For most, the cold snap has put fishing thoughts in the cooler—ice junkies notwithstanding. But with temperatures predicted to moderate at least for a portion of the weekend, it might be a great time to tempt a trout or take advantage of some unusual from-shore groundfishing.
Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing
It’s not often that one sees a picture of a 24-pound trout taken in Massachusetts. Last night at his shop in West Boylston, Eddie was visited by a DCR biologist who showed him a picture of a 40-inch, 24-pound, 2-ounce female laker bursting with eggs that they netted a short haul from Gate 36 on Wachusett Reservoir. If you’ve ever been pummeled by unforeseen beasts at the Reservoir, you’re probably thinking as I did that you’re convinced you hooked that corker once or twice! The current record is 40”, 24 pounds even, and that was caught by Mike Sienkiewicz, a retired firefighter from Worcester, who felled his huge forktail in the Quinapoxet River in 2004. It makes you wonder…how big is the nastiest laker in there, anyway?
As much as you have to love lakers, some would argue that brown trout are the superior salmonid. As evidenced by the state record 19-pound 10-ounce brown trout, which was caught from Wachusett, there was once a time when it was a special brownie spot as well. While I was late to the brown trout dance, those who partook of it told me that a combination of a smelt collapse and invasion of lake trout spelled the end of the trophy brown trout fishing. But the smelt cycle has been on the uptick for several years now and brown trout have been one of the beneficiaries. The difference between then and now is that most of the brown trout catching is taking place in the tributaries as opposed to the reservoir, but maybe if numbers swell that will change. And anglers are seeing the brown trout spawning! This could get really interesting!
Out west, shops such as JCB Bait and Flagg’s Fly and Tackle are reporting skim ice on some of the smaller water bodies. For hardwater junkies, that’s a reason to put a new edge on the auger blade! Meanwhile Rod from Flagg’s in Orange said that loads of trout and rainbows have been stocked in the Miller River and Lake Mattawa yet hardly anyone is fishing for them. Rod recommends that fly fishermen target those browns with a big Wooly Bugger. Shiners are doing the trick for the bows and browns in Mattawa. For a real challenge, try tempting the wily trout in the Swift River. You’ll fare best if you downsize your wares to as tiny as 20 or 22 with emerges, midge imitators and Blue Wing Olive flies good choices.
Unexpectedly one of the best baits for salmonids as well as smallmouth bass is a critter that isn’t even indigenous to most of their habitats. Fish of all persuasions cannot pass up grass shrimp! Rick from Fore River told me that he has customers who make the haul into the shop from Plymouth and Salem because they know the shrimp makes the difference. Some are taken to calling Rick’s specialty a “Fore River Sandwich.” This consists of two grass shrimp on a hook with a Berkley Power Egg in the middle. The offering is not all that different from how mealworms are fished, but the scent of the grass shrimp makes it much more alluring. You might want to make sure you pinch off the head portion of the shrimp; predators regard the sharp rostrum as a weapon and may shy away from the bait. This also applies to using the bait in the salt.
Massachusetts Saltwater Fishing Report
Speaking of the salt, while better than last year, the smelt season is still a work in progress but folks who don’t mind poking around are finding fish. Recently, after catching non-stop whiting in deep moving water, we decided to put our presentations into a nearby, shallower, quieter eddy just outside of the current and we actually found the glorious smelt! You’ll have a hard time catching smelt in the midst of the larger, more aggressive whiting. Of course, something can be said for the inshore gadoid grab bag which exists out there right now. A tug on the line could be the result of a tommycod, whiting, white hake, pollock or smelt!
Current catches are taking place off Marina Bay, the Hull Yacht Club Pier, Hewitts Cove, Nut Island, Winthrop Harbor, the Saugus River, Salem Harbor and Gloucester Harbor. Tomo of Tomo’s Tackle in Salem said that a regular of the shop recently jigged up mackerel and actually found an errant 10-pound striped bass recently!
Fishing Forecast
Thankfully the weather is predicted to moderate, making for less torturous fishing conditions. For fast fishy action, try frequenting places which were recently stocked with rainbow or brown trout. The Connecticut Valley Region has a couple of gems in the Miller River and Lake Mattawa. Test you skill with a diminutive Blue Winged Olive on the stealthy salmonids which lurk in the Swift River. Wachusett remains a winner; snap on a gold 1-ounce Kastmaster or Trophy Spoon and aim for the horizon and the bottom off Gates 8, 13, 19, 30 and 35. A quest worth considering is the Quinapoxet River, where drifting a dilly worm or salmon egg sack could result in your personal-best brown trout. Closer to the coast, try seeking some smelt off Marina Bay, the piers off Hull or Winthrop Harbor. The other option remains off Nut Island, Castle Island, Summer Street Bridge, Deer Island and the Gloucester State Pier, where the catch from a grass shrimp on the line could run the gamut from tommy cod to smelt.
I tried using grass shrimp from Fore River for trout over at Wachusett a while back; didn’t have any luck with them. The ones I had weren’t all that big; maybe bigger would work
better. Regular sized shrimp work pretty well for Browns, but don’t know where to get them this time of year.
Thats strange my friends and i fish mariner bay often with little sucess catching smelt. By the way where they catching smelt at mariner bay? The pier has been closed since end of september dew to storm damage.
Peters pond has some nice trout biting on power bait! Tight lines!