Eastern Ma & New England Area Fishing Reports

[Mr. Aquarium]

I’m waiting for those cows in the canal to move north. 

[DogBone_384]

What a perfect day to go fishing! 

 

Hope some of you get out today and kill it!

[MassYak85]

On 6/29/2019 at 9:57 AM, DogBone_384 said:

What a perfect day to go fishing! 

 

Hope some of you get out today and kill it!

Drove by onata and pontoosuc on my way to hike Greylock with my friend, too bad he doesn't like fishing lol. Looked like a great day on the water for sure. 

 

I'm back in town for the week on vacation, in sure I'll get out a few times. Haven't gone fishing in VT yet but gonna bring my kayak up next weekend. 

[JG233]

I didn't get out at all last week. Anyone been on the Quabbin lately? I'm wondering how slow it's getting for SMB as we enter the heat (heart) of summer. 

[RyanDR]

Went to the Merrimack last week in the Metheun area. About 5-6 12 inch small mouth in 2 hours. Saw a few dead fish floating down the river. Wonder if it was from the recent pollution or just coincidence. 

 

Heading to Taunton River this week looking for my first bowfin. Anybody recommend a boat launch for the freshwater side? 

[MassYak85]

Fished Qaucumqauisit on Monday. It was our first time there so I didn't know what to expect. All I knew is it's a popular trout lake. We were hoping to come across a pike (I guess they occasionally get in there from Quabog) but no dice. I did get a few pickerel (of course lol) and probably 5-6 bass. Most were small but I got a pair of decent ones around 2lbs. Both were largemouth which was a surprise since I figured the lake would be mostly smallies. We caught all fish on the deep weedline around 8-15ft. Also managed a crappie and both species of perch. 

 

The bite was TOUGH though. I tied a 5lb leader onto my spinning rod and was using tiny underspins and grubs all day. It worked but it was a grind. A lot of the fish seemed to hit while the bait was falling. Probably should have tried some of the deeper structure but the wind was blowing good and finessing fish out of 30ft of water with a dropshot while battling the wind was not something I wanted to do. 

[Mr. Aquarium]

On 7/1/2019 at 7:09 PM, RyanDR said:

 

 

Heading to Taunton River this week looking for my first bowfin. Anybody recommend a boat launch for the freshwater side? 

I’m also hunting my first bowfin! All I got is use shiners! 

 

 

Been doing a lot of striper fishing. Finally got the first good one! Low to mid 30 inch fish. Tried a new are and new way of fishing. Only got one fish but it was the right fish! Got plenty of mackerel saw a ton of pogies! we were jiggin mackerel in 65 feet of water. My brother got one and started bringing it up. A bigger fish came up and smoked  it. Screaming run and quick splash! Have no idea what it was! 

 

Lots of bait around! Waiting for the 20 30 and 40lb fish to smell them out! 

 

Been getting alot of cod inshore as well! Never seen this many before! Usually just one or 2. But we were getting multiple fish. Not even going for cod and getting a few 

[superkamikazee]

I'm at the cape for the week, anyone know of any decent kayak fishing spots around Harwich? I went to Long Pond in Yarmouth this morning, caught a few, but the water was in the mid 80's and there's not much shade, cover, or structure there, so fishing was tough. 

[MassYak85]

Got out yesterday in the morning until early afternoon. There seemed to be schools of bluegill everywhere. Once the sun was up the heat was intense, heat index was 98 I think. Most of the fish we were able to get were in the shade or on the deeper weedline. I got a couple decent ones on a shellcracker while the bluegill were still near the surface. Towards mid day I had some success on small paddle tails on ball head jigs and BIG worms (Jelly worm. Probably got about a dozen bass but most were dinks. I think I had four that were about 2lbs but no big ones. Water temps were still like 72-74. 

[DogBone_384]

On 7/3/2019 at 3:26 PM, superkamikazee said:

anyone know of any decent kayak fishing spots around Harwich?

Most ponds in Harwich & Brewster require resident stickers this time of year.

 

Hinckley’s, Sheep, Cliff, and Flax don’t require such.

 

Hinckley’s and Sheep are off exit 10.

 

Cliff, Little Cliff, and Flax are in Nickerson State Park.

 

Best of luck!

[Mr. Aquarium]

On 7/3/2019 at 3:26 PM, superkamikazee said:

I'm at the cape for the week, anyone know of any decent kayak fishing spots around Harwich? I went to Long Pond in Yarmouth this morning, caught a few, but the water was in the mid 80's and there's not much shade, cover, or structure there, so fishing was tough. 

Check out west res, sandy pond, hawks nest, lots of little ponds to hit around there!

[superkamikazee]

I checked out West Res yesterday, water temp was 82, clear blue skies, and no wind. Caught 2 little 1-1.5lb'rs.

 

Went back today, a little later in the day and started catching some fish around 3-4pm. Used the popping frog in some deeper water with long grass. Was a little windy, so I had to really pop the frog to call the fish, but man they absolutely destroyed the frog. Lol

 

My Cape PB, 3.5lbs

 

3lb

 

1lb 

 

And a 2lb via wacky senko. Skipped under a tree into some some shade right up against the bank.

 

Today was my 3rd day on the water, and actually my last, so really happy I got into some good fish. Thanks for the help guys, can't wait to come back and try some more spots next year, and maybe try some striper fishing at the canal.

[MassYak85]

Fished Quinsig yesterday from about 7am-2pm. Started with frogs shallow in the pads on Flint pond but no sniffs so I tried targeting the outer weed edges with big worms. Found a bunch of 10-12inch bass that were chasing dragonflies and got a couple to eat a Manns Jelly Worm (longer than the fish were ). Went out to the main lake where the water was surprisingly clear. Again targeted deep weed edges with better results. Used a 4" Keitech Easy Shiner on an underspin to catch most of them. Lots of dinks but did manage a few decent fish around 2lbs including a nice smallie. I also dumped a largemouth about 2.5lbs and another decent smallie.

 

Not a bad day for numbers but I just can't seem to find the big ones this year. I might need to put the finesse gear down and grind it out with some bigger presentations. Probably won't be back down in MA to fish until labor day weekend so hopefully I can find some fish up[ in VT. 

[Dunks N Dinks]

Fished Long Pond Friday from morning light until the wakeboard & booze cruise brigade came out in force around 1pm. Most action came within the first few hours, with cloud cover making for a perfect topwater session. I started with a pop-r but quickly switched to a walker to cover a bit more ground. Bites mostly came over top and around emergent grass in 2-4ft of water. Mostly largemouths in the east end with an occasional smallie mixed in. As the sun came out I targeted steeper banks with wood/rock and managed a few more decent keepers on a ned rig but the activity level definitely waned with the light and boat activity. Finished the day early with10 or 11 fish with the biggest a 4.2 larry on the top-walker (attached). Water temp was 76 degrees and on the rise.

 

Saturday got out on Wequaquet first thing in the morning and kept the topwater pattern on track. Had maybe 8-9 small ones on a plopper by 8am but that shut off shortly. Tried flipping pads and docks unsuccessfully for the next few hours, with the wind picking up to 14-15mph from 6-7mph earlier. Spent the rest of the session fishing a few offshore spots with a swing-head, managing a late flurry of 3-4 smallies on a rocky island spot that tops out in 5ft near a 12ft drop. Decent quantity of bites on the day but definitely lacking quality as the water has turned to bath water (81 degrees by end of day)

 

[gjfisher]

I fished Whitehall yesterday morning and Chauncy this morning.  Water temp was 76-80 degrees.  Both trips were quite similar in terms of patterns--had a top water bite going early on but it's a grind after that.  I had to downsize my baits to get bit.  Caught about 15 largemouth at each place, mostly dinks with three or four 2.0-2.5lbers mixed in.  The most effective baits were a finesse spinnerbait slowly rolled over grass and a ned rig.  I also caught a boatload of pickerels and crappies. 

[DogBone_384]

I planned on hunting smallies in Plymouth this afternoon, but weather and bringing my daughter dinner at her work diverted me to Ponkapog.

 

I got there about 5:30 and stayed until dusk. Water temps were 82.x - 83.x. I caught two bass, 1-3 & 1-12, on a 110 perch Whopper Plopper and purple t-rigged swim Senko, respectively.  Both bass had good bellies on them.  My swim Senko also hooked a big pickerel. Unfortunately I lost it from knot failure or sharp teeth. 

 

Not muh else to tell, had some perch or small pickerel nipping at my Senko, and one pick came completely out of the water trying to eat a Rapala skitter walk.

 

Add: One decent bass took off from the beach as I landed to leave.

[MassYak85]

On 7/10/2019 at 1:52 PM, gjfisher said:

I fished Whitehall yesterday morning and Chauncy this morning.  Water temp was 76-80 degrees.  Both trips were quite similar in terms of patterns--had a top water bite going early on but it's a grind after that.  I had to downsize my baits to get bit.  Caught about 15 largemouth at each place, mostly dinks with three or four 2.0-2.5lbers mixed in.  The most effective baits were a finesse spinnerbait slowly rolled over grass and a ned rig.  I also caught a boatload of pickerels and crappies. 

That's been my experience so far this summer, there's a decent topwater bite if you get out early but then it's a grind just to get those 2-3lbers. Downsizing has been the key for me too, small underspins have been hot. 

 

I came back to MA this weekend to do some ocean fishing with my uncle but that didn't work out so me and my dad changed plans and headed to Webster yesterday. Not a bad day overall, like @gjfisher said the morning topwater bite was there but shut off quick. My dad got a couple decent largies on a whopper plopper right away. One of them went 2 3/4 on the scale but I've never seen a fish that size look so big. It almost had that football shape you'd expect from trophy smallies. That thing must have some good genes, I wouldn't mind running into it 5 years from now lol. The rest of the day was a bit of a grind. There were a couple times I was able to take advantage of fish chasing bait near the surface and picked some off with a spinnerbait, underspin and double fluke rig. The majority of my fish came on a tube though, including a nice smallie that went 2.75. I got about a dozen bass overall, but that smallie was the biggest.  

[Mr. Aquarium]

Striper fishing has been slow. Ton of bait around! But small bass. Miles and miles of pogies. Mackerel and even squid. I knew the big bass would show up. Saw some humpback whales and minky whales feeding along the beach.   After hearing a good report of bass fishing early I had to jump on the boat! Saw the whales bait and fish but the fish would not eat. They would follow the pogie up chase it play with it but not eat. 

 

I headed back in waited for the tide change and the sun to go down. 

Went back out little south of where I was fishing earlier. My buddy on his boat got a nice 38 inch fish on a mackerel not even fishing the same way I was. Another buddy on his boat hooked into a giant fish. 

 

We found the bait And the fish. 10 min of finding the bait we had the first fish. Hooked into the pogie immediately hooked into a big striper! 

26lbs.  The bait schools kept popping up and down. Searched the area and found them again. We had a couple of big hits! My buddy got his fish. Weighed 25lbs  

[Dunks N Dinks]

Derby Report: Most Little Fish

 

Pre-fished and then fished a team tourney on Whitehall Thursday/Saturday. Thursday was textbook pre-frontal conditions, with pockets of clouds and even light rain to get the fish fired up. Caught a few decent 2-3lb fish froggin in sparse pad fields, flipping a senko around, and then finally punch’d up a biggun that weighed 4.4lbs (below). Most better bites were around isolated heavy cover (dollar-pads and wood lay downs).

 

Tourney time, on the other hand, came with textbook post-frontal problems. Water temps were up to 82, while air temps got up to 87 with bluebird skies and little wind. We never ended up getting bit on frogs after a few hours of trying to force the issue. However, after downsizing our flipping presentation, we went on a decent rally, getting 20-25 bites in the final 4.5hrs of the day. We never got a big bite though, weighing in 10lbs to earn a 4th place finish. Winners had 15 and change with a 6lb slob that they said took down a frog in open water. 

 

 

 

 

[JG233]

Those are not great tourney results for that place huh? I heard Whitehall used to be an excellent fishery. Good job hanging in there though! 

 

I caught a handful of dinks screwing around in my kayak late Saturday. I went out with my Dad around 5:00 PM because he wanted to go for a paddle. I only brought one pole with a ned rig, and nothing else. Of course on my first cast I said, "I'm probably not going to catch anything." Any then immediately landed a keeper LMB.

 

Fun day. Got a nice swim in as well. 

 

[je1946]

Traveled south to meet up with Fishing Rhino to fish a sm pond in his area.  Met Tom @8am and we were fishing by 8:45.  We were into fish within 10 minutes and for the next 5hrs we caught and released 15-20 quality LMs with 5-6 over 4lbs and lost another 4-5 that were at least that size.  I don't think we caught a fish under1.5 lbs and all these fish were fat and very healthy looking.  The swim senko accounted for the majority of the fish along with a 4"senko and a few on the Zoom speed craw.

 

Saying it was hot and humid is an understatement.  It wasn't long before I regretted wearing shorts and a short sleeve shirt and not having a buff for my neck.  Around 1:30 the heat had gotten to me and that along with TM issue got us off the water.  With all that said and done it was a very gd fishing day, the heat not so much.

 

Thanks Tom for a great day.

[DogBone_384]

Dropped into Ponkie Sunday from 5:30 to dusk.  Water temps were in the mid 80’s.  Stuck with soft baits and topwater.  Managed a decent pickerel on a wacky rigged 4” perch Senko.

 

Tried Jacob’s Pond in Norwell yesterday.  It’s 2-4’ deep and again overrun with vegetation.  Luckily I got called into work shortly after launching.

 

This summer’s been tough.  Numbers and size are down.

 

I’m taking a friend’s son to Canton Reservoir this afternoon.  Hopefully we’ll grab some good bass.

[MassYak85]

On 7/15/2019 at 11:25 AM, JG233 said:

Those are not great tourney results for that place huh? I heard Whitehall used to be an excellent fishery. Good job hanging in there though! 

 

I caught a handful of dinks screwing around in my kayak late Saturday. I went out with my Dad around 5:00 PM because he wanted to go for a paddle. I only brought one pole with a ned rig, and nothing else. Of course on my first cast I said, "I'm probably not going to catch anything." Any then immediately landed a keeper LMB.

 

Fun day. Got a nice swim in as well. 

 

Whitehall can be weird. It gets a lot of pressure and so much of the lake looks "fishy" it can be difficult at times. There are definitely big fish in there but they're few and far between I think. 

[gjfisher]

3 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

Whitehall can be weird. It gets a lot of pressure and so much of the lake looks "fishy" it can be difficult at times. There are definitely big fish in there but they're few and far between I think. 

There are definitely big fish in there but I found the fishing there to be rather inconsistent in terms of both number and size.  I fished it three times this year so far--my best trip yielded 15 fish but only three over 2.0lbs and my worst trip resulted in two dinks.  I had no fish more than 3 lbs this year from there but I did pull a 5lber out of it two years ago.  Maybe it's just me sucking at it.  Anyhow, getting a double digit bag out of that place is pretty decent.

[MassYak85]

4 hours ago, gjfisher said:

There are definitely big fish in there but I found the fishing there to be rather inconsistent in terms of both number and size.  I fished it three times this year so far--my best trip yielded 15 fish but only three over 2.0lbs and my worst trip resulted in two dinks.  I had no fish more than 3 lbs this year from there but I did pull a 5lber out of it two years ago.  Maybe it's just me sucking at it.  Anyhow, getting a double digit bag out of that place is pretty decent.

I've gotten one 5lber out of there in all my years fishing it. In a very weird way too, backlashed a wiggle wart and it was sitting there in the waves for like 30 seconds, as soon as I started cranking it....slurp. 

 

I know I've had and lost what probably would have been a PB at that lake though. Had a 9" slammer get slurped after deadsticking it near a tree late in the fall. My drag was pretty tight but it swam out into a deeper weed bed before I could turn it and I think with my line running through the weeds it got just enough leverage to pop loose.