LadiMopar

I haven't fished over there in many a year, since going pretty much LMB specific I don't get to Wachusett all that often, but it's a good place for the grandkids/friends to learn about different species, and they aren't hemmed in like smaller waters. At 11 they still need a football field to cast in! Nice to know things are heating up over in S. Cove/bay, hope you have better luck with the SMB. One of my long time fishing buddies keeps trying to get me to wet a line over by the RT 12 causeway bridge (opposite side from the Stone church) for SMB. About 150 ft back from the road/causeway bridge there's quite a concentration of them, but like so many other areas close to the road with easy access it's usually elbow to ***hole.....not my idea of fun. Long ago, gate 10 was my go to place for lake trout/salmon; nice 90 ft hole over there but its quite a hike to get in there and my scrawny pins have issues trudging that far now. There is also a hot spot for monster trout at the first public gate (6?) just past the school on 70 if you're looking for a new place to try. LM

I just did a simple search for fishing kayak under $400 and came up with several sites that let you compare makes/models. Here are some links to get you started. https://kayakbest.com/best-fishing-kayaks-under-400/ https://waterkayaks.com/best-fishing-kayak-under-400/ http://kayakerstribe.com/fishing-kayaks-under-400/ Best of luck in your search, and let us know how you make out. LM

Greetings and welcome from N Central Massachusetts! Nice to see another New Englander here. Hope your renewed love of the sport brings many memorable moments. LM

Hey KenP! Thanks for the heads up at Wachusett. I was there a few times since opening day and hadn't seen much activity at all; a few baitfish in South Cove 3 weeks back was the most exciting thing I saw. Took my grandson and one his friends ( age 11) two weeks back, we were over by the stone church which is usually swarming with sunfish and nothing! Not a problem for me, but felt bad for the kids....they drown plenty of crawlers trying though. LM

Skunkus Maximus is over! Okay it was over last week with that tiny little 1 pounder, but... these are at least worth snapping a pic of. Caught these two about an hour apart on Saturday afternoon. Water was a balmy 68-70 thanks to the mini heat wave. These were cruising about 15 ft off the bank in abt 4- 5 ft of water. The first one was near a beaver lodge with several downed trees, and the second was cruising in front of cattails. There were a few small males hanging around beds, but none of them are showing signs of serious spawning activity yet. Robbins Pond, Devens, MA

I do really well with white or green pumpkin most days, and have great success with brown/gold blade at night.

Finally managed to get a bass, albeit a teeny 1lb today! Not the most exciting first of the season catch but it sure was better than being skunked..again. Missed a few who were chasing my bait right up to the yak, and then poof! Gone. They are obviously starting to think about filling their stomachs before the spawn. Was on Grove pond in Ayer, water temps were ranging from 55-60 depending on water depth/location. Only covered about a quarter of it but so far it's very shallow with a max of 4'9''. Didn't see any beds, but this pond is loaded with vegetation; lily pads are up and many have buds already. Once the weather gets consistently warmer it will be pads so thick you could almost walk on them. The most exciting thing besides the bass was the fabulous bald eagle that flew right over me...not something you see everyday up here. Taking the grandson and one of his friends out tomorrow. Should be an interesting afternoon seeing as the friend has never fished before and is excited to try it. And a new generation of fish hunters is born. ?

Just wanted to let you know that I have broken this seasons "skunk" streak. Not a huge bass, but a feisty one...hope you have the same success soon. This gal will be sleeping a lot better tonight

Gosh I hope so. Thanks for the "pep talk"! We're probably a bit warmer here in N.Central MA than out your way but can't remember a year when it took this long into the season to see baitfish up in the shallows. Was at Wachusett reservoir yesterday and finally saw some along South Bay (Rt 70 & 140). Been out in my yak several times in the past few weeks on small (under 20 acre) ponds with water temps in the 57 - 62 degree range and it's been like paddling over dead water. Very few fish on the sonar, and cruising the shoreline mostly seeing turtles. No bluegill, no baitfish, and definitely no bass; or bass beds for that matter. All waters that have been productive early in years past. Just a Really strange season so far. Starting to wonder if that serious drought we had a couple years back has had a bigger impact on the fish population than one might think. Some of these small ponds dried up to over grown "puddles" by late summer. Obviously that had an impact on the die off rates; water temps, 0/2 depletion etc. but can't seem to get any good info from the state about that. Anyone else have thoughts on this?

Sorry everyone is having a tough go of things, but thanks so much for sharing because now I don't feel so alone. Hey A-Jay, is there any sign of open water yet in your neighborhood? Still asking the sun/fish gods to smile on you. In fact was out today and found myself feeling a little irritated which I quickly shook off when I thought about you and the others in the far northern climes who are still waiting for ice out. LM

I'm a long time Daiwa user (abt. 40 years) and had I had a few more dollars to spend I would have bought a Zillion SV (abt $299). Although a Steez would be my ultimate choice (abt $500). Recently bought the Tatula CT Type R XS (8:1:1) at the Cabela Bargain cave for a scant $144. It was a demo, but didn't have a scratch on it. Casts like a dream on the Daiwa Tatula Elite signature series 7' cranking rod. Best of luck in your decision! LM

Check out the Contour Roam, wide angle, 1080P, waterproof to 3 meters, and has a very secure mounting system with a multitude of mounts. Had mine since 2012 and have never had an issue of any kind. It's also got one finger slide on/off, laser lineup, GPS, multi directional lense and uses a mini SD card. Good luck in your search!

I'll second that...haven't cut my hair in several decades, and pulling it back in a ponytail works great with a baseball type hat...just poke it through the opening in the back and ta-dah you're ready to face the world! If you don't have ponytail holders (no rubber bands please, they break off your lovely locks) you can always use a rod wrap to contain it! It also helps keep the hat from flying off in a stiff breeze out on the water. Hubby used to have the old "white walls" cut around the ears thing but at my prompting grew it out to ponytail length. He's "follicly impaired" on top and wears a hat most days, and it looks pretty darn good. Oh, and bass really dig the long flowing "hair jig"!!!!

Hey A-Jay it was nice to "see" you, but you certainly have my sympathies. Guess my sun/fish god requests for you and everyone out there aren't getting to the right department.. HR must be holding up the paperwork or something. Our winter blast this month wasn't nearly as bad, and am almost ashamed to say I was out in my yak today. If it's any consolation to you though there wasn't a bass to be seen...but did manage to hook a feisty chain nose pickerel, which was exciting until I had to take the crazy thing off the hook. Thank goodness for fish grips! Hang in there...open water has to be just around the corner. LM

Hope everyone had a great time today at the m & g in Walpole. Wish I could've been there but taking care of parents has to come first.

Hey Br1an! Not too far from you just about 20 minutes SW of Chelmsford. I've not fished the Stony brook watershed in Chelmsford, but I have read that there are LMB in the reservoir, and the stream is stocked with trout throughout the watersheds multiple communities. Also found this fishing report at HookandBullet. Fishing Hot Spots near Stony Brook Read Fishing Reports "This is my first year fishing on Prindle. So far the large mouth bass have been hitting in almost unbelievable numbers. The only issue is 99% of them are small. Although..." Prindle Lake "I've fished on the Eastern shore of the pond and caught pickerel and some Largemouth Bass. I've used Texas-rigged worms, Rage Structure Bugs, Swim Jigs, and topwater..." Diamond Pond "Fished the east side of the reservoir, using spinning rod, 12lb test, and soft plastic power bait worms. Landed 2 bass in the 3-4 lb range, hooked 2 others but lost..." Mare Meadow Reservoir "great fishing if you use live bait, in a matter of 5 seconds they will go straight for the bait...." Wrights Pond "Went catfish fishing here, spent about 4 hours using worms and didn't catch any. Saw some trout and other fish with my flashlight sleeping near the weeds just off shore...." Round Pond "I was fishing a while back on Baboosic Brook, as I was reeling in my last cast of the day I felt a hard jerk on the line so I quickly reeled it in and found that it was..." Baboosic Brook "I continue to pitch bait into the filter system on both sides and pull back across the white water just like fishing for Stripped Bass - Note the eco-system is healthy..." Crystal Lake "tiny fish, great place. took a kid i was babysitting. went to the "secret spot" which is near the Y camp casted our wacky rigs out.I got three dinks my buddy got a fat..." Stiles Pond "three stars is for the homeless people that trash the area five stars for fishing for trout. fished on the point had 3 -4 poles in with tan colored power bait that..." Perley Brook Reservoir And this link is good for state ramps, topo maps and fish species/structure in each body of water. https://www.mass.gov/service-details/massachusetts-pond-maps-list-view This link is for the Stonybrook watershed assessment done in 2011. http://www.merrimack.org/web/what-we-do/publications/ Hope this is helpful. Good luck! LM

Oh A-Jay, I am so sorry this is happening to you and the others in that part of the country. We had a teeny bit of snow today and am ashamed to say I was grumbling about it. Will ask the sun and Fish gods to take pity on all of you. LM

Hey Gilly Gals! Nice to "see" you back here. No apologies needed, I am very familiar with winter in the Northern plains/Rocky Mt area of the country. Lived in CO for five years, and spent another 10 on and off in SoDak. You're right about the bass/trout ratio but you're certainly not alone with that. As far as a future profession, it is of course all up to you, but in your neck of the woods we always need great guides (nice deer in your profile pic btw). And you can make some pretty good money at it if it's something you really love....but you do really need to love it. I worked for a guide/outfitter in CO for a season (June -Nov.) It was a wonderful experience, hard work, but worth the effort, at least for me. In the summer months we did guided horseback tours into the mountains and then it was off to hunting camp in the fall. Wishing you all the best with the Curado k. Shimano isn't my cup of tea, but they do make a decent reel, and hey, if we all liked the same things it would be a mighty boring world! Let us know how it works out, and please keep us posted on your season. Say "hello" to the big sky for me...it will be a long while before I get back that way and I sure do miss it! LM

Haven't had mine on the water yet but I should get a chance to try it out in the next day or two. Mine is an elite signature series, 7' med/heavy and it's supposed to be slow reaction. It surely feels like it will perform as expected when giving the line a good tug, but we'll see if that's true. Will happily report back after putting it through its paces.

I don't want a lot of electronics clutter in my yak so I went with a Deeper Sonar unit which attaches with a flex arm over the side of the yak. Visuals are transmitted via Bluetooth to a tablet or phone. Graphics are good, and in boat mode I can map out the smaller waters that don't have topos/bathymetry. With a split screen I can view both the map and the structure/depth/fish/water temp etc. I can also keep a check in real time on weather conditions. Not a bad deal for about $150- $200 depending on the model you get. Good Luck in your search for what works for you! LM

I agree x3!

Yup, know what you mean, not much on the full handle either but in spite of that I'm sure it will get used a ton this season. I do own one other full handle rod, which is essentially retired now. It's 35 years old, and custom built/wrapped 7.5 ft Lamiglas (MH w fast tip) It's like swinging a freaking baseball bat now. And it's a spinning rod that usually sports a Daiwa BG13. Had it made for fishing Wachusett back in the day when I was hunting lake trout and landlocked salmon. A 1 oz egg sinker and a big ol pike (live shiner) and that thing would fly twice as far as everyone else! No more of that for me, I am all about our magical green friends...give me bass or give me death is pretty much the motto for this gal. As for the AGS, well it would be really awesome but figure that cash is better spent, at least this year, on a trailer for my yak. Then I can disappear at 0 dark-thirty and leave hubby at home with the feathered "child" (aka my African grey parrot) Free at last! Free at last! Woohoo!!!

These are hot off the press so to speak....here are the specs. TAEL701MHRB-G Takahiro Omori CRANKIN' MH R 7'0" 1 10-20 1/2-2 Fuji®Alconite Tatula Elite Rods are designed with SVF™ Nanoplus Super Volume Fiber blanks for increased sensitivity and less weight. Crankbait rods are designed with GLATECH™ fiberglass / graphite construction needed for a slower reacting blank. The slower reacting blank is needed for the proper action of the crankbaits and allows fish to inhale baits better and not tear hooks. This will result in improve hook ratio while allowing and you increased sensitivity due to the graphite wrapped blank construction. All blanks have Daiwa’s X45® BIAS graphite fiber construction which prevents twisting and ovalization of the blanks for increased casting accuracy and improved distance. Our Pros had the opportunity choose either Daiwa exclusive Air Guide System (AGS) for more sensitivity or Fuji® Alconite guides. The team could also choose our Daiwa custom reel seat or Fuji ® reels seat upon their preference and to round out the series are elevated looking grey EVA foam grips for greater comfort. Daiwa’s Exclusive Super Volume Fiber-Modulus” SVF™” Graphite blanks or GLATECH™ Fiberglass construction X45® Bias Graphite construction prevents twisting of blanks for casting accuracy Daiwa AGS guides or Fuji® Alconite ring guides Daiwa Exclusive custom designed reel seats or Fuji® reel seats Limited 5 Year Warranty

Breaking out the yak this weekend for the first time this season. Going to hit a local puddle that was good for early LMB, and will be an easy paddle. Bought a new reel and rod this month and am itching to try them out! Daiwa Tatula CT Type R XS (8-3) and a Daiwa Tatula Elite signature series cranking rod! Woohoo!!!!!

I'll second that, and I too am a long time die hard Daiwa fan.