8 hours ago, DogBone_384 said:

Water temps should stay cooler in deeper waters.

 

Fishing Rhino said waters around The south coast were in the low 50's.

 

That has changed dramatically  at Sawdy.  Today's temp and the entrance to the main pond was just over 58 degrees.

The radar map looked better in Plymouth so off to Hedges went I after work.  Four smallies made it to the kayak, 1-6, 1-8, 1-10, and 1-15 respectively. 

 

Water temps were 56.x at 3:30 when I launched and 54.x at 7:45 when I left.  

 

Yamaoto's Heart Tail was the big winner.  I T-rigged it with a 1/8 oz VMC swimbait hook.  I got a bunch more strikes on it than anything else, and lost most of them with poor hooksets. It looks a lot like a smallie, I guess.  

 

I also brought one home with a Rage Tail Menace on a 1/8 oz. Keitech jig head.

 

I drifed over some beds on my way back to the beach and got to see piles of smallies guarding their eggs.  That and the two swans that flew right over me were really cool.

 

Looks like fishing season is finally here.

10 hours ago, DogBone_384 said:

The radar map looked better in Plymouth so off to Hedges went I after work.  Four smallies made it to the kayak, 1-6, 1-8, 1-10, and 1-15 respectively. 

 

Water temps were 56.x at 3:30 when I launched and 54.x at 7:45 when I left.  

 

Yamaoto's Heart Tail was the big winner.  I T-rigged it with a 1/8 oz VMC swimbait hook.  I got a bunch more strikes on it than anything else, and lost most of them with poor hooksets. It looks a lot like a smallie, I guess.  

 

I also brought one home with a Rage Tail Menace on a 1/8 oz. Keitech jig head.

 

I drifed over some beds on my way back to the beach and got to see piles of smallies guarding their eggs.  That and the two swans that flew right over me were really cool.

 

Looks like fishing season is finally here.

Pretty strange of smallies spawning with water temps only in the low 50's.   Guess the full moon must have triggered that?????

smallies are a cool water fish. so they spawn a little sooner then largemouth

when i got my 5.5 and 6.9 smallie at the Q last year.  the water temps were mid 50s. there was fish on beds. they were in 10 feet deep on a large shallow flat. i only caught one near a bed. that was a 5.5lbser.  the 4.2, 3.5 2.5 and 6.9 were all on topwater

https://www.bassmaster.com/tips/spawn-time-smallmouth great article about spawning smallie

41 minutes ago, swamp hawgs said:

when i got my 5.5 and 6.9 smallie at the Q last year.  the water temps were mid 50s. there was fish on beds. they were in 10 feet deep on a large shallow flat. i only caught one near a bed. that was a 5.5lbser.  the 4.2, 3.5 2.5 and 6.9 were all on topwater

 

Any idea as to the date you were fishing and caught those smallies?  Early, mid May perhaps?  I'm trying to figure a good guess on what water temperatures will be at the Quabbin this weekend... I'm guessing 42-45 degrees right now, but not really sure.. I have a lot more trouble predicting temps at the quabbin than anywhere else, especially this time of year. 

11 minutes ago, Janderson45 said:

 

Any idea as to the date you were fishing and caught those smallies?  Early, mid May perhaps?  I'm trying to figure a good guess on what water temperatures will be at the Quabbin this weekend... I'm guessing 42-45 degrees right now, but not really sure.. I have a lot more trouble predicting temps at the quabbin than anywhere else, especially this time of year. 

 it was may 7th. cloudy cool day. we didnt catch **** all day. took us 10 hours before our 1st bass. which was my PB 5.5 . so we stayed in the area! tried a topwater cuz nothing else was happening thats when the magic happened 

I threw a Whopper Plopper yesterday without so much as a look from any SMB. 

 

Will try again.

48 minutes ago, DogBone_384 said:

I threw a Whopper Plopper yesterday without so much as a look from any SMB. 

 

Will try again.

yea keep tryin water in the mid 50s there, topwater smallie action!! ITS AWESOME!! OWOOOOOOOOOO SOO HAPPY WATER IS WARMING UP!  

i caught a night smallie there early april last year on a spook. it hit 3 times right at shore! this was at dusk just before it got dark. 

spooks,poppers and whopper plopper should be in your line up! 

Well, last year when I was home in May; the dates were 13th-20th. The smallies were on beds in 4 different lakes. And off of them in three other lakes. The largemouth were on beds in the one lake where I lost the 9lb plus at the side of my yak. My brother got the 8.8lber two days later in that same pond. The largemouth were also on beds in three of the ponds. So, every lake is a little different by about a 4-6 days I would say when it comes to spawning. At least down on Cape Cod. From my experience.

All this talk of Smallies has made me make it my mission this spring to catch one and scratch it off my list of never caught!  I might try the Charles River closer to Waltham since I can't travel far from Boston.

4 hours ago, swamp hawgs said:

when i got my 5.5 and 6.9 smallie at the Q last year.  the water temps were mid 50s. there was fish on beds. they were in 10 feet deep on a large shallow flat. i only caught one near a bed. that was a 5.5lbser.  the 4.2, 3.5 2.5 and 6.9 were all on topwater

Oh man I didn't know you got the 6.9 on a topwater. That must have been incredible. 

Went to Devol today.  The peepers were peeping.  The turtles were sunning and the baitfish were swarming the shallows.  Every time I made a cast into the shallows it spooked the small fish lurking there.

 

Water temps from 58 plus to just over 60.

 

Caught four bass, the largest almost six pounds.  All were in close to shore.  All were caught a black with blue flakes Rage Tail Menace.  It got hung up on every other cast.  Next time I'll rig it on an Owner twistlock, keel weighted hook.  I had one (the Owner twist lock, keel weighted hook) rigged with a Rage Tail craw.  Didn't get hung up, but it didn't catch anything either.

9 hours ago, JAB50 said:

Well, last year when I was home in May; the dates were 13th-20th. The smallies were on beds in 4 different lakes. And off of them in three other lakes. The largemouth were on beds in the one lake where I lost the 9lb plus at the side of my yak. My brother got the 8.8lber two days later in that same pond. The largemouth were also on beds in three of the ponds. So, every lake is a little different by about a 4-6 days I would say when it comes to spawning. At least down on Cape Cod. From my experience.

 

What lake is this?

It's a secret! Joking! Honestly, Long pond Yarmouth for the largie. But, Harwich reservoir has some big big fish in it. Someone always pulls close to a 10lber out of there every year. Most of the lakes I fish on the cape have herring runs going into them! Long Pond Harwich/Brewster has probably the state record smallies in it. I've seen a 8plus lost at the side of my friends boat two different times on a RatL trap. Scargo lake has some big largemouth and smallmouth too. Any of the lakes with a herring run and stocked with trout are going to be d**n good for bass. Of course Mashpee-Wakeby and Wequaqet lake hold big fish too. But, both lakes have gotten hammered over the years due to tons of tournaments. Johns and Peter s pond are really good early. Like right now. Great places to fish a jerkbait now. Blue back with white/pearl sides or a perch pattern.

This fish was 9.8lbs. That's my brother. He caught that around May 13th with me. It was about 3 years ago. Cold front blew in and the fish were getting ready to spawn but pulled off and staged in about 10-15 feet of water. It was a killer day. He got that fish blind casting on the drop off. Dead sticking it while he was retying a different rod. Caught that on 8lb test and medium spinning rod setup. Thought we were going to lose it.

I'm out right now.Not a single bite in an hour so far.Throwing a jig/craw,jerkbait and swimming a grub on a ball head.

Don't be afraid to slow roll a spinnerbait. Double Colorado. The senko works year round too. Along with dropshotting.

trip from hell yesterday barely fished. so work was busy and my boss was being a $#@%^ (fill in the blank). so all i wanted to do was go down drink some beers relax and hopefully catch some fish.  so i get down to the spot down some dirt roads fishing a bog pond. yea my car dies there!  im like I don't understand. so im dealing with my dad triple A findin people to jump my car. first guy walking his dog had cables. i gave him a beer tried jumping it. no luck.  call triple A. they come. cant get the truck down here. so we try using the jumper pack. his jumper pack is dead.  so we walk back to his truck, shot the **** with him. caught a chunky bass in the culvert right there.   so we tried jumping no luck.  wait for another truck. we had to find another way in.   driving around the bogs looking for another way in. we found it. got it towed to the gas station i go to. 

starter went. 6 beers, 2 fireball nips, 1 fish for 4.5 hours

On 4/13/2017 at 7:04 PM, Fishing Rhino said:

Went to Devol today.  The peepers were peeping.  The turtles were sunning and the baitfish were swarming the shallows.  Every time I made a cast into the shallows it spooked the small fish lurking there.

 

Water temps from 58 plus to just over 60.

 

Caught four bass, the largest almost six pounds.  All were in close to shore.  All were caught a black with blue flakes Rage Tail Menace.  It got hung up on every other cast.  Next time I'll rig it on an Owner twistlock, keel weighted hook.  I had one (the Owner twist lock, keel weighted hook) rigged with a Rage Tail craw.  Didn't get hung up, but it didn't catch anything either.

NICE!!!! Any pictures? I'm getting anxty now that the conditions are getting good. 

No pics.  I'm too clumsy to risk pulling my smart phone out of its protective holder.  If I'd have been in the bass boat, I would have taken some pics.  It's handy in the center storage locker.  Just lift the lid, and there it is.  Don't need to be anywhere near the side with the camera.  Too many things can go wrong in the canoe.  

 

I almost lost a rod over the side yesterday.  I was picking up a rod, and somehow the eye at the balance point snagged the line on a rod below it.  It flipped the rod over the side.  Fortunately, it landed flat and I was able to grab it  before it got out of reach.

You've got pics of those two big ones you caught almost back to back last year though!

I'm going to be living in Boston again for the summer before I move out to Ohio to start my PhD. Looking forward to fishing with you guys again.

I see a Quabbin road trip coming up....

 

I drove to the Cape yesterday to recon some spots. Fished Sheep Pond for a couple hours with nada more than seeing clouds of Yellow Perch and one bass.  Water temps were 49.x

 

I moved over to scout Hinckley Pond but didn't launch.  It took me a while to find the launch. The state website's directions are vague, which might be a good thing.

 

I'm going to be down the Cape for a few days next week. I'm going fish Hinkley's with a friend's son Tuesday. 

Absolutely @DogBone_384

 

I'm hoping to be around by May 15th. I might even a baitcaster to play with by then.