Massachusetts Fishing Report – February 11, 2021

Massachusetts Fishing Report

It’s a good ice-fishing year when anglers are getting bored and searching out new spots! For some, the next step in the frozen fun script is venturing fishing after dark.

Some would say that if you actually enjoy standing on a frozen pond in sub-freezing temperatures as the flakes fly, then you are a different sort of cat. But, to plan your trip for when the sun sets, that puts your addiction into an entirely different category. Some species such as crappie, white perch, walleye, the various members of the catfish family, brown trout and even pike, are quite active after dark. The more highly evolved senses of those species give them an edge on their prey in low light. Captain Patrick Barone of Charter The Berkshires is planning on embarking on just that sort of endeavor if nothing else than to avoid the crowds and derbies which have become increasingly common during the COVID outbreak. Some of the big water out west such as Lake Onota, Lake Pontoosuc and Lake Buel offer just such an opportunity but doubtless water bodies such as what you’ll find closer to you offer that option as well. Some of the quarry Patrick will be pursuing are smelt and yellow bullheads as well as white perch and pike.

The smelt alternative is bittersweet for anglers who once caught those wintertime favorites along the coast. That species has pretty much bottomed out in Massachusetts, Great Bay, and apparently even the last stronghold – Maine! Lake Onota, however, has them, and if you’re looking to shake things up then drag a shanty out on the ice, bring along a lantern and some small jigs/trout worms and do what you’re coastal counterparts seemingly can no longer do – consistently catch smelt! Then at daybreak sound a few below your traps and you’ll catch far more frequently by matching what those predators are eating, more so than plain-old shiners.

While saltwater cravings remain just a tease now, it’s increasingly looking as if April 1st will be a day to circle for an early-season fix. While it’s still in the public hearing phase, it’s increasingly looking as if recreational anglers, whether in their private boats or fishing aboard “for-hire” vessels, will be able to keep one cod along with 15 haddock in the GOM as well as adjacent state waters beginning in April. Considering the volume of cod I’ve been hearing about very close to shore this winter, that will certainly be good news. The caveat is that the cod-grab will only be for the first two weeks in April (and again in September), but haddock will remain there for the taking until the last day of February. I’m betting that shore jockeys casting toward the horizon off the new Deer Island Pier as well as Castle Island and Nut Island just might be able to catch and keep a cod for dinner come April. Odds are that the hardcore kayak anglers will be taking advantage of this as well. Now you have another reason to wish for spring!

Pete from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate said that anglers are branching out and trying new places now that ice is so good. Customers have been catching largemouth bass, pickerel as well as panfish from Whitman’s Pond in Weymouth. Duxbury’s Island Creek Pond, Pine Pond, Round Pond and Oldham Pond in Hanson have been getting angling love as well. The coves of Cohasset Reservoir have been giving up some jumbo white perch with some fish pushing a pound.

Regarding low light potential, Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics in Everett told me that one of his fondest freshwater memories as a kid was catching big breeder “silver” eels after dark in Wright’s Pond in Medford. Finesse was never part of the picture but a beaten and bloody big dead shiner fished just under the ice always was. Good news has been coming from Concords twin-trout-dynamos – Walden and Whites – with nice brown trout as well as the occasional big black bass making headlines.

Eric from Lunkers in Ashland mentioned the “Stump” – A-1 Site – as a potentially good place to catch a corker largemouth bass. Lake Chauncey for years was noted for northern pike and tiger muskies but was also good for crappie, pickerel and bass. There’s been no word on Lake Cochituate lately but Coffman’s Cove has historically been productive for everything from trout to the full gamut of warm water species.

Eddie of B&A Bait and Tackle Co. in West Boylston said that some are searching South Pond in East Brookfield/Sturbridge for the trophy brown trout which live there. A landlocked alewife forage base provides the fuel to spark significant growth out of not only trout here but bass and even the occasional pike. The nearby, weedy, shallow Quaboag Pond however remains a better bet for reliable pike action. Rod from Flagg’s in Orange told me that Lake Mattawa rainbow reports remain good with 20-inch-plus trout not uncommon. Those targeting perch or smallmouth bass there often find big ones. The shop is still selling big bait for walleye and pike chasers throughout the Connecticut River from The Oxbow to Barton Cove and all the way into Hinsdale New Hampshire. Jim from JCB Bait in Cheshire tipped me off to a trophy brown trout taken by Jamie Pollard of Hinsdale Mass. That insane brown trout tipped the scales at 15 pounds, 13 ounces! Whether it be Cheshire Reservoir for pike of the Hilltown Ponds for trout, there is a lot to offer out west.

David from Merrimack Sports said that the shop is moving a lot of suckers and pike shiners which is a surefire indication that the pike bite is on. Numerous coves and backwater sloughs throughout the Merrimack, Concord and Shawsheen Rivers have pike. With most of the focus is on those heavyweights as well as Lake Attitash, other anglers are finding less pressure now on Plugs Pond, Round Pond and Forest Lake for trout. A couple of the more pleasing places to catch trout are Pleasant Pond in Wenham as well as Pleasant Lake in Deerfield New Hampshire. The latter is but a short drive across the border and in addition to multiple trout species has both smallmouth and largemouth bass.

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

Anglers tiring of the “same-old, same-old” on the South Shore are branching out and catching in Cohasset Reservoir as well as a smattering of under-the-radar water bodies such as Oldham Pond and Island Creek Pond. For proof positive of productive pike water up north, exhibit 1 is the amount of big bait shops near the mighty Merrimack are moving. Many of you have your sights on one of New England’s more unique contests – the annual Ice Fishing Derby which centers around Meredith Bay on Lake Winnipesaukee and takes place this weekend. Just beware that ice conditions are more treacherous than most years because of the intermittent thaws we had earlier in the winter. While everything looks innocuous because it’s cloaked in a blanket of snow, there are unsafe patches and pressure ridges throughout the big lake. In fact, several sleds and ATVs have broken through the ice already this year. Assume the water in front of you is unsafe and either stick close to the shore or buddy-up with someone who knows the lake well. A few years back there were two tragedies during the derby which we can only pray will never happen again.