RJOE

Try calling Andy little at Powder horn outfitters in Hyannis. He has helped me with bulk Owner hooks.

I should be at the show helping Oliver and displaying some Real Prey Baits.

Welcome aboard Brian, I am also in central MA and the owner of Real Prey Swimbaits

May 15-june 15 will cover the bulk of the spawn in NH Sometimes the small mouths will start a little earlier and there will always be a small group of fish that will go earlier or later than the main group. I know most of the waters in the concord area and will be happy to help you when the time comes. Joe

I will be thinking of you.

I have a few different drop shot baits that I use on occasion. A carp and a smelt. They can be very effective in just the right situation. I have used them in shallow water tossing them in front of downed trees and just waiting.The important thing is to keep the boat still and not use the bait as a search bait. Great for when you find the fish and are able to stay on them.

I am hoping to start releasing these within a couple weeks. Like most of my baits they will be pretty much be made to order. Joe

I like a falling barometer and incoming weather for a couple reasons but the more important one is that it usually guarentees I will have the water to myself. Yes I do get caught it bad conditions a lot but I feel it provides an edge. My catching fish and suffering appear to be directly related.

Hey Dan, thanks for a great review of the 10" trout. The bottom trout in that picture is from the first batch of about 12 that I made. All of these were purchased by 1 person that I will not name. He then gave them all out to people as gifts. He was so excited by this trout that he wanted to get them in the hands of some great fisherman. Looks like somebody sold you their free gift.

I grew up in the Boston area and now live 2 hours west. Plenty of good water out that way. The Charles and Mystic rivers to name a couple. No one can give you better info than Grizz though.

Great job in trying to come up with a solution, this is the mentality that catches big fish. So it didn't go quite right that time but you were on the right track.Now you know for next time to balance the bait out in colder water then you intend to fish and if needed you can put on a heavier hook or add a nail weight. It is almost always easier to add weight then take it away. Tough to not get frustrated when alterations don't go the way you want but you still learned a lot for next time.

The specific gravity of freshwater is around 1 at the temps we are fishing in but starts to drop as the water gets hot, by around 320 degrees F it has dropped to .9 In keeping saltwater fish as pets this specific gravity to temperature ratio becomes very important even over just a few degrees. The warmer the water the lower the salt content needs to be. Where do you fish in 320 degree water or in saltwater fishtanks?? Fresh water is 8.33 ppg and salt slightly more roughly 8.36 or so which will affect how a lure swims... Bouyancy is going to play a bigger role then water temps all though it is a variable... I do want to see this saltwater tank you fish in?? Pics or it doesn't happen!!! Sorry If my wording wasn't specific enough. The temps we fish in meaning roughly between 32 and 90 degrees F. I then tried to explain how much specific gravity will drop as temps rise. Obviously nobody is fishing in or keeping pet fish in 320 degree water right. The last statement was meant to show the importance of specific gravity in relation to water temp in the keeping of saltwater fish as pets. Sorry if that post was confusing, it made sense as I was writing it.

The specific gravity of freshwater is around 1 at the temps we are fishing in but starts to drop as the water gets hot, by around 320 degrees F it has dropped to .9 In keeping saltwater fish as pets this specific gravity to temperature ratio becomes very important even over just a few degrees. The warmer the water the lower the salt content needs to be.

I will add a little more to the floating/sinking part of this post.. The transition of the bait sitting high in the warm water to sinking in icewater was smooth throughout the temp change. At no point did the bait start to sit higher as the water cooled and then reverse at very cold. The bigger factor is not the density of the water being hot or cold but the effect of the hot or cold on the bait. I t can get tough when someone in CA is looking for a specific ROF and I am looking for rivers that are moving to fast to freeze over. A lot of science and math goes into the making of baits but in the end you don't know for sure what a new bait will do until you get it in the water. More often than not it's back to the drawing board but sometimes a pleasent surprise.