Going to work I turned on the heat in my car this week! Definitely stay keen on things changing. In the past I have definitely hung on to summer patterns through September waiting for specific water temperatures and didn't take a step back to realize the changes I as waiting for already happened. 

Hopefully good timing for me, I'll be based in Buzzards Bay this next week.

I went to Mount Desert Island last week for a family vacation, had an absolute blast. The ponds on the island were surprisingly productive and I was able to land several good quality smallmouth on a variety of lures. My main producers were a dropshot and a tube (the classics) fished on the rock ledges surrounding points and the edges of emergent grasses with a topwater or weightless swimbait. My largest went 19" and the average was 14.5".

 

On Thursday last week I left the island and hit a bucket list spot in the Penobscot River. I did quite a bit of research and decided on launching in Greenbush and fishing the islands with the kayak. What an amazing fishery...

In 6 1/2 hours I landed 28 bass but could have landed 35-40 fish. All beautiful smallmouth bass that were intense and aggressive. With crystal clear waters I could see teams of life swimming around in the submerged logs, eelgrass, and boulders and it seemed that in some areas every cast was a bite. I had to work a bit to find the right areas but once that was dialed in I could predict very well where they would be. I started early-mid afternoon and fished until dusk, with the first half of the day dominated by tubes, dropshots, ned rigs, and jigs. After 5pm the wind picked up and after a short break the second half was dominated by a minimax bladed jig and a whopper plopper. Nothing of major size (except for the lost 18 incher on a bladed jig) but the average was a good 13-14". Some 16" fish especially at the end but overall it was so much fun and extremely rewarding seeing my efforts get some sort of payback.

 

19” on a tube.

 

Some Penobscot fish.

Aug 27th.

Mostly cloudy skies, calm winds, early morning temps in the low 50s rose to high 60s by 11am. Misty foggy surface. Unknown water temps.

I bought a kayak and took it out on a maiden voyage. Took only very basic fishing items, to figure out what I needed, modifications, etc. 

Fishing was a grind but still fun. The bass were small.

No top water bite. Most productive lure was a fluke and a jerk bait.

On 8/27/2025 at 3:31 PM, Angler Andy said:

I bought a kayak and took it out on a maiden voyage.

 

Congratulations on joining the plastic Navy.  There are a few threads here on rigging kayaks.  I'll recommend anchor trolleys on both sides, some type of fish finder, and at least one USB port.

 

That's just a start ... 

I’m down the Cape with my family and packed a kayak with plans to fish half a day before they arrived.  I arrived in Harwich, parked in the bike trail parking lot, unloaded and rigged my kayak, and carted it down the bike trail to launch at Hinckleys.

 

To my surprise, the Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) that owns the property surrounding the bike trail, is well underway improving the area you used to be able to drag a car-top down to the water and launch.

 

Under construction is a nice looking walkway with drainage runoff leading down to what I’d call an observation deck where the pump house stood. The ramp looks like it’s made for wheel chair access, but getting a car-top down it looks like a NO GO. There is an unimproved dirt road everyone used before the land trust bought the land, but it’s chained off to prevent vehicles from driving to the water.

 

HCT bought the land to block private developers from the defunct cranberry bogs around Hinckleys, which is good. As far as getting car-tops down there, we’ll see what it looks like when completed. 
 

Any-hoo, I didn’t get the kayak wet, but fished a couple topwaters from shore after dinner. Unfortunately, I came up empty.

Went out on Sunday and Monday. Sunday was the river and I had a good numbers day. The water levels were really low and they were stacked up in the only drop off available. The double fluke jr. was what kept my line tight, with some other fish caught junk fishing. I've never successfully used the double fluke rig and seeing fish actually take it was really rewarding.

 

Labor day I hung out at Walden Pond for the afternoon, with the beautiful weather and day off for many the water got packed up real quick. I'm no stranger to the place however so I know the fish don't really care that much about the traffic. I caught two small ones dragging a tube but mostly hung around and enjoyed the day. Fall is just around the corner and these fish are fully transitioning off their summer patterns, I'm so excited for what we have in store in a few weeks. 

50 minutes ago, AverageAngler said:

Went out on Sunday and Monday. Sunday was the river and I had a good numbers day. The water levels were really low and they were stacked up in the only drop off available. The double fluke jr. was what kept my line tight, with some other fish caught junk fishing. I've never successfully used the double fluke rig and seeing fish actually take it was really rewarding.

 

Labor day I hung out at Walden Pond for the afternoon, with the beautiful weather and day off for many the water got packed up real quick. I'm no stranger to the place however so I know the fish don't really care that much about the traffic. I caught two small ones dragging a tube but mostly hung around and enjoyed the day. Fall is just around the corner and these fish are fully transitioning off their summer patterns, I'm so excited for what we have in store in a few weeks. 

I've used the double fluke in the past with pretty good success. Only issue is if the pickerel are hungry they make a real mess of the rig. 

41 minutes ago, MassYak85 said:

I've used the double fluke in the past with pretty good success. Only issue is if the pickerel are hungry they make a real mess of the rig. 

Thankfully the pickerel weren't to be seen on Sunday. The other times I have tried the rig I used full sized flukes, this time with the fluke jr it just felt right. For a rig that's supposed to be aggressive I only got one bite when I was actively working the lures, most came on the initial fall and first pause.

 

I might try a mini alabama rig next time I go out, there is a lake near me that I really want to figure out with an abundant forage base. I have caught plenty of decent fish out of there but no more than 5 in a trip. It's about 100 acres shaped like a lima bean with some underwater points and lots of submerged snot and grass covering the rocks present. It's really deep with not a lot of structure other than the points and water visibility is around 2-4 ft. I notice a lot of fish suspending around 10-15 feet down and I have yet to land any from that depth. 

This year I made it a goal to try to get better at deeper water fishing, but so far I've still been leaning on the shallow bite. With water that's not the clearest, have any of you guys had any success catching those fish suspended deeper, or should I just keep trying the shallows? I feel like I'm missing out on so much water by not going deep, and while everything online states that going deep is for clear water, I just feel like there's a whole population I'm not tapping in to.

4 hours ago, AverageAngler said:

I'm so excited for what we have in store in a few weeks. 

 

What do you think will happen?

1 hour ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

What do you think will happen?

The F A L L  F E E D hopefully will kick off once the water reaches the 60s and my bladed jigs and topwaters get destroyed. 

Any one fish Sebago in October? Going up Columbus Day weekend 

6 minutes ago, AverageAngler said:

The F A L L  F E E D hopefully will kick off once the water reaches the 60s and my bladed jigs and topwaters get destroyed. 

 

I caught 29 bass on a walking bait this morning, my first big 2025 score with a topwater. Here are four of them and I caught some 17" smallies too:

 

 

3 minutes ago, Mr. Aquarium said:

Any one fish Sebago in October? Going up Columbus Day weekend 

 

It's too big for my slender canoe. Have you fished it other years and if so, how did you do?

6 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

I caught 29 bass on a walking bait this morning, my first big score with a topwater. Here are four of them and I caught some 17" smallies too:

 

What awesome fish! They're so long, I bet you in a month those 19.5inchers become 4lbers once their bellies fill out Have you noticed anything regarding what size lures the fish are choosing? The motto right now seems like downsizing is key but have you noticed a difference?

@AverageAngler: I cast a Duo Realis Pencil. It's 110 mm long, but being slender, it might be closer to matching the current baitfish. It also has two steel balls in it and when they rattle, they sound like a frog. I saw small frogs near the bank when I returned to shore.

32 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

I caught 29 bass on a walking bait this morning, my first big 2025 score with a topwater. Here are four of them and I caught some 17" smallies too:

 

 

 

It's too big for my slender canoe. Have you fished it other years and if so, how did you do?

Last time I was there was probably 30 years ago. So it’s been awhile! 

4 hours ago, AverageAngler said:

Thankfully the pickerel weren't to be seen on Sunday. The other times I have tried the rig I used full sized flukes, this time with the fluke jr it just felt right. For a rig that's supposed to be aggressive I only got one bite when I was actively working the lures, most came on the initial fall and first pause.

 

I might try a mini alabama rig next time I go out, there is a lake near me that I really want to figure out with an abundant forage base. I have caught plenty of decent fish out of there but no more than 5 in a trip. It's about 100 acres shaped like a lima bean with some underwater points and lots of submerged snot and grass covering the rocks present. It's really deep with not a lot of structure other than the points and water visibility is around 2-4 ft. I notice a lot of fish suspending around 10-15 feet down and I have yet to land any from that depth. 

This year I made it a goal to try to get better at deeper water fishing, but so far I've still been leaning on the shallow bite. With water that's not the clearest, have any of you guys had any success catching those fish suspended deeper, or should I just keep trying the shallows? I feel like I'm missing out on so much water by not going deep, and while everything online states that going deep is for clear water, I just feel like there's a whole population I'm not tapping in to.

I find "clear" is relative. To the bass living there 2' of visibility might be the clearest water they ever experience but on another lake if visibility drops from 10' to 3' it could totally throw them off. I also struggle with going deep but I have to remind myself the fish can still sense and find prey even if I can't see well into the water. I also have to remind myself that 20' isn't that far lol. Look at a bass boat going by, bow to stern doesn't seem very far if you're standing on it, so I try not to let 20-30ft intimidate me. 

16 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

I caught 29 bass on a walking bait this morning, my first big 2025 score with a topwater. Here are four of them and I caught some 17" smallies too:

 

 

 

It's too big for my slender canoe. Have you fished it other years and if so, how did you do?

Awesome outing!

17 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

I find "clear" is relative. To the bass living there 2' of visibility might be the clearest water they ever experience but on another lake if visibility drops from 10' to 3' it could totally throw them off. I also struggle with going deep but I have to remind myself the fish can still sense and find prey even if I can't see well into the water. I also have to remind myself that 20' isn't that far lol. Look at a bass boat going by, bow to stern doesn't seem very far if you're standing on it, so I try not to let 20-30ft intimidate me. 

I agree, it is until it isn't. Also 20' on a steep bank feels so different than 20' offshore. Confidence is really a superpower here, off the bank I wouldn't even care but the second I'm a couple casts away from the bank I start questioning things. Honestly this winter I'm kind of excited to try the blade baits that I see you guys have success with, I think the vertical jigging aspect will help me get more comfortable out deeper.

1 hour ago, AverageAngler said:

I agree, it is until it isn't. Also 20' on a steep bank feels so different than 20' offshore. Confidence is really a superpower here, off the bank I wouldn't even care but the second I'm a couple casts away from the bank I start questioning things. Honestly this winter I'm kind of excited to try the blade baits that I see you guys have success with, I think the vertical jigging aspect will help me get more comfortable out deeper.

For me it's not necessarily about the shore but I just need something concrete to lock in on. Whether that's a point, or a break, or a rock pile. I just need some sort of cover/structure so I feel grounded. It's hard for me to "cover water" so to speak when it's deep. Blade baits are definitely one of those deeper confidence baits for me though. I think my main struggle is it's usually windy in the colder months as the weather changes and it's hard for me to be confident in what I'm fishing when I can barely feel the bottom because there's a huge bow in my line. 

Sep 3, 2025

Sunny and very calm waters. Morning temp was 55 warmed up to high 60s by lunch time. Water temps I'm guessing was in the low 70s but the shallow areas did feel colder. I did not have a temp gauge but I used the another method called "WAG" ( Wild Andy Guess). 

Took the kayak out, although the air temp was 55 I quickly took the light coat off, it did not feel 55 at all.

Light fog off the water that quickly dissipated. Lots of wild life; wood ducks, herons, osprey, and a bat that picked off a bug right in front of me.

Water levels were very low, must have been about 3 feet low.

Since it was sunny, I decided to used a X-rap jerkbait and it did not disappoint. A few largemouth, one smallmouth, one sunfish, and a few chain pickerel. I also used a crankbait, and a wacky worm around the lily pads. At the lily pads I hooked into a pickerel that surprised me by taking out drag, I was about to tighten it up a bit, but it headed toward the weeds, I maneuvered it out, it then headed out toward deeper water, as I was about to tighten the drag, it bit me off. Good fight despite the pickerel winning the match.

The smallmouth danced across the water trying to shake the lure most of the way toward the kayak. 

As for kayak setup, an anchor is definitely in order, and to figure a way to interchange the fish finder from the gheenoe to the kayak easily. 

I am also going to get some kind of keel guard as well. 

It was a good day for me.

 

I have an older Lowrance Elite 4 gathering dust in my garage if you don’t need the latest and greatest technology.

 

12 hours ago, Angler Andy said:

figure a way to interchange the fish finder from the gheenoe to the kayak easily

I got my Ghost back from Bass Fishing Electronics (NH) and reinstalled it on my Ranger this morning.  I went to a lake @Fishing Rhino and I used to go to a lot to test it out.  The good news is my Ghost is back in service.  The only other news is that I fished to my capabilities at this water: a micro sized perch and a dink SMB, which seems to be my pattern for 2025.

 

I marked a lot of bait balls in 20+ feet of water, but no big marks around them.  I threw a spy bait for a while, figuring it's small and might entice a few bass to bite.  Only the micro perch went for it.

 

The weather was nice and sunny, windy, and the water temps were 74.x.  

 

At least September's checked off.  I'm still on track to catch fish in open water every month this year.

 

I'm fishing with the Reel Northern Bass (YT) guys in NH in a couple weeks.  They 'promise' me some BIG bass.... they've never fished with me before ... my Father nick-named me Charlie Brown when I was little and I've been missing that football EVER SINCE!

 

 

Caught this big girl last weekend

only one other bass (about 2lbs) which was good and on most days would be great… but come on.

 

there was also this, if anybody cares

 

 

I haven’t got out nearly enough this year but I’m on vacation next week and plan on fishing a lot if anybody wants to meet up in the SE MA area.

 

6 hours ago, TheSwearingAngler said:

Caught this big girl last weekend

only one other bass (about 2lbs) which was good and on most days would be great… but come on.

 

there was also this, if anybody cares

 

 

I haven’t got out nearly enough this year but I’m on vacation next week and plan on fishing a lot if anybody wants to meet up in the SE MA area.

 

Nice one! Nice crappie too. Always love catching big slabs and big perch on bass gear by accident. Did you get a length? Looks like it could have been a pin.