MassYak85

Thanks, that makes a lot of sense actually. Pretty much all the places I ice-fish are places where gills and perch are the primary forage so that would explain that. Got out on the ice for a few hours with a friend today. Very slow, only 3 flags. We got 2 pickerel and missed what I suspect was a small bass. Top layer was turning to slush but still a solid 8-9" of ice under it. It will still be good tomorrow I think and I still have a dozen shiners left so I will be making a last minute judgement call whether to take the kayak out or head out on the ice one last time. I'll see what the wind is doing in the morning, if I so much as see a leaf move I'm going back on the ice lol.

That reminds me, I've been meaning to ask this... I know the conventional wisdom is that bass hold deep in the winter and colder months, do you guys find this to be true? Even in smaller lakes and ponds? I feel like especially when ice fishing, when the water is the coldest it's going to be all year, that the most productive areas are not always deep. The biggest bass I've ever seen in person caught through the ice was out of maybe 4 FOW. Now sometimes I do have the best luck targeting a deeper creek channel in a pond but other times the bite is on fire on those shallower flats. Is this because the bass are congregating there or is it simply that the shallower fish are more active and so it just seems that way? And then come ice out, are you targeting those deeper areas again or do you start shifting your attention to those shallower areas in hopes of finding more active fish?

Cape lakes are always the first to open up. Any river that has even a light flow to it should be open by now due to the extra melt water going through them. All the lakes around me here in central MA are still locked up tight with a foot of "ice". Typical late season stuff though, mostly frozen slush/snow that the warm rain this Friday will likely take a decent chunk out of. Tomorrow is my last time out on the hard stuff, then I'll be getting the kayak out.

Yea, I welcome the spring-like weather but Friday is definitely gonna bring about the end of ice-season for a good chunk of the state. I'll be heading out on the ice for the last time tomorrow, then I'm going to try and take my kayak out somewhere on Thursday. I'm thinking the Charles but getting from the Watertown launch to the deeper esplanade area is a 10 mile round trip. Wind is supposed to be minimal but I doubt I'm gonna paddle more than half that distance. I may swing by the waltham launch and see if that's open first. I'm more familiar with that part anyways.

I fish the Jelly worms for their size and durability not their scent. I appreciate the worms smelling like fruit instead of powerbait but I'm not sure the fish care.

I think with reels especially you have diminishing returns once you start going up in price beyond the mid-range stuff. Are magnesium frames, a couple ounces in weight savings, slightly tighter tolerances and ceramic hybrid bearings nice? Sure, but it's not going to put more fish in the boat in most cases. But I think for a lot of guys that can afford it, fishing high end gear just adds another layer of enjoyment. It may not be noticeable to some but fishing day-in day-out for years with gear and not getting fatigue or worrying about the gear crapping out is nice. I don't think I've ever paid more than 150 for a reel, bait caster or spinning, (granted I usually look for sales) and truthfully doubt I'd ever need to spend more. But I'm sure if I can ever afford to own high-end gear I probably will.

When I was first starting out Glenn's videos and Matt Allen/Tim were my main go-to's on YouTube to get information (I mostly keep up with Tactical now and some more local guys). Glenn always has great stuff though!

It's not my favorite line but I have used the 12lb and 6lb as leader line.

Another good day on the hard stuff. March is really turning around the bad luck and the bass are starting to chow down. Landed one juuuuuuuuust short of 4 (3.99 lol) and a few other decent ones along with plenty of pickerel. We were out for about 7 hours and got off just before dark. I was able to get some great pictures of the sunset. Hopefully not the end of the season. I'm hoping to get out a couple more times this week before Friday (I doubt many places will be able to survive 60's and raining).

With these (Rapid Fishing Solutions Line Clips). I just tie a simple overhand knot and throw them on the end of my line after each outing. Quick and easy, no tangled line, no hooks getting stuck in things, and you can use them with rod socks.

Yea, don't make an underhand cast and slap the water with your lure, backlashing so badly you have to cut the entire spool apart with a knife. I wouldn't know anything about that..... But seriously just be a little careful casting at least at first. With braid a backlash is generally not a big deal and you can pick it out. With fluoro a backlash can kink your line, and even if you untangle it those kinks are now weakspots that will bite you later.

Ideally you want to minimize any possibilities for failures in your setup. Also, leaving soft plastics especially when they have salt rigged on hooks for a long time is an easy way to rust out your hooks.

I bought a few of their face shields last summer. My neck is kind of long so they didn't completely cover it. I still can use them with a sweatshirt hood to get my neck during the spring and summer though.

I'd agree. It's easy for people on this forum who have fished for a while to shrug off "brand pushing" because they know the brand of lure is rarely the deciding factor in catching a fish. The issue is the people who are getting into the sport and don't know better and will buy exactly what a professional tells them to buy.

x2 if I could only ever fish one bait all year long (as long as I could have free range in terminal tackle choice) I'd go fluke probably. You can fish it fast on top liker a top-water, middle of the water like jerkbait, on bottom in countless ways.

Great rods!

Well I was hoping for an early spring but I'll be hitting the hard water for the next 2-3 weekends at least looking at the forecast. Got on A1 with my father yesterday 12-5pm. Lots of pickerel to start the day, very fat ones too. Around 4pm the bass finally decided to eat. Got a 2.66, 2.88, and a 3.74 on tip-ups along with a dink. The weather was quite strange. No wind and 40° for most of the day and when the sun came out it was HOT! Like, "I haven't felt that warm outside since September" hot. Something about the angle and it reflecting off the snow I guess. Usually wearing all black works out but I was down to my base layers at one point because I couldn't take it. Later in the day as the clouds started to build the wind kicked on like a switch and I had to put everything back on. But that's when the bass started hitting. Overall the best day I've had this season on the ice, which isn't saying much honestly, this has been a terrible ice season for me.

Strength wise out of box I think most braids will be on pretty level footing. But over time some fade more, some fray more, and then obviously the differences between 4 and 8 carrier are immediate out of box.

The S-Waver and Spro Rat are proven baits and many guys that do use the higher end baits still have a place for them in their lineup. Many great softbaits are on the market for relatively cheap as well, like huddleston and real prey, 3:16, mattlures etc. The only time you probably do have to fork over the money is with the truly "big" baits, like 10+". They just aren't really made in mass production other than some of the japanese companies like Deps, unless you grab some musky or saltwater stuff. So you have to go to the smaller guys, which means paying the big bucks for a "custom" or relatively low production bait. Biggest thing IMO is getting the right rod. You're fishing for fewer bites so when they do comes you want to have the right gear to land the fish.

Nearly 5 hours on the solid stuff on A1 and had 2 pickerel to show for it. It's been a slow winter for me...I have one bass through the ice compared with maybe 15 pickerel ?.... I'm also looking for some revenge come spring @DogBone_384. Do you have one of those kayak "carts"? Mine is pretty light but if I had a heavier one I'd definitely look at one for places with poor parking near the ramp. Hopefully only a few more weeks until some of the lakes around me open up. This week looks cold so I'll be on the ice at least one or two more weekends.

why does Massachusetts have to have a lead ban...I would have loaded up lol

Got onto A1, still some ice left but it's thin. Maybe 3 to 4 inches of cracked black ice under an inch of slushy stuff. Veeeeery slow day so far, just one pickerel.

About an hour probably. I may end up even going ice fishing depending how the lakes around me look but I'll probably stay local. Come spring though I'd love to meet up at some point.

We're approaching my least favorite time of year, where almost everywhere around me is still locked up but is getting sketchy to ice fish. Saturday however looks like finally a wind-free day so I might try and poke around with my kayak.

Other than ice fishing I will fish open water as long as my guides don't freeze and it's not too windy. 30's and windy is just cold unless there's some sun, and since I fish out of a kayak it gets frustrating trying to fish slowly in cold water when the wind is blowing you around everywhere.