KenP

The easiest way to find the water temp is to use a pool thermometer around 10'. The surface temps will be all over the place. You can also use a thermometer in a fishes throat to get it since they are cold blooded.

Great smallmouth bite at Wachusett Res. Water is still very high but I think it's working in my favor. I've gotten a few rainbow trout mixed in so you never know what's on the other end. A small laker even followed my square bill to the bank.

The hudds will work fine as long as they get hit from above. They are very aggressive i caught many NH smallies on the Sebile Magic Swimmer. Get yourself an MS Slammer for top water explosions.

Best thing to do would be to email a fish hatchery that sells them. I bet they are around 3/4 inch. I have a few 4" perch in an aquarium and they are about that if I had to guess.

For more metal try a little cleo in nickle 3/4oz. Its a flutter spoon so just rip it up and let it go back down. I do really well on it and knock on wood have only caught bass on it plus a few large pickerel.

After the last few weeks of freezing temps I haven't seen much of anything open. Even the chu is completely frozen over.

Soft plastics always produce. I tend to throw bigger baits for bass. I catch and release 9.9/10 times so keeping them from swallowing it is important but I mainly try to target larger 3lb+. They hit it so hard and fast I've had a 1lber get a 5/0 EWG get gut hooked on a 10" berkley worm. Kastmasters I throw the perch 1/2oz with a teaser treble with a red rooster feather I tied on. You can just buy the VMC shad rap replacement hooks now in red and white or both. But I only throw that for lakers and salmon. A guy hooked a 20lb laker a few years ago on opening day on the silver 1oz so anything is possible. Get a whopper plopper now before the summer gets here and they are sold out everywhere. The Rat Ta tat is awesome in the 130 size. Make sure you have a medium/heavy or heavy rod that can handle a 1.5oz to get a good hookup. When the big browns smash this out of the water a lighter rod will disappoint.

Al's Gold Fish makes a "helgie" spoon.

I smash them all season long at wachusett. You know you can find a list by species on the mass site: http://www.mass.gov/

Twist Lock was the way to go. Even on a 5/0 weightless the 5.8 swims straight. Worm hooks I suspect need to be absolutely straight or when you adjust it to be weedless it will put a bend in the head and cause the rolling. Not saying it doesn't work but its much easier with the twist lock.

Just checked it and the hook was through the bottom and top grooves about 75% back on the top with the eye of the hook just inside the head. Given what others are saying I'm guessing the weightless rig is very sensitive to any imperfections. The owner beast 6/0 (1/4) and 8/0 (3/8) swimbait hooks will be here Wednesday. Will also be testing these guys with the OMTD Swimbait SWGs which seem like the perfect weightless fit for the 5.8's thick profile and the dirty jigs MA swimbait hook for deeper.

I was trying to slowly work over a weed bed and noticed on a TroKar 5/0 EWG Magworm hook with no added weight its constantly rolling over. I was tied directly to it using #15 flouro leader from last year on a spinning rod. I looked at Kietech's rig options and think this would have been their no sinker texas rig. The only difference is the 5/0 and not 6/0. I did order some Owner beast 6/0 and 8/0 weighted and unweighted. Hoping this will fix the issue but would like to know if others know what causes the rolling.

The hooks are premium, I think are 4x so you could get a lighter gauge hook. I just started using it tonight and can't figure out if the bass are dumb and can't hit it right or I'm not setting the hook hard enough. Landed one small lmb an he fell off and flopped into a hole I had to get him out of.. Karma

Fished the gate 7 and 6 area of the Wachusett Res from 545am to 10am with perch and rainbow trout 68 special Hudds RF12. Slow across the bottom and fast for to cover all depths. No bites at all. My back and shoulder were sore as hell. It's been a slow week after catching 3lb smb last Sunday. Turn over is in full effect. tonight went back at 6 for about 2hrs and went easy off a railroad bridge with a 3/4oz little Cleo and got 4 smallies and a large all around 2lbs. They hit on the fall. Also had a large pickerel on a taxes rigged rage craw. His teeth broke my 12lb flouro as he was deep and fought like hell. Funny story: While at the bridge I was standing on the lowest part very close to water. It's about 12ft at that wall. All of a sudden I see something swimming 2ft under the water which was about 30" and fat as hell. Almost died thinking a record laker or bass was next to me. 5 seconds later a beaver popped his head out of the water near me....

I've always wondered if a Florida strain bass could be released up here and grow just as big and just as quick. The farm born most likely cannot spawn but it would be awesome if they did release some goliaths.

Old mill dams that have limited or terrible access are great spots for old bass. I'm sure suckers and carp are high protein like trout. A large bass may only need to eat once a day or less. Some guy broke the RI record this year, patience and dedication will payoff.