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More Quabbin Smallies...hot action!
- Thread starter romeo
- Start date
that's a fatty!!!! you must know that res. pretty well. what are you catching them on??
Smallies
Nice day of fishin you had there...Ive had my boat in the Quabbin only two times, the first time I thought I was in 10 ft ocean swells and the second time I had only caught 5 smallies..any suggestions on areas of the lake to give a shot? Not asking for GPS coordinates( but I do have mine handy if you got em)![[smile]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/001.gif "Smile [smile]")
...ahah
Nice day of fishin you had there...Ive had my boat in the Quabbin only two times, the first time I thought I was in 10 ft ocean swells and the second time I had only caught 5 smallies..any suggestions on areas of the lake to give a shot? Not asking for GPS coordinates( but I do have mine handy if you got em)
...ahah
![[thinking]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/010.gif "Thinking [thinking]")
Looks like you had a great time!
Stay tuned to this thread.....
Can't see Mrs. Magnum without a fish. By popular demand I'll see if I can put together a quick strategy for forum members on the mysteries of the Quabbin smallie....stay tuned to the thread while I work on it.
Can't see Mrs. Magnum without a fish. By popular demand I'll see if I can put together a quick strategy for forum members on the mysteries of the Quabbin smallie....stay tuned to the thread while I work on it.
You have my attention.
teach us the ways of the quabbin smally. what kind of lure ? color ? if i was to guess i would say something in chartruse. but thats just my smally color![[wink]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/002.gif "Wink [wink]")
QUABBIN STRATEGIES...
For those of you that “stayed tuned to this thread”, I’ve gathered together some highlights of my strategy for catching smallies at the Quabbin. For starters, if you’re looking for that single magic lure you’re reading the wrong post… simply because in my mind that lure doesn’t exist. After 20 years of fishing the Quabbin and countless smallies with a “been-there-used-that” data log, I now spend my days off out at the Quabbin “working” to get bit by that goliath smallie. That means I continue to have virgin baits and more empty creels than I care to peek into at the end of the day. After a string of cull-less trips, I will revitalize to the Quabbin with new company that only remembers catching nothing but 11-12 inch smallies with crankbaits. This challenges me to revisit my past Quabbin strategies to make sure the fish are still there and my tactics still working, while at the same time charged with the task of showing someone else that the Quabbin is a tremendous smallmouth fishery. June 5 happened to be one of those rewarding days with my grinning company and friend Bob in this thread I’m sharing. Here’s what my partner had to say in an e-mail to his buddies about our fishing trip on June 5th:
“ Last Friday I was the beneficiary of an open seat in the boat of (name X deleted) “the buck slayer” (name X deleted). For years I have seen photos of XXXXX and various fishing partners with gorgeous smallmouth bass from the Quabbin Reservoir, so when the invite came I jumped at the opportunity. XXXXX and I were on the water in his 16 foot boat at around 6:25 am and were fishing at one of XXXXX’s honey holes by about 7:00 am. Light winds and overcast conditions promised a potentially awesome day of fishing.
XXXXX showed me a couple of knots, handed me a few special lures and then proceeded to catch a beautiful 4 pound 14 ounce smallmouth on his second cast! Within the first 20 minutes he added a 3 pound 14 ounce monster! I even managed to catch a few with my largest weighing in at 2 pounds 14 ounces. I also missed one fish which may have been slightly larger and was taken to school by a few more, but, all in all I didn’t embarrass myself.
XXXXX proved to be an excellent guide and it was a pleasure to spend the day with him on his fish catching machine. Can’t wait till next year, I hope “
To me Bob’s good company and complementary e-mail was priceless. Here’s two more June 5 memories from Bob’s camera card:
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
Nothing new to veteran anglers, but catching bigger smallies at the Quabbin is using the right bait at the right depth given the time of year. You may say “tell me something I don’t already know”. For yours truly and those who have fished the Quabbin, we all know that this pristine, huge waterbody fishery can betray you and leave you flat-out skunked. Since I don’t know what you know about the Q… here’s what I know. I’ve fished a lot of waters in the past 35 years and the Quabbin is by far the most unique I have ever fished. Unlike the huge smallie rivers I once fished the Quabbin is quite stable physically, yet the smallmouth habits are dynamic, but “somewhat” predictable. I’ve tried to formulate, for both newcomers to the Quabbin as well as interested veteran anglers, my quick-and-dirty bullet list.
- Light to ultra-light gear. Tournament hog fishermen will need to
abandon their heavy gear and surrender to the limitations of 6 lb.
and 4 lb. pound test diameters.
- Loop knots… everywhere possible.
- Re-tie after every decent catch. Unfortunately it will only make a
difference when it really matters.
- Finesse hooks, light bass stinger hooks, football jig heads and slider
heads.
- Drop-shotin’…yep…but not all the time. My own special hook knot
and home-made drop-shot sinker would be another thread itself on
how-to.
- I don’t use live bait for smallies at the Quabbin...I use artificial soft
baits exclusively. If you want to have fun and catch one to two
pounders, use deep-diving or countdown rapalas or senkos off the
shorelines. Based on my conversation logs the problem I’ve seen
over the past 5 years or so with senkos is that everyone and their
sister uses them at the Quabbin… and the smarter (bigger) smallies
know it.
Here (are you tuned-in “boxerjake77” ??... ) are a few of mine, but by no stretch of the imagination my only, that will put “bigger” smallies in my Quabbin boat. Some of the baits you may recognize, others are custom baits.
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
Under the right conditions here are three of my custom chameleon tubes that, unlike most tubes, will work well in both shallow to very deep water. (3 pics of the same tubes
[/IMG]
tubes taken in bright light conditions
[/IMG]
tubes taken in low light conditions
[/IMG]
tubes taken under UV lamp
- Show smallies something they do not see everyday cast from a
boat. I am constantly searching and finding new baits…whether
catalog, off the shelf or a beg-list “ gift ”. I recently discovered a
new soft plastic just the other week that 3 pounders seem to enjoy
( I’m keepin’ that one “under the tray” for now for further
experimentation). I also have a tendency to order new baits in
high quantity when I find a really hot one, because you never know
when it’s going to be discontinued. I still use some soft plastics
effectively on the Quabbin that were discontinued 10 years ago.
- Finesse for big smallies. Is there another way I don’t know about?
- I fish many places most anglers motor over. I believe these are the
places the big smallies are disturbed the least. I wouldn’t deer hunt
for a Boone & Crocket where the spike-horns hang out.
- Keep a log of your catch. When, where, how, what bait/COLOR.
- Keep a log of your catch. When, where, how, what bait/COLOR.(did
I say that already?)
By doing this you will be able to easily pattern the smallies and
solve the mystery by “connecting the waypoints” for migration
patterns and colors. Size and color of the bait is more important
than the style of bait. Color always being the most important...
always. Keep in mind that the color of your lure changes with
depth. This is important at the Q, especially at that 18-39 foot
depth zone.
- Document water temperature if possible, at least for a few seasons,
and note it in your log.
- I generally see a tri-weekly shift in colors preference. What is HOT
one week is easily cold as ice two weeks later…and I mean COLD.
- Large baits early in the season, smaller baits mid-season, larger
baits at the end of the season.
- You’ll should notice in all my pics I’m not a shore fisherman for the
good smallies. The bigger, tier-one smallies are first to arrive and
spawn, then they “retreat” to let the tier-two smallies move in and
give it a try.
- Sonar and GPS...yep. (impossible without in open water)
- Unless I was just on the water, I will switch baits often at first until
I get bit in the 2.75 to 3.25 pound class. That’s what I will fish
with for the remainder of the day. If they’re taking large baits they
will take small baits, but not usually the other way around.
Some fishermen believe the smallie population at the Quabbin has declined over the years. Considering most bass fishermen practice catch and release, that’s a bait that’s hard for me to swallow. I believe the fishing pressure of seasoned anglers has only made the smallies wiser, harder to locate, and most of all bigger.
Hope this follow-up post is helpful. I’m no expert and a sponge for smallie knowledge, so if you have a unique, new, or different lure that works on smallies I’m all ears. I’ll drop one in my waypoint and let you know what happened. Good luck always…
For those of you that “stayed tuned to this thread”, I’ve gathered together some highlights of my strategy for catching smallies at the Quabbin. For starters, if you’re looking for that single magic lure you’re reading the wrong post… simply because in my mind that lure doesn’t exist. After 20 years of fishing the Quabbin and countless smallies with a “been-there-used-that” data log, I now spend my days off out at the Quabbin “working” to get bit by that goliath smallie. That means I continue to have virgin baits and more empty creels than I care to peek into at the end of the day. After a string of cull-less trips, I will revitalize to the Quabbin with new company that only remembers catching nothing but 11-12 inch smallies with crankbaits. This challenges me to revisit my past Quabbin strategies to make sure the fish are still there and my tactics still working, while at the same time charged with the task of showing someone else that the Quabbin is a tremendous smallmouth fishery. June 5 happened to be one of those rewarding days with my grinning company and friend Bob in this thread I’m sharing. Here’s what my partner had to say in an e-mail to his buddies about our fishing trip on June 5th:
“ Last Friday I was the beneficiary of an open seat in the boat of (name X deleted) “the buck slayer” (name X deleted). For years I have seen photos of XXXXX and various fishing partners with gorgeous smallmouth bass from the Quabbin Reservoir, so when the invite came I jumped at the opportunity. XXXXX and I were on the water in his 16 foot boat at around 6:25 am and were fishing at one of XXXXX’s honey holes by about 7:00 am. Light winds and overcast conditions promised a potentially awesome day of fishing.
XXXXX showed me a couple of knots, handed me a few special lures and then proceeded to catch a beautiful 4 pound 14 ounce smallmouth on his second cast! Within the first 20 minutes he added a 3 pound 14 ounce monster! I even managed to catch a few with my largest weighing in at 2 pounds 14 ounces. I also missed one fish which may have been slightly larger and was taken to school by a few more, but, all in all I didn’t embarrass myself.
XXXXX proved to be an excellent guide and it was a pleasure to spend the day with him on his fish catching machine. Can’t wait till next year, I hope “
To me Bob’s good company and complementary e-mail was priceless. Here’s two more June 5 memories from Bob’s camera card:
Nothing new to veteran anglers, but catching bigger smallies at the Quabbin is using the right bait at the right depth given the time of year. You may say “tell me something I don’t already know”. For yours truly and those who have fished the Quabbin, we all know that this pristine, huge waterbody fishery can betray you and leave you flat-out skunked. Since I don’t know what you know about the Q… here’s what I know. I’ve fished a lot of waters in the past 35 years and the Quabbin is by far the most unique I have ever fished. Unlike the huge smallie rivers I once fished the Quabbin is quite stable physically, yet the smallmouth habits are dynamic, but “somewhat” predictable. I’ve tried to formulate, for both newcomers to the Quabbin as well as interested veteran anglers, my quick-and-dirty bullet list.
- Light to ultra-light gear. Tournament hog fishermen will need to
abandon their heavy gear and surrender to the limitations of 6 lb.
and 4 lb. pound test diameters.
- Loop knots… everywhere possible.
- Re-tie after every decent catch. Unfortunately it will only make a
difference when it really matters.
- Finesse hooks, light bass stinger hooks, football jig heads and slider
heads.
- Drop-shotin’…yep…but not all the time. My own special hook knot
and home-made drop-shot sinker would be another thread itself on
how-to.
- I don’t use live bait for smallies at the Quabbin...I use artificial soft
baits exclusively. If you want to have fun and catch one to two
pounders, use deep-diving or countdown rapalas or senkos off the
shorelines. Based on my conversation logs the problem I’ve seen
over the past 5 years or so with senkos is that everyone and their
sister uses them at the Quabbin… and the smarter (bigger) smallies
know it.
Here (are you tuned-in “boxerjake77” ??... ) are a few of mine, but by no stretch of the imagination my only, that will put “bigger” smallies in my Quabbin boat. Some of the baits you may recognize, others are custom baits.
Under the right conditions here are three of my custom chameleon tubes that, unlike most tubes, will work well in both shallow to very deep water. (3 pics of the same tubes
tubes taken in bright light conditions
tubes taken in low light conditions
tubes taken under UV lamp
- Show smallies something they do not see everyday cast from a
boat. I am constantly searching and finding new baits…whether
catalog, off the shelf or a beg-list “ gift ”. I recently discovered a
new soft plastic just the other week that 3 pounders seem to enjoy
( I’m keepin’ that one “under the tray” for now for further
experimentation). I also have a tendency to order new baits in
high quantity when I find a really hot one, because you never know
when it’s going to be discontinued. I still use some soft plastics
effectively on the Quabbin that were discontinued 10 years ago.
- Finesse for big smallies. Is there another way I don’t know about?
- I fish many places most anglers motor over. I believe these are the
places the big smallies are disturbed the least. I wouldn’t deer hunt
for a Boone & Crocket where the spike-horns hang out.
- Keep a log of your catch. When, where, how, what bait/COLOR.
- Keep a log of your catch. When, where, how, what bait/COLOR.(did
I say that already?)
By doing this you will be able to easily pattern the smallies and
solve the mystery by “connecting the waypoints” for migration
patterns and colors. Size and color of the bait is more important
than the style of bait. Color always being the most important...
always. Keep in mind that the color of your lure changes with
depth. This is important at the Q, especially at that 18-39 foot
depth zone.
- Document water temperature if possible, at least for a few seasons,
and note it in your log.
- I generally see a tri-weekly shift in colors preference. What is HOT
one week is easily cold as ice two weeks later…and I mean COLD.
- Large baits early in the season, smaller baits mid-season, larger
baits at the end of the season.
- You’ll should notice in all my pics I’m not a shore fisherman for the
good smallies. The bigger, tier-one smallies are first to arrive and
spawn, then they “retreat” to let the tier-two smallies move in and
give it a try.
- Sonar and GPS...yep. (impossible without in open water)
- Unless I was just on the water, I will switch baits often at first until
I get bit in the 2.75 to 3.25 pound class. That’s what I will fish
with for the remainder of the day. If they’re taking large baits they
will take small baits, but not usually the other way around.
Some fishermen believe the smallie population at the Quabbin has declined over the years. Considering most bass fishermen practice catch and release, that’s a bait that’s hard for me to swallow. I believe the fishing pressure of seasoned anglers has only made the smallies wiser, harder to locate, and most of all bigger.
Hope this follow-up post is helpful. I’m no expert and a sponge for smallie knowledge, so if you have a unique, new, or different lure that works on smallies I’m all ears. I’ll drop one in my waypoint and let you know what happened. Good luck always…
Thanks Romeo...
We appreciate the time you put into that post..Very nice..I see we use just about all of the same baits..I use alot of the same plastics..tubes,grubs w/jigheads and a ton of crawfish (also plastic)..and an occasional shiner..I guess bottom line.. its the when and where that count the most..if the fish is interested it'll grab what you dangle in front of it..Ive also hunted smallies (more than any other type of fish) right up until the ice comes, and have found out that plastics work best..I totally agree with your point on Senkos but they still are quite effective..now lets round up the boats and have a friendly Quabbin fishin day..I know schedules are different but Im sure we can get a few out there..
P.S....I got room for one
We appreciate the time you put into that post..Very nice..I see we use just about all of the same baits..I use alot of the same plastics..tubes,grubs w/jigheads and a ton of crawfish (also plastic)..and an occasional shiner..I guess bottom line.. its the when and where that count the most..if the fish is interested it'll grab what you dangle in front of it..Ive also hunted smallies (more than any other type of fish) right up until the ice comes, and have found out that plastics work best..I totally agree with your point on Senkos but they still are quite effective..now lets round up the boats and have a friendly Quabbin fishin day..I know schedules are different but Im sure we can get a few out there..
P.S....I got room for one
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what a f " n post romeo !!! you are my small mouth GOD !!! king of the quabbin !!!!
Nice fishing.![[grin]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/041.gif "Grin [grin]")
Don't think we're going to get out this year.[sad2]
Don't think we're going to get out this year.[sad2]"work" the Quabbin...
Sorry I was late in getting back with you, but I’m just getting caught-up with my e-mails.
I get a lot of satisfaction when I take new anglers out to teach them “how” to fish. Since I can’t take everyone out the to Quabbin, I put together this “how-to” post for smallie fishing.(there are also very subtle tips of mine for non-beginners as to where to catch bigger fish at the Q. My time is well spent if someone gets something out of this post). These new anglers are not necessarily concerned with “when and where”. These are also individuals I know do not care that I hand-selected one of my lures for them to fish with, or do not realize I have taken take them to only productive waypoints. They simply want to catch one nice smallie for their photo album...and they always do.
On occasion I will go out with “new” but seasoned anglers like yourself. I leave all my trusted baits and waypoints behind, and take only new baits to experiment with. That way it literally forces me to learn to fish with them whether I like it or not. If you want to fish new worms then we will fish worms. If you like to fish new senkos we will fish senkos…I’m not particular. I only ask that it either be a new soft plastic bait you would like to try, or a new color on the market. This way we all benefit from the trip.
We usually fish spots someone else would like to get to know better. I usually do these types of trips in August which always challenge me to connect with fish. I also like to fish them on the weekends when there is more activity on the Quabbin. Heads-up, these trips usually do not put numbers in the live well. Sometimes they don’t put anything in!
If this friendly “working” trip is something that interests you then send me a PM. Can never promise anything other than a good time. I will try and work out a schedule, but it will likely be a fishing trip cancellation as August is already full.
Happy fishing always.
Sorry I was late in getting back with you, but I’m just getting caught-up with my e-mails.
I get a lot of satisfaction when I take new anglers out to teach them “how” to fish. Since I can’t take everyone out the to Quabbin, I put together this “how-to” post for smallie fishing.(there are also very subtle tips of mine for non-beginners as to where to catch bigger fish at the Q. My time is well spent if someone gets something out of this post). These new anglers are not necessarily concerned with “when and where”. These are also individuals I know do not care that I hand-selected one of my lures for them to fish with, or do not realize I have taken take them to only productive waypoints. They simply want to catch one nice smallie for their photo album...and they always do.
On occasion I will go out with “new” but seasoned anglers like yourself. I leave all my trusted baits and waypoints behind, and take only new baits to experiment with. That way it literally forces me to learn to fish with them whether I like it or not. If you want to fish new worms then we will fish worms. If you like to fish new senkos we will fish senkos…I’m not particular. I only ask that it either be a new soft plastic bait you would like to try, or a new color on the market. This way we all benefit from the trip.
We usually fish spots someone else would like to get to know better. I usually do these types of trips in August which always challenge me to connect with fish. I also like to fish them on the weekends when there is more activity on the Quabbin. Heads-up, these trips usually do not put numbers in the live well. Sometimes they don’t put anything in!
If this friendly “working” trip is something that interests you then send me a PM. Can never promise anything other than a good time. I will try and work out a schedule, but it will likely be a fishing trip cancellation as August is already full.
Happy fishing always.
never???..."work your way down".
![[angry]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/008.gif "Angry [angry]")
to be caught. Since you never caught a smallie your best bet at the Quabbin is to start with the surface and work your way down. Since you're an Aquarius like me and from your posts you know more about firearms than I do, here's a few hard lures to get you started. If I were told to grab 1/2 dozen hard baits for the Quabbin, here's what I'd pick from my dusty tackles boxes (3 surface, 3 crankers):
[/IMG]
The top two are surface water "twitch-ers". The Zara puppie on the bottom is a good one to use at the Quabbin with 4 lb test. (It's also a favorite of forum member "arlow" (arlow knows his ship.). You can see from the photo that the smallies beat that one up alot... The next 3 are crankers:
[/IMG] The top one is what I have found to be the best Pimephales notatus imitation out there for the Quabbin. The second one is a very common forage bait out there, as well as the last one. Check out my other thread on 6/12/09 for a few other surface favorites of mine for the Quabbin.
Good luck fishing always
Smallies...yea they fight like hell, but that's only because they don't like
to be caught. Since you never caught a smallie your best bet at the Quabbin is to start with the surface and work your way down. Since you're an Aquarius like me and from your posts you know more about firearms than I do, here's a few hard lures to get you started. If I were told to grab 1/2 dozen hard baits for the Quabbin, here's what I'd pick from my dusty tackles boxes (3 surface, 3 crankers):
The top two are surface water "twitch-ers". The Zara puppie on the bottom is a good one to use at the Quabbin with 4 lb test. (It's also a favorite of forum member "arlow" (arlow knows his ship.). You can see from the photo that the smallies beat that one up alot... The next 3 are crankers:
Good luck fishing always
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