Massachusetts Fishing Report
Wachusett’s opening day has come and gone with strange conditions greeting casters. As water temperatures rise, the corresponding uptick of black bass activity continues. Saltwater efforts remain heavy on hope and light on results, but are sure to improve soon.
For future fishing fortune, there’s good news from Lisa of Fore River B&T in Quincy. The progress of river herring now reaching upstream spawning access throughout the Fore River watershed is ongoing. In addition to the adult alewives providing fuel for the spring/early summer striper run, the fry moving out to the sea in the fall should result in increased Quincy Bay feeds. Those feeds should be conveniently accessible to all, from kayakers to those with boats and little more than boots. Those fishing for bass in Sunset Lake, which is the tailwater of the herring run, should see some real hawgs that will binge on the baby herring from mid-summer through the fall.
I didn’t expect to hear of topwater bass success this early, but apparently a few are putting the classic Jitterbug to good use at Turner’s Pond, Lake Massapoag, Pond Meadow Park, and Whitman’s. Of course, with water temperatures still hovering in the upper 40s, something can be said for a lively shiner.
Anglers who frequent Fishing FINatics in Everett know no bounds, so I wasn’t all that surprised to get a solid Wachusett Reservoir report from the proprietor, Pete Santini. Considering the Rezy results from the shop, it’s pretty obvious that the residents out west have nothing on the urban anglers who patronize this Greater Boston shop. The anecdotes from the first week are indeed impressive, with salmon, smallies, rainbows, and lakers all in play on shiners and hardware, with most of the caching taking place at the causeway.
Closer to the Hub, holdover stripers have been observed mugging alewives at the Charles River locks! Those resident stripers are also cooperating from the Longfellow Bridge to the Royal Sonesta Hotel area. Similar results await those working the Muddy River side of the river, with anglers catching on white/bone swimmers and paddletails. Not everyone thinks of trout and the Charles together, but in the surprisingly rural sections of Medway and Millis, rainbows have been caught. Additionally, anglers have been hitting the trout at White Pond, Walden Pond, and Jamaica Pond.
Windy conditions have hampered haddock reports, but some who have been fishing Three-and-one-Half Ledge as well as Thieves Ledge are finding cooperative out-sized cunner, which are taking clams. Not surprisingly, our friends at Fishing FINatics have created just the cunner catching rig – the Cunner Killah! You may also catch a few cod/pollock among those ledges.
Rick from Gerry’s in Milford said that a number of his customers have been combing the Chu shoreline with experienced anglers, all amazed at how low the place is. Usually in the spring there is little in the way of hot spots with the ideal combination of water temperatures and high water levels evening the playing field. With historically low water levels, lakers seem to be aggregated near drop-offs as well as moving water. For more on that, I spoke to Eddie of B&A Bait and Tackle in West Boylston, who highlighted Gate 13 as well as the Causeway as some of the more productive spots. He also said that anglers have been lined up opposite of the Stone Church, which he suspects is due to the reservoir’s magnum-sized white perch moving upstream to breed. We can only hope that the folks targeting these trophies while they are spawning fish conservatively and only keep a few.
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Shawn from Nukes in Merrimac said that he’s increasingly getting requests for bloodworms/seaworms, which is a sure indicator that the Exeter River white perch run is in full swing. The shop is also stocking up on willow leaf shad spoon as that run is imminent. Meanwhile, white catfish and pike are occupying many anglers throughout the Merrimack River, with smallmouth bass increasingly becoming a factor. For largemouth bass, the top picks are Artichoke Reservoir, Pow Wow Pond, Big Island Pond, and Pawtucket Lake. As for trout, most are targeting them at Plugs Pond, Round Pond, and Forest Lake.
Massachusetts Fishing Forecast
Those who have been in the winning circle at Wachusett Reservoir have been sticking to deepwater and current with Gate 13 and the Causeway two to the top spots. However, some of the recent trout stockings have been impressive enough to keep local anglers content to stay home. Long Pond and Little Pond in Plymouth, as well as a smattering of Cape Ponds, have been the beneficiaries of big brown trout. Rising water temperatures have had a corresponding effect on black bass activity, with Lake Massapoag and Artichoke Reservoir two good options. Salty options have been slow to gain traction, but with river herring runs picking up steam, holdover stripers have taken notice, and it won’t be long before their migratory cousins join them.