Massachusetts Fishing Report – December 7, 2017

Pictured above: With a big freeze on the horizon, now may be your last chance for catching open water trout!

If you’re a fan of frozen water, odds are that you’re viewing next week’s weather forecast with relish! In lockstep with the likelihood (hopefully!) of imminent ice fishing options, let’s take a peek at some places which in the past have “caught” early and for that matter “catch” often.

Western Massachusetts Fishing Report

The prospects of early ice could be summed up as “West is Best”! It only makes sense that the first waterbodies to catch are the ones farthest from the coast and nestled among higher elevations. Few know these frozen playgrounds more than Patrick Barone of Early Rise Outfitters and considering that he just mothballed his boat, he’s pretty confident that he’ll be able to take clients out on the ice soon. If you’re after panfish, especially yellow perch, then a great early season catch is Goose Pond. If you enjoy the “pan” part of panfish as much as the catching, bring a cooler with you. There’s also a unique nighttime bite for brown bullheads. Many of the smaller water bodies in the Highland Lakes area will be among the first to freeze in such towns as Lenox, Stockbridge and throughout the Housatonic River watershed area. Among them are Plainfield Pond, which is stocked with trout but also is home for pike and perch. This shallow pond can be slow, but it is also one-stop shopping in some cases. Patrick suggests you bring along waxworms, which you can use to jig up trout and perch and then turn around and use the smaller perch for the pike, which should be holding near humps.

According to Jim from JCB in Cheshire, scouting missions for the hardwater afflicted already are revealing ponds that skim over for a day or two and then thaw, but next week’s chill could put the thaw part to bed. The bet (and hope!) is that the area will have safe ice by Christmas. The word to remember most about Cheshire Reservoir is northern. The northern section is usually the first to freeze up, and northern pike are the big prize there. How big? Last year, Jim’s son Justyn caught and released a 20-pounder that netted him first place in a major tournament on the lake. For trout, bass and panfish, Jim suggests North Pond and Windsor Pond.

Central Mass And The Connecticut Valley

If all goes as planned, Jim from Barry’s in Worcester will soon sound like he’s pumping iron with talk of 150, 200 and even 300 pounds of bait! For those who target toothies, Barry’s is a must stop for big bait. In addition to a smattering of other sheltered, shallow spots, a couple of habitual hardwater favorites are the A-1 Site and Lake Ripple. For years A-1 has been stocked with pike with the most recent stocking taking place just last year. Jim suggests you stick near the well-oxygenated spillway and don’t wander past the island, which “chokes” up occasionally when frozen. Lake Ripple is a nice largemouth bass early season spot and if you pardon the pun, the area by the restaurant is where the bite is best.

There’s no quit in B&A Bait in West Boylston in the shadows of Wachusett Reservoir just because the Chu is now closed for the season. Eddie’s priming the tanks for a new batch of shiners thanks to hardwater hopefulls who are viewing the frosty forecast of next week favorably. Eddie’s early season standout is the “Coach Lakes” which are composed of South Meadow Pond, Mossy Pond and Coachlace Pond. Mossy is stocked with trout and considering that all three are connected by culverts you never know what you’ll catch in each! A best bet however is bass! Another early season bass, pickerel and panfish pick is Peter Carr Pond and Moosehorn for warm water species. Patrons of B&A who don’t mind traveling a bit often head out to Lake Mattawa in Orange for trout. This lake is heavily stocked with the full gamut of trout species. Another early lock-up is Clubhouse Pond, which is among the earliest in the state to freeze over each year and is stocked with trout.

Eric from Lunkers in Ashland also had a few frozen favorites he wanted to pass on. The East End backwater of the Charles River in Milford is shallow, sheltered and ices over early. River herring numbers are surging among many watersheds and the Charles River is no exception. While I don’t have my finger on any figures, I bet that this year’s run fell somewhere between 500,000 and 750,000. The spillover effect from the fry affects most predatory fish which swim in rivers, tributaries and backwaters. Anything connecting to the Charles should see a significant bounce. A trout winner, once locked up, should be Ashland Reservoir. Lunker’s regulars who fish Ashland are still catching a mixed bag of trout – even tigers.

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

It’s often been said that when a door closes, another opens. If next week’s weather forecast is accurate, it could mean the end of open-water opportunities as skim ice will be a deal breaker among many water bodies. If you’d rather not wait for hardwater, then get your casting licks in now while there’s still plenty of open water. With ponds and lakes throughout the commonwealth oozing with trout, you should have no problem catching fish. Next week, we’ll expand the ice fishing primer to include places closer to the coast, but meanwhile dust off your traps, change the line on your jig sticks, put a glow on your auger blade and break out your hardwater dance!