Pictured above: Safe ice awaits in Northern New England. Congrats to A.J.’s Bait & Tackle regular Cory Stillings on his HUGE lake trout! Officially weighed 27.84 pounds and around 41 inches.
It’s often been said that one’s perception is their reality, and for most Massachusetts fishermen, the lack of local snow and ice has them thinking of anything but ice fishing. From Worcester through the western portion of the state and up north, reports are more favorable with plenty of fishing and little pressure.
Massachusetts Fishing Report
While there is some ice fishing available in the Worcester area, the possibilities become more numerous once you cross into the Connecticut Valley Region.
Rodney Flagg from Flagg’s Fly and Tackle in Orange had all kinds of interesting reports when we spoke. Patrons have been having luck at Lake Ellis in Athol, especially behind the police station. The catch here is consisting of warm water species with crappie and bluegills especially noteworthy. North Spectacle Pond has been good for largemouth bass as well as panfish. If jigging up a bunch of bull bluegills sounds appealing, then Rod recommends Rohunta which is right behind the shop. For a shot at a jumbo perch, the local pick is Tully Lake where Rod’s regulars have been catching 14-inch fish! Lake Mattawa still gets the nod for trout and smallmouth bass. On average most of those spots feature 6-8 inches of ice and while there is no such thing as safe ice, this year with the intermittent bouts of thaws should make you especially cautious.
Jim from JCB in Cheshire said that he is getting fewer travelers in search of decent ice than usual which is preferred by the diehards who can’t get enough of this place. Pike are being caught at Cheshire with the wait on for that first gator. Other local noteworthy northern lakes such as Pontoosuc, Onota and Buel all have foot traffic with Onota getting the nod for a shot at a real big pike. Regarding trout, Jim continues to hear good things about rainbows and browns from the potpourri of ponds in the Berkshires such as North Pond in Savoy.
Patrick Barone of Charter The Berkshires has been procuring pike shiners in anticipation of making toothy trips to Onota, Pontoosuc and other western hardwater honey holes. When asked about what makes the Onota option promising, Patrick said one word – smelt! Regarding rainbow smelt, Patrick offers trips to target them as well.
The outlier in the west-is-best mentality is the Merrimack Valley Region according to David from Merrimack Sports. Lake Attitash which in addition to the normal ice-fishing fare, occasionally gives up a nice smallie or pike, has been gauged at 6-8 inches of ice. When asked about pike, coves upstream of the Lawrence Dam in the Merrimack have been giving up pike. The upstream coves in that river in the Haverhill section are a better bet for a trophy. Rivers should always be treated with caution, but never more than this year with the bipolar weather rut we are in. For a trout trip, Millvale, Round and Plugs should all be considered.
Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
For hardwater junkies, the thaw predicted for this weekend could be viewed with all the anticipation of an armageddon. Fortunately, January ice tends to be as hard as granite and unlike March takes some doing to erode. Your best bet to avoid a soaked, slushy outing is to take advantage of Friday. Temperatures have been perfect for adding depth to ice up north and out west and most of it will survive the spring temperatures and rain that has been predicted. For pike it’s hard to top those big western favorites such as Cheshire, Onota and Pontoosuc. The coves of the Merrimack should be fine on Friday, but I would be wary of any river once temperatures spike, especially with the rain predicted. The Connecticut Valley Region is rife with interesting panfish options especially Rohunta for ‘gills and Tully for perch. Then there is the road trip option beyond the border. We in New England are fortunate in that we have professional-grade ice fishing available in New Hampshire and Maine. Big water and big fish await and you’ll see the where, what, and when details when you read that section of our forecast!
story can be better, what where and when!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Put your own work in and find spots.