Massachusetts Fishing Report - December 28, 2017

If you prefer your New Year’s ice underfoot as opposed to in a glass, then odds are you are in a celebratory mood right now!

Western Massachusetts Fishing Report

Considering the volume of hardwater angling activity in spite of frigid temperatures, it’s obvious that anglers are not forgetting about the last two lackluster seasons. Jim from JCB Bait said that Cheshire Reservoir has already given up numerous 6- to 12-pound pike! Bigger toothies are surely on the way as more anglers venture out on Cheshire as well as Onota, Pontoosuc and Buel. In anticipation of more interest in pike, Jim’s stocking suckers beginning next week.

The top Hilltown pond for trout so far is North Pond. In spite of what “normal” people would consider inhospitable temperatures, Patrick Barone of Early Rise Outfitters is booked day after day as his honey holes catch ice! For pike, he suggests Woods, which is part of the Housatonic River watershed. While it’s not even 2018 yet, a 22-pound pike was already pulled out of there. In spite of the prospects of hooking a 36” plus fish through the ice, pike fishing can be drearily slow, which makes it not everyone’s idea of a good time. For the antithesis of slow fishing, Patrick suggests Hampton Pond in Westfield, which is stacked with bass, albeit mostly stunted fish, which makes it the perfect place to take kids or anglers who may be afflicted with attention deficit disorder.

As spoiled as we are in the Bay State, about the only gripe you’ll occasionally hear is about the lack of walleye. Talk to Rod from Flagg’s in Orange for about 5 minutes and you’ll think differently. A few regulars of the shop consistently catch them up to 7 pounds from both the ice and open water. Home base for most of the walleye is the Barton Cove/Turner Falls area of the Connecticut River. One to file away for open water is where the Deerfield River meets up with the Connecticut River; according to Rod, this is a sweet spot! For more specifics, look for the railroad bridge in Montague. Lake Mattawa has fresh ice and the brown and rainbow bite has been good! North Spectacle Pond has been a catch for crappie. Eddie of B and A in West Boylston steers patrons who want pike to Indian Lake and, once locked up, Quinsigamond. The weedy, shallow Eagle Lake is better suited for bass, pickerel and panfish.

Closer to the Coast

Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics will be keeping occasional hours during the winter and will stock shiners, just call ahead before you visit. Walden Pond is one of the reasons why you may want to load up with shiners. According to Pete, as recently as last weekend patrons were catching very impressive open-water brown trout. That Concord kettle pond is deep and is often late to lock up versus shallower ponds, so it may take a while longer to catch. A “right-now” location where you may have warm water species action is Wright’s Pond in Medford. Towners and Swains in Melrose as well as the Golden Hills ponds should have safe ice by this weekend. These are exclusively warm water species spots with the exception being Griswald Pond which is stocked in the spring with trout.

Dave from Merrimack Sports said that anglers have already been out on coves in the Concord and Merrimack Rivers and caught pike – one of which was 24 pounds! Obviously big bait matters but native forage trumps all! Patrick Barone of Early Rise Outfitters makes a point of attempting to catch small perch, shiners, dace, fall fish or whatever wild baitfish gamesters are keying in on and it often is the difference between catching and just fishing, especially when targeting toothies! Lake Attitash sports about 8 inches of ice and a pretty solid crappie bite. Artichoke Reservoir is another alternative, especially if you crave crappie. For trout there is good ice and a lot of options up north such as Stiles, Rock Pond and Round Pond, with the latter giving you a possible shot at a tiger trout or brown trout. In addition to the full gamut of bait fish from small shiners to pike bait, the shop carries a variety of different grubs.

Fishing Forecast

If your New Year’s resolution is a northern pike or two than Cheshire Reservoir, Woods Pond and the Merrimack River should be on your list. For trout, the heavily stocked Lake Mattawa in Orange is a recent freeze and that’s a hard combination to top. If walleye are on your catch list, than the Connecticut River near Barton’s Cove/Turner Falls is where it’s at. For rainbow trout as well as brown trout closer to Boston, Concord serves up two proven choices: Walden Pond and White Pond.