MassYak85

I admittedly never wore my PFD while Yak fishing up until this year, mostly because the PFD I always carried behind my seat was a cheap bulky uncomfortable water-skiing vest. I ended up pulling the trigger on a stolquist EBB before this past season and could not be happier wearing it (which I always do now). Even in the summer I barely notice it's on.

x2, usually in my Yak I am fishing remote ponds with very few motor boats. But on larger lakes I have a neon orange flag sticking up behind me for safety reasons.

Is there still open water on the cape? It would insane if someone could catch an open water fish in February, might be able to on the first before the temperatures plunge again.

So have I, IMO it does more harm than good when they label almost everything as "may cause cancer". Doesn't help distinguish between things that are actually dangerous if used by consumers vs things that have minuscule trace amounts of some chemical that may be linked to cancer if you ingested it for lunch everyday.

Those have been on my list to try for a while, prices are definitely great, especially considering the customization they offer for orders. Any recommendations if I place an order?

Also very interested, thanks for making a thread.

Mine as well, so sorry to hear that.

NO! I don't mean to be so blunt, and sorry if this is information you already know, but you must ALWAYS check the ice thickness yourself every time you go, there is no other way to do so safely. Current, underwater springs, rain runoff, wind, geese (yes I said geese) can all affect ice thickness and lead to wildly different conditions even on the same lake, even in the middle of the ice season. One spot I fish a lot had a foot of ice on most of it a couple years ago...there was open water 300 yards away because geese had decided they didn't want to fly south and instead were swimming around keeping the water open. A good rule of thumb unless you know what you're doing is never ice-fish rivers, or near spillways where there may be current. All that said, IceShanty is a great site and if you check the Massachusetts local forum guys will usually post recent trips and some may mention how thick the ice was where they were. That's a good place to start to plan a trip. But again, your safety is in your own hands. I recommend getting some ice picks to keep around your neck/in a pocket and an ice chisel. A good practice is to chisel your way out onto the lake until you reach where you will be fishing (give the ice a few good wacks with the chisel every few steps, if it breaks through, might want to rethink walking further in that direction). The ice picks will aid in self rescue if it comes down to that. Hopefully you never have to use them. Some (hopefully) helpful links... Ice Picks: https://www.cabelas.com/product/HT-Enterprises-Deluxe-Polar-Ice-Picks/1545326.uts?productVariantId=1291818&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=02483617&rid=20&ds_rl=1246492&ds_rl=1246531&ds_rl=1247882&ds_rl=1252079&gclid=Cj0KCQiAm5viBRD4ARIsADGUT26HmPIqZ3520yXmJXUEmsKywECpXlrjUBGV4bcrTPWTPPwVSptil_waAgxOEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds Ice Chisel: https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/eskimo-redneck-economy-ice-chisel-16eskurdnckcchsl7fic/16eskurdnckcchsl7fic?camp=CSE:DSG_pg29987_mk_PLA_454&gclid=Cj0KCQiAm5viBRD4ARIsADGUT26bF25YRfFAEhEAUBo0v0MOIPNUkzY6Tuv7rXk7sQHhLEfz8VPUGBUaAnyNEALw_wcB Self Rescue Video:

Maybe sooner than you think, 50's and pouring rain and wind forcasted for Thursday, could open up some of the Cape Ponds.

Can you spin the handle backwards at all (when casting or when just holding the reel), and do you hear any noise (could be gears grinding, loose parts inside the reel)? I've never used the reel but what you describe seems very odd unless multiple things are not working correctly (or it's designed very differently from reels I've used). Even if the spool was still engaging with the pinion gear for some reason the rotation when casting should cause the handle to spin backwards not forwards, and backwards rotation of the handle/drive shaft should not be possible unless the reel's anti-reverse system is messed up. Also does the handle rotate in snyc with the spool (like the pinion gear is still meshed into the spool pin) or is it more sporadic?

I use the stuff for non-braided lines but I'm also curious what exactly it does. I've heard it's very safe stuff chemically but that makes me wonder what is actually in it that can interact enough with the line to make a difference.

By the way, does anyone have any tips/resources to learn a little bit about alewives (seasonal behavior and typical locations mostly)? They really aren't a forage fish I try and imitate much but I know in some bodies of water here that can be a big key certain times of the year. I know they run up rivers/streams in the spring but I know some of the lakes have landlocked ones too that school up (Webster I think has some).

Got out today on a new pond in Grafton. Fished it from about 8:30 to 2. Ice was surprisingly thick, nearly 8 inches in some spots, closer to 4 in an area with some current. Cracks were shooting across the pond all day, some right between my feet! Makes you jump for sure if you're not used to it. It was slow fishing but the pickerel were consistent, got 9 total on tilts, no big ones though, and NO BASS....ugh. Moved to a different pond in Upton in hopes of at least one bass, got one dink but hey, a bass is a bass. Also jigged up a perch and got another pickerel. Ice there was a pretty consistent 4 inches there but much clearer ice with little cracking. Not a terrible start to the ice season.

Anyone going out on the ice this weekend? I checked a few places near me today and they seem good to go. The wind last week kept a lot of places open but the cold nights froze places fast. I'll still be praying for an early spring but I get a completely different thrill out of ice fishing than I do open water fishing for some reason.

Don't take this as a jab at your strength, but is it possible you simply weren't able to turn the drag star to it's mechanical maximum? When Tackle Tour does their drag tests it is usually with a truly locked down drag where they really do wrench on the drag star to make sure it's as tight as possible.

The best fishing-stocked DSG I've ever been to was literally merged with a F&S, figures why the fishing section was decent I guess.

I've used them. They're fine as trailers for stuff like swimjigs, especially in the warmer months. When the water is colder I stick with Keitech's though. Action is definitely better and the difference gets more noticeable at slower speeds.

Better than I did from shore. Stopped by A1....all but locked up to my surprise. Went to Chauncy on the northern shore and tried casting into a hurricane....that didn't go well. Decided to take a drive and check out some areas along the Assabet river. I was able to find pretty sheltered areas where the wind wasn't an issue but no bites. There were some nice spots to launch a kayak though, I think I will be returning come spring. And with that, and with the forecast coming up I'm calling it a season, I put all the gear away earlier.

Didn't even have to look out the window this morning to call off my plan to take out the kayak....YIKES! The wind is howling out there! Might still play around from shore somewhere.

Like others said, I set the spool tension so that there is just the slightest side to side play in the spool. Then start with the brakes at 10 and slowly work them down, usually to 5 or 6. Windier days maybe 8-10, 12 if it's extreme but I don't think I'eve ever set them higher than 12.

I'm kicking myself a bit for not going out today. As miserable as 35 and light rain is there was ZERO wind...not looking like that's gonna be the case tomorrow. I've got the car loaded up, I'm gonna try and find a sheltered pond somewhere I think.

Isn't it the worst when you hook a pickerel and think it's a bass? I really don't mind catching them but their strength to weight is deceiving and has led to some real heartbreak for me lol. Over the summer on Cochituate I was fishing a huge worm on a deep weedline super slowly, not exactly what I catch most of my pickerel on. I felt a big wack like I'd expect on a big jig or something, set the hook and I thought I had a 6-7lb bass on...nope, just a big slime dart lol. It was my PB pickerel and I got a state pin out of it but my heart dropped a little when I saw the sun hit it's side for the first time as it got close.

They are my dad's favorite lure so I kind of adopted a love for them but I agree, they are a great search bait and I often start out with one tied on at least.

Tried a bit from shore today with a Hudd at Ashland state park. Definitely not known as a bass lake but I figure there's gotta be a few in there eating some of the trout. No takers, there was only one spot I felt I was deep enough to stand much of a chance this time of year anyways. Very nice park though. The trail around the perimeter is a fun hike. Busy today though! The weather was also all over the place. I think it's the first time in my life I've ever experienced hail, rain, and snow on the same day...and throw in some bright blue sunny skies in between it all. Any chance to open water fish in January here though is one I'll take! Speaking of which, Wednesday is looking like the last day before it gets truly cold for the season. I doubt I will but if everything lines up (low wind, snow instead of rain, my desire to go freeze my *** off lol) I might consider loading my kayak up for one last hoorah for the year season.

There are far too many good rods/reels on the market that aren't ugly for me to buy one that is, so yea it does matter. My budget doesn't allow for custom rods at the moment but if I ever get one the only color request I might make would be like an accent thread color if I knew the reel I was going to use and it would match nice. But even then I'm only talking like a gold, silver, dull red/purple/blue.