Massachusetts Fishing Report – March 16, 2017

Pictured above: Frank McCarthy with a nice pike caught on the Concord River in Lowell, MA

If Old Man Winter was able to paraphrase Mark Twain, his boast might something on the lines of, “The report of my demise is greatly exaggerated!” The talk of open water last week seems cruel and ironic as across the state ponds and lakes that were recently stocked almost immediately skimmed over before most could take advantage of the stocking.

Central Massachusetts Fishing Report

Maybe some April dreaming will be therapeutic. Eddie of B&A in West Boylston said that Wachusett has been spared so far from the March ice machine. While the Stone Church area caught ice, the reservoir itself remains wide open. Another reason to anticipate opening day is the appearance of a smelt massacre right off the causeway. A buddy off Eddie’s ogled a ball of smelt recently just off the shoreline and it was getting slashed and pummeled by unforeseen salmonids!

The pieces of the puzzle are in place for hot fishing right from opening day on April First. That is providing we don’t get walloped with another snowstorm. News broadcasts have been mentioning that this April 1st marks the 10th anniversary of the April Fools blizzard that blanketed Boston with over 24 inches of snow but buried the Wachusett area with nearly 3 feet! The gut punch for Wachusett loonies back then was that all that nastiness put one major kibosh on plans to fish the reservoir on April 1st which was opening day that year as well. But not all were deterred. A few intrepid, determined anglers hiked their way in and experienced an outing which is now legend. I was not one, but I certainly heard the stories and they sounded like they would make good camp fire fodder. Figuring that the blizzard would distract authorities, a bunch somehow trudged their way in from Gate 35 and literally camped out at The Rook day and night. “Scouts” ran supply runs to Route 110 to keep the good times going and that crew experienced an adventure which those that lived it will tell for decades. And to make the event more epic, from all accounts the fishing was fantastic with at least one 13-pound-plus lake trout caught. And I head of similar tails from the Gate 8 side off the reservoir. It’s a safe bet that the legend of the blizzard of ’07 will not disappear from Chu’ folklore for years to come.

Massachusetts South Shore/Greater Boston Fishing Report

Anglers on the South Shore are talking about flounder but therein lies the problem, no-one’s trying yet. A scalloper friend of Pete Belsan brought a taste, literally, of things to come to the shop owner in the form of two beautiful bycatch blackback flounder that were scooped up while dredging for scallops. Obviously, they are out there, now all we need is a warm up to incentivize the flounder to eat and anglers to wet a line in search of a winter flounder or three. Sadly, no sooner did Masswildlife bequeath Plymouth, North Attleboro and Jamaica Pond with brookies (Plymouth) and rainbows then in many instances ponds began to skim over. You may have to search for open water seams but your reward will be freshly stocked trout.

Eric from Lunkers in Ashland said anglers have been catching the stockies from Ashland Reservoir as well as Hopkinton Reservoir. I’ve heard some accounts of 15″ rainbows.

In another era, March signaled the time when anglers would target cod from shore. Such spots as Deer Island, Castle Island, the Sugar Bowl, Nut Island, Pemberton Pier and Hull Gut were all popular places to catch a cod. Oddly, when we targeted them in the fall/early winter the bite would be a nighttime thing exclusively but that would shift in the spring and the cod would be cooperative even in the day. While clams worked, seaworms were best. One of the best rigs was a sliding sinker fish-finder rig combined with a hook/small float. The lack of weight would give the cod just enough time to mouth the bait before getting suspicious and the float would keep the seaworm away from ravenous crabs. Lisa from Fore River has had anglers questing cod recently from the Hull/Quincy area but she has no reports yet. A problem is the lack of fresh

bait, unless you dig it yourself. An attractive alternative is to soak clams/crawlers in BioEdge sandworm potion the night before.

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

According to Donny from Merrimack Sports, anglers are stoked that stockings consisted of not only rainbow trout at Haverhill’s Pentucket Lake but brown trout as well. Shoreline skim ice has given the fish a respite from pressure so odds are if you’re out there when a spot opens it’s going to be like fishing on opening day. Before the weather took a turn for the worse, the white perch were hitting well in both the Merrimack and Exeter rivers. Regarding white perch, if you haven’t mothballed your ice fishing gear just yet and would like to take advantage of an amazing fishery consider Lake Winnipesaukee’s white perch. New Hampshire registered guide Tim Moore from TimMooreOutdoors got an unexpected gift with the cold snap/snow we received. What had been rapidly disappearing ice solidified in short order and in lockstep with pre-spawn aggression is resulting in panfishing one can only dream about. Tim sent me a picture of white perch which looked like portly striped bass schoolies. Only a guide who practically lives out there can put you onto safe ice and fishing which just might be the best New England currently has to offer! Ring him at (603) 842-3572, while he wasn’t anticipating it he’s now booking clients until the season ends on March 31st.

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

Never mind that we wait all winter for March to bring us relief! Just keep telling yourself that thousands of freshly stocked brown, brook and rainbow trout are now swimming in nearly every district now! Wachusett Reservoir opening day is barely more than two weeks away and recent sightings of schools of smelt under siege are a hint that this season is going to be a good one. If you’re of the mindset that white perch are the king of all panfishes, then check out the Merrimack River or New Hampshire’s Exeter River. Speaking of New Hampshire’s white perch, if you want to ring one more ice cube out of the winter of 2017 than Winnipesaukee is for you and with it world class jumbo white perch fishing!