MassYak85

They're super fun, the wings can be finicky sometimes though. MDC makes a perch crankdown that I really like and I have a Cl8 possum I'll sometimes pull out but that thing is big lol. I've caught a few good ones but I have to be in the mood to commit to it.

The last couple years the Monka Crawler has been my favorite. Unfortunately it only works well with no or very light wind but man that is such a fun bait to fish. More wind I tend to go to crankdowns or bigger wakes like Slammers or the Gill/Trout.

I picked up a Psycho Trout last year only got to use it once before winter set in. Excited to try it out more this year. My Psycho Gill is pretty old and beat up haha. But sometimes those baits work even better it seems.

I'm from MA and have definitely noticed an uptick in quality fish since I started throwing swimbaits. I don't throw anything huge, usually 9" and below, but things like MS Slammers, Rats, Crawlers, and Gill baits get crushed. You're also around a lot of Pike so that is also a factor. I like titanium leaders but luckily don't need them too often up here.

I could definitely use some of these for the fall fishing above those shallow weed patches that haven't pulled back yet.

Was gonna order through their site. I agree the Foxboro store leaves a lot to be desired.

Been sitting on a bass pro card for a long time I might just stock up on some 110s before ice-out to be prepared.

Looking like a more traditional New England Winter. I've been doing some winter hikes and haven't been on the ice much, but with the weather this year I can't see getting out before April on open water. Which will break my streak of going out the first week in march the last 3 years.

My dad got talked into getting a Douglas XMatrix Swimbait rod at last year's show along with a 300 sized Lew's. I've been pretty impressed by the rod it's got a solid backbone but the tip section is really nice and doesn't make it feel like a pool queue but doesn't load the whole rod either. It's a nice in-between balance.

Seems like a slow day all over the state yesterday. We went out for 4 hours and only had 1 flag to save the skunk. Couldn't even jig up any perch. The groups next to us didn't fair much better.

Yes I agree with the premise of the law. One of my local lakes now has a nesting Loon population in the last several years which has bene cool to see. I think the main concern are things like lead split shot and smaller lead weights that mix in easily with the rocks. I don't see a Loon accidentally eating a whole bass jig.

IMO the law is extremely vague and open to interpretation. I don't think an EPO would give you a hard time for anything other than an actual jig or weight made of lead. The real issue for the birds is lead split shot and smaller weights. But things like spinnerbaits are obviously exempt, so by extension you could argue underspin jigs are also exempt. The line is grey to me. And then it explicitly calls out "weighted flies" as okay but I fail to see how that's any better than a jig.

The majority will be lead. Idk how they let that fly but it is frustrating. Some types of jigs are very difficult to find in tungsten or other materials. I order almost all online these days.

I was surprised some the discounts TW is offering currently. I have been underwhelmed by their sales the last couple years. I held back on a lot but stocked up big on some yamamoto 5" grubs (one of my go-to jig trailers), and gamakatsu nano finesse hooks (incredible jerkbait hooks).

Long term looks great for a nice ice season. I'll be hiking this weekend but hopefully the 18th I can get out.