royce

I would try some small floating rapala's Also, try some small popping lures. I like the 2 inch poppers. Some of the followers will not be able to stand it and some will blast it...

First, I only fish up there about once a year but I was wondering if you can use small castnets to catch baitfish? Also wanted to know how many rods you can troll with. I thought it was two but I didn't see it anywhere on the Maine Regulations site. thanks in advance.

...I usually start around 5:30 Am and I'm done by 8:30 am....early morning topwater action is hard to stay away from but I'll bring some senkos with me too. thanks

I'll be coming up to Shapleigh, Maine in a couple of weeks to fish for some smallies. Hows the fishing right now. Usually when I come up to fish it's earlier in the spring. I'll spend most of my time on Sqare Pond and Mousam Lake. I appreciate it.

JB, you are correct in most of my fishing time was shoreline casting. I caught the all the largemouths around submerged trees. No real biggies but a few LMs in the 3 lb class. I was limited in my fishing due to me using a canoe.

JB, I am from Florida and have come up to Visit a good friend who lives on Square Pond. I fished the whole week of June 6 through June 13th. I caught 20 -30 Smallmouth and some Largemouths each morning. About 3 hrs on average. Caught most of them on small Rapalas. A few on Jitterbugs but the rapalas were working a little better. I love it up there in the summer. Wish I owned a place up there. Maybe someday,,,, Royce

My guess is about 4.5 lbs on the first fish and 3.25 on the second fish. They are nice ones. The best thing on fish like these is not to weigh them and then you can give them a higher estimate. I've used this technique my whole life..

I live in Central Florida and the water stays hot for about 3 or 4 months. Usually when the bite slows down I spend quite a bit of time trolling with traps. I also alternate using 5 inch rapala floaters especially in shallow lakes. I troll with 4 rods and cover quite a bit of ground. I catch a good number of larger bass using this method. Another advantage is that it keeps a little breeze on you to keep you cooler.

I have some of the newer Shimanos. They are really smooth and hold up well. With that being said, I've also worn out some of the newer reels (Not all are Shimano) and the older Shimanos are still going strong. I do clean them regularly and take care of them though.

The Bantam 10xsg is the black metal body. I think it's aluminum. I think they have a v spool of aluminum too. I have several new reels also but I still like the old School shimanos. My favorites are the ones with the paddle handle.

I like the old Shimano Bantams from the 80's. I'm talking about the black ones that are dainty. Good for about 12 pound test line. These are smooth old reels and I grew up using them. I've been picking a few up along and along. What are your opinions of these older reels. I know that some of the newer ones have a little better retrieve ration but I don't think they are any better....