If giving thanks for the bird, fixings, friends, family and football aren’t enough, then how about some fishing? Fortunately after the gridiron guys do their thing, we have the option of playing our game.
The fishing season comes to a close this Sunday on Wachusett Reservoir and it is going out with a bang! Fortunately there are other sweetwater options as well as a few saltier ones.
Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing Report
I’ve always approached Wachusett Reservoir as I would the surf, albeit a 37-mile-around surf. Most everyone agrees that this blue-ribbon Bay State gem is an awe-inspiring place but you’re just scratching the surface if you simply “bait and wait” one spot. This time of the year lakers are in the shallows and on the move looking to spawn and the soaring rainbow trout are on the prowl and could be cruising most anywhere. For my money topping off a surf bag or backpack with a collection of “precious metal” and keeping on the move is a lot more fun and can be more productive.
While the Kastmaster has no shortage of fans, myself included, it’s most effective when there’s the need for long casts and excels when combing the depths. A more versatile option this time of year is Rapala’s Krocodile. The Kroc is easier to keep on plane among the shelves and shallows where lake trout and rainbow trout prowl now. While 5/8-ounce is the most versatile, don’t shy away from 3/8-ounce, especially for rainbows, which the fish see far less of than the more typical heavy metal most heave on the Reservoir. The predominant forage consists of smelt and yellow perch so opt for chrome, gold, yellow and green finishes. The latest news is that anglers are catching a lot of 6- to 7-pound lakers and watching schools of reluctant 2 ½-pound-plus rainbows cruising at the edges of drop-offs. Those rainbows will be less of a tease and more apt to please if you crank in a smaller Krocodile or float a small shiner in front of their noses.
If you’re looking for productive spots to roam check out Gates 6 to 8, 19 and 22, both sides of the power lines off the causeway and Gates 30 and 35. The only thing that could be better is for some comfortable weather to go along with the catching and with 55 degree temperatures predicted on Sunday it looks that’s a given also!
Odds are that the spotlight will be off the Quabbin area over the foreseeable future so if you’re looking for the possibility of productive fishing and the probability of having it all to yourself, the Connecticut Valley Region just may be it. Rod from Flagg’s Fly and Tackle in Orange suggests the North and South Spectacle Ponds, which straddle Route 122 in New Salem. These are but a breath away from the Quabbin Reservoir, in fact the latter is one of the few water bodies in the watershed where one can launch a cartop craft to fish. Crappie are one of the prizes in these places and they are great spots to navigate with a kayak, canoe or pram. For something different try focusing on some moving water in the area. Tributaries within walking distance of the shop hold populations of native brook trout, which are aglow with spawning coloration now and are a treat to catch. Pull up a map of the area on your smartphone and Rod can probably point you to a pristine place where you’ll find willing brookies and not another soul! The other winning possibility is walleye along the Connecticut River. Rod recommends the Turner Falls area as well as the boat ramp in Northfield. The ones who whip those walleyes use a spinner/crawler combination and target depressions in the river and the deeper the better! Some of these fish are quality ‘eyes—in fact, an 8 ½ pounder was caught there this summer.
Don from Merrimack Sports said that this is one of those rare times when fishing is underutilized. His best bets for rainbow trout are Forest Lake and Plugs Pond. Hardly anyone is fishing these places and they’ve been stocked again this fall! For a real mixed bag check out the Merrimack River. A preferred pike place is where the Shawsheen River meets up with the Merrimack River; many are waiting for first ice but the fish are there now and unpressured. For carp and white catfish try a doughball for the former and a crawler or shiner for the latter in the Haverhill stretch of the Merrimack at the site where the Building 19 dwelling lies. When asked about wayward walleye in the Merrimack, Don told me that they’ve been taken just upstream of the Lawrence Dam. As for recent catches, Don commented that anglers can’t catch them if they’re not fishing for them!
Massachusetts Saltwater Fishing Report
My friend Carl Vining paid a visit recently to Bridge Street Sports in Salem and Noel said that patrons are catching smelt. While I couldn’t pin down a specific spot, I’d recommend the State Pier in Gloucester, Pickering Wharf, the Beverly Pier, the Commercial Street Pier in Marblehead and the Winthrop Public Pier. As for the Shrimp King, Rick Newcomb of Fore River, he has flash-frozen grass shrimp at the ready.
With temperatures predicted to spike to around 50 degrees this Sunday coinciding with high tide at a conveniently dark 5:30, there might be no better time to catch a cod from the shore! When numbers were up, consistent shore hot spots were Duxbury Beach, Hull Gut, Nut Island, Castle Island, Deer Island and Devereux Beach. It really would be a “shot in the dark” but there have been solid reports of an increase in inshore groundfish activity in these parts in recent weeks and historically now was the time to catch a cod from shore!
Fishing Forecast
Enjoy the bird and other festivities but by all means put a little time aside to catch something that is ultimately better for your health – fish! Wachusett remains a winner but this is one good thing that comes to an end this Sunday! Load up on magic metal from B&A and run and gun for lakers and rainbows off the Route 70 side or behind the West Boylston Fire Station. For smaller fare but no less fun, check out the crappie catching at the “Specs” at New Salem. Pike should be on the prowl in the Merrimack as well as equally large carp in the Haverhill section of the river. While odds of catching are not quite as sweet as freshwater, your perseverance could result in some smelt or even cod. And it’s hard to argue about a plate of fried smelt. With favorable tides this weekend, grab some grass shrimp and give smelt a shot off the Gloucester State Pier, Pickering Wharf and the Winthrop Public Pier.
Fishing today in Plymouth and caught some perch and a couple small trout. It’s a real shame though, the guy next to me was saying that in the morning, a group of 4 guys were there with a total of 21 rods and they were all keeping about 25 trout a piece. He called the EP and they said there was nothing they could do. It is a real shame that regulations are not followed and a fishery is going to get wiped out because people can’t follow the rules.
Tight Lines
P.S-How about people start practicing C & R!!!
Ouch that hurts! The green police are generally a dedicated group and I’ve had much better luck when calling them about the bad guys. They do have a large territory to cover so that may have contributed to the poor response. A buddy of mine called last year about two poachers snagging river herring and the results – a cruiser with flashing lights – was very satisfying! We need to keep calling out those crooks!
Ron,
Absolutely agree! As long as we keep reporting, they will be caught!
Tight Lines
Its really pathetic that there are people like that. I would call in a second. The fact the EPO said there’s nothing they can do is wrong. That’s their job. If I had that job I would go out of my way to nail each and every one of them. Don’t stop calling and If your able to get pic’s as evidence so when the EPO does show up there’s proof on top of that. Whatever it takes!
Paul P.
Absolutely! I am looking to pursue a career like that and am going to be in college in 2015. Hoping to major in Conservation Law Enforcement. So it disappoints me when people are ruining our fisheries!
Tight Lines
I know these folks travel down from the north shore. Horrible situation for everyone and most people just look the other way instead. What a shame!
id love to be an epo. id have no problem arresting poachers. they would be afraid. get them off our waters.
My experience has been that these days more fisherman than ever are catch and release and I love that. I tend to doubt the environmental police dispatcher specifically stated there was “nothing they could do” if they were called in real time about that situation. Because of where I work, I know many EPOs and although they are human like everyone else – they are a proud, professional and dedicated group. Although highly trained, they dont make very much money either, especially compared to other police! Guys taking too many fish or short fish bugs them and they want to enforce the rules. They know that the responsible sportsman is the best friend of the environment because they put up the cash that buys actual real habitat – the very BEST protection against the arch enemy of good fishing and hunting which is overdevelopment and sprawl! PS I love On the Water reports especially in early winter when the boat is so visibly absent in my life…..