MaineBassMan

Thanks Dwight and 00 mod! This is our third season fishing for the Fish-Off. Luckily it is in the fall one of our favorite times of the year to fish. The first year we fished the Fish-Off we got a 4th place finish, last year we got a 3rd place finish and finally this year a 1st place finish! Now all we need in a 2nd place finish! What made this Fish-Off so hard for me is that I've been working non-stop for over two weeks with nearly 90 hours of overtime!! Twelve hour night shifts 1800-0600. I could not take leave for the tournament so I tried to fit it in with my work schedule. So I went into Day one as soon as I got off work (12 hour night shift) with no sleep!! Made it barely to the launch site with minutes to spare before take off Fished from 0800-1600 jumped into the truck drove like a mad man got changed went back to work with no sleep!!! Worked another 12 hour night shift got off at 0600 and drove to the next tournament lake which was a little further made it with only 4 minutes to take off!! Fished all day again with no sleep and drove home to work another 12 hour night shift with no sleep!! I have two more days to work before I get a three day weekend! I FEEL LIKE A ZOMBIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have already learned this last year I had my 30/30 and my blackhawk when a 9 pt buck walked in front of my! Guess which one used? I'm not taking a rifle this year. By the way I changed the grips on the smith and I like the new feel!

We finished up the tournament season last weekend with our bass club, The Maine Blade Runners, they have a web page. It was a long season this year, we had 20 regular season tournaments and then the two day fish-off. You have to earn your way into the fish-off and only the top 16 boats can fish. There were some teams that didn't make the cut. The fish-off is like our clubs version of the "Classic". My father and I had a good season over all, not as good as some years prior but good none the less. We had one 2nd place finish,(should have been two but our boat had issues and we had seven pounds taken from us for being 7 minutes late), and two third place finishes. We had a bunch more where we were just outside of a pay check. We had more than enough to make the cut for the Fish-Off. Our fish-off is fished on two different lakes drawn from a hat. Our day one tournament ended up on a lake that has both smallmouths and largemouth and the day two tournament has only smallmouth. Long story short; Day one of the Fish-off did not start good for us. The tournaments go from 8:00am to 4:00pm. We didn't catch a fish until 1:00pm and it was only a 1 lbs 07 ounce smallmouth, our only bite so far!! We thought we were done for and from the few other teams that we talked to while we were fishing said that a lot of other boats were having a hard time. At around 3:00pm we still had only one fish but we kept a positive attitude and we kept saying "NEVER GIVE UP!!!"" THANKS MIKE!! At around 3:15pm we decided to make a short run down the lake and fish the thick pickerel grass for largemouth. When I pre-fished the weekend before I nailed the smallmouth bite and caught a 5 fish limit of smallies that weighed over 16lbs. We went into the Fish-Off with a smallmouth bite mindset. A week later we had a major rain/wind storm blow the whole week prior to the fish-off. This caused the normally Crystal clear water to become very muddy. This killed the smallmouth bite!! We arrived at the grass and I switched to a black and blue jig with a junebug Rage Craw as a trailer. As soon as we started fishing the grass I started to see big clouds of yellow perch moving around! My dad and I both said they have to be here feeding on the perch? well they were!! Within 15 minute we caught two four pound largemouth a three pound largemouth and another largemouth that was a few ounces shy of three pounds. By this time we had less than 15 minutes to fish before we had to make it back to the weigh in. We still had that dink smallmouth so on the way back toward the landing we stopped back were we caught the first two four pounders. We said that we would only take three cast. Well on the third cast my father caught a nice two pound largemouth which called the dink smallmouth. So we hammered it back to weigh in. Talking to the other teams just before weigh in it sounded like other teams struggled bad like we did in the beginning. We ended up with 15.86 pounds and the nearest weight to us going into day two was 12.70 pounds so we had a healthy lead. I'm going to make day two short or else I'm going to write three pages!! Day two was just as bad as day one for us. We didn't get a bite until 12:00pm and it was only 1 pound 1 ounce !! I could feel our victory slipping away. Remember Day two is a smallmouth only lake. I wasn't going to let this happen!! So I grabbed my spinner bait rod and said "Dad we have to run and gun this!!" So we started jumping all over the lake fishing all of the wind blown shores. I was throwing an all white double willow (Gold Blades)spinner bait and my Dad was throwing a black and gold spinner bait with big thumper blades. Finally!! around 1:00pm I boated our second fish, a just under three pound smallmouth and then an hour later I caught another upper two pound smallmouth. My dad still hasn't caught a fish!!!! then at around 2:30pm I caught another one right at two pounds and a couple cast later I caught another dink! but at least we had our five fish. They only went barely over an eight pound bag. At about 3:45pm on our way back to weigh in we made one more stop and my father finally came through and caught two bass one after another. This called our two dinks and put us over ten pounds. At weigh in we found out that if we didn't call those last two bass we would of lost!! But we didn't!!! Our two day total was 26.16 pounds and the second place team had 24.89 pounds!! they almost took it away from us!! It feels good to finally win a fish-off we get a pair of club jackets. We will wear them proudly!! We also got a nice pay check! We also had the day one lunker for an extra $170!! Sorry for the long story I only have a few fishing trips left then Deer season starts.!! REMEMBER NEVER GIVE UP!!!

LOL! nope he's a Tank!

Thats an idea! but I'm trying to teach him to run bass like wabbits so all I have to do is cast out in front of him.

Thanks all!! A-Jay, the sad part about the tourney thing is that once I got the boat out of the water I took the cowling off and I took my pair of pliers and tapped the selonoids and it went down! That's my WABBIT DoG he is a beagle named TANK MOE WABBITS, he just so happens to love bass fishing in the off season!

If you want mist use a lighter grain bullet. I reload the 60gr V-max for my .223 and it blow big nasty holes in coyotes! But a coyote is a little thicker than a chuck. Whoops not familar with the .243 I see that is as light as you can go. Sorry!

I don't buy their loaded ammo, but I do reload and thats all I use.

I've carried 1911's and revolvers They are a lot more attractive looking but this is concealed carry so I don't care if its ugly. My favorite carry gun, the one that I never leave home is Glock 27 carried in a Galco king Tut or whatever inside the waist ban holster. Accurate, light and easily concealed. This is the only picture that I have of it and I actually had to draw and use it for self protection on this buck! Long story!

Was this the Union river? There is some good smallmouth fishing there! Or was it the Penobscott? I just caught my new PB smallmouth too, congrats!

Well I've made up my mind. When things just don't excite you the way they use to you need to reignite the fire! I hunt the thick woods of Maine where all of my shots have been under 50 yards, actually you need to break out the .50 BMG cause 50 yards is way out there kind of thick. I've shot all of my bigger bucks with rifles and like I said they were close, and this is hunting from the ground. I could of hit most of them with a sling shot. I feel like I'm using more than I need even when I pack my Model 94. So I've decided that I'm going to hang up the rifles for awhile, maybe forever, and start handgun hunting? I already have a 6" S&W 686 plus which is enough gun for my situation but I want something a little bigger so I just bought a S&W M29-3 with 8 3/8" barrel. I shot some of my reloads through it and it is going to be a game getter. It shoots very nice! The following pics were from the day that I bought her. Shots were fired from 25 yards standing two hands unsupported. I shot her again the next day from 45 yards and she shot just as good. I hope I can sneak up on a buck this year and get a shot. Maybe when I draw a Maine Moose tag again I will try and shoot a Moose with it too? Does anyone else here handgun hunt? If so I would like to hear your stories and see some pictures. I never understood why with all he archery craze lately that handgun hunting hasn't become more popular? They are both a lot alike except for the big boom!!! The hole by the grip was a ricochet from next picture before after

Three in Three days thats not bad! I cand do that in an hour!

Yesterday I found myself busy doing chores on my day off. I started the morning off by installing a water pump for this woman up the road that comes to Maine from Florida for the summers. Then after completing that task I begin working on my boat. I had to replace the solenoids for my motor's trim. This cost me big time last weekend. I had second place in a tournament all wrapped up and as I started back for weigh in it failed! Couldn't not get up on plan and made it back to the landing seven minutes late losing seven pounds! Well anyways after replacing the solenoids I thought I better go and test it out so I headed to a lake about 40 minutes away. I got on the water around 1:00 pm. It was a cold overcast rainy day with no wind. I knew that the smallmouths were feeding on white perch lately so I tied on a white spinner bait with silver double willow blades. First cast I had a monster strike!! This think fought like a new state record. When I finally got it in it was only 2lbs 08oz smallmouth! I guess I forgot how good a September smallmouth fights? The white spinner bait was hot for about and hour when all of a sudden the clouds opened up an the sun broke out. It was like fishing a whole new day, it became hot and muggy and the spinner bait bite stopped just as quickly as it started. I decided that I would go to the back bay and see if the largemouth were active. After spending two hours back there without a bite I stopped and assessed the situation. I thought it's hot and flat calm, what has worked for me in the past in these conditions? I thought I've done pretty good with smallmouth fishing top water and wacky rigged senkos. So didn't feel like fishing top water so I rigged a junebug wacky senko and put a small nail weight in one end of the worm. I proceeded out to about ten foot of water out in the middle of this huge flat that surrounds this huge underwater grass bed. On my very first cast I watched my line sink when it stopped all of a sudden. I thought "It couldn't have hit bottom already?" So I reeled in the slack and I felt movement so I set the hook and with that the drag went crazy! This smallmouth acted like it had bottle rockets in it's butt, causing him to tail walk all over the place giving me a great show. I thought that the two pounder early fought well I was mistaken because this September HOG Bronze Back was really fighting! Just when I thought I had him licked I would bend over to lip him and he would go on another big run. Well I finally landed him and weighed him. The scale bounced between 4lbs 06oz and 4lbs 07oz so I called it at 4lbs 06oz. This beats my old PB by and ounce but it still beats it. It also measured 20 1/2"s The rest of the evening went very well as the wacky worm drove them crazy. Caught a couple nice three pound smallies too. Every time I get into the smallies I wonder why I even bother with the largemouths? Someday I will break five pounds. I don't Know why I haven't yet. They are caught in our local tournaments and a friend caught one with me in my boat last season, But I can't, well I have hooked into them before but everytime I get one something goes wrong. I was alone so it was hard to take a really good picture but here it is: Dang these pictures don't do it any justice. Calm water a three pounder and 2lbs 110z

Yesterday I found myself busy doing chores on my day off. I started the morning off by installing a water pump for this woman up the road that comes to Maine from Florida for the summers. Then after completing that task I begin working on my boat. I had to replace the solenoids for my motor's trim. This cost me big time last weekend. I had second place in a tournament all wrapped up and as I started back for weigh in it failed! Couldn't not get up on plan and made it back to the landing seven minutes late losing seven pounds! Well anyways after replacing the solenoids I thought I better go and test it out so I headed to a lake about 40 minutes away. I got on the water around 1:00 pm. It was a cold overcast rainy day with no wind. I knew that the smallmouths were feeding on white perch lately so I tied on a white spinner bait with silver double willow blades. First cast I had a monster strike!! This think fought like a new state record. When I finally got it in it was only 2lbs 08oz smallmouth! I guess I forgot how good a September smallmouth fights? The white spinner bait was hot for about and hour when all of a sudden the clouds opened up an the sun broke out. It was like fishing a whole new day, it became hot and muggy and the spinner bait bite stopped just as quickly as it started. I decided that I would go to the back bay and see if the largemouth were active. After spending two hours back there without a bite I stopped and assessed the situation. I thought it's hot and flat calm, what has worked for me in the past in these conditions? I thought I've done pretty good with smallmouth fishing top water and wacky rigged senkos. So didn't feel like fishing top water so I rigged a junebug wacky senko and put a small nail weight in one end of the worm. I proceeded out to about ten foot of water out in the middle of this huge flat that surrounds this huge underwater grass bed. On my very first cast I watched my line sink when it stopped all of a sudden. I thought "It couldn't have hit bottom already?" So I reeled in the slack and I felt movement so I set the hook and with that the drag went crazy! This smallmouth acted like it had bottle rockets in it's butt, causing him to tail walk all over the place giving me a great show. I thought that the two pounder early fought well I was mistaken because this September HOG Bronze Back was really fighting! Just when I thought I had him licked I would bend over to lip him and he would go on another big run. Well I finally landed him and weighed him. The scale bounced between 4lbs 06oz and 4lbs 07oz so I called it at 4lbs 06oz. This beats my old PB by and ounce but it still beats it. It also measured 20 1/2"s The rest of the evening went very well as the wacky worm drove them crazy. Caught a couple nice three pound smallies too. Every time I get into the smallies I wonder why I even bother with the largemouths? Someday I will break five pounds. I don't Know why I haven't yet. They are caught in our local tournaments and a friend caught one with me in my boat last season, But I can't, well I have hooked into them before but everytime I get one something goes wrong. I was alone so it was hard to take a really good picture but here it is: Dang these pictures don't do it any justice. Calm water a three pounder and 2lbs 110z

You and I are going to go fishing together soon before you leave this great state! I just have to put some new tires on the trailer, they aren't looking too good. Maybe we can get together sometime in the next two weeks. P.M me. Just has to be during the weekdays because I'm usually fishing tournaments or fishing with my father on the weekends.

Been fishing on just about every that I'm off. Just learned how to read my fish finder and have been catching smallies in 30+ foot of water. I've been drop-shotting smelt looking flukes, I can actually see my rig on the finder and watch the smallies on the screen actually come up and take it. I can even tell if it is a perch or bass on the screen. I actually start by finding the white perch and then you will find the bass. I was watching bass on the screen come up from 34ft to about 12ft going right through a cloud of perch and go back down to 34ft, must be feeding on the smaller perch. It is really cool I haven't had this much fun fishing in awhile. This winter I'm going to buy a real nice finder to put on the bow. It's going to have side imaging and down imaging, I think I've unlocked a secret weapon for tournament fishing! This is how i had caught and lost that giant smallmouth!

The last time I went there I walked out broke!

So did you ever make it to that smallie lake I told you about? I've got that one pretty much figured out but every once and a while it kicks my but. Nice looking smallmouth!

We have a Cabelas here to ICU812, but BPS is much better for the bass fisherman. You do know that there is a nice BPS in Foxboro, MA right? I've been there and its nice.

For high power rifle the .270 is my favorite just because I shot my first buck with it. However, all my bucks and bear since then have been killed with my Win. M94 30-30 win. with Williams peeps sight. This combo is the perfect settup for the thick woods of Downeast Maine. It is light weight accurate and fast handling. I have never had to track a buck that I have shot with it. All have been bang flops or bang go a couple of steps and fall over. So I voted 30-30 win.

Sorry I found a few more that I took with my camera: Another one that my best friend rattled out, weighed 176 dressed out.

These are the ones that myself and my family and best friend got. Over the past few years, we struck out the last two season though. I'm proud of these Bucks since its awful hard to get bucks like these where I live. Hope you guys like them. My Dad shot this one opening season of that year. It was the 5th largest buck shot (Dressed weight) in Maine that year weighing in at 260 lbs. The other rack he is holding is his only other buck he has shot and it dressed out at 235 lbs. A few days later I shot this buck that dressed out at 213 lbs. My Dad's Buck and mine The next season I shot this buck that dressed out at 201 lbs.I was actually standing over a bear that I shot the evening before when I rattled him out. A few days before I shot the buck above My best friend while hunting with me rattled this buck that dressed out at 259 lbs and ended up being the 2nd heaviest buck shot that season. This is my last buck that I shot and my smallest weighing it at 151 lbs dressed out. I would love to see more of a your bucks; both trail pictures and shot deer. I love seeing deer from other parts of the country.

These pictures are a little dated but they are still wandering around where I hunt. I just haven't bothered to put out my cameras. not a buck but cool rack

Looks like your in them good now. Just got back from a three day canoe trip and fished some very under pressured water. Didn't catch any over five but caught a bunch of bass. Three were over four (largemouths) and one three and a half pound river smallie. Couldn't fish that good because my canoe got busted up and I had to jump in another canoe with two guys whom rather paddle like crazy so it was one quick cast to a piece of structure if I was lucky! I might be down your way to prefish Toddy Thursday. I have a tournament there the weekend after next and it will Probably be the only time I can go. It will not help me much in two weeks but I need to get freshened up since I've only been there once this season. Keep on them!

I can't waite for deer season but I still want my bass fishing to go on a little longer. This year I plan on hanging up the rifles and bow and plan on hunting them with my Smith & Wesson Model 57. Every buck that I have shot and the ones my father and friends have shot have all been under 60 yards. No sense in carrying a rifle for those distances. Plus that leaves my hands free for grunting and rattling. We mostly still hunt up here.