This was a 16" largemouth I caught and released on a recent trip to Chippewa Bay St.. Lawrence River in the 1000 islands NY. Took a Green Salted Yum Tube /1/8th oz Jighead at about 15- 20 ' off a Bluff by the Osprey nest Buoy .The Smallies and Largemouths are heavy for their length .I believe from gorging on ubiquitous Gobies

Here's a 12,1/2 " Smallie from the same 1000 islands trip .Took a 4" Sluggo Carolina rigged with a 1/8 th oz. egg sinker  1/6th oz slider head/hook. 20 or so foot depth, lift and drop near bottom .

Some very healthy looking bass there John real fatties I think you're right about the gobies... 

Here are  two more and better smallies from same trip  .Brother Gregs 15 " and Orrins Lunker 18 " Yes these fish are fat and tough Slip!

Here's a December Bass,16"2#6oz., that took a floated Fathead Minnow 5' down suspended over 10-12' Off rip rap by an outflow ..Nice tug on a Berkeley Trout Dough Series rod rated for 1-4# test . #6 Aberdeen hook 4# test mono ,Mr Crappie 'Twist on ,Twist off' float .

Sorry that Berkeley rod is actually rated 1-6 #test. I use 4# though .Nice 7,1/2 ' length which is great for being on top of the rip rap. With the rod held high over the head I kept that bass from burying me in the rocks.

Steve and each got 3 #  Bass trolling Shiners . Mine was 17,1/2" ,3# Steve's was 18" 3#,3oz.

Nice fish!

Thanks Allen!

Any one got pics of Spotted Bass ?

Here's a pic !   LOFR

wow nice fish

Thanks LOFR .I am now thanks to Led Hed's input ,wondering if this fish I caught in 1000 Islands St Lawrence River last year is actually a Spotted Bass .I've been calling it a largemouth . Any ideas?

definitely LMB St lawrence Seaway too far north for spots...

map of Spotted Bass distibution

That is what my thinking was but how old is this map

check this spot out...

This is satisfying verification that it's Largemouth and not a Spotted .You're very thorough Slip! The notched Dorsal separation . California fed long growing season Trout fed Bass are always a jealousy inspiration!

If it look like a LMB and it's jaw hinges in front of its eye it's a spotted bass  AKA Kentucky Bass , or Strawberry Bass  LOFR

Wish I knew this info when I caught it in late summer 2015 ,so I could have been thorough .

Man, that's a nice bass, John! I can't wait to hit that spot once the weather warms up again.

Watch out Gary . I have a cannon mounted on my boat now .I only fire one warning shot over the bow ! After that I am more accurate!LOL!

Slow going late in March up here in NJ. The weather has been so sketchy the bass don't know whether to hunker down and sleep or get busy spawning. Got one on my Rebel and one on a 4" green pumpkin Rage Craw. Stuck fishing only one pond. With trout stocking going on, most lakes are closed down until April 9th, Opening Day. Can't wait.

Shepherds Lake  is open ,ya gotta release any Trout or salmon caught till till 4/8.Nice two Bass Gary !

I took off from work on Thursday. Sunshine and high 70s. The water is starting to warm up and so are the fish. Outstanding day on Lake Aeroflex. Warm sunshine and hungry largemouth bass. The pre-spawn has begun in earnest in NJ. About time, too. Started catching right away once I got to the northern end of the lake. Fishing anywhere from shore to 100 feet out, working the drop-offs and shallows thoroughly. Got my first fish on my trusty Z-Man DieZel Chatterbait in Houdini color. Lately the bass love this lure. 

Thirty minutes later it got hooked on a submerged log and it was lost to the depths. So sad...had to come home and order a replacement. So the search was on to find a suitable replacement. I finally found it in a Keitech 4in. Easy Shiner on a mushroom jig dipped in JJ's Magic, iodine color. I put on JJ's and made two casts and caught two bass. Like magic. The bite cooled off a little, missed on a couple of hits and then landed this one.  

4-21-16 cont.:  I've never caught a fish on a jig and trailer rig before. So I decided to push my newfound tricks to work. I put on a 1/4 oz jig with a paca chunk on it. Casting into the weeds I went looking for a spawning female. Found her pretty quickly.

17 inch female. Switching back to the mushroom jig, shiner and JJ's I hit for three more before calling it a day. Working the banks on the way back to the dock I started getting some action.

My day started at 8am...

and ended at 5:25pm. Just a little wobbly on my feet!! I may have to cut back the hours a little...or not. Man, this was a fun day and just the beginning of a great NJ bass fishing season.

The Keitech 4in. Easy Shiner on a 1/10 oz. mushroom jig dipped in JJ's Magic is kicking it these days. Have 15 lb. Power Pro braid with a 8 foot leader of 10 lb. fluorocarbon tied to the jig. As the water warms the bass are getting hungry and more aggressive. This guy decided to get into the act as well. Hate those bite-offs...

A few baits have been fooling Large mouth and Pickerel in shallow lily pads and wood cover . Spinnerbaits , Beetle spins Charlie Brewer slider Grubs, and Rattlebaits. Both large and small baits .

This guy jumped 3 times when caught .That's when you know the Bass are heating up. Took a 16th oz. Leech style grub ,casting from shore .

This guy nailed a big twin Blade /Twin tailed Spinner bait in a few feet of water at the inside  of a point .I stepped up to 10# test from 8# test throwing this big baits near the growing thicker weeds as the season progresses.  http://bigbluegill.com/photo/14-1-2-spinner-bait-bass?context=album...

OMG...I gotta get out more!! Great catch, John. Wish we could fish together. It's been a long time...too long.

I have 19 more days of school to go. June 22nd is our last day of school and then summer vacation. I might spend the entire summer out on the water. Come home for a shower and some food once in a while before heading back out. Can't wait!!

Thanks Gary .The Sluggo and the Spinnerbaits have been working for me .We should meet up at Shepherds sometime ! I have the 14 ' boat registered now .I can trailer it up there and fish together .

Anyone  Buzzbaiting Bass ? I think it's about time I try that again .Never did catch a Bass on a Buzzbait but I've given them a chance only a few times long ago.

This has been an outstanding week of bass fishing on the yak. June has been very good to me. Gotta hope July continues to be productive. My personal best was beaten consecutively within a week. From 16 inches to 17 inches to a big fat female bass at 19 inches. Wish I had a scale to weigh her. I'm guessing 3 to 4 pounds. I have a scale now, so going forward I will know length and weight.

John, I've tried buzzbaits, but have not caught anything with them yet. With the hot weather hitting now, I think deep crankbaits, heavy jigs and dropshotting will be needed to get down to the deeper, cooler water for the big bass. I was out on Aeroflex yesterday for about 6 hours from dawn to noon and didn't catch anything. The front had come through, so the bass were a little finicky. I just couldn't figure them out. The windy gusts didn't help. Even with a drift sock and anchor I was getting pushed all over the lake. Depending on the weather, I'll be hitting Merrill Creek Reservoir on either Tuesday or Wednesday. Never fished there before. Have you?

Great Bass there Gary . Congratulations pal! My biggest Bass that I weighed came in late June years ago on a Sluggo fishing in Waywayanda .Still carry the pic in my wallet. A 21.5 " 5,1/2 lb. Bass .Another hog I have a pic of but no weight and length is this one caught in Cupsaw Lake in July in 2009 .What a year for Bass and Pickerel that was! I believe this one pictured is my PB but no proof of it's weight and size . It took a Hula Popper .

   As to the Buzzbait I haven't even tried it yet . These are the months for trolling deep cranks for Bass when fishing in the daytime as well as the techniques you mentioned .  but in the dark some great fish can be caught at night .The Black Jitterbug being the obvious classic Lure .

No Gary ,I have never fished Merril Creek Reservoir!

Two other months I 've caught 5# class Bass are April(live shiner, Pines Lake ) and October (white floating worm ,Monksville)

OMG...that picture says it all!! That is what I'm looking for every time out. I dream about catching a beauty like that. I'd keep a picture of it with me, too. lol

One of these days I'm going to have to go out at night and try my Black jitterbug blind casting, and listen for the explosion :)

Allen-Got a small Bass last night on the Middle sized (3/8 OZ.?) Black Jitterbug . Got two small Bass on the flyrod with poppers too. Not a great night but fun nevertheless.

Yes the explosion is very cool!

The "Snake and Wake" technique : Low water and shallow ? Very slow retrieve with pauses creating wake similar to a Jitterbug . The rod held high after long cast to keep the lure on top or just under surface lowering rod tip gradually as it approaches you. Keep the tip straight to your reel.
TOP :Rapala J-11 4,1/4" Floater, Storm with Rattle ,3,3/4" jointed Plug; BOTTOM J-9 ,3,1/4"Rapala floaters.All Rapalas old FINLAND models. 

I kept it steady waking (like a jitterbug ) on top and snaking  the jointed back and paused  when they hit .First fish took at rest after hitting first . 2nd fish was more aggressive and took while it was moving .  "Wake and Snake " is what I ended up calling the technique I used because it describes exactly how the bait was moving and I'll remember it that way .

I've had no luck with crank baits, jointed baits or spinners so far. My best catches are coming on the Whopper Plopper and Senko type worms. The 5" Yum Dinger in green pumpkin and a 7" green pumpkin worm, both Texas Rigged on 4/0 wide gap offset hooks has been killing them of late. Got a few nice LMBs this week, with my new personal best this morning. A real fighting and jumping 21 inch, 4.47 lb. beauty. The adrenaline was pumping as it jumped twice on the way in and my buddy Chuck grabbed it by the lip and hauled it up on the dock. I'd have lost it for sure if I tried lifting it up out of the water alone. Got that one on the 7" worm and the second on the 5" Dinger. A third hit my scum frog but dropped off as I lifted it up onto the dock. So it goes.

Number 2 today...Yesterday's LMB...15"

The bass love these worms...

Excellent 21" Bass ,Congrats Gary ! Rubber worms of all types are killer on Lazy Big Bass you are right. Floating worms, Slider worms, Swimming worms, Paddle Tail worms, Twister Tail worms,straight tail worms Wacky worms ,etc they all have their catches of hoards of Bass .I like those YUM worms also that you throw with success.Ever fish an old Bass Pro Shops floating worm ? Got one of my 4 biggest Bass  from shore at the Monksville on a white one .They float above a splitshot .Dropshotting before Dropshotting was invented ,LOL.!