Eastern Ma & New England Area Fishing Reports

[DogBone_384]

Spent the last couple days on Cape Cod getting my Ranger out for some exercise...

 

Fished with @Saltysmalljaws Sunday morning at LPH.  We covered a lot of ground despite 12-15 mph winds coming from the South.  I came up with two decent SMB and one yellow perch off a steep drop off.  Jake had family duties and stayed until 1230.  I continued covering as much water as possible until dusk.  I came up empty after lunch, but two good SMB teased me my taking my jerkbait but self extracting before I could get them to the boat.  

 

I spent A L L of Monday at Weuququet.  Most of my fish came just after first light on a perch V110 on a rocky wind blown shore.  I picked up a LMB and pick here and there the rest of the day.  My perch V110 did most of the damage, but did pretty good with a drop shot too. I totaled 18 fish for the day.  Most were picks, with a few LMB and a couple yellow perch mixed in.  Two picks were north of 3 pounds.  Everyone else was a pound or less.  Winds were also 12-15 mph in the morning and waned a little by the time I left, around 3:00 PM.

 

After Wequaquet I donned my waders and took my perch V110 to Hinckleys in search of a late afternoon SMB.  No dice on the smallie, but in short order caught the biggest white perch of my life.  I wish I'd brought my scale, this was by far a PB for white perch.  

 

I planned on Mashpee-Wakeby this morning, but with winds 15+ at 8:00 AM, I changed my mind and went to Santuit in hopes of some cover.  Santuit wasn't much better.  I stayed about an hour and a half and managed three picks on a black 3.8" Keitech on a chrome under-spin.  Santuit's vegetation was surprisingly green for this late in the season.

 

From Santuit I again donned my waders, but this time at Hedges, hoping for some smallies.  I walked down to the water with a Rapala Rip-Stop tied on but saw beaucoup baitfish tight to shore.  I returned to my truck and switched to a Duo-Realis Rosante 77SP in Half Mirror Ayu.  I grabbed three big yellow perch in three casts within 5 minutes, with a few misses to boot.  Again, no smallies.

 

Water temps varied from 61.x to 64.x.  It was WINDY.  Air pressure was 30.3 Sunday, 30.1 Monday, and 30.4 today.

 

Looks like it's time to break out the BLADE BAITS if I'm gonna bag me some brown bass!

 

 

On 11/5/2022 at 1:13 PM, Frezzy said:

Hit the Smallie factory

 

?????????

[Frezzy]

9 hours ago, DogBone_384 said:

Spent the last couple days on Cape Cod getting my Ranger out for some exercise...

 

Fished with @Saltysmalljaws Sunday morning at LPH.  We covered a lot of ground despite 12-15 mph winds coming from the South.  I came up with two decent SMB and one yellow perch off a steep drop off.  Jake had family duties and stayed until 1230.  I continued covering as much water as possible until dusk.  I came up empty after lunch, but two good SMB teased me my taking my jerkbait but self extracting before I could get them to the boat.  

 

I spent A L L of Monday at Weuququet.  Most of my fish came just after first light on a perch V110 on a rocky wind blown shore.  I picked up a LMB and pick here and there the rest of the day.  My perch V110 did most of the damage, but did pretty good with a drop shot too. I totaled 18 fish for the day.  Most were picks, with a few LMB and a couple yellow perch mixed in.  Two picks were north of 3 pounds.  Everyone else was a pound or less.  Winds were also 12-15 mph in the morning and waned a little by the time I left, around 3:00 PM.

 

After Wequaquet I donned my waders and took my perch V110 to Hinckleys in search of a late afternoon SMB.  No dice on the smallie, but in short order caught the biggest white perch of my life.  I wish I'd brought my scale, this was by far a PB for white perch.  

 

I planned on Mashpee-Wakeby this morning, but with winds 15+ at 8:00 AM, I changed my mind and went to Santuit in hopes of some cover.  Santuit wasn't much better.  I stayed about an hour and a half and managed three picks on a black 3.8" Keitech on a chrome under-spin.  Santuit's vegetation was surprisingly green for this late in the season.

 

From Santuit I again donned my waders, but this time at Hedges, hoping for some smallies.  I walked down to the water with a Rapala Rip-Stop tied on but saw beaucoup baitfish tight to shore.  I returned to my truck and switched to a Duo-Realis Rosante 77SP in Half Mirror Ayu.  I grabbed three big yellow perch in three casts within 5 minutes, with a few misses to boot.  Again, no smallies.

 

Water temps varied from 61.x to 64.x.  It was WINDY.  Air pressure was 30.3 Sunday, 30.1 Monday, and 30.4 today.

 

Looks like it's time to break out the BLADE BAITS if I'm gonna bag me some brown bass!

 

 

 

?????????

Nice report DB!

 

Smallie Factory…. Wachusett Reservoir.

[DogBone_384]

1 hour ago, Frezzy said:

Wachusett Reservoir.

 

Looks like I'm taking a road trip.  I've never fished it.  I live south of Boston so most of my smallie hunting happens in Plymouth & Cape Cod.  

 

I caught a few over 4 pounds, but never more than one during a single trip.

[NE.Angler]

1 hour ago, DogBone_384 said:

 

Looks like I'm taking a road trip.  I've never fished it.  I live south of Boston so most of my smallie hunting happens in Plymouth & Cape Cod.  

 

I caught a few over 4 pounds, but never more than one during a single trip.

I'm living in Quincy right now and have been looking for some nearby smallie ponds to launch a kayak in. Great pond is close but I'm not to sure if boats are allowed. If you have any suggestions on some places to check out I'm all ears, but if they're more on the secretive side I understand lol.

[MassBass]

16 hours ago, DogBone_384 said:

 

 

After Wequaquet I donned my waders and took my perch V110 to Hinckleys in search of a late afternoon SMB.  No dice on the smallie, but in short order caught the biggest white perch of my life.  I wish I'd brought my scale, this was by far a PB for white perch.  

 

I like white perch, very gamey and they are a decent eat. I'll have to double check my log, but I didn't get any white perch in the Charles this year. Last year I caught scores of them. Consider the state pin is 15 inches. 

[DogBone_384]

1 hour ago, MassBass said:

Consider the state pin is 15 inches.

 

Mine was close... maybe I should keep my scale & ruler with me... 

[DogBone_384]

5 hours ago, NE.Angler said:

I'm living in Quincy right now

Your nearest smallie pond is Massapoag, in Sharon.  Kayaks are welcome.  There's a 60 HP limit if you have a boat. Otherwise, you're headed to Plymouth/Cape Cod.  

 

Ponkapoag is my 'home' pond.  The parking lot is on Randolph Street, right next to Temple Beth David  Good LMB and picks.  You'll need a cart to get your kayak to the water.  Two other LMB ponds near you where you can launch are Sunset Lake in Braintree and Reservoir Pond, in Canton.  It's easiest to launch at Sunset is the Braintree HS side off Franklin St.  Reservoir Pond has a nice parking lot off Pleasant Street.

 

Further South is Whitman's Pond in Weymouth and Jacob's Pond in Norwell.  Both have good ramps.  I've dropped my Ranger in Whitman's a couple times.  I've never done great there.  Jacob's is paddle only.  Both are pressured.  I do well at Jacobs.

 

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-pond-maps

 

Hope this helps.  Best of luck.

 

 

[NE.Angler]

1 hour ago, DogBone_384 said:

Hope this helps.  Best of luck.

Thanks! After a focusing on saltwater since moving to Quincy I never really got a chance to explore some freshwater, looking forward to getting on some smallmouth on the cape

[Frezzy]

10 hours ago, DogBone_384 said:

 

Looks like I'm taking a road trip.  I've never fished it.  I live south of Boston so most of my smallie hunting happens in Plymouth & Cape Cod.  

 

I caught a few over 4 pounds, but never more than one during a single trip.

Drop me a PM if you end up going.  I can point you in the right direction.  It's a big body of water by MA standards.  About 85% of it is fishable shoreline, so it can be challenging for first timers.

[DogBone_384]

3 hours ago, Frezzy said:

Drop me a PM if you end up going.

Thanks. Will do.

[MassYak85]

Got out on Webster today. Was hoping it would be good before the storm but we struggled. There were tons of huge bait balls but they didn't seem to have bass busting on them and we weren't able to pull any fish from them. We did manage a few but they were sporadic and we never got on a pattern. Tough day overall.

 

What do you guys do when you see so much bait but the bass don't seem to be with them? Are they just nearby waiting for a feeding window?

[Frezzy]

Got out in the rain this morning.  Glad I did.  Best 5 went 21.6lbs.  My bag was anchored by a beautiful 7.7lb New England largemouth and my new PB.  She ate a black/blue JackHammer in about 2' of water.  All my fish were caught very shallow in less than 5' of water.  I feel like the bite is really starting to heat up now that the water is right about 50ish.    

[DogBone_384]

Took a ride to Hedges early this morning while there was a dry, calm window.  Landed eight and lost two smallies, all with a chrome Binsky blade bait.  The bass were very active, but would only go for the blade while it was sitting still.

 

I was wading, so no water temps. I'm guessing high 50's.  It was overcast and near calm.  Air pressure was 29.7.

[A-Jay]

48 minutes ago, Frezzy said:

Got out in the rain this morning.  Glad I did.  Best 5 went 21.6lbs.  My bag was anchored by a beautiful 7.7lb New England largemouth and my new PB.  She ate a black/blue JackHammer in about 2' of water.  All my fish were caught very shallow in less than 5' of water.  I feel like the bite is really starting to heat up now that the water is right about 50ish.    

Nice Bass and New PB !

Congrats

A-Jay

[MassYak85]

I think I've got one or two more trips in me around Thanksgiving for the year. The kayak will always be on standby if we have a warm winter though. I think January is the only month I have not launched it.

[Mr. Aquarium]

On 11/15/2022 at 7:57 AM, MassYak85 said:

I think I've got one or two more trips in me around Thanksgiving for the year. The kayak will always be on standby if we have a warm winter though. I think January is the only month I have not launched it.

Come down in January 

[MassYak85]

2 hours ago, Mr. Aquarium said:

Come down in January 

With the weather this year it'll probably be 50 on the cape at some point in January ?

[Mr. Aquarium]

On 11/17/2022 at 9:11 AM, MassYak85 said:

With the weather this year it'll probably be 50 on the cape at some point in January ?

Hahaa yep!! 

Went to Ny, fishing Niagara river. We were planning on staying until Sunday but they are getting 3 feet of snow so we had to cut trip short.  It was a grind, fished hard in winter weather. But we got em. I got 2 kings and 6 lakers. My buddy got 2 smallies, 2 lakers, 3 kings and a walleye.  The lakers were loving the jigs I made! 

[Don51]

Get your ice gear ready!  ?

 

[DogBone_384]

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

 

I've been down to Hedges a few times over the last week, using only my waders.  I've done OK.  Smallies on a blade bait and big yellow perch on small jerkbaits and anything else small and shiny.

 

I've not seen any fry in the weeds tight to shore my last two trips.  I've also not caught any smallies.  I don't have a thermometer, but I'd have to say we've reached late fall/early winter here.

 

I'm going to be in Dennis Port the first full week in December.  Depending on the forecast, I might bring my boat and give deep waters a go.

 

Good luck to everyone else getting out.

 

On 11/4/2022 at 4:57 PM, Frezzy said:

What do you guys use for baits as we push later into November

 

Blade baits (Damiki & Binsky), finesse swimbaits (Keitech 2.8" for me), Rapala jointed crankbaits, and JERKBAITS, JERKBAITS, JERKBAITS.  I should fish hair jigs like @Mr. Aquarium, but I never take the time and force myself to fish them until I figure them out.  @Saltysmalljaws got me into jerkbaits: long pauses and patience ... they work.

[Mr. Aquarium]

Yep. Love hair jigs, big swimbaits, tubes, blades this time of year. Forcing my self to learn jerkbaits 

[DogBone_384]

Fished Snake and Hedges with waders today.  Grabbed a little SMB from Snake on the first cast on a perch Rapala Rip Stop 9.  I got nothing else for the next couple hours, throwing a 2.8" Keitech, tube, and Damiki blade bait.  I hooked onto two nice smallies @ Hedges with the 2.8" Keitech but failed to get them to shore.  I lost the first one when my hook broke and the second one just did what smallies do well ... 

 

All in all not a bad day without a boat/kayak.

[MassYak85]

Helped my dad put his boat away Saturday. Sad to see the season end but I focused on other things this year and put fishing to the side a bit. We'll see what next year brings.

 

[DogBone_384]

3 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

Sad to see the season end

No plastic boat or waders?

[DogBone_384]

I was on the north shore today and stopped by Wright's pond in Medford, hoping to do some exploring.  Unfortunately the gate was locked.

 

Maybe come Spring time ....

 

All I really need is one fish in open water during December, then I've caught open water fish in every month for the 4th year in a row.  I will, however, get out every chance I get....