Haverhill, MA Fishing Report

Breaking The Cold Streak

I've logged a good amount of hours without catching a fish before this trip. I'm sure all of you have been through this before, where you can't even get a bite. You spend $$ on crankbaits, spinners, floaters, etc., thinking the fish are sure to bite something you throw at them, right? You return to the tried-and-true spots, throw every lure/rig at them, and still nothing. This issue with this is, it's like golf. You end up getting anxious, stop using the methods that have caught you fish in the past, you rush your casts, get impatient and get frustrated. What's the point of fishing if you're getting frustrated? When I golf with people who just hate themselves after every shot it's like, why are you paying to do this to yourself bud?!

My biggest issue is that I need to cram in all the fishing I can right now, since my work really picks up in the summer and I barely have any free time. I realized the other night that whether or not I was catching fish, I was outside, enjoying nature, walking well-kept trails by people who never get enough gratitude, and I wasn't sitting in front of the TV scratchin' my ass. What's the point of getting frustrated?

Needless to say, fishing does have an element of luck, so if you've caught something on your go-to method, just stick with it and let luck catch up with you. I'm starting to acknowledge that a big part of what I like about fishing is the trails I get to walk to find that perfect spot from shore. So I hunt out a body of water that has a trail map in the area and have the mentality of just enjoying the outdoors, getting some exercise and fresh air, and zoning out. Don't get me wrong, I love me a beer or some Jameson, but a few hours outdoors of trail-walking and fishing is just as good as a cold brewski.

Anyways, sorry for the rant, just hoping that if anyone else experiences the same thing, maybe this will shed some light on the things that make fishing so awesome.

Headed out to some water I've never fished before, doused myself in Deep-Woods, grabbed my stuff and headed down the trail. Haverhill's got a few ponds/lakes that you can fish, and I've had luck at a few of them like Crystal Lake, Plug Pond, and Lake Pentucket. The only issue is that some of these spots are so crowded, so I try to seek out the less crowded spots. That said, I can't say exactly where I caught these fish, but send me a private message and I can tell ya where.

I have noticed some baby bass swimming around, so I think we're in the post-spawn for some waters. However, I think the weather we've had over the last month has really messed with the spawn, since some waters are really warm, and some are still pretty cold.

I've had some bass hitting frogs and buzzbaits, but not aggressively enough that I can set the hook. Don't know if they're just a little too lethargic or they're small bass and the bigguns are sticking around the beds. I put on a black/pink senko texas-rigged and casted towards a stump with some grass nearby. About 10 seconds of sitting on the bottom, I finally saw the line go tight and set the hook. FINALLY. This guy gave me an awesome fight, especially because it was on my 5'6" rod. It was a nice largemouth I'd say right around the 2lb mark. Had a really thick body and a nice little tummy.

Stayed at the same spot and kept fishing the senkos, switching back and forth from the black/pink and the green/orange colors. Have seen more success with the two-colored worms than the solid colors with flakes. Right around that same grassy area I landed another LMB, probably a little over 1lb. This one jumped out of the water about 5 times, which makes any fish exciting no matter how big.

Tried that grassy area for another 30 mins or so and no bites. Moved over a little bit and fished parallel to the shore letting the worm sink and sit for about 45 seconds to a minute. Then giving it a pull and reeling in a little to try and get that signature "fall" that senkos have. Repeat that about 3-5 times per cast. Did this for about 20 minutes without getting impatient, and landed another nice 2-2.5 lber.

The wind died down and the mosquitos really started to come out, and man they've been bad so far. Even with the Deep Woods on, I still get swarmed and end up with 5 or so bites all over my fingers which saaahhckkksss. Moved back to that stump with the grassy area and figured I'd give it a few more casts before I headed back to the car. Was starting to get really dark at about 8:45 and I didn't know the trail too well. Cast out the black/pink senko again and the second it hit the water, the line went tight. Set the hook and the battle was on. God I love this small rod, little bass seem big, and big bass seem massive. Fought this fish for about 5 minutes since I was in a light spot and didn't want it to get stuck in some downed branches in front of me.

This was an awesome fish. Very fat stomach, and I'm almost positive it was a female. Didn't have a scale but it was definitely over 4 lbs. The stomach was full, like someone was fishing with a Big Mac or something. I just ordered a scale so hopefully I can get an accurate measurement because I'm sick of estimating. Must've creeped out this couple that was walking the trail behind me because it was so dark and they heard a commotion in the water. Got them to take a pic of me with the fish, so thanks to them.

Either way, was good to snap the cold streak, got some good fish, and hopefully this will encourage anyone else who has had a cold streak lately to just stay at it!

• Added By: jcallery89 on 05/29/15 09:20 AM
• Location: Haverhill, MA
• Report Date: 5/26/2015
• # of Photos: 4
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