Eastern Ma & New England Area Fishing Reports

[DogBone_384]

Tomorrow morning’s forecast calls for TOPWATER! 

 

Best of luck to those that get out. You’ll likey find me at Ponkie: topwater’s been good there lately.

[Dunks N Dinks]

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Tomorrow morning’s forecast calls for TOPWATER! 

Spot-on call from DogBone_384 ... partly sunny, light wind & 80 w/ a full moon in play...

 

I was on Long Pond (Brewster) yesterday, and the spook bite was pretty solid from 6-9am. Fishing it in 4-8ft of water over grass and rockpiles I got 4-5 smallie blow-ups and connected on 3 of them. Super aggressive strikes, even the little ones. Rest of the morning was mostly spent drop-shotting in 15-25ft so nice change of pace for sure. Also got my first fish ever on a spybait (Japanese-style technique: details here http://spybaiting.com/).  

 

 

[DogBone_384]

Ponkie didn’t dissapoint.  Launched just after 0600 to calm, glass like, 79 degree water.  Managed a roughly two pound LMB and pickerel on a perch whopper plopper and clear Zara Spook Puppy, respectively.  I had a few more blow ups until around 0900, when the bite pretty well shut off.  I left around 11:30 with water temps hovering around 83.x - 84.x.  I also had a cool orange/brown dragon fly hitch a ride on one of my rod tips for a while.

 

Did some errands and an oil change in my father-in-law’s car, and saw the weather got better, with little or no wind and overcast skies .... BACK TO PONKIE!

 

Armed with my topwater rod, a wacky rig, Ned rig (Texas style), and a 7” t-rigged paddle tail worm I relaunched again around 1700. The overcast skies proved the ticket with eight LMB (4 just over 2 pounds), three pickerel, and a yellow perch.    

 

To expand on pickerel and heat, my morning pick died on me while trying to extricate the trebel hook from him and two of the three evening pickerel were pretty slow to swim away after I freed them.  Afternoon water temps were 83.x.  I’d have to say they don’t do well in the heat.  

[MassYak85]

@DogBone_384 I was doing some power-washing this afternoon and saw the sky cloud up and knew I should have gone out lol. I'll hopefully get them tomorrow though, and I might try and dodge the thunderstorms on Wednesday and hope for a repeat of a couple weeks ago. 

[Janderson45]

Hit the Quabbin on Sunday with my usual partner in crime (smallmouth abuse)... We showed up at gate 43 a bit later than usual and lucked into the last rental.  Unloaded the truck and began to set the rental up and discovered I was missing two fairly important things.. a net and a battery for my fish finder.  Bad start...

 

we went at it for a while targetting some of some my typical summertime smallmouth haunts using a GPS app on my phone to help me locate the underwater humps ledges and points.  We didn't make out too bad for forgetting the net and battery, I wasn't counting but think we landed around 20 smallmouth between the two of us, and lost a few on dropshot rigs that we would've landed with a net.  No scale breakers, best went 3.06lbs.  Lost one that looked like a 4 on a dropshot boatside.  

 

Dropshot, football jig, Ned rig, tube and spinnerbaits all caught fish, top two producers were the dropshot and jig.  

 

my boat finally arrived at the dealer last week, I'll have updates on that once I pick it up!  Been wishing I've had it for months and found myself doing a lot less actual fishing because of it... but now I'm stoked that I'll have it for the end of summer and all of fall fishing.

[JG233]

@Janderson45 - is the new boat going to be Quabbin only? 

[Mr. Aquarium]

went out striper fishing yesterday. looking for pogies didnt get any. went out looking for mackerel.  no macks, but caught a nice rock cod, pollack and few cunners.  no hits on pollack, decided to go inside the harbor and cast in the marshes.. caught my first keeper of the year. 32 inch fish on a scabellys low float spook. 

[Janderson45]

2 hours ago, JG233 said:

@Janderson45 - is the new boat going to be Quabbin only? 

 

No it's actually going to be an "everywhere but the Quabbin" boat haha.  My buddy is looking into picking up a used Quabbin rig in the next year or two so we can still fish there when we want to.

[Brick T]

First-time poster here, hello to all you Mass bass fishermen and fisherwomen. 

 

I have been reading articles on this site for a long time and haven't even bothered to look at the forums; looks like there's a bigger bass community in this state then I thought! But I figured I would give a report on a couple of my recent trips...

 

I mostly fish, some of you as well, at A1. I'm not sure what it was but the first couple of weeks of July there I did not have a lot of luck on. But the latter half of the month has been excellent (perhaps) because of some of the rain we have received in that time. On 7/22 I went out there pretty much all afternoon on my kayak, with the exception of an hour and a half break for food. It was cloudy and a little windy almost all day and rained from 5:30 - 8pm. I was using (my favorite in rain) a black spinnerbait and caught around 20 bass that afternoon along with a lot of picks. They were HAMMERING that bait. The bites were jarring to say the least. Nothing too big, biggest probably a little over 3 lbs. The rest were cookie-cutter for A1; nice solid 2 lb fish after 2lb fish. 

 

I went this past Saturday as well. Got there later than I wanted to but was still surprised at the action that I did get being the middle of the day (fished from 11am-2pm). This time, since there was a good chop on the water, I threw a chartreuse spinnerbait and caught 6 bass in about 3 hours on it. I lost a couple of decent fish on a 6in dinger too. 

 

I sure am glad that the water level of that place has been steady this year. Normally, like in years past, by this time in the summer the water level is very low and the fishing becomes difficult with all that milfoil.

 

Here's to hoping the water stays high and the lines tight!

[MassYak85]

@Brick T Welcome to the forum! 

 

I was actually out for about 6 hours today on A1. It was sunny, hot, and the slightest bit of wind and a few clouds to keep it from being a complete oven. I didn't catch anything big, like you said there are a bunch of cookie cutter 2lbers in there for sure. Got a few of those, a couple dinks and a decent pick. I finally got on a frog bite and all the bass came on that. I tried a different frog this time (Bully Wa 2, had been using a Toad Runner) and my hookup seemed much better. The poor dinks I hooked on that didn't know what hit them. They came flying out of the water when I set the hook lol. Lily pads seem like they are as thick as they are gonna get, but the milfoil is definitely MUCH better than past years and isn't choking the middle section. I was actually able to use treble hook topwaters without snagging. 

 

I also saw something there I have only seen one other time in my life....freshwater jellyfish. There was a few of them in the middle area just before the island. Definitely an odd sight. 

 

I also fished Quaboag Saturday, which was also slow but managed to get a handful on a chartreuse chatterbait. I also had my Booyah Toad Runner get MURDERED by what I can only assume was a pike in some shallow pads. I set the hook with a locked drag and 65lb braid on a 7'4" HF rod and there was just no give at all. I saw it start thrashing and rolling and got a glimpse of it's belly before it got off. I thought it sliced my line but nope, just popped off the hooks. I think that's probably my final straw with Trokar hooks. Anyways, it was one hell of a fight for like 3 second lol. Again I didn't get a great look at it but I'd be heartbroken to know it was a bass, the thing was huge. It definitely fought like a pike though. 

[DogBone_384]

Welcome to the forum Brick T.  

[Janderson45]

@Brick T if you fish A1 that often you've probably ran into @MassYak85 or myself a time or two!  It's one of my favorite spots in the state to kayak fish, although it seems it's popularity has exploded in the past few years which is definitely a bummer.  

 

Ever caught one of the infamous tiger Muskie that they supposedly stock there?  I know I never have.. lots of pickerel and bass, but never a Muskie or pike..

 

 I love fishing the super heavy cover there, one of a handful of places in the state that has cover that gnarly, give me a heavy tungsten weight, 65lb braid and let me go to work!

[MassYak85]

@Brick T If you ever see some fool with a 10ft sit-in kayak with outriggers that looks like it has enough gear to sink the kayak....feel free to say hi lol. 

[LadiMopar]

@Brick T Welcome to BR and our Eastern Bassachusetts group...if you find yourself out here in N. Central feel free to give a holler. 

[DogBone_384]

Has anyone out here fished Horn pond in Woburn or Upper Mystic in Medford?  I have to be in Saugus tomorrow and want to hit some water early...

 

Thanks, in advance!

[LadiMopar]

11 minutes ago, DogBone_384 said:

Has anyone out here fished Horn pond in Woburn or Upper Mystic in Medford?  I have to be in Saugus tomorrow and want to hit some water early...

 

Thanks, in advance!

Unfortunately haven't fished Horn pond, although I know plenty about its history. If you're lucky enough to get on there I'd love to know if there is anything left of the original Kendall mill (1640's) where the original Middelsex canal came in.

 

And, do you have a fishing forecast for tomorrow?  Topwater? Swimbait? Cranks? Your last one was pretty darn accurate! ?

[DogBone_384]

No forecast for tomorrow.  Supposed to be breezy.  I'm packing my 'generic' arsenal: MH/F baitcaster, M/MF baitcaster, and a ML/F spinning setup.  Gonna see what happens.  There's a public boat ramp.

[je1946]

Haven't fished Horn in many yrs, but it used to be a pretty good bass pond even though it's thought of more of a trout pond(stocked).  Friend of mine lost a real tank at the boat.  Keep your car locked up tight and valuables out of sight.

[DogBone_384]

Thanks for the input.  Truck's always locked and alarmed when I'm not around it.  I did't get up there this week.  It's still on the list....

[Janderson45]

Going to hit the Quabbin again on Sunday, likely gate 43.  My boat is at the dealer getting the finishing touches applied, but don't think I'll be able to actually pick it up for another week or two.  Quabbin again in the mean time!

["hamma"]

hey all!,... horn pond can hold some pigs, try around the island, find the weedlines,  I remember a cove opposite of the ramp,....had some good water over there. Actually right at the ramp my buddy bagged a 8 +  many years ago. I havent been there in probably thirty years. 

[JG233]

Bagged a couple 3's, a 4, and a 5 yesterday. I don't remember which one this was. I don't think it was the 5. 

[DogBone_384]

Derek, that canoe seat looks familiar .... 

 

I dropped by Blue Hills Reservoir for a few after lunch. Nabbed a dink on a Rage Tail Menace and had a school of fry follow a Ned.  Good to see a fish population there.

 

Despite the heat I launched at Ponkapog at 5:30.  Picked up three LMB and a pickerel on a wacky rigged Yum Dinger.  Topwater bite was quiet. Water temps were 88.x when I arrived and 86.x at dusk when I left. I don’t blame the bigguns for staying quiet.

[Fishing Rhino]

The most unusual thing(s) about yesterday was there were two "party barges" on the pond.  They have been tied to the dock all year, but this is the first time I have seen them on the water.  One was towing an inflatable couch.   The other was towing a small dinghy.  I don't know why the dinghy, unless they intended to get into the shallows with it.

[JG233]

11 hours ago, DogBone_384 said:

Derek, that canoe seat looks familiar .... 

 

Second fish of the day was a huge pickerel that mangled my spinner bait and tore up my hand.