MassYak85

Nice smallies @DogBone_384! Me and my dad got out for a half day this morning. Got 5 on a nice topwater bite with the Monka crawler to start, then got another 5 on spinnerbaits in deep milfoil beds. We both snagged a 4lber back to back just before the rain rolled in.

Fished Webster this morning. Got 5 decent ones on a spinnerbait, missed 2 more. Fished about 4 hours before a thunderstorm chased us off.

I've found this to be the case. Some of the biggest pickerel I've caught were in herring fed lakes that are known to produce large bass.

I'm probably not gonna get much more summer fishing in but hoping for a few good days in October and November. ?

Got out for a bit today. Super windy but did okay on a spinnerbait. Got 9 bass and 5 pickerel. No fish over 2lbs but they were hitting like frieght trains. Thought for sure I had hooked up with a 4lber more than once. Fish were in deeper areas of weedbeds, not close to shore at all.

Yea I've been getting out like once a month this year. I might head out today for a bit if the thunderstorms hold back.

I've thrown mine on a normal 7'2 MH no issues. I also use my 7'9 swimbait rod rated 1-5oz if there'd not another lure on it. That thing will bomb it a solid 60 yards. Part of me wants to make another "topwater" setup for those 3/4 to 2oz baits that are just a bit heavy for most mormal rods. Something like a 7'6 H mod-fast and straight 50lb braid.

Did a half hour shore sesh in Tyngsboro yesterday with the PB rat while it was raining. Had a massive fish swipe at it 10 feet in front of me as I lifted it out of the water....pain.

Went out yesterday for a half day alone. Fishing was slow but got a few on the PB Rat again. Two were dinks barely longer than the bait itself, but I did get another nice one that went 4-10. Interestingly enough this fish was a quarter inch longer at 20.75" than the fish I caught a couple weeks ago but was a full pound lighter. Poor guy was missing an eye too so I can't blame him for being a bit skinny.

It varies so much. I've had summers there without any of those grass matts and only isolated lily pad groups. THOSE summers are epic there. But lately it seems to want to choke up really bad in the summer. Great if you like punching though.

Well the bass didn't cooperate this morning for my dad but I was able to snag a nice one. Absolute blimp of a fish that had a bluegill in it's throat went after a 3pc PB rat. It's not often I feel outgunned with a swimbait rod but this fish hit hard and managed to get a few good headshakes in. The first headshake I thought it was a giant as I caught a glimpse of it's side. It only ended up being 20 inches but had the girth to still come in at 5lbs 10oz. Fattest fish I've ever caught at that length. That thing has some genetics for sure.

I'm gonna get out for a bit tomorrow morning with my dad for Father's day. Hopefully the bass cooperate.

I got out on the home lake Friday before the storms. Got on a decent big worm bite in the deeper weedbeds outside spawning areas. Got a few 17 or 18 inchers but they were skinny from the spawn and didn't even crack 3lbs. Managed 7 or 8 bass in total, was decent for a half day.

I've been slacking on getting out. Gonna try for Stripers this weekend I think. Then the weekend after I should be able to get out for some bass.

I haven't tried a ton of 8 plus carrier braids but I've run Daiwa Samurai 40lb on my cranking rod (with leader) the past couple years and have been VERY happy with it. Silky smooth. Abrasion resistance isn't great but running a long leader I don't really care.

If it's breaking at the leader knot is probably burning a bit when you cinch it down. I do braid to leader 90 percent of the time, either Alberto or Blood knot for bigger lines. If I break off it's the leader to lure connection 100 percent of the time. I'm also confused why you would need a backup setup? Are you not confident in retying on the water?

I've actually been slacking lately. Getting back into hiking more. I did see spawning bass along the shore recently out on some walks. Saw an absolute BEAST last weekend along a rail trail in Nashua that had to be at least 6.

Definitely but some of my local lakes have been touching the low 60s on nice days. They've been sitting on breaks outside spawning flats for me but haven't made the big push up yet. Although I did have a couple days where the shallow bite was on (2 to 3 FOW around hard cover). Just no bed fish yet. Cold rain this week won't help either. Probably a few more weeks.

I think the warm weather had them getting ready and then it cooled back off. I think next warming trend will get some shallower and onto beds. Full Moon coming up too if you buy into that.

Hit the home lake yesterday. Fish were tight to cover (docks and rocks) in the shallows. I couldn't persude them to chase much of anything. Managed 8 or 9 including a few 2 to 3lbers so not a bad outing but definitely had to work for them. Did not see any on beds. Water temps 58.

Spent the day at Manchaug hoping for a decent prespawn jig bite. Only got one decent bass on a spinnerbait, and a ton of dinks on a jerkbait. Does anyone do well here? It's like my 4th time and I've never had a good day there. Seems like I always get a ton of stunted pickerel and a handful of okay bass and some dinks.

It's so fun to fish that thing. I just picked up a 2nd one from MGC in a bluegill pattern.

We hit the Nip today. It was super slow. The surface temperature was 70 when we left....unreal. I managed two on a black jig, one was decent at 17.5 inches. But that was it except a couple pickerel. In hindsight....fishing one of the most shallow lakes in the state during a record temperature swing, maybe not the best idea haha.

Went out today and it was a bit slow. I managed 4 and my dad got 1 bass. Most fish on jigs on what felt like a shallow water summer pattern. No bigs. Pickerel were really loving the spinnerbaits. Not satisfied I went out for a shore outing with the Monka crawler. Got 2 lost 1, still smallwr fish though. It's so fun getting hit on that thing at night haha, the noise of all the metal clanking when they hit it and your line goes slack and then you swing into them. I'm going out again tomorrow and will probably hit the shore again at night.

Friday might be the first time I've ever swam in April....yikes.