Mainebass1984

In about 6 weeks or so there will be no ice. As soon as that happens I will be out there. My first bass in the boat most likely will be on a jig. What will your first bass of the year be caught on ?

What lure is that ? Never seen one. There are bass in New England ? 97 % of the fish you catch are on soft plastics and jigs ? You must know your numbers. You ever heard of this contraption called a crankbait ?

I am a jig fisherman. At times I trim the length and thickness of the weed guard depending on the thickness of the cover I am fishing. In my opinion the thickness and length of the weed guard doesn't effect my hook up very much. I have a very hard hook set, " I like to cross their eyes". If the cover I a fishing is extremely thick, like 4 Christmas trees stacked on one another for example, a trimmed weed guard will get stuck more often then a non trimmed weed guard.

Perhaps one season I would like to fish all the northern opens. Before that can ever happen I would need to purchase a boat that I can compete with. It takes time, effort, and money to compete full time. I could make the time and certainly put in the effort but I lack the sufficient funds to quit my day job and compete full time.

what did she weigh ?

That would be sad

The most money I have won for a tourney $5,250 Winning Angler of the Year in my bass club and the respect that came with it was far more valuable to me.

There were a few guys in the Northeast section under fishing locations that were competing on an online bass tournament the last couple of years. There was no entry fee. Bass had to caught in New England and measured on some sort of hard ruler. Total length for 5 bass won it month to month. It was a lot of fun and there was decent participation. There was no trophy or money to win. The winner got bragging rights for the month and a package of lures and plastics tha the winner or one of the contestants was kind enough to send out. The contest fizzled out after one person kept winning every month. It was a blast while it lasted. I do believe there also was a competition very similar to this one that took place in the southeast fishing section in Florida I do believe.

Keeping a fishing log will certainly help you become a better fisherman. Not only will patterns emerge from your notes but other details will emerge as well. The best lakes for bigger fish. The best times to fish each particular lake. The best jig lake. The best lake to fish on a sunny day. The best lake to fish at ice out. I can keep going. I fishing log takes time and dedication but it will certainly make you a better fisherman and help you put more and bigger fish in the boat. I have made some small adjustments along the way but I have been keeping a fishing log since 7th grade. I graduated college in 2008.

If is 3 pounds or over I am weighing it. Its just the way I have been for years and years. It is part of the fishing log I have kept for much longer then a decade. I like to weigh fish. I like to be able to tell people how big the bass was when I am asked. I like to keep track of my 5 fish bag. If you don't want to weigh or take a picture of your fish then don't. I like to do both. I am not taking a picture unless it is over 5 lbs though. Each to their own.

Congratulations to him for the win on his home lake. Casey Ashley still had to get the bites and put those fish in the boat. I have no problem whatsoever that he caught some fish off of brush piles he planted. It was stated the he planted 50. I wonder did he planted them all right before the tournament or had he planted some years before ? It really doesn't matter though. Just because you plant a brush pile doesn't mean that automatically is going to produce fish. For the past 5 years my club in Vermont has been creating brush piles and planting them in a local lake. We need to get a permit from the state to do so. We use Christmas trees that are anchored by concrete. The brush piles are set in 10 - 20 feet of water in a lake that has very little wood to fish. We have had club tournaments out there every single year and a bunch of the guys in my club fun fish that lake as well. Very few of the 75 plus trees hold fish. They suck. You would think that some of these trees, some over 12 feet tall, would hold big fish all the time. It just isn't the case. Just because you plant a brush pile doesn't mean it will hold fish. It doesn't mean that your going to win every tournament on that lake because you know a few brush piles. It is not like they are off limits to every other fisherman. With todays electronics anyone can find them. I have planted some brush piles, very few. Usually with some pretty crappy results. They are a pain to make and they usually don't work worth a crap. Some rot away over time. Fisherman have been doing this for years and years this isn't something new. It is a non issue. Nobody is breaking any rules then it should be fine. Almost every single lake that anyone on here fishes has had a brush pile planted in it.

Welcome ! This a great forum with ton of information and a lot of really good anglers. I fish VT, NH, and a lot in Maine. I see Somerset is your favorite lake. Lots of quality smallmouth in there. Maine is worth the drive if you want to catch lunker largemouth and a ton of fish ! Good luck out there. There is a bunch of ocal anglers on the Northeast fishing section under the southern NH thread.

I love targeting fish under though conditions. Usually happens around me in late Oct and Nov. With the water temperature in the high 40s and fishing 40 feet deep I would go with a silver buddy and a jig. Under those conditions I usually get more bites on a silver buddy but if you get a bite on a jig it usually is a quality fish. Fishing the jig painstakingly slow is key. I would assume you will get a few bites on the initial fall with a sliver buddy. I prefer to cast my silver buddy out let it sink and then very, very, slowly hop it back to the boat sometimes waiting 30 seconds or so in between hops. You can fish the silver buddy vertical as well but like I prefer to cast it. I do believe that they had an Elite series event on the Alabama River last year or perhaps the year before. I just watched the show. I think that the winning pattern was fishing the small ponds just off of the main river channel.

This past year was an exceptional year for me. It would have to be an A. I did not get a personal best nor did I catch very many over 7 lbs. The consistency was difficult to beat. For the season I landed 56 largemouth over 5lbs mostly form Maine. I also landed just shy of 1400 largemouth. Didn't land any big smallmouth nor did I land an exceptional amount only 182 but I don't target them. My heaviest 5 fish bag for the year was exceptional for New England in my opinion weighing 5 fish for 30 lbs 6 oz. I would give this past season an A because of the incredible consistency. The season started off very well and the fishing never seemed to slow down. I did well in my club tournaments finishing 3rd, 1st, 1st, and 1st to win angler of the year as a non-boater beating all the boaters as well, 43 members in my club. Finished well in the other 4 tournaments I fished 4th, 5th, 3rd, 4th. I would give 2013 an A as well, landing an incredible amount over 7 lbs out of Maine and Vermont, 13 over 7, 3 over 8 and 1 over 9, including my personal best at 9 lbs 1 oz. The past two seasons have been exceptional and hopefully this will be a great year as well.

Goldfish from the pet store don't count. Only thing I've seen you catch.

Smallmouth fishing is excellent in May.

I set the hook pretty hard. Not only am I getting great hook penetration I also am pulling that fish 2 feet away from the structure/cover with the hook set. I would rather set the hook a little too hard then not hard enough. I never worry about setting the hook to hard. If I rear back and set the hook with emphasis it is coming in the boat especially fishing a jig, frog, or worm.

Each state has its own set of rules and regulations. In Maine the only instance when you can keep fish alive is when you are participating in a tournament. All tournaments in Maine require a permit from the state that allows anglers to keep fish alive in there boats. If you are not in a tournament any game fish caught must be killed or immediately released. Anyone who gets caught with live game fish in there live well will face a hefty fine and even loss of license. If I were to catch a state record in Maine I would have to kill it to have any chance at the record.

They filmed it last summer

I have yet to catch a DD. I have been close. It is a tough feat to accomplish with NLMB in Northern New England. That will not stop me from trying.