Crestliner2008

Depth-O-Therm is a neat gadget that you can tie on your line....cast it out...and get the water temperature and depth at the same time. Been around since the '50's and still sold at Netcraft!

I have a Garmin eTrex CX, a color handheld and I love it! Problem is, you end up with so many waypoints that's it's hard to remember what goes where! ;D Whereas with a GPS built into the sonar, with mapping, it becomes a lot easier.

I use to fish day or night, snow, wind, rain or whatever. Unfortunately, with age, some of those options become less and less inviting. And fortunately, since I'm retired now, I can pick & choose! So, no, I don't fish in the rain anymore. Besides, I have yet to find a rain suit that keeps me comfortable when out in rainy conditions. They will for about an hour or two. But after that, you start to sweat and/or the wet finds it's way into your sleeves or neck. I have had some of my best fishing, however, just prior to an immanent storm.

I've always enjoyed company, but when I'm alone is when I "learn" something from the fish & nature. This is also when I have a tendencey to try something new. When I have another fisherman aboard, I feel a bit obligated to make sure they get into some fish, regardless of whether or not I'm catching.

Crappie are much better eating than bass. Walleye are fine table fare, but not something most folks care to east on a regular diet. Hands down, the best eating freshwater fish going is the Northern Pike. And, popular opinion aside, it's not that difficult to remove the "Y" bones. You'll end up a lot of fine fillets and you'll be eager to dine on it weekly without tiring of the delicate flavor.

I agree with using hard/soft jerkbaits this time of the year for sure. However, I would not go with the more expensive hard baits, i.e.: L.C. Pointers, for instance. Fishing from shore, I've lost way too many! Don't over look the drop shot and/or Senkos either!

Cat nailed it as far as the pressure business goes. Your stump reference though, is cause for confusion as well. Structure is defined as a change in bottom configuration. A drop off, long point or hump. That and only that is structure (Buck Perry, circa 1960). A stump or some other object on that structural difference is called a "break" on that structure. A primary break can be a stream cut, road bed or a line of house foundations, etc., on or about that structural element. A tree or stump along that break is a "break on a break". These should be regarded as sign posts, which bass use to navigate their migrations from deep to shallow water and vice versa. Some bass do remain shallow for a good portion of their lives. But that is only because they have a very quick access to deep water, should they need it and the food supply is sufficient to keep them shallow for extended periods of time. And by "deep" water, what I am referring to, is a relative term, with regards to any given body of water. Sometimes this could be a 2' change in depth in a real shallow pond or river, to as much as a 20' change in a reservoir. You would do well to go to the library and take out Perry's book, "Spoonplugging". You can also buy this book online. It's worth it's weight in gold and will clarify structure explanations in clear, concise details. And a lot better than I've attempted to do here!

Outstanding catch and photo! Thanks for sharing!

Here in Western Ma, my favorite Senko colors are #1 Watermelon/blk flake and #2 Green Pumpkin/blk. flake (actually a brown worm!). And like rw said, taste is good indicator, along with falling action (tail has got to wiggle on the way down!). I've chewed on a few....and they do taste pretty darn good! ;D

I totally agree with what you are saying here about the Quabbin. Way too much fishing pressure on the bass these days. And the ONLY way you get 40 fish days are if you count "dinks". This past season I did find lots of bait however, so that's one point on which I disagree. Here's an example: I've marked more bait last year than in years past. However, using an Aqua-View (and hooking some), the forage base has shifted. Now there are much more small yellow perch than there are the previous years staples of smelt. I also agree that a lot more "meat" fishermen are practicing out there. Tough to enforce limits/sizes when there exists no patrolling! JMO.

Along with some of you, I'm still waiting for open water here in Western MA! It starts to thaw, then turn freezing again! 18 this morning at my place. Tomorrow am temps (wind chill factored in) suppose to be near zero! Grrrrrrr!!!

Here in MA, there is no closed season for fishing.

Just in case nobody has mentioned it - BLACK! ;D

I've found that the X-Rap is a very good jerkbait.

I'm assuming you fishing from a boat. Do you have a sonar onboard? If so, your approach to finding structure is OK, but you also must find BAIT on that structure. Determine the depth or positioning of that bait and present your offerings accordingly. Tubes, drop shotting, hard jerkbaits, large spinnerbaits - you'll get bit!

Always: Northwest side.

Whenever a bass follows and doesn't hit, it's because there's just something a little off with your presentation. The type of presentation is probably correct. What you need to do in this situation is to change size - up or down - and/or color. Sometimes just a little retrieve deviation can trigger them too!

Very common this time of the year....and very frustrating! Best bet is to back off....way off! Once you have them located, you can actually leave fro 1/2 hr. or so and come back. If you've seen them....they've seen you. No hope of triggering them. When you return....STEALTH is the key. Sneak up them VERY slowly. Stay very low....with the sun at your back if possible. Cast very lite lures or better yet, this is when that 3" Senko can be dynomite on a lite spinning rig with 6# test fluorocarbon line. It can be done, but one tap on the boat and it's all over. Good Luck!

Tried the Sluggos when they first came out and killed the smallies with them, right from the git-go. But the more I used them (and other folks, I suppose, did as well), their magic seemed to wear off! I still try them these days, but again, my results remain less than exemplary. And they are a great looking bait in the water too!? About the only thing that I've had great success on when first introduced - and still do to this day - is the Senko!

Bought a couple of these last year, but they don't seem to produce the way the standard Pointers or X-raps do. Anyone have similar experiences?

I agree, this feature is HUGE! X2 - This is what separates the Pointers from the rest of the pack, I believe. I've had great success on the X-Raps too. But they don't wobble on the pause (?). 8-)

OMG! That stuff is incredibly stinky! ;D I bought a couple of packs of their DS worms at BPS last year. As soon as I opened the pack, my partner said, " From now on, if you ask me to go fishing, it's either them or me!" One worm stunk up the boat for hours! ;D

I couldn't agree more. I carry both when fishing for smallmouth. I use the bait caster for the blades, heavy jigs and large spinnerbaits, when called for. This probably accounts for about 25% of my seasonal use. The balance goes to the spinning equipment. I do a lot of drop shotting, which can be done with a bait caster, but the light line (4# - 6# test) is better suited to the former, in my opinion.

Absolutely! It come down to one thing - location. If you can find their deep water holding areas (rely heavily on your sonar), near dams and/or adjacent to northwest flats (which warm up the fastest), then you'll do O.K.. You didn't say whether the water you fish is a lake or river, but I'm assuming the former. Try blade baits, tubes, drop shots and especially hard jerkbaits like the X-Rap. All else fails try a suspending wacky rigged Senko, under a slip bobber. You'll get bit!

All bodies of water have a feed source. The ones you believe that don't, are the ones with underground springs. No lake can survive without water exchange. To answer your question requires knowing how deep the lake is, water clarity, food source, vegetation, etc..