DogBone_384

The Indians haven't won one since 1948. I'd love to see them win it, even though I'm less than ten miles from Fenway Park..... Terry Francona deserves another one too....

Thanks for the update D'N'D. I'm scheduled to be down there a lot the end of March & early April. Hopefully water temps will get, at the least, into the higher 40's by then. My records from '17 & '18 tell the shallower ponds were in the high 40's, warming more quickly than the kettles I fish.

Yes, I have a scupper cart. My Lure also has a wheel in the keel, but it's really only good for short distances across hard packed surfaces. If you're thinking of Bloody Pond, my Lure's just too heavy for that terrain. I can do it easily with my MTB ... You're right, a few more weeks and it'll be fishing season again!

Mr. Aquarium had to work today so I headed south solo. Hedges was too iced over to launch/fish so I took off further south, launching at Snake Pond in Sandwich around 11:00. About half the pond had a skim coat of ice on it which I easily paddled through. Today was my first trip here. It's a good looking pond, about 30 acres. I found zero structure and and average depth of around 25', and just over 50' at its deepest. I threw a gold Binsky, Goby colored tube, a couple Senkos, a green/blue lipless, a purple/orange hair jig, and an orange/black Rapala shad rap deep and came up empty after 5 hours. I covered most of the pond and marked little or nothing on the bottom. 90% of the ice was gone when I left. Water temps were 37.x - 38.x. It's a bummer getting skunked, but it's winter and the water's COLD. I made some mental notes and will get my revenge when it warms up. I checked Hedges and Bloody Pond on the way back. Hedges was still skimmed over, but if it stays above freezing another day it'll be open. Bloody Pond is mostly open, but if you want to drop a kayak in it, be prepared to travel about 3/4 a mile over a widened mountain bike single track trail Plymouth calls Bog Hill Road (https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2016/08/qd/dfwbloo.pdf). All the property prior to Bloody's public access is posted PRIVATE, NO TRESPASSING. My Overdrive Lure weighs about 90 pounds rigged. Not a chance.....

How far are you from Plymouth? Mr. Aquarium and I are planning on getting our kayaks wet on Saturday.

Since I found Plymouth open on Sunday I assumed (!?) it'd be open today when I got out of work. That wasn't the case: Hedges is 75% locked up with dull gray ice. Bloody pond is 30% locked up and the public access road didn't look good, even for my pickup. Boot pond is 50% locked up. Great South is mostly open but the canal between it and Little South is solid white ice. Little Pond is 90% open. It holds trout and largemouth bass. It's fished heavily. I launched at Little South since I packed up my kayak and drove all the way to Plymouth. I broke about 50' of gray, 1" thick ice to get to open water. I threw a gold Binsky blade bait, a brown/purple tube, and a bass colored NED. I didn't mark much and didn't catch anything. Water temps were 38.x. I caught just a couple dink smallies and a brown pickerel the few times I fished Little South. You must cross it to get to Great South. With some luck and warm weather, most of these ponds will be open for Saturday.

X2

I own one and have no problems.

I use a Gerber Centerdrive multi-tool. Its knife blade is on the outside of the tool and the pliers open one handed. It's made here in the states like many of Gerber's more expensive multi-tools. I also keep a pair of Manley pliers and stainless forceps on retractable keepers on my kayak.

I drove around Plymouth Sunday looking at houses with my wife.... everything we drove by was WIDE OPEN! Anything down route 3 from exit 6 to 2..... I'll get out later this week for sure.

I bought one in April '18 to go along with my '14 Lure 11.5 (pre-overdrive). Firstly, $1,500 is a steal. Mine was $2,300 from Austin Kayak. The Pros: All day comfortable seat. Stable as an aircraft carrier for stand up fishing. Ample in-hull storage. Wheel in the keel makes for easy transport. Easy to rig (i.e. fish finder, anchor trollies, rod holders). Can fish with/without Overdrive unit (think shallow, weedy waters). The Cons: Rear axle needs replacement every couple years. Rudder steering system needs fairly frequent adjustment. Overall I really like my Overdrive Lure. It's well thought out and light enough to lift on my Tundra's ladder racks with the seat & overdrive removed. Normal pedaling gets me just about 4 MPH. Lastly, FeelFree's customer service is outstanding. I've had a couple small problems with my '18 Lure that were taken care of quickly. The folks at FeelFree return your calls and emails too.

Forecast looks pretty good for the rest of the week ...... gotta get me some sallies!

I'm lucky. I can fish two or three days per week from March to November. I wash my kayaks every time I switch ponds. They're stored outside during the winter, and because they're stored outside, I spray them down with 303's marine version of ArmorAll a few times a year. The seats, fish finders, mounts, and Overdrive unit are stored inside. I check all moving parts once a week.

If possible, handle as many brands in the price point you're looking for. To me, the feel is the subjective element of a rod purchase that makes fishing more enjoyable. After all, you have the rod in your hands the whole time you're fishing. I own Abu, Kistler, Loomis, and St. Croix in the range you're looking at. I like Abu's Villain ML/XF for drop shot, my St. Croix for treble hooks, and Kistler's M/F Magnesium2 for soft baits and their MH/MF for jigs and deep cranks. If it helps, Kistler is celebrating their 21st birthday with a 21% off sale now, and their rods are made here in the US. Best of luck picking out your new rods.

My wife and I drove to Plymouth, looking at a couple houses. Unfortunately the one on Bloody Pond was out of our price range (2.5 acres on the pond w/3 car garage, but $10K+/year in taxes), but every pond we drove by was WIDE OPEN! I got her Jeep dirty down some dirt roads too, but I'll clean it up later tonight. Gonna spend some time refitting the rudder control on my Lure and get ready for some smallmouth hunting late in the week.

I use Plano 37xx boxes based on the size and quantity lure I'm storing. Most Plano boxes are still made in USA.

I carry a ML/F spinning rod, a M/F or M/M casting rod, and a MH/MF casting rod. The MH/MF is a Kistler which with I can cast pretty light stuff with too.

Drove by Sunset Lake in Braintree this afternoon. The shallow area to the south is mostly open. A few other parts are open, but not enough to fish from. The remaining ice looks gray and thin. SOON!

Guess how many toys I've built while at the Firehouse ... I got that kind of time too.... tonight's lottery is $240+ MILLION .... one can dream....

That can't be a guy sitting on the toilet ... there's no magazine or electronic device in his hands!

My first Kayak was a 2013 128T. It was big and stable enough to fish standing up. Storage space was more than plentiful. The seat was awesome. I had a transom mount trolling motor on it for a year before I sold it to help pay for a FeelFree Lure. Even though it was big I could still get it on my Tundra’s ladder rack without difficulty. I found it to be a great 1st fishing kayak. Best of luck picking a new kayak.

Dunno yet. Working for a friend T-F this week. Won’t be able to scout for open water. Best bet’ll be Hedges or GS (if not too windy)

OK, it’s starting to get bad ... yesterday I respooled a couple reels and this morning I’m watching On the Water’s Angling Advendures on TV ....they’re kayak fishing for smallies in the Berkshires.... I know it’s only a few weeks unil ice out... I’m already jonezing for my first bass of the year.... I think I’ll take a ride to Plymouth and look for open water...

Tomorrow’s forecast calls for single digit wind chill..... today would have been the day to get out. Hope some of you did! I have to get out next week... I picked up a Kistler 7’3” KLX MH-MF and want to try it out! Hedges is a small, 20 acre pond, between exits 2 & 3 on route 3. It has two beaches. The NE beach drops off to 10’ within casting distance. The SW beach is on a flat, you won’t get to deep water from shore. If you have waders, you can wade the whole place. Most of the pond drops off quickly (think cereal bowl). The east corner drops off quickly. With waders, you can hit 15’ quickly. Good luck if you get down there. Smallmouth bass and yellow perch are the only species I’ve ever caught there. Don’t worry about not having a dry suit. Keep a change of clothes in your truck, stick to small ponds you can get back to shore in a couple minutes, and lastly .... don’t fall in. I can’t speak for your kayak, but it’s near impossible to tip or fall off my FeelFree Lure.

Hedges Pond in Plymouth, MA was more than half open when I left yesterday at dusk...