My NorthShore Bassers...

I agree with jjbagoose. if you have a license and follow the rules you can keep 5 bass over 12 inches. Nothing to say about it. I would also agree that I'd rather the fish get eaten than stuffed and hung on a wall. I don't think it's necessary to keep 3 big fish. Seems like overkill to me. The thing I really don't get is why they'd want bass. It's gross if it comes outta a small weedy pond. It tastes like the pond water. I tried it once when my wife asked me to keep a fish. Never again

I'm with jj on this one. He was perfectly within his right to take the fish home. I don't see anything wrong with it even though it's not something I would do. And I also agree with benjen that if you are going to eat fish you are much better off with panfish than bass for a whole host of reasons.

On the topic of "blowing up" your honey hole, my rule of thumb is that if the place has a parking lot and a boat ramp it's already been "blowed up".

The thing I really don't get is why they'd want bass. It's gross if it comes outta a small weedy pond. It tastes like the pond water. I tried it once when my wife asked me to keep a fish. Never again

I'm with you on this. I've never actually eaten a LM and I'm not very interested to.

It's just kind of funny that we get upset (myself included) when people take good fish home to presumably eat.

Meanwhile, our hobby is spending hours on the water just to stab fish in their lips so we can drag them into our boat, weigh them, take their picture and finally just toss them back in the water. Probably harming them in the process, sometimes gut hooking them and I'm sure killing our share.

Kinda weird but I love it!

All good points. I feel it would not be a bad idea to lower bag limit. Becoming more evident the more I fish that most of the urban fishing spots are becoming over harvested. Or I've just sucked more this yr than last ha ha!

Pat, hit Nuttings in Billerica!!!

it seems strange to me that someone would want to take a bass home to eat from a gross pond. i was going to ask if it had to do with taste...maybe they taste really good? but i guess not. maybe those people are really struggling and need to put food on the table (not the bucket brigade).

i don't agree with it at all since i'm a recreational fisherman. and just because something's a law doesn't make it right or sensible. i could list a lot of things both current and past but i think you get the idea. go ahead and keep 5 dinks but not 5 4 pounders. i don't agree with it because it hurts a fishery in the long run.

On the topic of "blowing up" your honey hole, my rule of thumb is that if the place has a parking lot and a boat ramp it's already been "blowed up".

most honey holes don't and were relatively quiet and secret until now. now that i think of it, even that place we went to NEVER got traffic. now it's ridiculous.

These internet message boards are a mixed blessing. On one hand you meet a lot of great people and learn a lot. On the other, some of your best unpressured waters get exposed and become not so unpressured anymore. I have been on both sides and I am grateful of those who have shared some of their best waters with me. Having said that it did not come my way by just asking. Most people who have shared with me I have become friends with 1st. A trust was built that I would not go and blow up their spots and tell 10 of my friends.

How many "small, unknown" ponds can there be? Most non puddle ponds are known and the rest seem to be off limits for whatever reason. I guess I could try pm's but yeah it's hard to get any new ideas here as far as spots. I think presentation and skill count enough that I give away my areas in posts because it is what it is. I guess if you know one of these "unknown" ponds it's worth keeping secret.

I'm a newer member, but to me it seems like people take a balanced approach...people want to (and do) help out other members but understandably they also don't want their favorite spots to get ruined. This seems fair to me...new people get pointed to the more commonly known (and previously posted) spots, and given time they'll discover the secret holes on their own (or maybe with a little help from other members).

It does seem a little annoying that there's always a ton of visitors trolling the site, but not joining...for example, right now there are 36 guests and only 2 members online, so I guess those helpful posts end up reaching a lot of people who don't take the time to join and give back.

I'm a newer member, but to me it seems like people take a balanced approach...people want to (and do) help out other members but understandably they also don't want their favorite spots to get ruined. This seems fair to me...new people get pointed to the more commonly known (and previously posted) spots, and given time they'll discover the secret holes on their own (or maybe with a little help from other members).

It does seem a little annoying that there's always a ton of visitors trolling the site, but not joining...for example, right now there are 36 guests and only 2 members online, so I guess those helpful posts end up reaching a lot of people who don't take the time to join and give back.

I would think that most guests are just members who are not signed in. someone correct me i I am wrong.

How many "small, unknown" ponds can there be? Most non puddle ponds are known and the rest seem to be off limits for whatever reason. I guess I could try pm's but yeah it's hard to get any new ideas here as far as spots. I think presentation and skill count enough that I give away my areas in posts because it is what it is. I guess if you know one of these "unknown" ponds it's worth keeping secret.

It can be unknown how good the fishing is. Obviously with Google satellite there is no such thing as unknown or secret body of water.

If I tell you a spot in private and short of you telling everyone you know and them telling everyone they know, little harm is done. If I tell you right here in public, now thousands can see the post and all go to that spot. It does in fact destroy lesser known lakes and ponds.

Pick an area on map and fish them for yourself and you may just find a killer place that not a lot of people go to. When you find that gem, I doubt very much you will then want hundreds/ thousands of other people knowing about it and ultimately destroying the place.

Oldfisher...you're undoubtedly right that some of those guests are actually members who have not signed in, but I guess it is impossible to know how many. I had forgotten that might be the case since my computer/phone automatically logs me in.[/quote]

Google indexes every thing said on this site. If a lake is mentioned here, google will point back to this site for anyone searching for info on that lake. Exposing info here is exposing it for the world pretty much.

Google indexes every thing said on this site. If a lake is mentioned here, google will point back to this site for anyone searching for info on that lake. Exposing info here is exposing it for the world pretty much.

So anyways if anyone has a Merrrimack river spot recommendation or a Quabbin location, say one honey hole point in the middle of a saddle on a hump (use your depth finder ) with weeds near rocks not far from a drop off but adjacent to shallow flats but still wind blown though not obvious just list them here!!!!!