BassB8Caster

Exactly. After 10 "last casts" i would be an hour late.

Good to see other Maine bass fishermen on here! Thats why i love the smaller ponds i fish (many dont have access for a boat just carry in kayak). They have little to no pressure and hold some great fish. Let me know if you need some help searching for that giant!

thats interesting. I always thought that if i was fishing frogs in an area where bullfrogs were croaking, that would be a good thing. Almost like a dinner bell to the bast (and probably big ones at that).

I agree. I went out on to a huge lake this past sunday. There are big fish in it. But i realized after getting back to shore at the end of the day, big lakes are best with a boat. Starting to really dig the smaller ponds with my kayak. And i agree 1000% on the "once you think you have them figured out, you dont". Thats true on many levels. But what really makes everything worth it is when you notice something (structure, current, hole in vegetation etc) that makes you say to your self "thats a perfect bass spot". THen you fish it just how you imagine it and it works out. Such a good feeling. And it is crazy how the same body of water can be so different one day to the next. Even if conditions are the same. Many times i have gone back to a pond that i did well on to be skunked the second day. Like they disappeared. Anyway. Thanks for the input.

thanks. Starting to see more and more frog conversations. That time of year.

The more I read on here (including articles) I agree as well that it's bedding bass. This is my first spawn fishing bass. I started last summer (July). I was under the impression that bass bed in Sandy areas. I never thought they made beds under/in lilies and grasses. This is good to know. So is it correct to say I should have fished the deeper areas just offshore from where I was fishing to find the bigger females?

I do need to fish worms (and all soft plastics for that matter) more. I did try topwater both nights. First night I have a few hits on the frog. Second night I fished a popr a decent amount with no luck. Thanks again for all the tips. I love learning new things as I've only been bass fishing since last summer. It's an addiction I can't (and don't want) to shake. Needless to say, my first spawn season fishing has been a (fun) challenge.

I'm still on the original chatterbait trailer. I just watched a recorded copy of bassmasters where Rick Clunn caught over 30lbs on one day. I was able to pause it once and saw him fixing a paddle tail swimbait on a chatterbait. Talk about a big bait to cast out!

So I decided to hit up one of the larger lakes known for top notch bass in the state (as opposed to small ponds I typically fish). Out of a kayak was quite a task. When I got out there I found that there was quite a bit of pads lilies and grasses. I decided to stay away from boat traffic and bang the banks. Most was with the frog. I was able to get a lot of action. Some periods I was getting a hit every cast. But it seems like they were just hitting it. We're they all small fish? I read an article saying bedding males will do this just hitting the bite, not to eat. I caught a bunch of pickerel, a 1.25 and 2.5 on the frog. I also got a nice 2.5 to 2.75 largemouth on a green chatterbait. There are some big fish in this lake. Was talking to marina owner and he said big of the weekend was 7.9. Said fish were on the beds. So what are your thoughts? All small fish? I tried sticking to edges where 2 to 3 feet of water dropped off quickly. Larger fish in deeper water? Appreciate everyone's input!

Will definitely give those suggestions a try. This is my first spawn period fishing for bass. Lots of ups and downs that's for sure. Last summer I could bang the banks and cover water and end up with a decent amount. Lately that tactic is not producing. I am occasionally trying deep. But no luck. Deep water is my weakness.

Two nights in a row i have fished the same small pond that has only smallmouth. Both were fished afterwork around 5pm until around 7. The first night i got a decent amount of hits on a frog. Didnt land any tho. I then tried several other lures with out any luck. I tried square bills, deeper diving cranks, chatterbait. Last night I started off with a spinner and caught a decent smallie within the first 30 minutes of fishing. Fish was super aggressive. grabbed the lure right away. it actually started jumping before i realized i had a fish on. Thing faught like a champ. Hardest fighting fish ive ever caught. This was in probably 2 feet of water. I ended up catching one perch over the next hour and a half. I mostly fished the shore (anywhere from 2 - 15 feet of water) which had lots of rocks and downed trees. I would also try off deeper too. Couldnt find them. This was a small 96 acre pond. The water felt much warmer than i thought it would be. Im fishing out of a kayak without any fishfinder or depth finder. Both nights were pretty calm. We did have showers both days. Any ideas where these fish are? Im stumped. Im about to give up on it but its super convenient, only a few minutes from my house.

i picked up the lews $99 combo at cabelas. i think i got the last one. they are now out of stock. I was able to use it last night. I also am using 30lb braid on it. This is my first experience with braid. I practiced quite a bit at home before going fishing with it. It took me a bit to get the brakes adjusted correctly. But it is a very smooth reel. It casts a mile. No complaints so far (besides not catching anything on it yet). For $80 i spent for it it is a great buy. Only baitcaster i have to compare is the abu garcia black max. I have been happy with that as well. I was between the lews and the abu pro max. almost went pro max but decided to try another brand for comparison sake. Cant go wrong with the pro max for $100.

i didnt think so. Ive been out this spring when winds were 20 and gusting to 30+ and was able to find the fish. I went out last night after showers throughout the day. It ended up being perfectly calm, glass water and i had trouble finding fish. I got a few hits on the frog, but thats it. First time fishing this pond, but things have been pretty active. I also tried deep areas off the shallows.

How quickly will the weather affect the bass (prespawn) locations? Say for example, a day of showers and thunderstorms coming through (not a drastic front with drops in temp), just rain.

thats amazing. So given good genetics, good environment, resources (food etc), how big can the bass get in there? Is it fair to say that the biggest fish has yet to be caught or with increased fishing, has the sizes kind of plateaued?

Thats awesome. I cant wait for froggin. We are just starting to see some vegetation here in Maine. I have had success with a Super Spook Jr around fallen trees and some shoreline areas. And of course active pickerel biting the topwater. I specifically purchased a new baitcaster set up with braid for padcrashing. Nothing like a topwater explosion.

Just got an email from Academy. 25% off all their rod & reel fishing combos!

Nice catch! i have been there many times (too many, ill admit it) trying to make the perfect cast and grab a branch. I have done the same as you, where i play with it a little on the water. Then im so mad at myself for the bad cast i try to get it out, or paddle over in my kayak and get it out. Next time i will be sure to give it a little longer and play with it more. Never know how many times i may have been close to have a fish grab it, but i spook them and never give them the chance. Congrats! And i agree, ill take luck any day of the week (good luck atleast)

Mine just happened this past saturday. On my way back from fishing a new pond I swung into a dam at a small lake to give my wife a call to meet up at a local campground. As I'm talking to her I'm up on the dam looking into the water. I see 3 or 4 decent bass swimming around. So I hang up with the wife and grab my rod with a white chatterbait tied on. Cast it out parallel to the dam and start reeling. I see a couple fish swim in the direction of my lure. One bites, I set the hook and snap, broke 12 lb test mono off. Run back to the truck and tie on a square bill and cast it out (straight out). I wait a few seconds and start reeling. At the dam it's shallow. Only like 3 feet. I can see a good ways out. But out where my lure is I cannot see. I have never been here so I have no idea what is in the water. As I reel my square bill, I feel a weight, like I was caught on something. Didn't feel a bite. So I keep tension and reeling, then all of a sudden the head comes up out of the water calmly. Mouth closed (like a shark showing its fin). It's HUGE! Trying to control my heart attack, I keep tension and rod down. I keep reeling, feeling like I'm pulling a log in. No fight really. As it gets closer she comes in parallel to the shore right in front of me, maybe 8 feet away. It's huge, with my lure sticking out of its mouth barely hooked. Just as I start preparing to jump down on a rock to grab her, she turns left to head to deeper water ripping my lure out. No thrashing, really calmly. I've thought hard about this one, trying not to exaggerate how big she was. I really think it was 24 plus inches, maybe close to 30. Possibly 7 to 8lbs. The weight of the fish with no fight and effort was crazy. Just calm cool and collected and she was gone. I've never fished that lake. But will be going back real soon! This has been on my mind since then. I've never targeted fish before. I think that's about to change!

nice fish! the head on that thing is impressive (to me anyway).

im in the market for a second baitcaster with around the same budget. Im looking at Abu Garcia Pro Max 3 combo, and Lews American Hero Tournament combo. These can be had for under $100. A few sites i saw with good sales were Overtons (10% off with free shipping), manventureoutpost.com that has good pricing, and cheaper than dirt. I just came across Lews Laser Pro Combo on Cabelas.com. Was $199 on sale for $99. These are with 6'10" or 7' rods and 7.1:1 reels. Im tempted to try the Lews laser pro from cabelas. I also have a $20 off 100. so i can get that combo for $80. Seems like a great deal. Pro max has good reviews as well. I can get that down to $85 with a 15% off code for signing up emails with overton. Not trying to hack the thread, feed back would be greatly appreciated.

Well done! Its amazing how at any given instant your luck can completely reverse (good and bad). A skunked day can quickly get erased by one nice fish. You just never know what that next cast is going to result in. Im sure those smallies put up one hell of a fight.

Congrats! i cant wait to graduate from my kayak to a boat. Dont get me wrong, i love being able to hit small ponds on my kayak, but want a boat sooo bad.

Not sure if this is exactly what you are talking about, but i had a similar experience in a pond with largemouth. It was almost like they knew what was happening (and were caught before). They would not fight just kind of freeze. I would just reel them across the surface. It was very odd. They were very healthy fish, some of the prettiest ive seen. But would just freeze once hooked. And this was on spinners with hook through mouth/lips. So no real trauma to them.