It may be only March but some anglers are already getting reacquainted with a screaming drag. This is certainly not the work of a stocked trout and I’m not referring to pike or holdover stripers either but a fish with a mug that not even a mother could love! Cyprinos Carpio – the Common Carp – may lack pedigree but there’s no denying that they fight like the dickens and it seems that everyone I’m talking to lately has a carp story.
Massachusetts Fishing Report
I expected Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sportfishing to be brimming with anticipation of a brand new season with a brand new Jones Brothers Center Console when we caught up recently. What I couldn’t predict was that he would be pumped over catching carp! Another buddy of mine spotted Eric “Slappy” Harrison getting hauled around on his Hobie in a Greater Boston River the other day. When I asked if it looked like he was into a big holdover striper, the reply was , “Looked like a carp to me”! Farther north, pike pro Nick Diphillipo has been supplementing the toothies with a different sort of river monster: you guessed it – carp!
Just about every major river we have in the Bay State from the Connecticut to the Charles to the Mystic to the Merrimack teems with carp and they are schooled up right now and hungry! And best of all you can keep things simple when targeting them; carp will hit all manner of baits from mass produced concoctions to worms to “people food” such as oatmeal, dough balls and corn. The latter have always been my favorite and are especially effective when used as chum just prior to fishing. Carp can be fussier than you would think and will shy away from heavy line or exposed hooks. The lighter and longer the leader the better and make sure you bury that hook in your bait. While carp are not likely to win any beauty contests, there’s no denying a singing drag is a lovely thing!
Pete of Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate told me that anglers are loving the addition of brookies, tigers and brown trout to the rainbows previously stocked in the Southeast District! Some of the brookies are handsome 14”+ specimens too! With pre-spawn largemouth bass on the move, many are targeting bog ponds, reservoirs and golf course ponds with large shiners and catching some impressive bass. With the cod and haddock groundfishing season little more than a week away, the shop is starting to move jigs and rigs in anticipation of haddock and cod. Odds are that anglers won’t have to make much of a haul when the season opens with Stone Ledge and maybe Flatt Ledge most likely holding both species.
Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy had an honest-to-goodness tale of a saltwater catch this week. Of course the 10” flounder taken on a crawler off the Nut Island Pier doesn’t mean that the flatfish bite is on, but it’s a start! More reliable quarry can be had in the form of trout from Jamaica Pond which was recently stocked with rainbows. As the only Boston water body which gets stocked, this place is on a continuous loop from the hatchery and rest assured will get more than it’s share of brookies, brown trout and tiger trout very soon.
It was nice to hear a familiar voice when I spoke to Captain Pete Santini who is now back at the helm of Fishing FINatics in Everett, fresh from his yearly sojourn treating patrons to pelagics in the Galapagos. I have to admit, I did feel a little insecure as we traded recent photos: my photos of hardwater rainbows and smallies didn’t exactly hold up next to his of marlin, grouper and African Pompano! However he did say that Horn Pond and Jamaica Pond were hot for rainbow trout and the Mystic and Charles Rivers were holding a mixed bag of everything from crappie to carp to the occasional holdover striper. When the subject came up about the April 1st opening of the groundfishing season Peter said that cod will be in close with President Roads, the PR Can and maybe the new Deer Island Pier possibly all holding cod. For haddock you’ll need to haul out to the humps of the B Bouy or the Dumping Grounds. If you’re fantasizing about one day jumping aboard a local headboat again then you’re in luck. Pete talked to JImmy Walsh of American Classic lore in Lynn and he intends on setting sail with a newly refurbished but every bit as iconic AC very soon, stay tuned!
Regarding opening days, B&A Bait and Tackle Co. in West Boylston is all abuzz lately and there’s little wonder with Wachusett Reservoir’s opening day slated for April 2nd! Water levels had receded to respectable levels as recently as mid-week when I spoke to Eddie who runs the shop. Fingers are crossed among the forktail fraternity that the recent rains won’t add too much to the water levels. The shop is stuffed with all the Kastmasters, Krocodiles and other Chu’ essentials you could ask for but they won’t last long so get geared up while you can. Stillwater River browns have been fair game for a few and some anglers are content with casting for trout at Comet. A variety of warm water species are making the Coachlace Lakes a solid choice. Stuffed into the believe-it-or-not category was word from Rod of Flagg’s Fly and Tackle in Orange that anglers are still ice fishing in the Connecticut Valley Region! In fact, as recently as earlier in the week two trucks were spotted on the ice of Clubhouse Pond! For the Doubting Thomas’ out there one angler chopped out an 18” core sample to show folks how much ice was still present! For those who are content with leaving the ice fishing until next winter, Lake Rohunta has been fishing well for 3-4 pound Larrys with shiners the best bait. With the Swift River now stocked with rainbow trout, fly fishermen have really taken to this aesthetically pleasing and pristine gem.
Then there’s the shock and awe which comes with dueling with pike on the Merrimack River. David from Merrimac Sports informs me that post-spawn pike are ravenous now and anglers are racking up multiple toothy outings. When asked “where”, he mentioned most anywhere upstream of the Lawrence Dam. Trout now swim about in multiple water bodies up north and for a chance at hanging a real Hawg, David suggests floating a big shiner at the edge of a weedline in Pow Wow Pond. As of this writing, the shop is planning to carry seaworms to meet demand. That “demand” can mean only one thing – the Squamscott white perch run is on or imminent. I was told years ago that when the apple tree bloom was on, so was the white perch run. For years I steadfastly monitored a neighbors apple tree; when he ever cut it down I almost cried!
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Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
Odds are that you haven’t given your drag much thought but if you’ve been carp fishing lately undoubtedly you’ve grown very familiar with its sound! Trout still are the top draw especially now that the Masswildlife folks are adding spice to the rainbow stocking with browns, brookies and tigers from Plymouth throughout the South Shore. Big bass enthusiasts are floating oversize shiners among no-name Southeast District bogs, Lake Rohunta and up north at Pow Wow Pond. With amorous activities now behind them, Merrimack River pike are looking to replace spent spawning calories; you would not want to be a shiner upstream of the Lawrence Dam right now!