to Helium, in different sizes/actions. They'll build you something to your specification if nothing 'off the shelf' interests you. My current favorites are 6'6" & 6'9" M/MF KLX casting and a custom spinning model matching the fore mentioned 6'9" casting rod. All have split grips. They're very responsive when returning emails and phone calls. Trey answered the phone one day when I called to pay an invoice. An easy company to deal with. Best of luck choosing.

I dropped my Ranger in Billington Sea yesterday despite the forecast. The rain passed quickly, but the sustained wind only got worse. I lost interest and bailed after a couple hours of pulling up weeds. I threw a couple jerk baits, a Chubble, BX Brat, Ned, and 2.8" Keitech on an underspin. Water temps were 42.x, it was cloudy to sunny with winds 15 - 20 mph from the SW. Air pressure was 29.9. On the positive, water temps are rising and this week's weather looks good. Ponkie should be open, so I'll be there later this week. Congrats to @Mr. Aquarium for some good catches in tough winds.

I throw 110’s, Reranges, and Rapala’s most of the time. They all work well and I’ve discovered the trick is finding the cadence and force of the jerk that triggers the bite. It took many trips taking just jerk baits for ‘the light bulb’ to go on, but it did. Keep at it, and good luck. You’ll get it.

I own 10 brands and pared it down to three that I use 99% of the time. A few brands are retired to the shed. Like others, I use the rod I think is best for what I'm fishing that day.

The same happened to me about an hour ago. I PM'd Glenn.

I have an old set of neon colored Cotton Cordell CC Shad crank baits. The red one caught a lot of fish and is stuck in a SMB in Plymouth, MA. That's the one I'd like to be able to still buy.

Pros: Bill Dance, Roland Martin, Brian Latimer, Mike Iconelli, and Gene Jensen. Members: @Fishing Rhino, @Saltysmalljaws, @Mr. Aquarium, @JG233, and @A-Jay. I already fish with the first four and the list says only 5 members.

You could catch fish if you put a bottle cap on a hook ... I'm like the others. It depends on what kind of water. It's a Texas rigged creature for shallow & weedy waters and a deep diving crank bait for the kettles we have up here.

I mount mine on the right side. I'm right handed.

Packed up and headed south this morning. As I launched at one of my favorite SMB ponds in Plymouth I noticed water in my kayak's hull. Sure enough, I found a leak, so back home to fix it. I patched the leak with a Gator Guard patch kit and loaded my other Lure 11.5 and went to try to salvage the day. Ponkapoag was still locked up at the beach/launch, and Canton Reservoir's fenced off (CLOSED) where you launch. Hopefully the weather will be good enough to get out tomorrow. We'll see. If not, next week's supposed to be in the 40's.

I own all three brands, mostly in the $200-250 price range, and are very good reels. Of the three I prefer Diawa. I find they're more of a 'set and forget' reel. As far as Diawa vs. Shimano, they're both the alpha-dogs of the fishing industry, aka, Ford - Chevy. Great reels, period. My 13's are 1st generation with a few Concept-Z's thrown in. They've seen a lot of use and are holding up well. I agree with @Phil77 about 13's requiring frequent cleaning and oiling. Shimano's and Diawa's quality/fit & finish is better too.

Same story as always Jiggy. You have to drive 'over the bridge' to find open water. I tossed the waders in the car and headed out, and, yes, I drove 'over the bridge' and found Snake Pond open enough to wet a line. I threw a Damiki blade bait, Rapala jerk bait, and a 3.8" Keitech on an underspin and came up empty. I'll be back there tomorrow with my kayak.

I have Veritas, Veracity, Villain, Ike, and Fantasista Registra models. Their guides and wrapping are all very good. The thin rubber coating on the handles peeled off nearly all of them. My picks for best fit & finish are my Kistler, St. Croix, G. Loomis, and Diawa sticks.

There are two local shops I do most of my shopping at. Sportsman's Den in Quincy, MA for guns, ammo, live bait, and salt water fishing gear. Ron's a great guy and knows most of his customers by first name. MGC Fishing in Hanover, MA. MGC is THE swimbait store around the area. He stocks quality equipment and has a better selection than my local DSG & BPS.

Thanks, but I don’t think it was over 5.