36 minutes ago, Mr. Aquarium said:

I lost my first big fish of the season the other day. I think it could’ve been pushing 7lbs. Went to land it and my leader snapped. That one really hurt. I haven’t broke 3lbs yet this year. That was  like getting kicked in the balls, and then getting  pushed down the stairs 

Man that stings. What's your leader setup usually like? Most swimbaits I'm doing straight 20 or 25lb copoly but my soft bait setup is 65lb braid to a 35lb sunline shock leader. 

36 minutes ago, MassYak85 said:

Man that stings. What's your leader setup usually like? Most swimbaits I'm doing straight 20 or 25lb copoly but my soft bait setup is 65lb braid to a 35lb sunline shock leader. 

Yea it did! Worst spring ever had. But I also haven’t fished nearly as much as I normally would! It hit an RP alewife. I had it BB rigged with some heavy braid. It was a bait I haven’t used in a while.  The braid snapped, I got the bait back. I use 20lbs big game mono on my swimbait set up 

12 minutes ago, Mr. Aquarium said:

Yea it did! Worst spring ever had. But I also haven’t fished nearly as much as I normally would! It hit an RP alewife. I had it BB rigged with some heavy braid. It was a bait I haven’t used in a while.  The braid snapped, I got the bait back. I use 20lbs big game mono on my swimbait set up 

Oh d**n the actual line tie to hook connection snapped? I've never BB rigged a soft bait but I see guys do it that way all the time with the braid. That sucks. I need to fish soft bait more often I like the Real Prey golden shiners but just don't commit enough time to them. Feels like I lose more tails to big pickerel than I catch bass when I fish them haha. 

3 hours ago, Mr. Aquarium said:

BB rigged

What does this mean? 

 

And sorry for your loss

BB= Butch Brown rigged.

4 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

Oh d**n the actual line tie to hook connection snapped? I've never BB rigged a soft bait but I see guys do it that way all the time with the braid. That sucks. I need to fish soft bait more often I like the Real Prey golden shiners but just don't commit enough time to them. Feels like I lose more tails to big pickerel than I catch bass when I fish them haha. 

I love big soft baits. These real preys are super durable. They hold up real well to pickerel! 
 

she hit when I popped the bait out of the grass. 

I should’ve check the braid. The whole thing was going so must of been the knot to the eye on the bait 

Decided to register on this forum.

I've dropped by from time to time to see how the bite is overall in the area. I'll throw in my experiences as well.

I fish the Bristol and Plymouth county areas.

Cheers.

2 hours ago, Angler Andy said:

pp

Welcome!

 

What's your go to lure/ your style of fishing? 

 

I recently converted from basically Ned about 90% of the time to "i don't even remember what to do with a bottom contact bait"

 

I'm constantly throwing a spinnerbait or bladed jig now. I've become too impatient for most else at this point

Fishing Report May 1

Since it is relatively early in the season, decided to go to a small lake known for quantity rather then quality.

Fished all morning and quit just after noontime.

First cast of the day, my friend caught a 26 1/4in Chain Pickerel.

Most common fish were crappie, chain pickerel, and largemouth bass. As expected, on this particular lake, the bass were nothing to write home about. However, still fun to catch.

Baits used; jerkbaits and soft plastic worms (neko rigged).

Winds were calm to slight breeze, clear sky and sunny. Water temps were about 62 degrees.

Bass were shallow with the bigger ones in the deeper water.

I got snagged and went to retrieve the lure and spooked a bass hugging the tree stump.

 

@Banned User I've recently started using jerkbaits more often. But will change as the situation warrants it.

 

 

 

Ok, I’m packed & ready for a week in NH/VT, including rain gear and thermal base layers … even though it’s the beginning of MAY!

 

All you New Englanders know … 🙃

2 hours ago, Angler Andy said:

Fishing Report May 1

Welcome to the thread Andy. We look forward to new members joining in.

@Jigfishn10 started it in 2012. It’s nice it’s still active.

 

What part of New England are you in?

@DogBone_384

Quote: "What part of New England are you in"

 

I'm in the Greater Fall River area.

 Cheers.

Longtime lurker here. First thing I want to say for those who have been posting on here for years, thank you all for the mountain of information you all have provided. I got a kayak this past summer and have been upping my game seriously over the past year, and it has rewarded me with the best stretch of fishing in my life so far. 

 

This has been the first spring I fished hard and it has been a humbling but rewarding experience. Throughout the prespawn most days were a real struggle but I did get a couple day stretch where everything clicked. With water temps around Boston hovering at 64-66, the spawn has been really good however. I hit one of my favorite spots yesterday and had a field day with smallmouths mostly on bottom baits, but I did get some on topwater too.

 

The weather this week looks like it's gonna be super wet, what do you guys think is gonna happen to the bass with all this rain? My favorite river has been super high this year and I'm not sure when I will want to return to it 😕 .

 

Welcome @AverageAngler happy to hear you've kicked off the season well

 

With all this rain I'd say it'll bring a bit of an influx up shallow, the early spawners might swing back around for a nibble and the ones ready to pop will nudge up just that much closer to the bank. 

 

And not asking for a honey hole, but where around Boston are you finding smallies? I live on the north shore now, and work in Boston metro, from Woburn to Sommerville and in between. Putnamville reservoir has smallies, but never had any luck. 

48 minutes ago, Banned User said:

Welcome @AverageAngler happy to hear you've kicked off the season well

 

With all this rain I'd say it'll bring a bit of an influx up shallow, the early spawners might swing back around for a nibble and the ones ready to pop will nudge up just that much closer to the bank. 

 

And not asking for a honey hole, but where around Boston are you finding smallies? I live on the north shore now, and work in Boston metro, from Woburn to Sommerville and in between. Putnamville reservoir has smallies, but never had any luck. 

Thank you! I remember early June of 2023 there was like two weeks in a row of rain and there was a small pond near me where I smashed them on topwaters, hopefully I can replicate that this weekend. Considering how bipolar the temperature swings were in March and April it seems like the spawn has been at a pretty normal time, dare I say even a bit early?

 

I live near Watertown, and that section of the Charles between Moody Street in Waltham and down past Greenough Blvd does have a decent amount of smallies, but nothing noteworthy of size. Once July hits I really struggle to get anything there. Other than that Walden Pond is my go to spot and I got really lucky this weekend. With the higher water levels and kinda cruddy weather keeping the casuals out, barely any swimmers, very little wind, and only four other boats on the water meant the tiny pond was there for myself LOL. Normally that place is a no go for bass, too many people and the fish are soooo pressured.

 

I actually fished the Putnamville Reservoir this Saturday for the first time! it seems like most of the action I saw from other people were from the shore anglers by the dam. I got some fish by the Northwestern side, but oh boy was it a tough and interesting day. It seems like that place can be an absolute gem, but there's so many offshore rock piles I don't know how to fish them!

@AverageAngler - welcome aboard!

 

On 4/30/2025 at 6:10 PM, Angler Andy said:

Decided to register on this forum.

Welcome.

I cut my VT/NH trip short.  It just wasn't worth it.  I fished one lake 3X, skunked once and came up with 2 LMB between 2 3/4 & 3# and a handful of dink picks, perch, and SMB on the other two trips.  I fished a NH lake 2X,  blew a prop and luckily found two, one for a spare, 45 minutes from where I was.  I wasn't on the water long enough to do much the first go around, and drew a goose egg when I returned. 

 

I was told that 6 & 7 # LMB were fairly common in the NH lake.  I threw the normal assortment against the bank, on drop offs, rock piles, and what salad I could find.

 

I didn't see much for beds or life at either lake.  I saw three LMB cruising the bank in VT.  That was it.

 

For the drive time, gas, and extra expenses, I could have stayed local and had the same results. I'm going to clean my boat and stow my gear for a while.  Other than trying to get @Fishing Rhino out on the water next week, I need a break. Fishing's not fun right now.  

 

Water temps were in the high 50's, just touching 60.  It was overcast and drizzle/rain most of my time on the water.  Winds were light.

 

I guess the highlight would be the osprey that snagged a fish not far in front of me in VT and the very noisy loons performing their mating dance.  

3 hours ago, DogBone_384 said:

I cut my VT/NH trip short.  It just wasn't worth it.  I fished one lake 3X, skunked once and came up with 2 LMB between 2 3/4 & 3# and a handful of dink picks, perch, and SMB on the other two trips.  I fished a NH lake 2X,  blew a prop and luckily found two, one for a spare, 45 minutes from where I was.  I wasn't on the water long enough to do much the first go around, and drew a goose egg when I returned. 

 

I was told that 6 & 7 # LMB were fairly common in NH.  I threw the normal assortment against the bank, on drop offs, rock piles, and what salad I could find.

 

I didn't see much for beds or life at either lake.  I saw three LMB cruising the bank in VT.  That was it.

 

For the drive time, gas, and extra expenses, I could have stayed local and had the same results. I'm going to clean my boat and stow my gear for a while.  Other than trying to get @Fishing Rhino out on the water next week, I need a break. Fishing's not fun right now.  

 

Water temps were in the high 50's, just touching 60.  It was overcast and drizzle/rain most of my time on the water.  Winds were light.

 

I guess the highlight would be the osprey that snagged a fish not far in front of me in VT and the very noisy loons performing their mating dance.  

That's always tough setting out with high hopes and leaving with more questions than answers. New and big lakes for me can be tough because while I still have my confidence baits I feel more compelled to experiment until something works when sometimes I would have just been better off sticking to the basics and trying more spots. And even then some days the bite just sucks lol. 

 

But at the same time what keeps me fishing is the "mystery" of it so I think it's good to try new places occasionally even if they don't work out. 

May 8th, Thursday: Fished about 6 hours this morning.

Caught an assortment of fish. Largemouth but nothing of any size, crappie, sunfish, trout, perch, and chain pickerel. A few chain pickerel were fat too.

The chain pickerel were on a feeding frenzy.

One bass hit a top water but that did not last long before I switched to other lures. Jerk baits and paddletails were the best producers.

Caught a few on crankbaits as well.

All in all, half of those caught were bass, a few chain pickerels, and a smattering of panfish.

Weather:

Clear skies eventually partly cloudy.

Temperature: 55 - 63°F

Wind: Calm

Wind Direction: N then S

Water temps in the high 60s and by mid day 70 degrees.

Lost one lure, and friend hooked himself!

Cheers.

 

 

4 hours ago, DogBone_384 said:

I cut my VT/NH trip short.  It just wasn't worth it.  I fished one lake 3X, skunked once and came up with 2 LMB between 2 3/4 & 3# and a handful of dink picks, perch, and SMB on the other two trips.  I fished a NH lake 2X,  blew a prop and luckily found two, one for a spare, 45 minutes from where I was.  I wasn't on the water long enough to do much the first go around, and drew a goose egg when I returned. 

 

I was told that 6 & 7 # LMB were fairly common in the NH lake.  I threw the normal assortment against the bank, on drop offs, rock piles, and what salad I could find.

 

I didn't see much for beds or life at either lake.  I saw three LMB cruising the bank in VT.  That was it.

 

For the drive time, gas, and extra expenses, I could have stayed local and had the same results. I'm going to clean my boat and stow my gear for a while.  Other than trying to get @Fishing Rhino out on the water next week, I need a break. Fishing's not fun right now.  

 

Water temps were in the high 50's, just touching 60.  It was overcast and drizzle/rain most of my time on the water.  Winds were light.

 

I guess the highlight would be the osprey that snagged a fish not far in front of me in VT and the very noisy loons performing their mating dance.  

Sometimes a break is necessary, but then the itch comes back and I'm out there sooner rather than later.

3 hours ago, AverageAngler said:

but then the itch comes back

I have other toys to occupy myself with … a ‘68 Buick GS400 convertible…

 

Thanks for the encouragement.

The last few times I have fished have been shallow body lakes and FYI the deeper lakes such as South Watuppa Pond the water temp was in the low 60s as of May 3rd.

On 5/5/2025 at 5:02 PM, AverageAngler said:

Putnamville Reservoir

We're you on a yak?

 

On 5/5/2025 at 5:02 PM, AverageAngler said:

decent amount of smallies, but nothing noteworthy of size.

I'll take numbers of small smallies over 0 smallies any day, just throw some finesse rigs and every 1.5 pounder will feel like a monster

 

You ever watch Tackle2thepeople on YouTube? Dude from around here that really found a way to milk the algorithm and blow up. He hits the Charles sometimes, other spots across mass. Solid channel for some random tid bits, I think he focuses on shorts, great for the adhd haha

On 5/8/2025 at 12:22 PM, DogBone_384 said:

I guess the highlight would be the osprey that snagged a fish not far in front of me in VT and the very noisy loons performing their mating dance. 

 

When those osprey seize a bass, it looks like a controlled crash. I once saw an eagle take its bass to a dead tree to eat it and the eagle let me sidle under it for a long, close look. 

 

On 5/8/2025 at 12:22 PM, DogBone_384 said:

 

I was told that 6 & 7 # LMB were fairly common in the NH lake. 

 

I've learned that when you look under the hood of such assertions, what you find is that they heard some guy caught a seven-pounder once. Seven-pounders are rare in New Hampshire. 

 

On 5/8/2025 at 12:22 PM, DogBone_384 said:

I fished one lake 3X, skunked once and came up with 2 LMB between 2 3/4 & 3# and a handful of dink picks, perch, and SMB on the other two trips.

 

I understand your discouragement and then you lost a prop too. Dang. Did you ever read this trip report?

 

 

So many big bass, but so much work too: mud, slope, darkness, miles of paddling, etc. It takes a light boat and some exploring to find such places and you have to tolerate launching without a ramp and NOT sitting high and dry, but I do catch fine bass. However, a ‘68 Buick GS400 convertible is cool too.

1 hour ago, Swamp Girl said:

but so much work too:

 

I sure know about the work part of it.  I've all but worn out the pedal drive in my FeelFree kayak as well as worn through its hull.  I have a knack for fixing nearly anything, and added grease fittings to the drive and made my own replaceable skid plates for the hull.

 

Dad nicknamed me 'Charlie Brown' when I was little and I've been missing that football my whole life!  And being of mostly German descent, I don't always have a sense of humor regarding 'failure'.

 

8 minutes ago, DogBone_384 said:

made my own replaceable skid plates for the hull

 

Cool! Got a pic?