DogBone_384

You can cast from NH to Plymouth !?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Let’s try it @ Hedges while the water’s cold....

Firstly, wecome to the forum stasiofishing. You’ve found the best place to learn and contribute bass fishing. Secondly, I found some open water, namely Hedges Pond in Plymouth. I got the kayak and my rods wet for the second time this year, and for the second time this year I got skunked. Well, fish skunked. I snagged something and pulled up a nice granite stone with a long rope attached to it. Too bad I can’t call a rock a personal best ... it was north of 5 pounds for sure! Getting shut out wasn’t a total surprise, with only the NE 1/3 of the pond open and water temps at 39.x, I didn’t expect much. I kept it simple with a gold blade bait, tiny brown/chartreuse maribou jig, and a smallie colored 4” Senko. I covered as much of the open water as possible, which was mostly 17’ - 20’ of flat, barren bottom. I marked what I assume were perch in the 14’ - 16’ areas but couldn’t get them to bite on anything. I didn’t mark much on the bottom. Late in the day I switched to a black/blue Ned and a perch Rapala DT10. Stll NADA. When I launched at noon-ish 1/3 of the pond was open. When I left at dusk, more than 1/2 was open. If it stays near/above freezing for the next couple days, it should be 100% fishable. Gonna change up a couple things (tube, hair jig) and try to get back there again later this week.

#6! Awesome! I’m packing up the kayak and heading south for some open water when I get home from work in the morning!

3-0 at tha half .... anybody’s game.

We decided on brunch and pulled pork & ribs late in the afternoon before the game at the Firehouse.

Happy one day closer to open water!

I hot called into work this morning so no fishing today. Here are the conditions I found: Hedges Pond is about 1/3 open. The remainder is 1” or less. Long Pond is mostly covered with thin ice. I woudln’t test it out. Island Pond looked thicker than Hedges but was posted PRIVATE. Orchard Pond is the same as Island. Little and Lout Pond are 3-4” thick. A couple crews were ice fishing Little Pond when I drove by. Jacobs Pond is 6” thick. There were a couple crews ice fishing it while I was there. Mr. Aquarium scouted different locations and came up with the same assessment as I did. Deep waters are still marginal and shallow ponds are safe. I put three tip-ups through the ice at Jacobs for an hour or so and jigged through one more hole. I didn’t catch anything but one guy put two bass in his bucket while I was there and another crew pulled up a 3+ pound bass prior to my arrival. With the upcoming forecast, Plymouth might just have some open water.

Mr. Aquarium and I are planning on drilling through the ice and coercing some fish up for fresh air on Saturday. Tomorrow's recon day, working Plymouth and the south shore. .... will post our final destination tomorrow afternoon. Any and all are invited..... just leave your kayaks home!

I'll my at my firehouse for the Super Bowl. We've not decided yet, but it'll be good...

I didn't get serious about fishing until 2012 when our daughter got into her teenage years and my wife went back to work full time. Most of my casting gear is probably 2014 & newer ...

I'm lucky, short of a lift and a tire machine, I have about all the tools and experience necessary to build or fix anything. Same goes for electrical and carpentry. I can do some plumbing, but dislike it enough and have coworkers that are licensed plumbers on the side that I don't.

I refuse to bring any of our cars to a dealer unless absolutely necessary. Short of body work, tires, and the few things I'd need a dealer's programming machine for, I still turn my own wrenches. Especially with labor rates well north of $100/hour...

No worries on Kat's Jeep. It's an '04 TJ Wrangler ... I'd rather work on that than anything new. As far as an 'electrical thing', Jeeps are known for them and it's not a problem. Car wiring is my specialty. I worked in the car stereo industry from the '80's until the early '00's. I bypassed the OEM circuit and wired my own. Anyone start a countdown to open water yet? I like Dodge trucks, especially their motors, but their chronic rusting problems keep me from them. I've driven Toyota trucks since '99, totaling over 500,000 miles and have never repaired one.

That trailer’s gonna look good with a FeelFree Dorado on it!

I sold my 128T and bought a Lure 11.5 w/overdrive. I hardly notice going from a 12’8” to 11’5” kayak at all. The Lure has in-hull storage and an all-day-comfortable seat. I get almost 4 mph under normal pedaling. Best of luck picking out a new ‘yak.

I sold my Ascend 128T to help buy my Lure Overdrive .... Expensive, but worth it.

I didn’t go to the show, nor did I get out in search of open water. My daughter’s TJ Wrangler has a short somewhere in the reverse light circuit. I fabricated my own switch and eliminated the factory wiring. She’s a college freshman and can’t have her Jeep on campus. I have the time to work on it. FeelFree’s (FF) overdrive is well built. All the allen bolts around the pedals and height adjuster require regular inspection/tightening. My 1st year Overdrive (OD) experienced a couple teathing problems but FF’s customer service is top notch. My right pedal’s threads stripped out and a gasket at the propeller failed. Both items were replaced 2nd day shipping. Pedalling normally, I get almost 4 mph. My 11.5 probably weighs about 100 pounds with the OD installed. The rudder works well and needs to be lifted from it’s mount if the kayak’s lifted at all for transport. I bent the top plate once. I bought two, one as a spare. FF sells spare parts cheap. If your rudder steering control is the same as mine, the blue ‘elastic’ used as a tensioner is crap. I’m working on my own mod. My steering control has a tensioner nut that needs occasional adjustment to keep the steering smooth. The rudder and steering mechanism is the only weak spot, but it’s not terrible. I think FF did a pretty good job with it, especially because it’s a retro fit. Buy a spare wheel kit. The axle shaft is plastic and wears out after two seasons, especially when ported over beach like sand. I fish two or three days a week, so My kayaks get a lot of use. I use a scupper cart if I need to haul it any distance or over rough terrain. I’m on my third axle on my ‘14 Lure and have a spare ready for my ‘17. Sign up for Austin Kayak’s newsletter and you’ll get 15% coupons from time to time. I can get in/out of my Lure as easy as pie. If my Lure’s in my pickup’s bed, it’s pretty well ready to go. If I put it on my ladder racks, it takes me less than 15 minutes to install the seat, OD, rod holders, tools, and Lowrance. If you fish shallow, weedy, ponds, be prepared to leave the OD in the UP position. The prop is 1’ under your hull and collects weeds. It’s easy to clean up. Buy a paddle with a thick, stiff, shaft. It’s a big boat and a cheap paddle flexes badly. That’s about all I can come up with. The OD is good enough that my ‘14 Lure gets little use these days.

I caught fish here in open water every month last year. It’s a tough goal, but worth it.

Congrats on your Dorado. It looks like an aircraft carrier! I really don't need anything. We'll see what happens tomorrow morning.

Forecast is for low 40’s tomorrow... do I hit the show in Boxboro or look for open water .... oh, the decisions I have to make...

I agree... I have Helium, Helium 3 and Magnesium 2s in various shapes & sizes. They’re great rods and made in USA. What I don’t like about them is that they’re on sale ?!?!?!?! Now the bait monkey’s tearing at my checkbook !

I'm in, so long as I'm not working and I get my 'permission slip' signed. Ha Ha. If I get out to the Expo this weekend, I drive a orange Tundra with ladder racks and a BassResource bumper sticker on it... hard to miss.

Sorry about your Dad, LadiMopar. Best of luck helping Mom. I’m working Saturday and will go Sunday if I don’t snag an extra shift. It was just Fishing Rhino and I at Red Wing. We’ll do it again when we get closer to spawn.

Me too!