Mainebass1984

Are there bass in Maine ?

I would recommend fishing the warmest water you can find. Inlets are great places this time of year. I went fishing in today in Maine. Most fish were caught in 4-8 ft. Water temp was 49 for most of the day. Landed 11 largemouth and 5 smallmouth. Lunker was a 5-2 largemouth. All fish were caught on a jig and a Keitech. Heading back out to another lake tomorrow.

If it does have bass then they probably aren't small

There some ponds in the area with motor restrictions that would be great for a kayak.

You could fish them it wouldn't be the easiest though. If you are confined to a kayak lower bay and upper bay would be your best bet. Honestly though there are countless small and medium size bodies of water to fish that hold big bass and get much less pressure then Kezar or Lovewell. The Saco River below Hiram Falls and the Ossipee river also are pretty good places to fish from a kayak. River smallies are fun and you get a lunker largemouth from time to time.

I can not say enough good things about Kezar Lake. There are double digit bass in that place. There are countless great places to fish in the area. Lovewell is either really good for me or terrible. My friend has a 6-2 smallmouth from there and I have seen some ginormous largemouth from there.

I am fishing it either with a Shimano Citica or a Curado. Anyone fishing Maine this weekend ?

68 Special ROF 12 I think it weighs 2 1/4 oz. Id like to hear how the basstrix swimbaits work for you.

Dick's usually has a good selection of Keitechs. I prefer to fish the 4.8" size. What size are you fishing and how are you riggin it ? In a perfect world you would match up your lure weight to what the rod is rated for. When I fish a hudd I am using a rod that is rated for baits up to 1.5 ounces. I also fish a s waver on the same rod with no issues. It is hard to beat a jig this time of year though. My biggest fish this year has been on a jig. My biggest fish each of the last 4 years has been on a jig. Got to love a jig !

Keitech swimbaits are awesome. I have heard the new rage swimmers will be pretty similar but more durable. Hudds work well. I need to get a couple more. I am sure you will get over the 5 lb mark soon. Spring is an excellent time for big fish. Real big fish. It should be picking up very soon. After this cold spell once we have 2 or 3 days in a row of 50 degrees or more then the fishing should be picking up big time.

I grew up near Fryeburg. The amount of water available to fish is great. There are some lunkers around as well. Plenty of tournaments to fish too.

Western Maine has some great bass fishing. I grew up there and still fish there from time to time. The fishing should really turn up after the next warm spell.

Shane J and I fished in Maine yesterday. The water temp varied from 44-46 degrees. We had our best luck where we found the warmest water. Most of the fish were caught in 6-10 ft. A soft plastic swimbait accounted for most of my bass. We also caught fish on jigs, crankbaits, glide baits, and a red eye shad. We fished about 7 hours and landed 15 bass mostly smallmouth. Lunker largemouth was 4-2. We caught 6 smallies over 3 lbs the biggest 2 were 3-12 and 3-11. What area in Maine are you fishing ?

This time of year I fish a jig very slowly. Typically drag it this time of hear instead of hopping it. At times I wait quite awhile each time I drag. You want the jig to sit and allow the skirt to flare out. I usually have great luck with more subtle jig trailers when it is still early. A uncle josh pork frog works well. I also have had great luck with a rage craw trailer which has a ton of action. A wise old jig fisherman told me that in the early spring, " When you think you are fishing slow, go slower"

A JIG !!!!!

It is time. Open water everywhere ! Early season is big bass season !

In the Maine Regulation book you can find Great East under " Boundary Waters Between Maine and New Hampshire" http://www.eregulations.com/maine/fishing/boundary-waters-between-maine-and-new-hampshire/ Here is Maine's Lead sinkers law: http://www.maine.gov/ifw/pdfs/Lead%20Sinker%20Law.pdf A bare lead headed jig is completely legal for now. Here is the NH state lead law as written: http://gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/xviii/211/211-13-b.htm As it is written if the length of your jigs is greater than an inch including the hook it is legal until June 2016. After that it is illegal.

Depends on the year. The way this year has gone you should be ok.

7-13 Largemouth in Maine on a 1/2 ounce chompers brush jig with a rage craw trailer

I grew up in the area. If you want to stay close to North Conway and fish for lakers Silver Lake in Madison is your best bet. There are also some nice rainbows in there too. If you wanted to travel a little further then there a few more options in NH and in ME.

7 lb 12 oz Largemouth in 2007. Caught on a Spinnerbait in the spring.

My friend Skip went out on Lake Champlain on News Year day and caught 50 smallies between 2 guys. They also got a big lake white fish. Pretty crazy winter. Most of Champlain is still open water. Fish are still biting...

I had a great year in 2015 fishing in Maine and Vermont. I did not fish as much as in past years due to some situations that I couldn't control. I still managed to get out and bass fish exactly 81 times this year. I caught 949 largemouth and 258 smallmouth in 2015. Total numbers were down from 2014 but more fish were over 3 lbs on average then 2014. I was fortunate enough to get on some very reliable patterns this year and ended the year with 43 bass bigger then 5 lbs. The largest for the year was 7 lbs 13 oz caught in the spring. This year was the 10th year in a row that I landed a largemouth over 7 lbs. I caught my biggest Vermont bass yet weighing in at 6 lbs 14 oz. I usually don't target smallmouth. When I did target smallmouth the fishing was outstanding and this year was the best I have ever experienced. Of the 258 smallmouth I caught 60 (about 23 %) were larger then 3 lbs. I also was fortunate enough to catch my personal best 4 lb 13 oz smallmouth. I had one of my best 5 fish bag limits ever in the spring which I was fortunate enough to share with my mom. For the day my 5 biggest largemouth weighed 29 lbs 15oz, the 3rd heaviest bag I have ever had. This past year the frog bite wasn't nearly as good as 2014. I caught more fish this year flippin then ever before. The most productive lure for me in 2015 was the jig. I had many memorable days with friends and family. I was able to get my mom and dad their biggest bass they have ever caught. My moms weighed in at 6 lbs 4 oz. On the year 7 friends caught there biggest bass fro my boat, the biggest being a 7 lb 9 oz bass my friend Brandon caught. Shane J from here on the forums caught his biggest Maine bass a 7 lb 8 oz largemouth. Shane was also fishing with me when he caught largemouth that put him on the leader board in Vermont and Maine that ended up qualifying him for the BBC. It was a great year in 2015. I can only hope 2016 will be just as good. I am hoping to fish swimbaits more this year and get my first 7 on one. As the custom as every year begins, I hope this year will be the year I get a 10 lb bass in New England.

2015 was great. Lots of big fish. No 8s but lots of 4s,5s, and 6s. The season lasted longer then ever for me and was catching quality fish right up until the end.