Banned User

@MassBass Thanks for the insight my man, really appreciate it. When you say considering water conditions do you just mean the like temp and high/low tide? I'm clueless fishing a river even how to approach it to find any amount of success. You're saying fish between the dam and the ocean? Is there any place on the river safe for kayaking? Thanks again

Hey all, Is this rod still usable or can it be made usable again by repairing it? Idk if that's actual blank splintering or what, any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

@WRBCould you please add specs to those rod assignments? I'm urious what double duty was shared with what PWR/ACT/LNTH - and did they share the same line? Your insight and experience is much appreciated my man. @roadwarrior your edit of my comment just quoting me left left no Quote or tag for wrb so I just wanted to make it clear that question was specifically for him and his comment listing all his double duty rods. Thanks y'all

Thanks, is it worth spending $200 on a moving bait rod where sensitivity doesn't matter that much? Or can you actually feel a difference between a hundred and 2 hundred dollar chatterbait or crankbait bite?

Hey all, I just upgraded a St. Croix MOJO Bass to a Victory - I was on the spot to upgrade and already have a few MH-F so I went with a Medium Heavy Moderate Fast instead, because I have none. I also have no experience with that action. I've seen it touted as a good chatterbait/spinnerbait rod, but I was wondering if it could also make for a good bottom contact rod (sensitive enough)? What do yall use a MH-MF rod for? Thanks yall

@WRB Thanks for trying to make me feel better, but the ME record was set 54 years ago, MA record was set 47 years ago, and since then fishing has only gotten worse - I've seen a number of studies regarding the temperament of bass and their genetic predisposition for taking a lure, add the studies regarding how fish absolutely become lure shy from past experiences and then factor in over fishing/fishing during spawn and taking those aggressive fish off beds so the aggressive fish have less offspring and add poor fish handling to finish the equation and we end up in the situation we're in now. I mentioned in another post I heard a guy who ran a tackle shop out of his house in NH say it took him over 60 years to catch a fish over 8 pounds - Since I already lost a fish over 8 pounds (10# state record 55 years ago) and I won't likely live another 60 years, and certainly not be fishing that long if I do, the chances of me catching a fish that size have dramatically decreased. I plan on getting more into swimbait fishing and trying to use some larger lures to entice the fat girls to bite, but then I'm absolutely hooking less fish and I don't have the time or bodies of water to play that game often unless I want to spend weeks on end using the handful of hours I get to fish just practicing casting heavy lures haha.

@WRB Around here the next cast has about .001% chance of being a 10 pounder, but if your looking for a roommate and have room for me, my wife, my 3 year old, and 4 month old I would love to come fish with you

Yeah I can see a huge fight with a fish over a hundred pounds and then losing it being physically,mentally, and emotionally devastating. @bowhunter63 That bites bro, one time I let a fish swim a bit because I was using light gear... so it swam around a dock pole and broke me off - now I try to get them in unless its open water. Thanks for sharing y'all!

@A-Jay I respect that you want to respect the OP, but that was 2 years ago as this was recently resurrected, and we were still talking about the specific topic posted - chatterbait rods. Thanks for your thoughts, I haven't had a chance to actually use it for a chatterbait, but I'll let you know how it feels. I went shorter for 2 reasons - more accurate casting around cover, and that was the rod on sale haha. @AlabamaSpothunter Thanks for sharing both your negative and positive experience, I'll take an ugly functional rod over a pretty dull rod any day. If I didn't just buy what is supposed to be a chatterbait rod and could buy a rod over 100 bucks I would definitely give that one a go - you got me amped with your description. Given that the rod I got is moderate and not moderate-fast I'm thinking I'm going to use braid. @AlabamaSpothunter What line were you using on that set up?

Thanks for the tips and warm welcomes y'all. I will say, I have never heard the term bassachusetts in my life. I do know that the further west you go the better the fishing is in this state. Wachusett is over an hour away and Quabbin over 2 hours, only shore fishing at Wachusett and if you don't know where to go its just a waste of time. Quabbin is gigantic and has the same issue, even if you rent a boat. And its not that there are ZERO big fish here, but percentage wise the likelihood of catching a biggun is significantly lower here than most parts of the country, but without a significant population of smallies to make up for it. SMallies are in very specific waters around here. And living in the north shore there is practically nothing for me here. Merrimack has a good reputation, but it killed a couple of kids and a mom last month and Iv'e heard that kayakers paddle at their own risk there because it is such a dangerous river to traverse. What I've literally heard is kayakers don't kayak there haha. If anybody knows any spots in North East MA I'd sure appreciate it, thanks y'all.

@A-Jay Yeah man, good stuff. So what do you think about the specs and techniques of the rod I mentioned? Really curious what you think about the spread of techniques it says.

@A-Jay Can we be friends? Solid catches in those videos man, I'm not a jealous person - but you got me turning green like the hulk haha. With your set up for chatterbaits, you still using a moderate rod with 15# fluoro? I just bought a FItzgerald, here's their description: VS68MH 6'8" MH Casting 8+TIP 8-15 1/4 - 3/4 MOD 14" Jerkbaits, Topwater, Finesse Cranking, Chatterbait I got it trusting its versatility for the 4 techniques listed, Anybody have any thoughts on that rod and the listed uses? If not that rod specifically, thoughts on its power and action for those techniques... Thanks yall

I freed a whopper plopper from a snag once and caught a treble a good ways deep into my palm. I had stopped to fish on the clock in between locations. I was only hoping to throw out for 5-10 minutes, but it turned into a bit of an ordeal. I realized then how unprepared I was and how grateful I was that I reacted quick enough to block my face and eyes. I ended up pouring a bunch of hand sanitizer on it and using an old relatively dull pocket knife to cut my flesh where the barb was so that I could pull it out. I now carry cutters with me to cut the hook if I have to push it through and cut it at the barb. As for unhooking a trebeled fish, if I can't lip'em safely I'll lay him on his side in the yak and always use pliers, forceps, or the long metal grabber lookin one.

Or they were all sunfish just yanking your line! I'd rather convince myself of that than the opposite, if you didn't see it you can convince yourself to believe anything - probably just stuck on a stick. Much love

Yeah that's a gut wrenching pic. My cousin keeps bass, I mean I get it because we grew up with very little and that's dinner - but he even keeps the ones worth catching - 5.5 pound smallie should be released for some kid to catch one day, just put another trout or white bass on your stringer bro. You wanna cull some little guys and make room for the big fish to get bigger, be my guest, but killing respectable fish - I can't respect that. @WRBIt almost feels like I'm talking to a legend with how many years I've been reading your posts. Thanks for the history lesson here, lotta respect for you my man. Much love

That's awesome bro! Hopefully the good little fish listen and go get mommy sometimes haha. @gimruis I wasn't directing my comment at anyone, just rolling off of your comment that it was odd. I just think there are some natural unforced common divides we see occur as children develop and turn into adults. Males and females tend to have many things in common, and some lines where men and women will have stronger inclinations towards things than the other group. I think in general angling is a sport that is more attractive to men than women, nothing wrong with that and nothing against anybody because of their sex on either side. But I also think it doesn't typically matter in fishing anyway, aside from the example you gave and perhaps some deep sea fishing. and even then, I was just out on a charter boat owned and operated by a woman. I just don't think we ought to be making a note of who has what genitals because it doesn't make a difference here is all. As many have said, they know plenty of female anglers, and I'm sure respect them as anglers and its not like "yeah, she's good for a girl." Much love

Thanks, I came up with it all by myself! I'm sure you're familiar with having to tell a fish what to do. I've heard my wife have to get firm and make a bass her fish! Sometimes its finesse and gentle light line and soft talk, other times you gotta pull out the big rod and get rough, 65 pound braid and a punch rig - You Can't Hide From Me Fish! Much love

The braid will make the MEGA difference, either learn the FG knot or crazy alberto knot. Or both depending on how into your gear and saving time you are. @Conclusion That looks like you might have stretched the line out too much while trolling, which leads to line that wants to warp and bend and tangle because it gets weak and kinks. Watch your lure weight, line strength, trolling speed, and drag when you're trolling. Much love

Not sure if its odd per se, there is absolutely no separation or advantage to either sex in fishing (the strongest fastest biggest prettiest highest jumping smallest farthest.... it doesn't make a difference here), the only difference is a natural occurrence due to no outside forces other than a trend in interest. @waymont honestly I have no idea who on here is a female or male unless there avatar is a personal pic, but really I don't care what genitals you have if you have something to teach me about fishing I want to learn from you. If we could only look up to or learn from the same sex as us then I would be much dumber and less successful in life - because about 85% of my teachers from kindergarten through 6 years of college were women. I respect and appreciate their input, and if they had a thingy it wouldn't have made a difference to me. I have been able to discern through the chats on the forum there actually are a number of active women here, but again - I don't think it makes a difference who tells me to set up a rig this way or that way or use this gear or that so long as I feel I can trust their experience and input. Much love

Yeah, that was a hard read my man. How do you rig up your shiners? I don't fish them often, but I feel like I might need to try more just to start the healing process and pull in some fish. @Jaderose Yeah that's a tough one too. I don't frog much because the hook up ratio is lacking, but it always makes the heart thump when a fatty jumps to attack. Much love

@ol'cricketyI can't add anything because I think the other answers make it seem worth trying at least once, but do you know any good spots up in Maine between Oxford and Raymond or around there worth hitting up? Much love

Great stuff y'all, thanks for sharing. My heart is breaking for some of you too, and then mine own is breaking again when people say things like yeah I've caught a few DD bass or a 20 pound bass and I'm like - that is literally an impossibility out here. Once my girls are a little bit older I'm going to have to get a guide somewhere in the country to hook me up with a DD, otherwise it might never happen again. Much love

That my friend, is a broken heart if I've ever seen one. If you're still talking about it 25 years later she's either a lost PB or a high school sweetheart haha Much love

I hooked into a good size pickerel the other day and a monster snapping turtle came out and tried to chomp at it wile I was bringin it in, I never wanna dangle my toes in the pond again. Was freakin crazy! I'm sure any ecosystem out of balance will have a negative impact on a particular or a few species that inhabit the area. I feel like turtles are all the things above, good, bad, ugly, beautiful - show us where bass might be and where bass might not be. But they are a huge pain with they bite your bait. Much love