Some new pics

We braved the rain and cold this past Friday to do some fishing and were rewarded with some of our best fish this year!

Above is a 4.2lb. largemouth taken on a black spinnerbait from a brush pile close to shore.

Bob bagged a 3.5+ pickerel on a bluegill pattern crankbait that fought on even inside the boat!

Removal of the hooks requires pliers as these fish have many sharp teeth, and being built like barracuda squirm and fight until released. All in all a good day, we got 3 bass and more than 7 pickerel for the few hours we were able to stand the cold and wet. Next weekend we have two days of fishing and what looks to be good weather, if the fish cooperate the post should be big with pictures!

God bless, Mike.

East Brimfield Reservoir

Finally, we are out on the boat!!! This past Friday Bob and I took the boat out to fish and we had a great day for early spring. The air temp. was in the mid 70'sF. and the water was about 60F. and the bass are moving up in preparation to spawn making them very aggressive. We started the day around 1:30 pm, after I got out of work and only got one bass on a deep diving crank until about 4:30 pm.
We were on the NW shore of the lake working into some shallow coves, the shoreline was steep and the bottom dropped off fast. We were throwing medium diving crank baits and started to get hit just into early evening. The first fish were smaller males, but they hit the lures as soon as they landed, and we went from one fish to 3 or 4 in about 30 minutes.
The fish began hitting fast and hard when the sun began to lower. Bob with a good spring male bass.
As the afternoon went on we started to see a mix of females, some we were able to land, some we lost. We think this was due to the fact that the fish may not have been hungry, but made aggressive and prone to snap due to the warm weather and impending spawn, so they did not hook up on the lures as well as if they meant to eat them.
In the mix Bob caught a good size Yellow Perch, a very tasty species, though they only get up to about 2lbs. They are a tenacious fish for their size and will hit lures even larger than themselves.
One of the lures Bob used, a medium diver Xcaliber fat free guppy. This was the star lure of the day as it caught the most fish. they are, like most crank baits easy to use. They are cast to the desired location, then retrieved steadily fast or slow sometimes stopping to let the lure float up momentarily, and when possible running the plastic lip into rocks and wood to make noise. Bob added a twist by letting the bait sit on the surface after it landed and twitching it, with the bass in their mood they would strike the bait without needing to reel it in.
I caught most of my fish on this bait, a Mann's -4 crank bait with a steady slow retrieve. The lure swims at about 4 ft. below the surface and has a great wobbling action that made the fish hit.
Bob with another nice fish. We definitely had the best day of fishing so far out of the four we have spent on the water, we lost count after a dozen fish and were it not for failing daylight and falling temps (it's not summer yet) we could have kept catching for longer. This will be the first in what I hope to be many positive accounts of fishing both local and out of state waters, and the lures we used to bag them. Until next time, God bless and keep fishing! Mike Z.

More from Bass Pro Shops.

Here are the pictures I promised. I apologize for not having more close-ups of the actual lures and rods and reels. I know God willing, we will be going again soon and I will make it a point to get more specific with the images. Before I go again, I will post, and ask if there are any particular sections of the store, or product lines, lures, rods, reels, or displays any reader wants to see. I will take the list with me and do my best to cover the requests with pictures and a post.

Photo Captions:

1) 35,000gal. aquarium, massive!

2) A small section of the lure and rod displays, saltwater section.

3) Approximately 6lb. landlocked salmon, good eating!



4) 1960's sportfishing boat, 43ft!

5) One half of one isle, mostly freshwater heads, some plastics.

6) View from the top floor, about 1/8 of the freshwater baits and rods section.

New England Bass

Call them Greenies, Bucketmouth, or just plain Bass, the North American Black Bass (Micropterus Salmoides) is not a Bass at all, but a member of the Sunfish family. Don't let this fool you though, throughout America Bass are the most pursued species of game fish in fresh water. Not as tasty as Trout or catfish nor as large as Muskie, or Pike in some cases, they are the second most fight for the cast. The above specimen, approx. 3 lbs. was taken this June from Quabbin Reservoir in Hardwick, Massachusetts using a chatter bait in a crayfish pattern. Angler; Bobby Plankey.

Enter the Smallie, Bronzeback, or Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus Dolomieu). Also a member of the Sunfish family, these are the smaller of the two New England species, but take first prize for the fight. Pound for pound I am told only Amazon native Peacock Bass are a tougher customer. This photo (my apologies for the poor light) shows a 4 lb.+ fish caught this May on Kezar Lake, Lovell, Maine by Team Kezar angler Bruce Trimpop. The fish fell prey to a 1/4 oz. Rapala Rattlin' Shad in a silver/chartreuse pattern.
My host, and Team Kezar angler Tim Trimpop, (left) put me on my biggest fish to date. This Largemouth weighed at 6 lbs. 2oz. and was taken on Lake Kezar, late May on a custom black double Colorado spinnerbait designed by Bruce Trimpop. The hit on the bait was soft and unremarkable, and until I got the fish to within 12 ft. of the boat and she went wacko, stripping drag and making us scramble to lip her and get her on board for a picture. Angler; Mike Zelonis.
This 5lb. + lump fell to the same custom spinnerbait as the fish in the previous photo, and fought to get away from the start. Late May is a good time for Lake Kezar fish as it is still pre-spawn, 5 hours south in Massachusetts where I live, fish at this time are already starting to make beds and are distracted from feeding so ferociously. Angler; Bruce Trimpop.
Bruce with another beast, close to if not over 6lbs. on the same lure. The spinnerbait design is a unique construction that the Bass in Lake Kezar seem to love, in a future post I will put up a photo. It looks plain, but a flexibility feature in the blade arm allows for a more positive hookup ratio than the standard commercial variety.
Mid July on Quabbin, my fishing partner Bob bagged this approx. 3lb. Largemouth on a gold/blackback Cotton Cordell Spot lipless crankbait, 1/2oz. size. His second fish in this class in about about 10 min. Then we lost the school. High pressure, (30+ millibars), cooler temps, and a cold front made the day tough, we got 6 fish in about as many hours. Angler; Robbery Plankey.


A note from the author. All Bass we catch are released
unless fatal injury is suspected once the fish is boated.
At present no New England states stock Bass of any
species. We strictly advocate catch, photo, and release.
The Bass fishing future for our kids depends on this!

Thanks, Mike Zelonis.


Below, Early July on Quabbin, Bob tagged into this approx. 2lb. smallie on a chartreuse chatter bait. The fish was taken in clear water less than 8ft. We watched the Bass charge the erratic jig and snap it up like candy. Bob was fairly happy as he bought some of these baits last year, but had no success with them until this day. In fact most of the fish, Largemouth and smallies were after the chatter on that trip. Angler; Robert Plankey.