It just doesn’t seem fair! The western and northern parts of our state have had good ice, easy access and all kinds of fishing opportunities for weeks. Short of taking a trip, hardwater junkies who hail from the South Shore through the North Shore have been playing the waiting game for what has seemed like an eternity. Just as their patience finally looked to be rewarded – boom, Mother Nature appears to be poised to clobber the east with a foot-plus of snow! Out west, however, their good fortune continues as the only “foot” they’re taking about is ice depth!
Massachusetts Fishing Report
Trout have been tops through the ice on LIttle Pond in Plymouth according to Pete from Belsan’s Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate. Rainbows have a penchant for cruising in close, especially among sandy coves where they will grub around for insect larva, small crayfish and panfish fry. A trout worm, small shiner or jig/grub will often prove too much to resist. The exception is for big trout! The biggest trout I ever caught through the ice was on a large shiner on a size 1 hook in 20 feet of water! That 4 1/2 pound holdover rainbow was as thickly proportioned as any bass and nearly completely dumped all the line off my Jacktrap. The trout packed on that weight by shadowing schools of shiners and marking shoals of bait with sonar before you set up surely helps. For warm water options on the South Shore, Pete is pointing patrons to Furnace Pond in Pembroke as well as Jacobs Pond and Marshfield Hills. The proof is in the pictures and Pete’s been seeing a lot of shots of 4-pound largemouth bass.
Rod from Arlington Bait and Tackle told me that brown trout up to 4 1/2 pounds have been taken from Walden Pond and he’s been hearing of good things from nearby Whites Pond. Spy Pond is one of only a handful of water bodies in the state which hold tiger muskies and while he hasn’t heard of any coming through the ice there was a flurry of catches in the late fall.
Twin and Maple Coves on the Charles River in Waltham used to be one of the better ice fishing locations in Metrowest, but according to Eric from Lunkers in Ashland, that section of the Charles River has gotten so weedy few even bother. That got me thinking of one of my favorite warm water species ponds in Greater Boston. It is so stacked with weeds that it seems hopeless, yet it is stacked with fish. In summer a cast is immediately engulfed in weeds and to the inattentive, in winter a sounded shiner is quickly tangled too. However, placing bait so that it barely tickles the tops of weed stocks opens up a whole new world of furious fishing! Eric did tell me of bass up to 4-pounds from Dudley Pond and he said that in the past Farm Pond and Winthrop Lake have had their moments.
As proof of how good things are in the Merrimack Valley Region, Donny of Merrimack Sports said that he’s gotten aquatinted with a lot of new friends! Even regulars have been taken aback by the quality smallmouth bass they’re plucking from the ice of Lake Attitash. Killer pike fishing continues among the coves of the Merrimack River while those targeting trout at Plugs Pond, Round Pond and Forest Lake are having a blast. For a variety of warm water species, shop favorites are Tuxbury Pond, Millvale Reservoir, Powow Pond and Big Island Pond.
Central Mass is hardly lacking according to Eddie of B&A Bait and Tackle Co. in West Boylston. While it takes some snooping around and maybe a polite “excuse me ma’am” to find access to East Waushacum, the reward is often a nice smallmouth or two! For the area’s best rainbow trout action Comet Pond, as well as Quinsigamond Lake, are tops. Indian Lake, while known for pike also holds outsize white perch and crappie. This is not unusual in water bodies that have a super predator such as pike which thin out the “herd” resulting in a healthy ecosystem with less stunted fish. The Coachlace Lakes are an alternative for a variety of warm water species.
Rod from Flagg’s Fly and Tackle in Orange told me that the average size “calico” from North Spectacle Pond is impressive. You have to be stealthy to score savvy slabs so downsizing to 4-pound fluorocarbon makes a big difference. I prefer pink jigs with a spike or two and just make sure you barely move that jig! A lot of bass have been caught from Lake Rohunta which is conveniently located behind Rods’ shop. For trout, smallies and the possibility of a jumbo perch, Lake Mattawa is the local pick. There are many options for pike in the region such as Quaboag Pond, the Oxbow and Barton Cove. The latter two have also given up walleye for those who don’t mind fishing at night.
Jim from JCB Bait in Cheshire recently got to experience fishing from the point of view side for a change and loved it! than usual. He and his sons iced bass up to 4 pounds from the northern basin of Cheshire Reservoir! While the crew didn’t land any pike, he’s been hearing of plenty from the big reservoir.
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Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
As Sam Cooke famously sang, “A change is gonna come”! If a day of hooky is not on your schedule for Friday and you’d prefer not slogging through a foot-plus of snow, once again heading out west is best. The northern basin of Cheshire Reservoir is hot for largemouth bass as well as pike. Pontoosuc, Onota and Buel all have plenty of ice and pike as well as a host of warm water species with the former looming large as a trophy brown trout spot thanks to a smelt forage base. Pike are premier species in The Oxbow, Quaboag Pond and Barton Cove. Just don’t tell those who are night stalkers at the latter who know that walleye are nocturnal beasts. Central Mass has Quinsigamond and Comet for trout while Indian Lake has been reliable for pike, jumbo perch and crappie. Should you be tempted to dust off the snowshoes then chances are you’ll have coastal spots all to yourself! Little Pond in Plymouth, Furnace Pond in Pembroke, Dudley Pond, Lake Attitash and a host of others are all good options! Hopefully flying flags will take the bite out of being lonely!