I am going to NH this weekend in the Ossippee/Freedom area. Does anyone know any ponds or lakes that have the possibility of any accessible bank fishing in that area (where I can park my vehicle and walk around the body of water)? I am willing to travel 25 or 30 miles from that vicinity to find productive areas to fish. I am interested in mostly fishing for Largemouth Bass and Trout.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

lalondtm,

Do you know the name of the Abu Garcia reel for beginners? Thanks.

The fish striking right the plopper/choppo before I pull the lure into shore has happened to me a few times. My theory is that time is the last chance in their mind to catch the bait before it disappears.

It is definitely a low light lure to be used early morning or late evening next to the bank. Unfortunately, it is not weedless like a teckel frog or booyah toadrunner which has some of the same plopping action but can be fished in grass/weeds.

I fish it on straight braid. Not sure if the mono stretch is helpful to keep the bass on the treble hook.

Thanks Glenn for the spinning reel suggestion.

Thanks again for the sage advice. I will be almost always be using lures. What do you mean by "You will take the incert out of the guides and tip top ?" Are you saying I will wreck the tip of the rod? Last question is: would a 6.6 foot medium light moderate fast rod be a good match for a 2500 reel? Thanks.

Thanks for the suggestions. I should have said that I have other rods/reels for Bass. I just don't have anything light enough for trout. I think I will use put 4# test in the fall and spring when I am fishing for the trout and put on 10# or 12# braid (with a flouro or mono leader if necessary) in the summer months for LMB. Does anyone have any brand and model suggestions for a 2500 reel and a matched rod (or combo)?

As a somewhat unrelated aside, the last few days here in Mass. have been warm and I believe that we are close to Pre-spawn. I am getting stressed out from Covid-19 news and worrying about elderly parents that fishing will be a relaxing solace the next few months. Especially at this time, we all need to make time for our hobbies, especially those that can incorporate social distancing such as fishing. Sorry for the rant that should probably be a separate message...

Last summer my brother and I hired a guide and we went fishing in a lake close to West Palm Beach. In four hours, I caught about 10 peacocks and about five other fish (probably four different species). Peacocks are pound for pound great fighters and we used live shiners to catch the fish. Good fish to check off on the bucket list.

I am a bank fisherman from Massachusetts and wanted to purchase a rod and reel for Rainbow Trout fishing and smaller LMB here in New England. Any suggestions for a relatively light spinning combo (or separate components) that total $130? What size reel would you recommend for someone like me wherein this rod/reel would be mostly used for lighter finesse fishing?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Alaska sounds great for Salmon and Trout. However, I would go to Central/South Florida. Best of both worlds. Largemouth Bass on Okeechobee and Peacock Bass further south. You could also go saltwater fishing for the more exotic species. I would hire a guide and he is guaranteed to catch fish.

May I ask what lures you used to catch these lunkers??

Chumley,

I was going to guess Lake Ossipee. I have fished there. You almost caught a state record as NH is 10.8 lbs for a Largemouth Bass. Nice fish. Hope you were able to catch and release? Where I live in Mass. the state record is 15.8.

Bass Face,

This is an interesting theory. Would you recommend that we utilize all three (ie, topwater, swimbaits/crankbaits/spoons/spinnerbaits and plastics) components of the water column while using this strategy?

FYI, Deer are typically good swimmers... and will swim to escape predators. Five miles out is certainly not typical and this was probably caused by a storm.

Does anyone here use a Double Palomar or Nano-fil knot? Is it appreciably stronger than a standard Palomar knot?

Also, does anyone actually use superglue over the knot? Roland Martin says that it adds a few percent more strength?

With respect to braid and the lack of stretch, it is very good if you are in a Kayak to use braid because the Kayak is already moving so you don't need the line to stretch.