'Boss lady' works from home so I made myself scarce yesterday and took the Ranger to Plymouth.  I hit two ponds and came up with one smallie at each.  The first one came on a tube in 25' and the second ate a 4" Senko I tossed under a floating dock.  My scale stayed off.  I marked most targets in deep water.

 

Winds were easily 12-15 mph from the SW.  It was mostly clear.  Air pressure was 30.2 and water temps were 68.x at the first and 71.x at the second lake.

 

I'm fishing NH this weekend.  Hopefully I'll have better luck and the rain won't be too heavy.

I caught seven in two hours this morning. Sad that my 2025 season is about to end. Other than tomorrow, the extended forecast is cold wind and more cold wind. I caught this beauty on my pond this morning:

 

 

And I caught these two at the same time while trolling two rods. I netted one and then the other and lipped them both at the same time:

 

 

This gal was shorter, but thicker and the hardest fighter:

 

 

I hope tomorrow isn't my final day, but it might be.  I hope to fish five hours, which I haven't done for too long and if I do, I hope to catch 18 more bass to give me 1,400 for the year. 

I stayed close to home this afternoon, fishing a very weedy and shallow pond a half hour from me.  I was shocked to see how low it was.  My Lowrance said 2.5 - 3' at most, when it's usually 5 - 6' deep.  This pond is mostly salad, which was still pretty healthy everywhere except the eastern quarter.

 

I kept it simple with assorted Flukes, some 1/2 oz. punch jigs (@Siebert Outdoors, naturally), a couple spinner baits, and the required Senkos.  I caught two dinks straight away with a Fluke and around the 8th inning got a decent bass on a green pumkin/red jig with Keitech Crazy Flapper trailer.

 

Water temps were 62.x and air pressure was 30.4.  Winds were 5-7 mph and came from all directions during my trip.

 

The highlight was a pair of Bald Eagles cruising around the pond.

 

Year after year I hope for the "Fall feed".  I've never found it.  "One of these days" I'll find it.  Maybe this weeking in NH.

9 minutes ago, DogBone_384 said:

 

The highlight was a pair of Bald Eagles cruising around the pond.

 

A pair is rare. Lucky duck!

 

9 minutes ago, DogBone_384 said:

Year after year I hope for the "Fall feed". 

 

I think bigger fish are more likely to hit, but I don't catch as many fish as I do in May and June. However, I did have a 70-bass morning and a 58-bass morning last fall, so they can go bonkers, but it's been rare for me...as two bald eagles.

22 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

I think bigger fish are more likely to hit

 

I catch my biggest bass in February and March and and a GOOD trip for me is four or more bass.  My skill level seems to have peaked out at two or three bass per trip.  I don't believe I live near waters that produce huge numbers either, even though most aren't very pressured.  My BP Larry, just over six pounds, came from my 'home' pond and my best Sally, just over five pounds, came from Mash-Wake on Cape Cod.  

 

I started to fish NH more this year but still haven't enjoyed any greater success than what I catch in MA.  Hopefully that will change with more hours up north.

9 hours ago, DogBone_384 said:

 

I catch my biggest bass in February and March

 

Whoa! That would be ice fishing for me. I'm surprised that Massachusetts is that much warmer.

 

9 hours ago, DogBone_384 said:

My BP Larry, just over six pounds, came from my 'home' pond and my best Sally, just over five pounds, came from Mash-Wake on Cape Cod.  

 

Those are both big New England bass and even more impressive because you live in crowded Massachusetts. 

18 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

I'm surprised that Massachusetts is that much warmer.

 

Cape Cod usually doesn't freeze over.  Last winter was the first in the last six years I had to break my auger out.

8 minutes ago, DogBone_384 said:

 

Cape Cod usually doesn't freeze over.  Last winter was the first in the last six years I had to break my auger out.

 

Due to climate change, we're forecast to have your Cape Cod climate one day. I already planted a redbud growing in my front yard that's a Zone 6 plant and we were Zone 5 just three years back. None of my neighbors know what kind of tree it is because it couldn't grow here the last guhzillion years. 

I'd love to hook into a 5 lb SMB. 

Biggest I ever got into was a little over 4 on the Quabbin. 

Went out yesterday morning and this morning, had an absolute grind. One would think the pre frontal conditions would have led to a monster bite but I got humbled real bad. Yesterday I went out to the sunken forest and landed one good fish on a whiplash shad and another on a bladed jig right before heading out. The clouds cleared out as soon as my kayak touched the water and I was faced with dead calm bluebird conditions. Really pretty though and two fish is better than zero so we move on.

 

This morning I realized I forgot to charge my fish finder battery and was left with only my senses. When I got to the pond the water had about 6” of visibility and the supposed wind was…not there? I had two bites on a toad, one missed hookset and the other just straight up missed. I’ve heard good things about this specific place but in my three trips and about 14 hours of fishing I’ve landed one dink crappie out of it. Pave it! I believe this was my first time getting a big ol SKUNK since May, very sad but you can’t win them all. Next weekend looks a lot better in terms of conditions, but I hope someone here got on em today, it looked too fishy this morning for nobody to succeed.

5 hours ago, AverageAngler said:

Went out yesterday morning and this morning

 

Me too. I caught ten last night and four this morning. This was last night's biggest, caught at a pal's pond on a pink Shimano Flashboost popper in a foot of water at the back of a bay:

 

 

And this was this morning's biggest, a little shorter at 19", but thicker, caught at my pond on a white spinnerblade with a black and gray glitter Keitech on the edge of a floppy grass bed:

 

 

I'm at 1,397 for the year. I want to reach 1,400, but I won't fish until next weekend. I'll likely fish my pond and stick close to where I launch because the water is cold enough to kill me.

14 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

Me too. I caught ten last night and four this morning. This was last night's biggest, caught at a pal's pond on a pink Shimano Flashboost popper in a foot of water at the back of a bay:

 

 

And this was this morning's biggest, a little shorter at 19", but thicker, caught at my pond on a white spinnerblade with a black and gray glitter Keitech on the edge of a floppy grass bed:

 

 

I'm at 1,397 for the year. I want to reach 1,400, but I won't fish until next weekend. I'll likely fish my pond and stick close to where I launch because the water is cold enough to kill me.

We're rooting for you to get 1,400!

 

If you still feel the itch when it gets even colder, a good dry suit might be in order. I got one this year and it was invaluable for when the water was juuust a little bit too cold for comfort( and also when I go swimming in April for my favorite bladed jig). That and a good pfd and you're basically a large bobber.

5 minutes ago, AverageAngler said:

a good dry suit might be in order.

 

I want one. I wish they weren't soooooooooo expensive. Still, perhaps for Christmas.

 

5 minutes ago, AverageAngler said:

We're rooting for you to get 1,400!

 

Thanks. I think I'll make it. I checked my trip reports for 2024 and I caught 12 bass on Nov. 1st. So, they should still be feeding in six days.

Got out Saturday morning with a buddy in my new to me Grumman canoe.

Wind was non existent until probably 11am… after a few not good weeks I finally was back on fish and having fun.

Started with a small popper I pulled out of a tree last year. Caught 3 species with it.

 

Them I switched to my weightless 4 inch Dingah and started to upsize.

We even managed to double up.

 

 

The accomplishment of the day though was teaching this guy how to fish a worm.

When he set the hook on this fish I thought for sure it was a 4lber for a second.

 

 

I bet you weren't swearing on that trip, Mr. TSA. Nice fish!

35 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

I bet you weren't swearing on that trip, Mr. TSA. Nice fish!

Thanks, but I definitely was… but out of joy mostly, not frustration, although I did lose a couple fish which got me spun up pretty good. The 2-3 prior weekends had me wondering if I still knew how to fish.

30 minutes ago, TheSwearingAngler said:

but out of joy mostly

 

12 hours ago, TheSwearingAngler said:

Thanks, but I definitely was… but out of joy mostly, not frustration, although I did lose a couple fish which got me spun up pretty good. The 2-3 prior weekends had me wondering if I still knew how to fish.

Is that place still heavily weeded in? I used to fish there years ago. They are in there but very difficult to get to. 

5 hours ago, Don51 said:

Is that place still heavily weeded in? I used to fish there years ago. They are in there but very difficult to get to. 

I’m gonna make a bold statement and say it’s the least weedy pond in the whole south shore currently. Come on out Saturday… I found  few spots that really produce.

My trip to NH was pretty lackluster.  I hit four ponds in the Laconica area.  I went back to the lake Sean Snover and I fished a couple weeks ago.  I managed 5 SMB with two over two pounds.  Winds were light until lunch then wound up to around 15 mph.  I only marked fish in a channel between two islands.

 

Day two was a new Lake where I caught a SMB, just over two pounds, on a 4" perch Senko.  I lost a bigger one on a knot failure with an orange and brown tube.  Winds were 20 mph after an hour or so so I beat feet and went to a small pond by the VT border.  I didn't mark much of anything and beat the skunk with a micro perch on a chrome/gold Stunna 112.  After five hours of tossing everything I could think of, I packed it in.

 

This morning was short.  I started to launch at my planned lake but the water was so low and dirt/mud ramp in such bad condition I didn't dare launch for fear I wouldn't be able to get back on the trailer.  My backup water was 20 minutes away, so off I went.  Between gear and Active Target problems, I folded my tent and left after an hour.  My AT has been problematic since I installed it.  Bass Fishing Electronics was very helpful helping me troubleshoot it.  They believe my house battery is too small and recommended a lithium replacement.  I really don't want to spend $1,100+ to remedy an already expensive piece of gear.  Right now I'm leaning towards just taking it out and selling it off.  Had I known how voltage/power sensitive FFS is, I would never have bought it.

 

I have only two more fish to catch this year.  One in November and another in December.  I know exactly where to go and I'll need only a blade bait.

 

2025 has been such a bust, I'm glad it's almost over.

 

ADD: I forgot to add that water temperatures were in the low 60’s and air pressure was 30.2.  I also saw pairs of bald eagles at two of the four lakes.

 

10 minutes ago, DogBone_384 said:

Winds were 20 mph after an hour or so so I beat feet and went to a small pond by the VT border. 

I saw a tournament post recently from Bomoseen with some pretty unreal numbers. Someone caught an 8 and their winning bag that day was like 29lbs. Someone else caught a 7 and a handful of 6s thrown in there as well. I gotta get up there at some point haha. 

1 hour ago, DogBone_384 said:

 

2025 has been such a bust, I'm glad it's almost over.

 

 Been a lackluster year for sure… I’m pretty sure I peaked last year.

I caught 27 this afternoon at my pond and 13 were at least 17 inches long. Here's one:

 

 

The smallies at my pond are crazy thick, even the short ones like this:

 

13 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

I gotta get up there at some point haha.

 

Sean Snover, of ReelNorthernBass gave me a couple locations in VT.  I marked a lot more large arches than any water down here.  The best I could muster was a three pound largemouth and a handful of 'lightweights'.  

39 minutes ago, DogBone_384 said:

 

Sean Snover, of ReelNorthernBass gave me a couple locations in VT.  I marked a lot more large arches than any water down here.  The best I could muster was a three pound largemouth and a handful of 'lightweights'.  

 

If you were marking arches, you were hunting deep bass, but most of my bass yesterday were caught in inches of water. They were so shallow I had to start retrieving my underspin before it even hit the water and many of the bass, when they hit, created a line in the water as they attacked because they were that shallow. 

 

However, until the last week or so, I was catching bass deep and I'm guessing they're still there, but the cold water scares me and so I'm clinging to the shorelines. Luckily for me, there are bass shallow in Maine.