Well, the ice is off almost all the water around here. That hasn't kept me from fishing, but I need to get a 2016 fishing license before my line hits the water.

The winter has been so warm that it has been pretty dangerous for ice fishing to even venture out on most of the rivers, ponds, and lakes because of the thin ice. Just last weekend I saw a family fishing on their farm's little pond. The temperatures have been warm and it looked like that pond only had a skim of ice over it. I was just hoping that it wasn't very deep.

I'm getting my fishing gear ready to go. Check out http://good4metoo.com/ for some good deals.

Let's see how soon I can catch something good to eat!

It has been a while since I blogged. I have always loved to go surfcasting for stripers. Back when I was little, I used to go fishing with my father. Sometimes my uncle would come along. With my father and uncle, we would fish mostly from beaches that we accessible by regular cars, not dune buggies.

My most memorable times were when we went with my uncle's neighbor in his dune buggy. We would pile all of our gear into the jeep and head out over to either Herring Cove or Race Point in Provincetown, Massachusetts on Cape Cod to get onto the sand. Then we would follow the gulls and the fish down the beach. 

Sometimes we fished during the day or all night long. I think it depended on the the moon most when we fished at night, now that I look back at it.

Most of the time we used sea worms. Even then I would put them on my own hooks. Even though I was scared of their pinchers, I still did  it.  

I have been out fishing from a charter boat just a few times. I really don't know why I haven't been going out to do more fishing that way. Maybe it is because many of my friends either don't like deep sea fishing or don't like to go out on boats at all. Thinking about it, I should never have listened to them, and I should have just gone on my own any way.

Well, I know this charter boat captain, Captain Tom Miloleski. He and I have put together some great information for you. The two of us have a chat where he reveals some of his secrets for fishing for stripers. Some of his tips will work whether you are surf casting or fishing from a boat. It is loaded with some great information. He also has some recent up-to-date there as well. You can check out our chat by going to:

Captain Tom and Anne's chat about striped bass fishing 

I invite you to go and check it out know and let me know what you think.

 

Hey Mum...You said there are huge fish in here!

Hey Mum...You said there are huge fish in here!

Did you ever take your kids or friends fishing while bragging that you know the BEST place to catch the big ones? Then live to eat your words because that day there didn't seem to be anything around other than the bait fish. The picture above was one of those days. 

I more or less have been side-lined lately from fishing. Right at the moment I do most of my fishing from shore because I tore a ligament in my finger-wrist area. I have a bit of a hard time casting and reeling in my catch. This also limits me to land because I can't paddle my kayak; at least, I don't want to get stranded out in the water or on the other side of the river or lake.

After that, I started to read up on fish finders. This week I am ordering one. Since I am 'landlocked', I think it will be one of the Humminbird models. I can practice using it casting lefty to see how well it works. I know a few who have them and like them if you use them correctly. A couple of other folks complain about the ones they had, but after listening to them, I figured out that they never read the instructions; why doesn't that surprise me.

Over the winter I am going to fit my kayak with a fish finder too. It will be a Garmin Echo Color 300c Dual-Beam Fishfinder. The winter will give me the time to properly install it without me getting the urge to put the kayak in prematurely and not allowing enough time for the sealants to cure. I know that I would want to pop the kayak in water the moment I get the fish finder on the kayak.

One way or another, I am going to figure out where those big ones are hiding, and hook them (and most likely release them too). I can find the otters and beavers and swans and much more wildlife, but it is the fish that I want.

Check out My Best Fishfinder Reviews.

Try Different Fishing Spots

I tend to revisit the same fishing spots all the time. It is a habit. I am comfortable with these places. Last year I tried a couple different places, but they didn't pan out. I am pretty happy with trout, bass, perch, even hornpout/catfish. Most of the places I go to are along rivers or streams. A few are on ponds or lakes.

Now I have on my list a few new areas to test. I am not sure whether they will be good in the summer's heat or in the cooler weather of fall. I figure I will try them now in the hot summer. If they don't work out, I will go back in the fall and see if I get any bites.

I know if I see repeat bass fishermen along certain places, I might have a better chance there to hook a big bass. I know some spots that are great for fly fishing that I haven't gone to yet.

I know that I will be hitting some of these sweet fishing holes after the sun  goes down. Now with so many cases of mosquitoes testing positive for West Nile Virus and EEE, I will have to load up on bug spray. I also have to watch out for those nasty ticks; in the spring I got one on me and came down with Lyme disease. That set me back a bit. I get a bit nervous going outdoors to go fishing because that is where I think I picked up that tick. Remember to put on the bug goop.

Let's see if I can catch a bass or trout or anything for that matter.

See you on the water...

Catching A Bass...

OK. This bass may not seem big to you BUT it was HUGE to my granddaughter. It was one of the first fish she ever caught. It is great for all of us to get out and go fishing. I think sometimes it is even more important to show the youth in the up-coming generation what fishing is all about:

• Fun
• Skill
• Comradeship
• Patience 
• Relaxation

So go out and show someone younger than you what fishing means to you before the end of this year's great fishing season...I want to go ice fishing, but that is a little cold for most kids unless they have really fished before.

How To Keep A Fishing Journal…

One of the most valuable things that I have done is to keep a fishing journal. Here I write down when and where I went fishing and what the weather was like i.e. 4-6 am, 72°,raining heavily, Nashua River at Pepperell Pond or 7:45-9 pm, 96°, humid, very cloudy, on the Squannacook downstream from the grist mill in Townsend Harbor. Then I jot down what I caught and what bait were used to catch it; also list what lures were not successful.

If the body of water you fish has significantly different water levels over the course of the year, record those as well. This can have a major impact on the water temperature, flow, and oxygenation of the water. The temperature of the water is another major factor because certain fish prefer different temperatures. Trout like cold water with lots of oxygen and bass like warmer water, but not so warm that there is no enough dissolved oxygen for them.

Later if you are going to a certain location, you can go back and see what you successfully used for lures or bait and what time of day was good. Speaking of the time you may want to take into consideration how close to sunrise or sunset you were there. This is because the time alone can throw things off. If you decided to go to a certain place where you had been at 8pm in the middle of the summer, but now it was the autumn; it would be pitch dark in the fall. Think reasonably.

In your journal you may find that brightly colored lures are great towards the evening hours and on cloudy days dark colors attract more fish.

Keeping your journal for your local areas pays off big time in the long run. Whenever you are thinking about fishing in a certain spot where you have taken notes before, you can go to your journal and see what worked best. This way you cut down on your time experimenting with various baits and lures. Try these first before you cast out any others to test the water with.

Good luck and see you on the water’s edge…

P.S. Check out these books:

Fishing On The Cape Cod Canal

Here's some folks fishing on the Cape Cod Canal in Buzzard's Bay down my the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

As you can see they have a few of those ponchos that you can keep in your tackle box that are about 4"x6". This way if all of a sudden the skies open up and start pouring down on you, you have a bit of protection for the day.

I know that it may be difficult to fold these up again to stuff back into that little envelope. First let the poncho dry out really well. On a hard, smooth surface make a few folds, then smooth out the plastic while you push out any air. Sometimes rolling the plastic up before folding it up more helps.

Remember do NOT stand out there in a thunder and lightning storm! Your fishing pole makes a great lightening rod. You do not want to be out there holding it when lightening strikes. Be safe.

I just love fishing with spinnerbaits

I just love fishing. I find that when you can actually see that fish strike your bait with a blast, it is awesome. It really gets my adrenaline flowing and I know there is a great fish fight to be had.

I discovered that my best strikes come when I use a spinner bait. One of the spinner baits that I get the best results with is the Bleeding Bait Mini-King. I get good results with a plain white one, but this 'bleeder' must get the fish's juices all fired up because I get way more hits with this.

The Bleeding Bait Mini-King Features:

• The Bleeding Bait Mini-King is one of the most popular spinnerbaits on the market.
• Includes a red hook and bleeding accent skirt.
• One deadly little fish catching dude.
• Tie one on and catch everything that swims.
• First blade silver colorado - second gold willow.

The last time I checked Amazon still had these in stock. However being one of their best sellers, it could be out of stock at any minute and that means you would have to wait, and waiting sucks. So hurry while they are in stock to increase your take. Click on the box below to get one fast.



See you on the water!

Do not buy this Garmin Fishfinder 400C 4-Inch Waterproof Fishfinder until you read this...

Click on this box to buy one!

I have been looking for a fish finder. The 400 model has a bigger screen. See the 300further down on the page. In overall comparisions, I am leaning to get the 400 just because of the size, but the majority of reviews are favorable toward both of these fish finders.

This Garmin 400C Fish Finder with Dual Beam Transducer combines high performance with a simple interface that makes it easy to locate fish wherever you go. With all the functionality you need in a base system, and a choice of transducers for multiple options depending upon your fishing environment, the 400C is a great entry-level fish finder for anybody who just wants to get out and find fish.

The Garmin 400C fish finder utilizes a crisp, ultra-bright, 4-inch, full-color QVGA display with 320 x 240 pixels of resolution that lets you easily distinguish bottom detail and fish from background structure. This unit features easy, one-touch navigation through different functions via front panel control buttons, as well as UltraScroll for screen updates at live-action speeds. The 400C also features a backlit keypad for easier operation at night, and a new night mode function that provides optimum readability in low-light conditions.

The 400C is designed to be easily adaptable to both freshwater and saltwater conditions, with a choice of dual-beam or dual-frequency transducers. This unit comes with a 500-watt (RMS), dual-frequency transducer with a narrow beam that pierces the depths below your boat down to 1,500 feet. There is also a 400-watt (RMS), dual-beam transducer available that provides you with a wider fish-finding cone for better surrounding visibility down to a depth of 900 feet. Made to be upgradeable and expandable, the Garmin 400C includes built-in CANet connectivity that enables sonar data to be shared with a compatible Garmin chartplotter as part of a larger marine system. This unit weighs 1.5 pounds, and measures just 5.72 x 5 x 2.73 inches (W x H x D) allowing it to be placed virtually anywhere.

What's in the Box
Garmin 400C fish finder, dual frequency transducer, swivel mounting bracket, power and data cable, protective cover and owner's manual.

One person sums it up like this even though it is a discontinued model folks are still buying it:

I had to buy a second one becuase the 1st one went with the boat when it sold and then I purchased the 2nd.
These fish finders work great, amazing clarity. Easy to find menu operations, it also works with my Garmin GPS, which is another added benefit. Screen is visible in all light. I also like to be able to identify the size of fish under the boat, whether it be herring balls or candle fish on the bottom, it's all quite detailed. This also is the first fishfinder that I've owned that has water temperature, as I've learned the fish are particular about shade and water temperature. More fish in the boat because of it.

Click on this box to buy one!

The affordable Fishfinder 300C color sounder is just right for recreational anglers who fish primarily in freshwater lakes.

See Fish in Bright Color

The 300C has a super bright, high resolution 3.5-inch QVGA color display with improved user interface, plus UltraScroll for screen updates at live-action speeds. The 300C comes with a dual beam transducer, which provides excellent coverage in shallow waters.

Benefit from High Performance Sonar

The 300C features the high performance sonar receiver found in most of the Garmin marine lineup.

Other features:

ower output: 150 watts (RMS) 1200 watts (peak to peak)

Auto Gain setting adjusts sonar sensitivity automatically

See-Thru technology shows weak and strong returns simultaneously

Round flasher display mode

Whiteline shows you how thick the bottom is

2X and 4X automatic and manual zoom

Battery voltage indicator

Single NMEA-0183 output

Many discussions like these units better than the newer 160 model. Again, it is a great way to get more fish in your 'creel'.

Get yours now while they are still in stock. When you have to wait longer when they are out of stock, it sucks.

See you on the water!!!

Bass Fishing in June On The Nashua River

My daughter, my granddaughter, and myself have been out fishing on several local rivers and ponds. Just last week, my daughter landed a good 2 pound largemouth bass out of the Nashua River. She landed a few yellow perch that day too, but they were on the smaller side. Over the past month we have caught mostly sunfish, yellow perch, and largemouth bass with a few smallmouth bass and pickerels tossed in the mix.

I will be out on the water's edge wetting my line. See you there.

Rainy and Wet Fishing

Sometimes I think about why I am out there fishing when it is wet and rainy. I do not mind the rain at all. I do not mind getting wet. I DO mind those darn bugs - mosquitoes and black flies - when they get in and under my clothing in the worst places!

I know it is great for fly fishing if the fish are gobbling those up. I just hate to think about and see all of the bites that I have to itch for a good week more.

The other day I went with my daughter to go fishing along the Nashua River in Groton MA. It was 3 in the afternoon. When we got down by the river, we were attacked by swarms of mosquitoes!!!
Yes, we stuck it out until 7:45, but we were covered in bites from our heads to our toes...my daughter wore sandals. Do not worry she is over 30 and could take care of herself; if she was little, we would have left. I am definitely going to try Off! Clip-On repellent. I will let you know how it works.

Looking At Some Summer Catches

A couple pumpkin seeds, a yellow perch, and a largemouth bass made a great catch for this evening.

The size of the fish kept getting bigger.

The bugs started to come out for dinner, so we decided to go inside.

Fantasy Fishing Though Winter Lectures

Over the winter on the border of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, a few of the fishing clubs organize fishing lectures with some local libraries. I usually attend the ones in Andover MA and Nashua NH. Now that March is almost here they are almost over for this year.

They are fantastic to go to because as you listen to what the presenters have to say you can fantasize what your next fishing season will be like. The lectures give you some super information on new fishing spots both for freshwater and saltwater. They explain some ways to fish bait or lures that maybe you have not tried yet. Different presentations can be on fly-fishing, bait-casting, or using a variety of artificial lures and leaders and rods & reels.

All of this gets you anticipating the warmer weather to anxiously get to cast out your line for the first time this season.

I do not know about you, but I can hardly wait to wet my line!

January 2011 Fishing series at the Nashua Public Library

Yes, they started up again. I had to walk in late the first week due to another commitment.

Great information! If you cannot get outside fishing, this may be the next best thing. You can meet some folks with a wealth of knowledge behind them as well as the presenters.

There are up-coming fly fishing series that you must register for that take place in March.If you are interested, you better sign up FAST! This course fills up quickly. There are also some fly tying classes as well. They fill up fast too.

There was just the Marlboro MA fly fishing show this past weekend. In March there will be a fishing show at the Pelham Sportsmans Club. I will give you more info on that soon.

Out Catching Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass

I am sorry that I have taken off so much time from blogging, but that bass fever just really hit me. I am back again trying to get back on track.

I just pulled a good 15 incher out of the river a few days ago; it was a smallmouth bass. The bass struck at a good ole fashion earthworm. Sometimes the old ways work well too.

The bass was in a slow area in the middle of the river. I believe that there is a ridge below creating some structure. It was hanging out there just waiting for it's nighttime snack just after sunset.

I have been trying out some of the fantastic tips in this program to educate myself more. I open the programs up to get new ideas in the really hot parts of the day when I want to cool down. I am checking into whether it all makes sense and really works before I mention which program it is. I want you to get your best value.

....See you on the river

I will let you know how it is very soon.

Learning About Bass and Salmon Fly Fishing in Maine, NH, MA and Québec

This past Thursday, Jan. 28^th, wound up the last of the January fishing series at the Nashua Public Library. This is the 19^th year they have had this series.

The evening began with a fantastic refresher on boat safety via a video.

A member of the New England Fly casters, Seth Harris, shared his favorite salmon rivers in Québec. I found him to be most informative when he explained how Québec goes about distributing their licenses – very complicated. He was very helpful by passing out literature from Québec of maps and brochures.

Another couple members of the NE fly casters, Brenda and Ray Phillipon, double teamed their presentation on fly fishing for bass. They discussed their time spent up in Maine at the South Branch Lake Camps and how they proceeded to convert many of the fishermen up there into future fly fishing just by letting them see the pictures of their daily ‘creel’ since it was all catch and release. Brenda and Ray filled everyone in on some of the local ponds and rivers where they find fishing to be good.

Every Thursday different folks or organizations had information at tables on the way into the theatre. The last couple of nights I chatted with the guys from New Hampshire Bass Busters, Inc.

Upon entry each of the 4 nights you received a raffle ticket for the last night when they drew 8 numbers for 8 give-a-ways.

On each Thursday night of this fishing series, you received a ticket for a raffle that was held on the last night. There were eight raffle prizes; I wish I knew who to give credit for these prizes, but right now I don’t know. If I find out I will give them credit.

Either grab this video or watch it on WFN [The World Fishing Network]: Kayak Fishing GameOn. It got me over my fear of being pulled out to sea by a BIG fish. I should be so lucky! Jim Sammons basically started the new craze of kayak fishing (as opposed to that by the Inuits). There’s great information amongst all the action-packed video. I saw this one this past Thursday at the Nashua Public Library fishing series.

James Waldron also presented his documentary The Reel People of Plum Island. I felt like I was right there talking with the folks that fish around Newburyport. Discover the when and why of how Surfland started. Why do people fish that area so much? What is it about huge stripe bass these folks just love?Very interesting!

Capt. Skip Montello, who has a charter fishing boat business, was there Thursday night too. The Nashua Public Library’s Image Gallery has an exhibition of his photographs - astounding color. Some amazing wave action. See his photos at the library into February.

I found out that the Nashua NH Public Library has a lecture program going on throughout the month of January. I signed up. The night starts off with a video of a subject. Last night's had to be changed to 60 fishing tips. Then a lecturer presents their coverage of a certain area. Last night Captain Charles Crue www.channeledgecharters.com presented on the area around the mouth of the Merrimack River on the Massachusetts coast between Newburyport and Salisbury MA. Captain Crue covered how the water depth is around the Merrimack River, Joppa Flats, Plum Island, and the Parker River. He told about areas where he tends to find striped bass, shad, and more. He was very interesting and informative.

Last week's was good; I will write more about that in a few days. I am looking forward to the next one in the series.

Bass Fishing Afternoon

As I was doing some errands this morning, I caught a glimpse of someone doing some fishing from a bass boat down on the river. All morning long I have been wondering if they caught anything and if so, what did they catch.

I can't keep my mind on anything else. Fishing just keeps yanking at my mind.

OK.....I'm logging off......I've gone fishing.

Gone fishing

I just hate wasting good fishing weather inside. I'll be heading down to the water/river to get in as much fishing time as I can while the bass are biting. Just need to replenish my supply of bait, so I can head back out tomorrow.