Eastern Ma & New England Area Fishing Reports

[bass.slayer69]

Finally recorded my first bass in MA today with a pound and a half smallie at one of my semi secret smallie holes. He hit a 3 inch bone spook, which I fished around dusk near a downed tree. I was surprised none of them hit the jig or Ned rig, but they came up for some top water eats. Stoked about it tho. I was recently in SC, and got 3 LMB there, each measuring at 16 inches. Overall, it’s been great to get back on those bass, and the ensuing bass thumb has been even better. Tight lines everyone ?

[MassYak85]

Cold front rolling through Sunday. Get out there guys! I'd expect some pretty good fishing at some point this weekend before it hits. I'll be grinding pretty hard tommorow and might launch the kayak for some night ops at one of my local spots. 

[MassYak85]

On 4/9/2021 at 11:29 PM, MassYak85 said:

Cold front rolling through Sunday. Get out there guys! I'd expect some pretty good fishing at some point this weekend before it hits. I'll be grinding pretty hard tommorow and might launch the kayak for some night ops at one of my local spots. 

Well that didn't go as planned lol

 

Saturday was okay. Managed some dinks and a 3lber on a jerkbait that I was reluctant to lean back on again, but it was a tough bite. Today I was on a mission. I hit the water at 4am and got some decent time in in the dark before sunrise. Was trying to fish the big baits hoping the front moving in would have them briefly fired up. Nope. Clouds rolled in, wind did a 180 and all of a sudden I was fishing in some raw 45 degree weather getting blown around I my kayak with nothing to show for it. That's fishing sometimes I guess. I'm curious how some of you did if you got out today. I thought before the front would be a slam dunk conditions wise. Maybe I was too stubborn with the big baits. Usually this time of year I'd have fished a swim jig at the place I went. 

[Mr. Aquarium]

Broke an expensive swimbait yesterday and lost a PB l. Fish hit at my feet, head shake and spit hook. So I woke up at 430 to head back. Nothing. No bites no signs of fish.  Hit another spot on my way home. Got a tiny 12 inch pickerel.

story of my life. Lose big fish, break a swimbait and catch pickerel 

[DogBone_384]

2 hours ago, Mr. Aquarium said:

story of my life. Lose big fish, break a swimbait and catch pickerel

You've sent me too many pics of big fish of all species ... That's why you're Mr. Aquarium!

If you can take tomorrow off, I'm getting the Ranger wet somewhere...

 

Lastly, your reel is still on my workbench!

[bass.slayer69]

Headed back to the reservoir that has been just downright producing recently, hooked my pb smallie on a KVD spook, reeled him in, tried to boat flip him, and he got off ?. So frustrating. Hook also broke when I examined it after, Strike King hooks seem to be subpar. Still trying to get my first mass largie of the year, but just can’t seem to get onto the bite. My goal is to get a good sized Larry by the end of the month

[MassYak85]

Went home defeated after my early morning mission. Took a much needed hot shower and nap lol. My dad wanted to go out again so I tagged along. We hit one of our usual spots and actually did fairly well. Fish weren't on beds or anything but with 58 degree water we found some males just outside some spawning flats and got 4 to 5 each on swim jigs and spinnerbaits. They weren't super aggressive some of the bites were subtle. I missed a good one that pushed several feet of slack into my line and I whiffed the Hooksett. Weather was raw but tolerable. Water is very warm for this time of year I feel like we'll have several waves of warmth and cold fronts before we break 60 consistently in a lot of places. 

[Dunks N Dinks]

Trip Recap: "Double Trouble" 

@Saltysmalljaws and I rendezvous'd at a foggy Cliffs Pond early Saturday to kick off a marathon session. Water temps were still a chilly 45 at the deep spring-fed kettle-hole despite the warming trend, but eventually melted up to the 49 area by 11am. The trout proved much more aggressive than the bass, with most of our morning spent de-hooking brookies that were savagely attacking our jerk-baits. At one point, I counted a school of no less than 20 brook-trout corralling a school of juvenile smelt in the mouth of a small pocket, so cool to witness. The smallies proved a bit more of a challenge to get at, but we did eventually find a few to pick up a light neko rig in the deepest parts of the small coves. As the water warmed and the wind kicked up a tad, we moved across the pond to a steep wind-blown break and scored a small flurry of jerk-bait fish, one pushing the scales at ~3.5lbs. 

 

Around noon-time, we trailered over to LPH and picked up where I left off last weekend, finding a few 2-2.5lbers on ML drops. With about an hour to go before our pre-determined deadline, we pushed up into the wind-blown shallows and made some magic happen. The water up there had warmed 8-degrees in a week (!), and a wolf-pack of big smallies made their presence known by doubling both of us over on jerk-baits in less than 5fow. Total ***show as both of us couldn't reach the net and our fish were both jumping on opposite sides of the boat haha. Somehow we both managed to scoop them in and had quite a laugh at the chaotic state of affairs, those two 3.5-4lbers capped off a long fun day of chasing Cape brownies. 

[DogBone_384]

14 hours ago, bass.slayer69 said:

tried to boat flip him, and he got off ?. So frustrating.

It is very frustrating.  Remember, SMB are masters of unhooking!

[Mr. Aquarium]

VERY HAPPY!!!!!  As some of you know big bass have been scarce for me in recent years.  Haven’t broken 6 since 2018. Haven’t broken 5 since May 2020.   After losing a new  PB on Saturday,  and breaking a swimbait. Came back.  Got a 5, then a 6.5. On a real prey forage trout.   It feels so d**n good!

[Mr. Aquarium]

another piggy today

[Mr. Aquarium]

Lost another piggy today.  I was close to landing it.  Fish hit, no fight just lot of weight. Jumped twice. Spit hooked on the 2nd jump. If it didn’t jump the 2nd time. Or if it didn’t spit the hook then I would have landed it. 

[DogBone_384]

Launched @ LPH yesterday afternoon around 2:00 PM and stayed until dusk.  @Saltysmalljaws joined me for a bit, which was the highlight of the trip.

 

I hooked onto a SMB in 5-8' with a red LV500.  It spit me on its second jump.  Stuck with different jerkbaits, a 3.8" Keitech, Ned, purple/brown tube, and Rapala topwater, but that one bite was it.

 

I spoke to two other boats while there.  Only one other guy caught one fish.

 

The weather was beautiful, low mid 50's, a light wind from the east, and air pressure @ 30.0.

 

Of the 15 trips I've made this year, I've only caught fish on three of them.  

[Mr. Aquarium]

Yea long pond has been crap. Heard from a few guys that the bite isn’t there 

[Meowmicks]

Went down to Tispaquin with the Kayak for the 1st time yesterday. Looks like another very flat shallow weedy pond. Still can't figure out these bodies of water, only bites I got all day was pitching to shore cover. Got 3 bites on creature baits but they all came off.

Tried crankbaits, jerkbait, spinnerbait, ned rig, even some top water.... nada

 

[MassBass]

Weather is all over the place...snow? What will all this cold rain water do? 

[MassYak85]

Who got out in the cold? I'm taking a break this weekend gonna hit it hard again next weekend I got a few days off.

[bass.slayer69]

Planning on making a run down to the cape/Plymouth area either today or tomorrow.  Anyone got any good spots? 

[DogBone_384]

6 hours ago, bass.slayer69 said:

Anyone got any good spots?

If you're bringing a boat, Wequaquet would be my first choice, followed by Mashpee Wakeby.  My second choices are Long Pond (Harwich) and Great Herring in Plymouth.

 

If you belong to the plastic navy, Hedges pond in Plymouth and Snake pond in Sandwich top my list.

 

Navionics maps are available on line for all except Hedges.  Hedges is about 20 acres, so it's easy to pin them down.

 

The state's website also provides maps: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-pond-maps

[bass.slayer69]

4 hours ago, DogBone_384 said:

followed by Mashpee Wakeby. 

Thanks for the tip, will let you know how it goes. Interested to see how the weather effects the fish, probably gonna throw a jerkbait and jig for the day. If you don’t mind me asking, do you have any tips for Mashpee? I’m a bit intimidated by such a big spot, as all I have is my inflatable boat and a trolling motor. Thanks

[DogBone_384]

9 hours ago, bass.slayer69 said:

as all I have is my inflatable boat and a trolling motor

Stick to smaller waters.
 

If you have a cart to wheel your inflatable, Hedges would be my first stop.  If you’re driving over the bridge, Snake Pond.

[bass.slayer69]

1 hour ago, DogBone_384 said:

Stick to smaller waters.
 

If you have a cart to wheel your inflatable, Hedges would be my first stop.  If you’re driving over the bridge, Snake Pond.

I was about to head to Snake this morning, until I had to make my way back home and head north. However, on the way back, I’m going to stop by Billington Sea, and will let you all know how it goes. If you’re able to get out today, enjoy the weather, and tight lines everyone

[gjfisher]

Whacked about 8 of them Sunday on finesse jigs and ned rig.  The weather was calm with only  a slight breeze so moving baits weren't doing much for me.  I switched to bouncing jigs/neds near 10-15 feet drop-offs and emerging weedlines and that seemed to do the trick.  Nothing big but all were healthy 2-3lb fish. 

[DogBone_384]

7 hours ago, bass.slayer69 said:

I was about to head to Snake this morning,

I have my best luck along the NE side, from the point to the end of the campground beach.

[Jigfishn10]

Canton Res was biting yesterday