Mainebass1984 Posted October 20, 2015 Posted October 20, 2015 The end of the season here in northern New England is fast approaching. Sunday it snowed. Yesterday morning was a balmy 15 degrees with a day time high forecast of 42 degrees with winds 5-10 mph. Not to be discouraged I suited up for ice fishing and decided to see what the day had to offer. This time of year is my favorite for a number of reasons. I get to the launch to find some ice in the puddles at the launch and an empty parking lot. I launch my boat and head to a very isolated off shore spot that has produced for me in the past. As I made my first cast the water temperature was reading 48 degrees. Just four days earlier it was reading 56-58 degrees. The water lever had also dropped nearly a foot. I started the day off with a crank bait. After I had made a couple casts I could see ice in my guides and in my pawl. It was not warm out there. My game plan was to fish isolated offshore structure all day. An hour had passed and I hadn't caught a fish. I switched it up to one of my favorite jig set ups. It was not long before I caught my first fish of the day. Slammed my jig, She had huge head on her, weighed in at 7 lbs 1 oz. After landing her I decided to keep fishing the jig for awhile. It was approaching noon time and the bite seemed to be picking up. I was catching fish and most of them were coming on the jig set up. I did catch a 3-10 on a crankbait and even managed a 3-0 on a senko. I was glad that my isolated offshore spots were holding fish. I would fish a spot for an hour and move onto the next spot. At each spot I seemed to be catching a couple fish then they would shut off. I kept rotating through my spots all day long. Just as the wind started to kick up I hooked into another good fish. She weighed in at 6 lbs 7 oz. The fishing was as good as I could hope for. Even with the cold and the wind I was getting 2-3 fish an hour. It seemed every one of my spots was holding good fish. With few days left to fish I was relishing the moment. I marked a new spot on my gps and fished it about an hour after I marked it. It was far far offshore and I thought that it had potential. The wind had picked up once I had gone back to fish it. On the first cast with my jig I landed a 5 lb 10 oz largemouth. The wind was becoming a bit much for me in my small boat. I persevered a couple more hours but the wind chill was brutal. I ended up fish from 1030 until 430. Landed 13 largemouth and 2 smallmouth. My biggest 5 bass limit weighed in at 28 lbs 4 oz, including fish that weighed in at 7-1,6-7,5-10,4-12 and 4-6. I also landed 3 largemouth in the 3 lb range and a 3-4 smallie on a crankbait. It was an great day on the water. I caught fish on a crankbait, a jig and a senko. The jig by far produced the best. Isolated offshore structure was holding big bass. That pattern should hold true until ice up. Still another 4-5 weeks left and I plan on getting out as much as I can. 9 Quote
Super User Dwight Hottle Posted October 20, 2015 Super User Posted October 20, 2015 Like the fish & the hat. 2 Quote
Siebert Outdoors Posted October 20, 2015 Posted October 20, 2015 Nice catching, especially on a cold day. 1 Quote
Super User A-Jay Posted October 20, 2015 Super User Posted October 20, 2015 Wow ~ Really Good. And I just knew once I read who the OP was, and knowing the time of year, that there was a very good chance there would be more than a few Big Maine Bass pictured. And Bam ! . . . . . There they were. Gorgeous Fish. Congrats - hope you can stay on them A-Jay 3 Quote
Turtle135 Posted October 20, 2015 Posted October 20, 2015 wow! awesome day and those are some great photos! congrats Quote
Super User 00 mod Posted October 20, 2015 Super User Posted October 20, 2015 Awesome trip! Congrats! Jeff 2 Quote
georgeyew Posted October 20, 2015 Posted October 20, 2015 That's fantastic. Only in my dream would I have a 7,6 and 5 lb bass in one day where I live. Congrats! Quote
Super User senile1 Posted October 23, 2015 Super User Posted October 23, 2015 Very, very nice! I couldn't be more jealous. Quote
Super User *Hootie Posted October 23, 2015 Super User Posted October 23, 2015 FANTASTIC!! Hootie Quote
shimmy Posted October 24, 2015 Posted October 24, 2015 What an incredible day and bag!!! Do you have a couple lakes you rotate between that have these giant bass or do you catch all of your 7+ fish on one particular lake? Excited to see how the next few weeks play out for you. Your 7.1 looks skinnier than it should be, I can only imagine when that thing is fattened up how big it will be. Great report Quote
Mainebass1984 Posted October 24, 2015 Author Posted October 24, 2015 What an incredible day and bag!!! Do you have a couple lakes you rotate between that have these giant bass or do you catch all of your 7+ fish on one particular lake? Excited to see how the next few weeks play out for you. Your 7.1 looks skinnier than it should be, I can only imagine when that thing is fattened up how big it will be. Great report I certainly have my favorite but I do rotate between 3 particular lakes when targeting bigger fish. Sometimes a fourth lake to depending on time of year and conditions. I have also found a couple lakes in Vermont that hold 7 plus pounders but this time of year I tend to fish a lot in Maine. That 7-1 was definitely skinny. The head on her was huge. Hopefully I will run into her when she is a bit healthier. Quote
Will Wetline Posted October 24, 2015 Posted October 24, 2015 Perfect execution of the right game plan. I congratulate you, Maine bassmaster. Quote
Super User Catch and Grease Posted October 24, 2015 Super User Posted October 24, 2015 Wow that's awesome, great fish! Quote
desmobob Posted October 24, 2015 Posted October 24, 2015 Beautiful fish! I hit Lake Bomoseen in VT today; similar weather... started in the twenties, ended up in the forties, with a nice stiff breeze all day. I could not catch a largemouth, but I got some nice smallies. Congrats on braving the weather and reaping a nice reward! Tight lines, Bob 1 Quote
long island basser Posted October 24, 2015 Posted October 24, 2015 Awesome, definitely a great day. Quote
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