LadiMopar

@MassYak85 Glad the map sites were a help. USGS is another good free topo resource but a bit trickier to navigate if your.not sure of the quadrant your after. Been having a similar issue with the pickerel, even if they're only out of the water for a few minutes...maybe the extra warm water temps are playing a role in this...hmmmm. 4:30 AM...out the door I go to hunt big green fishes! Hoping to find the big sister to this week's beauty.

@MassYak85 have you looked at the "Social Map" from the genesis map website? They have a reasonably decent depth map of the Sudbury res. https://www.genesismaps.com/SocialMap/Index You need to zoom in on the area; state then town. No easier way such as an index, but you might find it helpful. Also, you can download a free pdf topo here. https://www.anyplaceamerica.com/directory/ma/worcester-county-25027/reservoirs/sudbury-reservoir-611400/

A "bucket mouth; lunker; hawg; toad ...or pick your favorite big bass term....sized Thank you to all of you guys here in the EMFR group for the replies/reactions to today's big catch. It means a lot more than you would probably imagine. Wishing you all tight lines and a speedy end to this mid summer slump! ???? LM

If fishing from the shore you certainly would cast and retrieve the unit, but personally I had visions of $130 flying through the air, never to return! It feels really light weight in hand but tied to say 8# test it's more like hurling a bowling ball. So to answer your question, I attach the Deeper to a very firmly mounted flex arm. I have the original model with the 1/4 20 screw at the end of the arm and the unit screws right in. Nice and secure. The clamp on the other end fits perfectly around the frame of my kayak seat; essentially a fancy version of a C clamp. Also bought a refurbished tablet to use as my "sonar screen". I need to be accessible by phone at all times (caring for elderly parents) and the sonar just sucks the life out of the phone battery in about 4 hours. The tablet is also easier view. Went 50 years without gadgets on the water, and as I mentioned before this unit was mostly for mapping out the local puddles. Most trips I don't even look at it...but this past week was glad I did. It was a bit of a thrill to think there might be a "monster" bass down there, and highly motivational at 4 AM! Ssshhh...be very, very quiet...Ladimopar is hunting big gween fishes! ?

Thanks for the congrats, now about this sonar thing... I'm not using a "traditional" sonar unit [Humminbird/Lowrance etc] so you may be right and I'm certainly no expert, but I can tell you that this big girl whacked it not far below the surface. I was only in 10 ft of water and she was on it before it hardly had a chance to drop.[.25 oz T rig - not pegged] I wonder often how accurate these things are, and spend a good amount of time peering over the edge of the yak to see who or what is passing under me...truthfully I have the Deeper mostly for mapping out these smaller waters that you cant get bathymetry maps for. Like most of Mass we have tons of these "uncharted waters" in N. Central and it has kinda surprised me to discover the lay of the land under the surface of even the itty bitty 20 acre ponds.

Thanks guys for letting me vent a little a few days back, it really did help. but today I have great news to share! Out on Lost Lake in Groton again this morning about 5:30. It was humid as all get out, but nice once on the water. Water temps were up a few degrees from the weekend, 75-77 most of the morning, and just about 80 when I came off at 10. Headed straight for the cove were I've been hunting that "monster" for the better part of a week now. Just as I glide in I am greeted by a bald eagle who was scoping out breakfast, amazing! He/she circles over a few times and then swooped in, flying off with what I'm not sure, but it was absolutely a fabulous way to start the morning. Sonar is really, really quiet for the better part of an hour, and then I hear the fish alarm start pinging...just the usual smallish ones, and they are suspending between 2-4 feet under me. Working a slow crankbait, and not much is happening, so instead of ignoring that little voice in my head I decide to take my own "expert" advice. I tie on my secret weapon [soft plastic turtle] and bang, pickerel; toss it out again and bang! a nice little bass about 2lbs....toss it out again...and BANG! I have a bass that is taking me for a ride...woohoo!!!! She measured out at 20 [maybe a little closer to 20.5] long x 15 girth; just shy of 6lbs according to the weight calculator here at BR!!!!! [a little over 6 if she's closer to the 20.5]. Either way, I think she might qualify for first place on the BBWC leaderboard for MA!!!! WOOHOO!!!!!! If my balance was better I probably would have been dancing in the kayak. Without further adieu....

Hey Ralph, welcome to the EMFR. Sorry you're having trouble with shore access in your area. Before I got my kayak and after I lost my first truck that could carry a small boat I did a lot of shore fishing. Access can be a pain in the rear, but here's a link to the Mass fishing access map site that could be helpful to you. Each "star" on the map gives basic access info for that body of water, including shore access if it's in control of the state. https://www.mass.gov/fishing-and-boating-access You might also want to contact your local MA fisheries field office for info, they have tons of info and free maps etc., for waters close to home. Good luck in the hunt! LM

Sorry guys I just gotta vent for a minute...Grrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!! Argh!!!!!!! Water skiers at 7 AM!!!!!!!! Why, why, why do they have to mess up a perfectly wonderful morning of fishing????? Was the first one on the water this morning, at 5:00 and it was a brisk 54 degrees, fog lazily wafting off the water [73 degrees] Beautiful. Couldn't ask for a more perfect start to the day...Start up on the east end of the lake [paddling kayak] hunting a good sized LMB that I've missed a few times...no luck, so after an hour or so I start down the lake...finally get to this sweet little cove and the sonar is pinging away [don't look at it much but this time I did because it was on fire] I look at the sonar and there is this Monster fish icon on the screen [icons come in 3 sizes] the biggest one my Deeper has ever shown...and like Murphey's law flipped a switch the water skiers come out of the woodwork...ugh..fish scatter...and after an hour riding the wake of the Titanic and hunting for this fish I just had to pack it in. Just when a gal thinks she has a chance at landing a fish that will put her in the running for the BBWC...Poof! Like a dream it vanishes behind me in the itty bitty wake of my kayak... Not giving up...maybe if I get on the water by 4 the Monster fish gods will take pity on me and let me find her again tomorrow. Okay, done now...thanks I feel a little better. ?

Dang, water temps are still mighty warm down your way...they were a cool 73 at 8 this morning and 80 when I came off the water about 3. Must have been the 3 inches of rain we got on Tuesday and the fact that we were a "brisk" 49 degrees at O'dark thirty. ?

So sorry for your loss, and for his family. I lost a fishing buddy years ago and hung up my rods for quite a while after that...I carry his picture in my truck and in my yak now; I still talk to him when I'm on the water and sometimes I think he whispers in my ear about where the big ones are hiding. Things will be tough for a while, but the memories get sweeter with time...I didn't have the pleasure of knowing him but I raise my rod and tip my well worn hat to him for a courageous fight against a heartbreaking disease....take extra good care of yourself and his family. LM

Been pushing hard out here in N. Central; averaging about 4 days a week, 6+ hours at a whack. Only a few weeks left to qualify for BBWC...looking for the one that will put me at the top of the MA leaderboard....here bassy, bassy, bassy! ?????

I will second the Daiwa Tatula, I have two of them and they are solid reels for your money. If that $100 + price is not in your budget take a look at Cabelas bargain cave (online or in store if you are close to one) All the reels they offer there are either discontinued models, or floor demos. All come with full warranty, but remember that they can not be returned, so inspect them carefully. I've purchased several reels this way and have had no problems with them. Also, if you are interested in Daiwa reels, but the budget is a little less than that $100 most of Cabelas reels are made by Daiwa. Their version of the Tatula is called the Arachnid (T wing) and is just as good as the Tatula for quite a bit less. Best of luck in your search.

Does the "boss" paddle or fish at all? If not, and there is the slightest glimmer of interest on her part to try it, I would be more than happy to nudge her in that direction. Speaking for myself [and a select number of the sisterhood] more gals on the water with rod/reel in hand has been a life long mission. I have even been known to tolerate pink gear if that's what it takes! ?

Glad your young friend is doing so well. He's obviously getting expert advice. ? Dang fish never come when called, and then run off with all the good toys! Maybe Larry#2 will give him a hand...uh, fin with that. But on a tad more serious note, don't worry too much about the grips. I was reading a great study recently (college thesis) about the ability of fish (northern pike were the subject species) to dislodge hooks and other objects from their mouths. The student created floating crankbaits which were numbered and placed them into the pikes mouth, throat etc., even the most deeply placed baits floated to the surface in 3 days. No permanent harm to the pike. https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/fishing-lure-left-in-a-fishs-mouth/ Most likely Larry #1 will find a means to dislodge the grips. As for the camping adventure, do you have a date in mind yet?

I think most everyone is having a tough go right now with the water temps in the low to mid 80's. I'm getting out abt 4 days a week and all the guys I talk to are saying the same thing....very very slow if anything. I was at a fairly popular lake in Groton on Sunday (Lost Lake/Knops Pond), lot was full at 5:30 in the A.M. and because getting my yak off the trailer takes a little more work than the bass boats I let them all go ahead of me. Most of them were back at the ramp in under 3 hours; unlike me they can access the most productive sections of the lake far quicker, and it was disappointing to see them back so soon, shaking their heads in defeat....not a one of them caught anything bigger than a guppie.? In the last two weeks I think I've tried almost every trick in the book, and after getting skunked again today I'm wondering if I could even catch a box of fish sticks! ?? Hang in there everybody, like the seemingly never ending winter we had, this too shall pass! ?

It was almost as good as "Harry and Charlie" ?

I'll second that, and say the future of our sport is looking mighty good....nothing better than seeing the kids with a smile that big! ????

Thanks for mentioning the donkey leash, I'm not big on nets so this crazy fish grip should do exactly what I (and every other tournament angler in a yak) need. Just ordered one and am hoping it's as easy as the product vid. Any quirky things I should know about it?

@The Dread Pirate Fisherman wasn't complaining about the pike, he was making note of the fact that it had been illegally transferred.

Sweet!!!!! Congrats!

I never had the honor of meeting Kay but she sounds like a woman after my own heart. I've had many jobs in my day, but my all time favorites were managing a couple Mom & Pop B&T. And to be truthful they never felt like "work", it was more like extended family. ? So I can relate with everything they said about Kay and the folks she took care of all those years. I still think about and miss "my guys"; those relationships are truly unique, so my heart goes out to all of you who knew Kay...it's a connection that unless you've experienced it most folks could never really understand. So, Miss Kay I raise my rod and tip my well worn hat to you.

I absolutely agree with your sentiment, and do my level best to always take the high road, but as a kayak angler it can certainly be more difficult. Smaller, slower, and generally less visible, even with safety gear. (bright orange flag/lights) I have had to abandon my favorite waterway in recent days because I value my life and because the big bass boats (and other larger watercraft) fail to exercise a modicum of care; There is no excuse in my opinion to run full throttle around blind corners, jeopardizing the welfare of anyone who happens to be out there, not to mention leaving a wake the likes of the Titanic behind you. This river is well known for its kayak usage, and yes, I have seen and been the recipient of some really annoying behavior from other kayakers; as a general group we are not without flaws of judgement/behaviour, every group has its issues, but my point here is if you are a larger, more powerful vessel you should exercise a greater duty of care. It's no different than driving on the public roadways in my opinion and having narrowly escaped serious injury in recent weeks I have been forced to make a choice and give up fishing this particular river, at least for the immediate future. In an effort to make things safer for everyone I've chosen to express my concerns about several issues that seem to plague this place, from the annoying (ramp monsters, parking, sun bathers on the ramp) to the more serious life threatening issues to those who have the authority (Water shed association/Dept of Fisheries etc.) to address them. I'm hoping that some visual reminders such as signs in strategic places will benefit everyone's time and enjoyment of this beautiful place. Just my humble nickels worth.... Respectfully - LM

I own 3 T-wing reels and noticed this little hiccup before they were set up. Not an issue. Load that puppy up and get out on the water!?

If Everett isn't too far for you I see a lot of guys on a striped bass forum talking about Fishing Finatics B&T for rod/reel repair and service. http://www.fishingfinatic.com The only other I could highly recommend is just over the border in Nashua NH Granite State Rod and Reel. http://granitestatetackle.wixsite.com/granitestatetackle

Loss of a local "legend" on Plum Island. http://www.newburyportnews.com/news/local_news/plum-island-fishing-community-remembers-kay/article_4a463831-975f-5556-9060-dac7572a71a5.html