Yesterday I took out the boat at about 8am and was on the water by 8:30. I caught a few small bass early, using a silver spinner and a white skirt. These were all caught along the Lillys on the edge of the lake. As it got a little later I drifted in the wind down the lake and found some submerged trees with Lillys around them. I figured if I were a big Bass, that it would make a great spot to hide out. A few casts later I had a fish on the line. I played this fish well and landed him after about 2 minutes. He was a 3.5 lb Large Mouth Bass. Not the monster from yesterday, but still a respectable fish. I threw him back and fished the same spot for a while. I only got one other hit so I took off and went further down the lake. It was getting a little hotter, and I still hadn’t gotten any sunscreen, so it was time to head back North to the car. The wind had picked up to about 7mph heading South-West. This was not going to be a fun paddle. It took about 30 minutes but I got back to the boat launch and packed up. It was another successful outing. (I had a great time, was relaxed, and got a little tan, the fish count didn’t really matter) I really need to get some sunscreen…

Tags: Bass,Fishing
Categories: Sports
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All week I’d hoped to get out on the water and do a little bass fishing to unwind after work. The weather didn’t agree with me at all. We had rain and thunderstorms all week. At least the water level was back up to normal when I finally got back on the water on Friday. As soon as I got out of the office I went out to the lake. I landed a nice bass (about 3 lbs), and a few pan fish. There was almost no wind, so the canoe didn’t drift much, and I paddled from the center of the boat sitting on a PFD. This worked great. I was able to get the boat to track well by putting my feet forward, and with the bow in the water it is a little faster too. I will have to look into getting a kayak paddle if I am going to be paddling from that low in the boat though, because it is a little uncomfortable.

As I was paddling in I fished along some Lilly Pads with a yellow spinner. I got a strong hit and set the hook. I played the fish for a little while and it seemed like it was pretty tired. As I got him towards the boat, he bolted and jumped. He was a huge bass, I think it was about 5 lbs. Since I fish using 8 lb line, he made quick work of snapping my line and taking off with my lure. I made the mistake of not giving him enough line to play with when he jumped. Hopefully I’ll catch him someday and get my lure back. I’ll probably throw him back though; I have been catching and releasing lately. (read: I’m too lazy to cook)

Tags: Bass,Fishing
Categories: Sports
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I went home to visit the family two weeks ago, and spent the time sailing and fishing with my brother. When we were kids we would often go fishing, but rarely catch anything. But it didn’t matter, it was a way to hang out and drink a few beers out on the piers of West Haven, CT. We always joked that we had the longest running dry streak of any fisherman EVER.

When I was home, we went to my Aunt’s house where my brother is staying for the summer (he is working for her all summer) and did some fishing on a lake down the road. We caught more small mouth bass than I think I’d ever caught. So I decided to bring a few rods back to school with me (and they were already in the car…). Once I got back to New Brunswick, I decided it was time to find a place to fish. I refuse to fish the Raritan river down here, because it is absolutely filthy. I looked at an areal view of the area using Google Maps, and found Weston Mills Pond. It has a great boat launch area to park in, and has been stocked with Large Mouth Bass before, so presumably was stocked this season as well. So I went to Walmart (I hate that place) and picked up a few cheap spinners and a fishing license.

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Tags: Bass,Fishing
Categories: Sports
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