Mr. Aquarium

welcome bud

How do alewifes and blueback herring behave in ponds and lakes? Are they pelagic and spend the their time off shore? Do they stick to the shallows? Any advice on how to pattern the schools? What if the pond is shallow less the 10 feet.

of course I have, his baits are awesome!!! I really love the samatis craw for my jig trailers! they are by far my favorite! I need a good creature bait!!! ill check out his! his frogs are awesome!!

@LadiMopar I'll be walking around with my deaf buddy, wearing a long sleeve MGC fishing shirt. I'll most likely be spending time at the Samatis baits booth, LLLLLLLOOOOVVVVVEEE those soft plastics!! If I see a neon green sweatshirt Ill say hi. Hopefully there wont be to many LOL

I'm so sorry for your loss, God bless you and your family. I will be a the show on Saturday when it opens. I'm going to stock up on some of my favorite soft plastics and swimbaits!!

My biggest is 7.8lbs. I'm on a mission to get an 8. I believe I've hooked fish 8lb plus a few times

It was 6 degrees Monday, 19 yesterday, 45 today, 56 tomorrow. 30s on Friday here in MA. Each week is so different. I'm willing to bet we will have open water late February, first week of March

Yea, NEVER trust the ice EVER!!!

Hudds, real preys, savage gear. I fish a variety of places, from deep and sandy to shallow weedy filled ponds. If the place is deep clear and clean bottom, I fish soft baits more. But for weedy ponds, I fish the soft baits in the early spring when the weeds aren't up. when the weeds are up I fish a lot topwater near structure

samatis craw black blue. Its a small company made in Massachusetts. Love the craw, caught them all year long with it. from finesse jigs in 40 degree water to foot ball jigs in 25 feet of water during the summer. I really dont use any other jig and trailer combo. 1 jig company and 1 jig trailer.

I go slow! There's less big bass up here then down south. These bigger fish don't have much competition so they aren't aggressive. They don't need to be. They can sit on bottom and wait for an easy meal. But down south or in Cali, The big bass have to compete with each other. Increase your lure size and go slow. I love swimbaits and jigs here in Massachusetts. I catch 5lbs fish often, many over 6 and a few over 7. PB 7.8 on a 9 inch swimbait. I'm hunting an 8lb plus fish. I have no doubt that I will get an 8 plus. I also love fishing at night!

ice shanty is a great website

wacky rig or finesse jig

thats a sad sad picture

I cant wait for that thaw to happen, open water again.

yea thats what I'm thinking! There an over abundance of smaller fish, but the smaller fish become prey to the large fish! The ecosystem may not be perfectly balanced between the small fish and big fish but I dont think the balance is completely one sided. I do get a good amount of large fish here. I dont feel comfortable eating the fish but dont want to kill the small bass. How to balance the population?

Hell ya dude, lets go! Its been awhile since i've got on some good ice fishing! I can bring my traps to! 3 dozen shiners! Hope my auger still runs

Looks like I have to dust off the ice gear. I really only use my jig rods for ice fishing! I love catching jumbo perch crappies and gills on the ice! with occasional bass! 4lb line 2 foot ultra light!

Well the bite was horrible in 2018 at this spot, cold wet and rainy. I caught a 5.9 in early March, Think is was March 9th, cold raw day, just before a snow storm came through. Got it on a Matts meathead deep diver. That was it for the year at this spot. 2018 was just in general a slow year for me. In March of 2019, I will be fishing here with some big soft baits. Big Real Prey pond shiners. I know theres a GIANT down there in its depths. So much forage here, its crazy. At dusk the pond comes alive with fish feeding on bugs. I should bust out the fly rod and see what they are one day! SOOOOO MUCH FORAGE!!!!!! I caught a 1.5lbs bass on a 10 inch swimbait here last spring! The fish hit hard to!!

I'm jealous. I'm lucky to have open water all winter. I was open water fishing last week 2 bass, some panfish and a fat pickerel. Now this week and next week are cold and I can ice fish. I WOULD LOOOOOVVEEEEE FOR 50 DEGREE WATER IN WINTER!!!!! but its mid January, so its ALMOST over. From recent winters, we can expect the thaw to happen by mid late February

that place has some big yellows to!

I think its very possible that a 3lbs yellow perch swims in our waters! I've broken 2lbs for yellows 3 times in one spot! I saw open water saturday down in Plymouth

Depth, visible structure, water clarity, weeds. You don't know until you really give it a shot.

You found some new spots, thats what I do mostly in the off season. If I can get out I go exploring, looking for access to ponds I want to fish! When I find them, I can get the vibe, Like this pond is promising. or this spot ehhh not feeling it.

2 crappies and a bass today after work! Not bad for a quick trip!