Eastern Ma & New England Area Fishing Reports

[MassYak85]

Had an interesting start to the day. Me and my dad planned to try Buffumville for the first time. His car battery died so I got the towing duties for the day. We get there and the lake had been drawn down a good 3 or 4 feet, still enough water to fish but the end of the ramp had a hell of a lip to it. Deciding not to risk bottoming out the trailer we went to plan B and launched on Webster.

 

Water temps were still fairly warm, about 49 or 50...air temps were half that when we launched. The game plan was to target steep drops near the deeper areas of the lake in hopes they were starting to congregate near winter locations. First area we hit seemed textbook with the bass really getting their feed on. We quickly got 6 or 7 bass, with a mix of dinks and average size fish crushing jerkbaits. After that bite died we tried moving shallow in hopes of finding more active fish without much luck, fishing a mix of jerkbaits, jigs, cranks and spoons.

 

We went to another spot hoping to mark some bait balls around deep structure. Marked some deep in a spot that seemed promising but we couldn't connect on any fish. Tried jigging blade baits as well as small finesse paddle tails in addition to the jerkbaits without a sniff. We probably spent too long on trying to force a pattern to develop there. We ended the day shallow in an area with some weed beds still hanging on. I got my biggest bass of the day there (probably a little over 2-2.5lbs) on the same jerkbait from earlier. 

 

In hindsight, the water was still relatively warm, even though we had dressed like we were going ice fishing and my guides were covered in ice most of the day. I think we expected the fish to be deeper than they were and we would have been wise to search for those remaining weed beds first before trying the deep structure. I think we could have found a pretty consistent bite throughout the day had we stuck with that. But all in all a pretty good day, the size (again) wasn't there but we got about a dozen bass between the two of us, with some pickerel and perch thrown in the mix.

 

Definitely the best we've done in November before so I'm happy we're getting more confidence fishing the colder weather. This is the first season I think I can say I've got real confidence in jerkbaits. 

 

Oh, probably the strangest thing that happened...we were in like 20' of water and a pretty large crappie swam right up to the boat and let me net it. Never seen that before. 

 

I'm hoping to keep getting out until Thanksgiving after which I'll probably call it quits on open water and get ready for the ice season. But I'll be keeping an eye out for any warm December days for sure. Anyone else remember that 60 degree Christmas day we had a few years back? The fish were CHEWING that day, and I've never missed so many hooksets lol. 

[je1946]

16 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

Had an interesting start to the day. Me and my dad planned to try Buffumville for the first time. His car battery died so I got the towing duties for the day. We get there and the lake had been drawn down a good 3 or 4 feet, still enough water to fish but the end of the ramp had a hell of a lip to it. Deciding not to risk bottoming out the trailer we went to plan B and launched on Webster.

 

Water temps were still fairly warm, about 49 or 50...air temps were half that when we launched. The game plan was to target steep drops near the deeper areas of the lake in hopes they were starting to congregate near winter locations. First area we hit seemed textbook with the bass really getting their feed on. We quickly got 6 or 7 bass, with a mix of dinks and average size fish crushing jerkbaits. After that bite died we tried moving shallow in hopes of finding more active fish without much luck, fishing a mix of jerkbaits, jigs, cranks and spoons.

 

We went to another spot hoping to mark some bait balls around deep structure. Marked some deep in a spot that seemed promising but we couldn't connect on any fish. Tried jigging blade baits as well as small finesse paddle tails in addition to the jerkbaits without a sniff. We probably spent too long on trying to force a pattern to develop there. We ended the day shallow in an area with some weed beds still hanging on. I got my biggest bass of the day there (probably a little over 2-2.5lbs) on the same jerkbait from earlier. 

 

In hindsight, the water was still relatively warm, even though we had dressed like we were going ice fishing and my guides were covered in ice most of the day. I think we expected the fish to be deeper than they were and we would have been wise to search for those remaining weed beds first before trying the deep structure. I think we could have found a pretty consistent bite throughout the day had we stuck with that. But all in all a pretty good day, the size (again) wasn't there but we got about a dozen bass between the two of us, with some pickerel and perch thrown in the mix.

 

Definitely the best we've done in November before so I'm happy we're getting more confidence fishing the colder weather. This is the first season I think I can say I've got real confidence in jerkbaits. 

 

Oh, probably the strangest thing that happened...we were in like 20' of water and a pretty large crappie swam right up to the boat and let me net it. Never seen that before. 

 

I'm hoping to keep getting out until Thanksgiving after which I'll probably call it quits on open water and get ready for the ice season. But I'll be keeping an eye out for any warm December days for sure. Anyone else remember that 60 degree Christmas day we had a few years back? The fish were CHEWING that day, and I've never missed so many hooksets lol. 

Never had a crappie or any fish commit suicide.  "Take me I'm yours"  LOL.  I hear there are some huge crappie in Webster.

[MassYak85]

Snow and single digit temperatures are making an appearance in Vermont this week so I'll be heading back to MA to extend the fishing season the remaining weekends this month I think. Good luck everyone! 

[Don51]

It's "crunch" time!  ?

[DogBone_384]

8 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

I'll be heading back to MA to extend the fishing season

Good luck!

 

I'm gonna try to get down to Plymouth today or early tomorrow if I can beat the rain.  

 

I can pack light, bringing blade baits, jigs, and jerkbaits.  Maybe a couple spinners to coax the perch or trout if the smallies are uncooperative.

[Mr. Aquarium]

Good trip with awesome people. Slow fishing we worked hard. But we had a lot of laughs!  I lost a few good fish  Lost a big brown trout on my jig. Oh well it happens.  I got a king salmon on a Barbie rod. Wooooooo hell of a fight. My buddy hooked into a fish at the same  time so we had to duck under each others lines. It was so awesome! 99% of fish we caught were on my jigs I tied. I love getting fish on my jigs. 

[DogBone_384]

Looks like another great trip Mike! 

 

Bad news is I drove through the first snow flurries OTW home this afternoon.

 

Hopefully Plymouth & the Cape stay open the rest of the year!

 

Gotta get my December fish in MA.  

[Dunks N Dinks]

Cape Update: Not Done Yet

Got out on Long Pond Sunday (air: 44, water: 52) after about a month off from freshwater and initially struggled to figure out a cold-water pattern. Marked plenty of bait (alewives and perch), but couldn't dial up the right presentation. Took me until the afternoon to find a school of receptive largies stacked off the edge of a deep flat, which summarily fell victim to a vertically fished drop-shot. Managed 3 of these 1.5lb-ers out of the area before they turned tail and scattered. From there I decided to swing the big bat and up-sized to a soft swimbait and 3/4oz spinnerbait. I went shallow as the afternoon sun got high and C-R-A-W-L-E-D these across a few of my favorite hard-bottom spots. The size of the bait didnt seem to an issue, but my hookup ratio was...i had several smallies connect and then disconnect on the big spinnerbait. On the swimmer, i ended up keeping two buttoned. One was a healthy 2lber that clearly big-eyed the bait, while the biggun of the day was a 3.6lb larry that smoked the hudd on the fall. 

 

    

[Mr. Aquarium]

Nice report. Getting bit on the hudd!!!! Nice dude!! 

[Dunks N Dinks]

Cape Update: One Bite (Everyone Knows the Rules)

Got out for four hours on Wequaq prior to the Pats game. The air and water temps were both in the low-to-mid 40s, but the 20mph gusts out of the north made it "feel" like Lambeau field. Not counting a handful of toothy critters, I only got one bite...but it was a dandy. By far the best quality i've found this late in the year. She went 4.8lbs and knocked the snot out of a very over-priced jerk-bait (or maybe not? lol). Released her after a quick pic....gosh i hope she's in that same spot come next Spring.     

[Don51]

Nice gut on that one! Looks bigger than 4.8.  ?

[DogBone_384]

Drove to Hedges a bit before lunch and stayed until about 4:00.  Got four good smallies and one F A T (1.17 lbs) yellow perch in the kayak and lost the day's big SMB when I reached for my net and let off the pressure I had on it.

 

A blade bait, couple different jerk & crank baits, and a motor oil/green flake 4" Zoom U-tail were all I needed today.  All but one fish caught on the blade bait took it while it was idle on the bottom.  The same goes for the smallie that took the worm.

 

It was sunny, water temps were 45.9 - 46.4 and air pressure was 30.1. The wind was northerly at about 8 mph and was calm by 3:00.  I've used the ANGLR app, including their Bullseye, for most of this year.  It does a good job of tracking me, my catches, and the weather on all my trips.  It's pretty interesting.  I can log on and compare my trips for the year.  Today was my 61st trip of the year.  I've caught 200 fish of 9 different species.

 

All in all a pretty good trip for the week before Thanksgiving.  I'm heading back tomorrow after I replace a shower head for my parents, who coincidentally, live half way to Plymouth from my house....

[Don51]

At least you got a few! It can be real hit or miss this time of the year! 

[DogBone_384]

I made the trip back to Hedges just before lunch.  It was very windy, coming from the S/SW and overcast.  My five pound anchor did a good job of keeping me from blowing across the pond faster than I can pedal. Water temps were 46.x.  Air pressure was 29.6.

 

I stuck with yesterday's formula and came up with one nice SMB at 1 1/2 pounds.  Today's fish was taken in 5' by yesterday's blade bait.  Heavy rain came in around 2:30 so I beat feet back home, which was good timing because I got called in to help out with a 3 alarm fire.  

 

Given the weather, I'll take the one smallie and be happy.

[MassYak85]

@DogBone_384 Those are some respectable trips for this time of year! I'll be out tomorrow and maaaaybe Wednesday (if the rain isn't a downpour) to wrap up the year. Home for the holidays. But after that I'm helping my dad get his boat ready for winter and will probably make the call to pull my kayak racks off before they get encased in ice for the winter. Then it's time to prep for hardwater season. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! 

 

 

Planned to hit Manchaug this morning but it had been dropped far too low to launch. Went to Webster instead. Water was 39 to 40 degrees. I was optimistic after seeing a 2 to 3lber follow my jerkbaits to the boat at the first spot we tried. But no other nibbles and the wind picked up so we went to plan B. Managed a perch and a 1.5lber on a blade bait but it was a grind. Marked a couple schools of bait and what looked like grouped up bass but we couldn't get on them. Also tried jerkbaits and finesse jigs with no luck. Was also surprised to see a couple areas of green vegetation but no lick around those either. It's looking like that will be my last time out this year. I just wanted to get at least one bass so mission success! Good luck to those still getting out!

[Mr. Aquarium]

Got out in SE MA. Still trying to learn the shallow  cold water game. I’d rather fish deep ponds. 
Only fished the northern side of the pond.  shallow and weedy. Got 2 bass and a pickerel. Had to work for them.  Nothing big But they were health fish. All fish in the same spot. I was fishing holes in the weeds.  All fish were on hair jigs I tied. Fished the whole northern area but only found fish in one spot. Got the first bass and  pickerel early. Ventured around but came back to the same spot I got the first 2. Ended up with one more fish. 
I fished the hell out of a jerkbait, real prey and Matt’s meathead. Hoping to find one of the giants that live here. Not a sniff. 
Still can’t figure out the jerkbait game! For the life of me I can’t get on a good jerkbait  bite. I’ll maybe get one or 2 bass and a few pickerel but that’s it. 

 

[Mr. Aquarium]

It was a good afternoon. Quick trip. Only had an hour to fish before sunset. Got 3 bass and 2 fat yellow perch. All fish were on my jigs. 

[Deeare]

On 10/15/2019 at 4:17 PM, Dunks N Dinks said:

Cape Fresh/Salt Report: Turning Tail
Fished the final E.MA NEBassin team event on Mashpee Saturday. Conditions were pretty gnarly, temps in the low to mid-50s (water ~60) with a driving 20-25mph N wind. The bite was very tough after 3 days of rain and sustained 30mph winds leading into the tourney. Our plan going in was to keep the top-water bite honest early, then focus on deep smallies on edges of flats for the remainder of the day. Things didn't exactly pan out that way unfortunately; I did have a decent smallie bust on my spook on my 3rd cast in the AM, but it threw the hooks before i could winch him boat-side. Fast-forward 5 hours and we still didn't have a keeper in the live-well. We marked plenty of fish on the edges of deeper flats, but they were full-on lock-jawed (not tempted by blades or drop-shots). I ended up salvaging our day, catching 2x 3lbers on a finesse swim-bait in the last hour or so on nearly back to back casts right up against a deeper weed-line, but that was it for the session. Our bag went for 6lbs and change, and somehow made for a 4th place finish out of 14 teams (no limits weighed, 4.2lb lunker). This also gave us a respectable top-3 finish in AOY points. 

With the freshwater derby season in the rear-view, I got offshore on Sunday in the swell and it made for a bit more productive day. After a few hours of running around in search of live bait, we managed to set up a nice drift through some whales/birds in 200ft off water off Chatham and ran into a nice recreational Blue-Fin.         

 

Dunks.   Any chance you are heading out for tuna tomorrow.  I’m heading out.    Waiting on info right now.  We launch from either Sesuit or bass river. 

[Mr. Aquarium]

They opened it up? I thought it was December 1st

[Deeare]

8 hours ago, Mr. Aquarium said:

They opened it up? I thought it was December 1st

You can keep a fish under 73”.   Giants open back up dec 1.    If we hook a giant we will catch.  Tag.  Release.  

[DogBone_384]

Took another trip to Hedges late this morning (I couldn't resist because of the forecast!).  It was a good trip.  I landed three smallmouth, ranging from 1 1/2 to 2 pounds and a fat yellow perch just over a pound.  I also lost a bigger, fatter perch at the kayak.  The smallies still have some fight in them too.

 

I threw a Damiki blade bait, a few treble baits, a brown/purple hair jig, a dark purple 4" U-Tail, and 3.5" Keitech.  I needed only the blade bait and an orange Rapala Shad Rap Shad deep.

 

Water temps were 45.x - 46.x with air pressure sitting at 30.1.  It was mostly sunny and very windy from the S/SW until about 3:00.

 

If I get my December fish, I'll succeed getting fish in open water 10 of the 12 months this year.

[Don51]

Nice! I guess you like Hedges! lol That's a lot of driving back and forth for you isn't it? 

[Mr. Aquarium]

Got out for an afternoon trip and night trip. 
went out for deep water fish. Few hits on my hair jig. Few hits on a blades. Lost a big smallie on a blade bait also had another follow the blade to the yak. Wish I had more time to fish here before it got dark. I finally found active fish at sunset.

 

2nd pond I wanted to see if I could get a night bass this late in the season. I’ve fished here many many times at night.  I got 2 bass on a black dog shell cracker slowly reeled on top. Had a few other hits as well. Biggest fish was just shy of 3lbs. 
 

decided to try a trout pond for night time brownies. I saw and heard a lot of fish. But they had no interest in what I was using. 

[MassYak85]

I hope some of you were able to get out today! Forecast looked bad beginning of the week so I had already made plans. Wish I had waited cause you couldn't ask for better weather this time of year. 

 

 

Also, @Mr. Aquarium, do you have a fly tying vise you use for your jigs that you like? I've been meaning to get one to do some jigs and add wire keepers and such. 

[Mr. Aquarium]

2 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

I hope some of you were able to get out today! Forecast looked bad beginning of the week so I had already made plans. Wish I had waited cause you couldn't ask for better weather this time of year. 

 

 

Also, @Mr. Aquarium, do you have a fly tying vise you use for your jigs that you like? I've been meaning to get one to do some jigs and add wire keepers and such. 

 I got out. Few perch and pickerel. Had a few hits on topwater. Tried for a night bass again. No bass today.

 

i do have a vice I use to tie