Went up into the Berkshires Thursday, hit a small shallow pond. I had some hits on a 4” grub but no hookups that made it back to the boat, seems they were grabbing into just the tail and letting go at the boat. The water being crystal clear I could see them do so, 2 bass, 2 picks. Only stayed a couple hours, the wind was about 10 mph and wore me out. Nice to get out though, first time this year and first time ever in March. And of course I forgot the thermometer, which was the main purpose I went.

 

Next time I take a few cranks.

1 hour ago, padlin said:

Only stayed a couple hours, the wind was about 10 mph and wore me out.

Are you kayaking? I use a five pound claw anchor with an anchor trolley on each side of my ‘yak so I can fish in the wind.  I also have a drift-sock if I want to, well, drift along a bank.

Skipped work on Thursday and went looking for smallmouth at a big lake.  I didn’t know there was a tournament there Saturday and everyone was out prefishing.  Was a little busy and hectic being in a kayak with bass boats running flat out.  Then the two idiots on jet skis showed up.

 

No luck actually hooking up with the smallmouths, but did get one 4lb largemouth with a grub off a shallow hump surround by 20+ foot water.  Finally found schools of smallmouth before I left and could get them to follow but never commit.  That’s when the jet skis showed up and started doing donuts; that was my cue to leave.  Water temp started off at 41 when I got there and was 46 when I left.

Does not take long for the yahoos to show up! Dealing with jet ski's already. 🤬 Won't be long before we hear of the seasons first drowning because of stupidity. Usually a flipped canoe, at night and no pfd's! 🤔

11 hours ago, DogBone_384 said:

Are you kayaking? I use a five pound claw anchor with an anchor trolley on each side of my ‘yak so I can fish in the wind.  I also have a drift-sock if I want to, well, drift along a bank.

I’m in a canoe, even with an anchor, which I have a use, 10 mph is too much for me.

4 hours ago, Don51 said:

Does not take long for the yahoos to show up! Dealing with jet ski's already. 🤬 Won't be long before we hear of the seasons first drowning because of stupidity. Usually a flipped canoe, at night and no pfd's! 🤔

Already happened in RI back in February, kayaker went out in Narragansett Bay on a windy day and never came back.

Got two real nice bass, one smaller but still quality Friday night. Can see the lure.

New to posting to the forum, but have been following for quite some time. Broke the 2024 ice with a decent smallie in a local reservoir nearby. Very tough bite. Threw the whole gambit at em but got this one to bite a small football jig. Only bite of the day unfortunately. 

 

On 3/18/2024 at 7:10 PM, VBassin said:

Broke the 2024 ice with a decent smallie in a local reservoir nearby.

Congrats on getting on the board for '24 and welcome to the forum.

 

I got @Fishing Rhino and his Nitro on the water today for the first time this year.  I caught a dink pickerel on a lipless and Tom came up empty.  He'd not run his boat for the last 3 years so today was a shakedown.  Unfortunately it has to go to the shop for some TLC.  We fished a big, shallow pond on the South Coast.  It was W  I  N  D  Y and we beat the rain.  Water temps were 47.x - 48.x degrees.

Not happy with winters return. I’d love to fish a full weekend sometime soon 

1 hour ago, Mr. Aquarium said:

Not happy with winters return. I’d love to fish a full weekend sometime soon 

Totally with you on that. I've been racing to finish getting my boat ready only to have to slam on the brakes as the front rolled in. And saturday they are forecasting almost 2" of rain... Ugh...

Can spring come back please?  I’m sitting here looking outside and it’s 38 degrees and pouring rain.  
 

Last couple of weeks spoiled me with getting out.  River near me finally came back down to a fishable level, got out a handful of times.  Did really well, biggest was a hair over 4lbs flipping into submerged trees in 6’-8’ feet of water. Also managing to find them in 12’-15’ on the outside bends that had rock bottom.  Water temps were in the high 40’s.  With all this rain today and the forecast for the end of the week, the river will be off the table for a while.  

1 hour ago, ne_dan said:

Can spring come back please?

Tell me about it! I fished a small pond on the Cape yesterday afternoon and froze my tookus off. It was a grind until the 9th inning when I came up with two smallies and a cute little perch. The first smallie was 2.67# and ate a red 3XD in 10’. The second was 2.02# from 20’ with a perch Damiki blade bait. Water temps were 46.x - 47.x.

It's not bad weather it's big fish weather. Caught a big brook trout 3lbs and lost a trophy brown trout to. Brookie is a pin fish out of the depths of Walden Pond 

Nice fish. What did you catch it on?

1 hour ago, guidoStow said:

Nice fish. What did you catch it on?

Big spoon

9 hours ago, MassBass said:

Big spoon

Sweet.

How’d it taste?

21 hours ago, DogBone_384 said:

How’d it taste?

It was good. Will have three meals. There is certainly a mysterious aura to Walden Pond. All the literature and legends didn't come from just another pond. There is probably brown trout in there that eat the stockies. The brown I lost with a bent hook was one of the most savage predatory strikes I have ever seen.

My late Winter Cape Cod trip was short, I wasn't in the mood to deal with the wind/rain/cold this year.

 

Only hit two other ponds.  One's a regular, and the other is a LMB pond I've fished only once.  I got 1 LMB and one Pick, early, in Sandwich then nothing for the rest of the day.  Water temps were lower than last Saturday @ 45.x degrees.  I won the skunk in Orleans, throwing everything I could think of.  Water temps in Orleans was 47.x - 48.x.  

 

I also saw my first Osprey of the year.

 

I'm ready for some sunshine and warmer temps, how about the rest of you?

2 hours ago, DogBone_384 said:

I'm ready for some sunshine and warmer temps, how about the rest of you?

Oh my goodness yes.

I will fight a full grown Kodak Brown bear if this rain and crappy weather doesn’t stop 

 Wednesday I was nearly skunked after long afternoon/evening then got this 5.3 as I was leaving. Nice to be back in Mass again. 

On 3/29/2024 at 11:45 PM, Sputterbug said:

Nice to be back in Mass again. 

You sure about that? Nice fish though, congrats.

 

I checked off April with a 2# smallmouth and 1.5# yellow perch at my favorite Plymouth kettle.  I threw enough of EVERYTHING but all these two wanted was a Houdini 3.8" Keitech.  Mr. Smallie was shallow, about 5', and came out of the water 4 times.  They're waking up.

 

Oh yeah, suckers were on beds....

 

Water temps were 49.x ... almost there.

I got out for a couple of hours after work today.  Just like @DogBone_384 I got my April bass.  4 in total, biggest was right around 2.5lbs.  The only thing they wanted was a Keitech 3.8” smallmouth magic on a 1/4oz jig head dragged down drop offs from 6’-15’.  Water temps were 48 degrees.