Massachusetts Fishing Report- January 4, 2024

Running water may be the nemesis for those looking for safe ice but for the caster not ready to mothball the gear it is a savior. By fly and by plug from the Merrimack to the Westfield the break in the rains has made most rivers fishable with the quarry diverse.

Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing Report

The December Wachusett Reservoir experiment was a winner as anglers took to it in droves! Almost as if sensing the joy, lake trout responded with a solid bite up until the waning hours.

On Saturday my buddy Billy Eicher and I took Eric Harrison who pens the OTW Kayak Corner out to the Chu. Billy kind of warned me that we may have our lunch handed to us because as he put it “Eric catches all the fish!” With decades of experience fishing Wachusett under my belt as well as knowing that Eric’s Hobie kayak would be strapped harmlessly to the top of his car, I felt confident. That swagger hardly changed when Eric tossed out a tiny jig/soft plastic which looked to be more in line with panfish than the 3/4 to 1 ounce metal which is standard, “proper” gear for a toothy fish which can rival a striper in size. Early into his casts, Eric came tight to what I expected to be the bottom until that “bottom” began exploding on the surface. Soon a 3 pound class forktail was dragged onto the shore, flopping among the gravel. Erudite anglers aren’t too proud to imitate what’s working so I wasn’t surprised when Billy ditched the Kastmaster in favor of a jig/soft plastic and promptly also caught a fine forktail. In all fairness, I did catch three lakers but they were smaller than my cohorts fish which ran inverse of the big bait/big fish mantra most espouse. Now I’m not suggesting that the Chu crew hock the big stuff in favor of finesse presentations but thinking outside of the box does occasionally pay dividends.

I’d like to give a shout out to our new friend John who along with his brother Nick developed the Wachusett Reservoir Addicts Facebook page. These guys are the real deal and in addition to being accomplished anglers are stewards of this amazing resource! Contrary to what what my friends were wielding, John sited an example of when going big, hooked “big”. For kicks one day he took out to Wachusett a rod/reel which would have been more suitable for the surf and continuing with the salty theme he had with him a needlefish. Anyone who is familiar with that surf staple knows that those plugs launch as if they had wings. A few cranks into a cast, which sailed into the wild blue yonder, he hooked a tank! While John did not land that fish, it had horsepower far beyond anything he had ever hooked there before. For many of us and for many reasons – April can’t come soon enough!

Not all is trout or nothing according to Eric from Lunkers in Ashland. Several patrons have been putting shiners to good use on bass. Heard Pond in Wayland can be hot as can be Farm Pond and Winthrop Lake. While the mighty Cast Right is in drydock for the season, Captain Dave Panorello hasn’t skipped a beat as he’s been having his way with impressive largemouth bass on shiners at the Golden Hills ponds. His tip is that owing to cold water temperatures he’s waiting for the bobber to drop for about 5 seconds before gradually setting the hook which has improved his hooking percentage.

My friend Nick DiPhillipo has been putting in the hours all along the Merrimack River and has been rewarded with pike up to 35”! Jerk baits such as the blue/silver Rapala X-Rap have been doing it for him. Not surprisingly his suggestion is to give the lure long pauses during the retrieve.

• Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain for Massachusetts

Vinny from Concord Outfitters spent New Years Day in fine form while fishing with buddies on the Deerfield River. They were rewarded with brown trout action at the Zoar Gap/Fife Brook stretch. While the Swift is fishing well, should you desire more solitude, albeit less trout, the Westfield River beckons and the shop has a bead on how and where to fish it. As to productive patterns, Vinny suggests French style nymphing as well as black and purple Perdigons. By this time next week Josh from the Fishing Pole expects to have iced another hardwater trip.

Frosty morning temperatures are looking about perfect for flash-freezing the Hilltown trout ponds and maybe even sheltered sections of bigger more diverse water such as Cheshire, Pontoosuc, Buel and Onota! Some of the shop regulars, such as Trevor Nguyen, aren’t waiting thanks to pretty good pike and bass action at The Oxbow.

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

If you have a hankering for hardwater than your most likely actually happy about the weather forecast! It’s looking solid that solid ice will be attainable sometime next week out west. Meanwhile lessening river flow has spurred on the bite with possibilities as diverse as Deerfield browns, Oxbow Larrys and Merrimack pike.