In the teeth of a hardwater season that looks as if it’s going to have legs, some are branching out beyond high-profile water bodies and not missing a thing, except for the crowds! While pike are typically the unrivaled hardwater heavyweight, the biggest fish I know of taken over the last week was a 27-pound brute that was as far removed from any member of the Esox family as you could get.
Pete from Belsan’s in Scituate said that anglers are beginning to expand their hardwater horizons and target smaller water bodies, which don’t necessarily relate to smaller fish. There are some non-descript ponds in the Marshfield Hills that shouldn’t take much on-line snooping to figure out. He also talked about Damon’s Point Pond as a warm-water species winner. Jumbo perch have been taken from Jacobs Pond and while storied trout water such as Long and Little Pond are on many anglers’ radars, nearby Fearings Pond may be a less pressured find. It might be wise to set aside a trap in trout water for bass. The thrill of icing a 4-, 5- or even 6-pound largemouth out of a trout pond or an overlooked little “mudhole” is one that never goes old!
Eric from Lunkers in Ashland was preparing for the shop’s ice-fishing derby this weekend on Farm Pond when we spoke; this event is always a good time. He said that after the previous week’s “pickerel-fest” Dug Pond in Wayland cooled down, but there have been more bass in the mix. Slow has been the way folks have been describing their frozen fortunes on Hopkinton Reservoir and Ashland Reservoir but both of these are stocked with trout. Slow is hardly the word used to describe the multi-species action taking place at Pegan Cove in Lake Cochituate where flying flags could be result of anything from perch to rainbows to pike.
Rod from Arlington Bait and Tackle said that Spy Pond spit out yet another pike, this one about 28”. This is strange considering that there is no report of any official stocking of pike in this water body. A 15-pound pike was caught at Fairhaven Bay. This place is an unheralded crappie producer since most everyone is focusing on pike. Crappie are also being taken from the Lower and Upper Mystic Lakes: be careful here since these lakes are basically one big river. A few trout are being taken from Horn, Walden and White ponds. Walden has some underappreciated smallmouth bass, which you have to hunt for with a jig stick and a Rapala Jigging Rap, but once found can be fun!
Laura from Ippis in Lynn said that the shops first tournament at Flax Pond was a smash and the winner – Brian DeLeo – took home $265 of cash thanks to a 3.31 bass. The most unusual catch was a brilliantly colored 1.45-pound brown trout that somehow slipped through the grates separating this warm water pond from the glacial Sluice Pond. Speaking of Sluice, a 25” beast of a bass was caught and released here recently! I can only guess what that one must have weighed… “trout” water often holds the biggest bass there is because they are often not targeted and the bass “enjoy” the stocked trout as much as the anglers do!
Jim from Barry’s in Worcester is known as big-bait central and is a must-visit for the pike crowd, but the 27-pounder that a patron recently caught was not taken on big bait. In fact, it didn’t fall for a baitfish at all because it was a carp! Yes, you can catch carp through the ice, especially if you are fishing the Route 290 side of Lake Quinsigamond and you’re slipping a kernel of corn or two on your hook. Those setting down their lines on wispy panfish rods need not apply for this type of fishing. The guy who wrenched in the beast was prepared with a 6-foot rod/reel with guts and it still took him 25 minutes to land the fish! The bass bite has been good at Robinsons Pond as well as Buffumville Reservoir in Oxford. The tip of the day from Jim for those targeting trout is to consider rosy red bait fish. These little gaudy baitfish are trout killers and for a place to give them a try, check out Wallum Lake.
Eddie of B&A Bait and Tackle in West Boylston said that South Meadow Pond in Clinton has been attracting quite the crowd. In addition to warm water species, this place is stocked with trout. Trout are on the menu at Comet Pond and Peter Carr Pond. In Rutland Chapman Pond and the adjoining Long Pond have solid ice and solid action.
Jim from Cheshire Bait keeps serving up toothy hits out there. Jim recalls pike first being introduced to Cheshire Reservoir about 7 years ago. And the growth has been nothing if not impressive, in fact a 20-pounder was recently taken from the “Second Lake”, which is shallower and smaller – the latter of which obviously does not apply to the pike. Feel good stories abound, such as Jim’s kids taking a new guy out, setting him up next to their shanty and he nails a 17-pound pike for his efforts! Tight-lipped toothy hunters keep buying bait and heading over to Pontoosuc and Onota, so you can draw your own conclusion. Onota has smelt, so odds are good that there are some healthy salmonoids swimming in it; that is until they get gulped by a pike!
Fishing Forecast
Weekend temperatures are supposed to be in the relative balmy mid-30 degree range and from most indications the fishing is far hotter! Jig up a pig perch from Jacob’s Pond on the South Shore. Or try for trout at Fearing Pond in Plymouth. For a little friendly competition check out the Lunkers Derby on Farm Pond this weekend. Or seek out some smallies from Walden Pond. Jim from Barry’s took delivery of 700 pounds of bait recently some of which tops out at 12”, which is dinner size for pike from Lake Quinsigamond. But pike are not the biggest brutes that swim there as evidenced by the 27-pound carp which was taken by the Route 290 side. Check out popular Cheshire Reservoir where dream making double-digit pike swim. Closer to the coast Sluice Pond in Lynn is a glacial gem which holds trout and some bass big enough to make a meal out of one! And lest I forget, if you didn’t read my New Hampshire/Maine portion of the forecast last week, you may have missed it. It’s shaping up to be a far better year for smelt among the Southern Maine smelt camps! Check it out at: http://www.maine.gov/dmr/recreational/smeltcamps/
I would like to see more articles and fresh water fishing reports for Western Mass..
Where about is that pond that Kate Fickett caught that beast???
Tight Lines
Well its been 6 years since you posted this comment. But the pond is Sampson’s pond in Carver, MA.