Northern first bass guess

[WhatJustHappened]

Hey Swamp Girl.

I also fish smaller ponds, My days of fighting with boats and such have been gone for many years, I fish in a canoe, so I've been there done that... Not again.

 

My BIL Lives in Norway Me, so we've fished the right side/Little area of Norway Lake(Not A fan, almost 5' everywhere-never went into the BIG LAKE), and North Pond just up the road from that(in the back, it's a bunch of fingers, & there's fish there, Never fished the main body of water). I've studied that area, the small ponds in the area have zero access because of Private Property, except little Norway up the St(that's the one I really wanted to fish before I went up there), and that access is limited and treacherous.

Thompson Lake is too big, even though they say it has big fish.

Last September was the 1st time up there, It's going to take a few to figure out where to go. 

Looks like it's gonna be a few before we can get out up here, my stuff down here in MA. is still Iced, a handful of days at 40+will help...I live near Lake Sabbathia in Taunton Ma.and that's still locked except for a few spots that have springs.

 

Biggest fish I ever caught out of there was 3lbs, on shiners fishing from shore 35 years ago, the guy I was with actually put tinfoil on a hook once as a lure... live bait was good! 😂

[WhatJustHappened]

Luckily we haven't had a lot of snow down here in SE MA, but it has been really cold(40's this week, yahoooo), so Ice out may take awhile... I'm still hoping for 1st fish March 21st, but that means I will have to pay attention, although I have a lake right down the street (not a big fan, have caught fish there though).

I guess we'll see.

[WhatJustHappened]

Norway Me, I mentioned it in another thread- I may have missed with this one sorry. Sorry, I'm limited to 9 posts per day it seems, so when you folks asked me yesterday, I wasn't allowed to answer you.

 

Seriously. 

[Swamp Girl]

@WhatJustHappened: Do you still fish from a canoe? If so, I can suggest a bog. It requires paddling down a creek and dragging the canoe over a beaver dam to reach a bog. 

[Smokinal]

On 2/15/2025 at 9:44 PM, Swamp Girl said:

 

 

So, what's your tactic? I'm not looking for the names of lakes and ponds, but merely what lure(s) you throw and where you throw it/them. I'd love to see your bass pics too. 

Happy to share, although it's nothing out of the ordinary. Basically we fish a shallow cove on the north end of the lake with jerkbaits and dark sleepers...slow moving stuff...really textbook. Not sure why it works there so well; it just does. We alternate betweek a jerk and the sleeper to cover the column. Either bite comes and goes throughout the morning.

You mentioned a shallow cove you were curious to try this spring; I'd be curious if this works for you.

Oh, and you can use any color jerkbait, as long as it's gold. 😁😉

[Swamp Girl]

35 minutes ago, Smokinal said:

Happy to share, although it's nothing out of the ordinary. Basically we fish a shallow cove on the north end of the lake with jerkbaits and dark sleepers...slow moving stuff...really textbook. Not sure why it works there so well; it just does. We alternate betweek a jerk and the sleeper to cover the column. Either bite comes and goes throughout the morning.

You mentioned a shallow cove you were curious to try this spring; I'd be curious if this works for you.

Oh, and you can use any color jerkbait, as long as it's gold. 😁😉

 

I have both those lures, so thanks for the tips!

[Smokinal]

8 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

I have both those lures, so thanks for the tips!

And I'm fishing the sleeper like a jig, not a swimbait; slow along the bottom.

[Swamp Girl]

2 hours ago, Smokinal said:

And I'm fishing the sleeper like a jig, not a swimbait; slow along the bottom.

 

Then that's what I'll do too! I'm starting to load my tacklebox for my first spring trip, which is a ways away, but I'll be ready.

[Fairly Reliable]

Still have ice in my part of Wisconsin as of 2/27/2025. Word has it that the bass have heard of me and they are nervous.

[Swamp Girl]

It's going to be near zero tonight and cold again tomorrow, but then it'll be getting warm, with some forty-degree days in the forecast and even one fifty-degree day. As they say in Texas:

 

[GitInMuhBoat]

5 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

forty-degree days in the forecast and even one fifty-degree day

 Drove down to the ramp at my home lake Saturday only to see a shack about 20 feet out. 😒, maybe next week we'll see a hole open up 🤞, at this point I'll settle for open water brookies. Did I just blaspheme?

[Swamp Girl]

19 minutes ago, GitInMuhBoat said:

at this point I'll settle for open water brookies. Did I just blaspheme?

 

Heck, no! Anyone who can't appreciate a speck had better tighten their head a turn or two. It's great to have another Mainiac at Bass Resource. There aren't many of us.

[softwateronly]

I'm hoping for a St Joe river bass from shore this Wednesday and a lake bass by St Paddy's day.

 

scott

[Dan N]

I see some 50’s, and even 1 day at 60 next week here in my area of Wisconsin. 
looking good. Still a lot of ice to melt🙄

[Swamp Girl]

2 minutes ago, Dan N said:

I see some 50’s, and even 1 day at 60 next week here in my area of Wisconsin. 
looking good. Still a lot of ice to melt🙄

 

Fingers crossed for you!

[Dan N]

I’m not opposed to hitting a couple ponds that usually open up quicker! 
can’t wait to get out there. Reels have been cleaned and lubed, new line is on as needed, just waiting…

impatiently 😎

[herder]

Here in North Jersey we've had the coldest winter in years.

It's finally warming up a bit, but the wind has been relentless.

Being in a kayak it's not looking too good yet, when looking at the wind forecast I add at least 5mph to it. Here's the next 10 day forecast;

[Swamp Girl]

25 minutes ago, Dan N said:

just waiting…

impatiently

 

Me too, Dan. If this spring goes like spring of 2024, I'll cast and catch no bass or one bass the first few trips. Maybe three. However, I'll love anything I catch. I'm going to fish a bog that I skipped in 2024. It has fine fat bass. Here are three from 2023 (5.5 pounds, 4.25 pounds, and 5 pounds). It's a bog that becomes choked with weeds pretty quickly, but I'm much improved at landing bass in thick cover and I think I might fish it deeper into June than I thought possible in 2023:

 

 

My days, @herder, those are windy days. Wind is my fishing-killer too.

[herder]

4 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

Me too, Dan. If this spring goes like spring of 2024, I'll cast and catch no bass or one bass the first few trips. Maybe three. However, I'll love anything I catch. I'm going to fish a bog that I skipped in 2024. It has fine fat bass. Here are three from 2023 (5.5 pounds, 4.25 pounds, and 5 pounds). It's a bog that becomes choked with weeds pretty quickly, but I'm much improved at landing bass in thick cover and I think I might fish it deeper into June than I thought possible in 2023:

 

 

My days, @herder, those are windy days. Wind is my fishing-killer too.

This too will past 

I'm just jonesing to get out and paddle, it's been a long winter.

[Swamp Girl]

30 minutes ago, herder said:

I'm just jonesing to get out and paddle, it's been a long winter.

 

You had me at "paddle."

[casts_by_fly]

I didn’t put a guess on this thread when I’d get my first this year because who knows with ice.  It’s been as early as late Feb and as late as the end of march over the past 4 springs. Well this year it’s march 4th. I had about 3 hours I could use and the rain was going to hold off just long enough so I didn’t get soaked.  Well I was wrong about getting soaked but I managed to pick my first tiny bass of the year dragging a finesse bait across the bottom of a tiny, half iced pond. 
 

@Swamp Girli always think of you and your bogs when I walk through this place. The visuals are where the similarities end though because this set of ponds is highly pressured, have no big fish in them, and are otherwise not worth fishing except for a quick shakedown run early in the season. By yourself it’s nice to be there and see the birds and beavers.  Once the weather warms anymore you’ll never be there by yourself. 
 

 

[casts_by_fly]

[Swamp Girl]

@casts_by_fly: For sure, that looks like some of my favorite places. Here's a greener version of your photo above:

 

 

Congrats on your first bass!

[papajoe222]

On 2/17/2025 at 9:49 PM, papajoe222 said:

If I hit the power plant lakes, I'll say March 12th. If I wait for ice-out on my home lake, I'll say April 19th.

I was only off by six days as I scored my first, and only, bass today. Nothing to brag about, but it sure felt good. The boat still has its winter cover on and new carpeting is on order. I figure around April 14th she should be good to go.

[Mr. Aquarium]

I’ve been catching them since last week here in MA