Eastern Ma & New England Area Fishing Reports

[padlin]

A couple good days in the Berkshires, about 20 combined picks and LM’s each day. GS #2 got his PB @ 2.75.

[Frezzy]

On 4/13/2023 at 10:43 PM, MassYak85 said:

Went out today and it was a bit slow. I managed 4 and my dad got 1 bass. Most fish on jigs on what felt like a shallow water summer pattern. No bigs. Pickerel were really loving the spinnerbaits. 

 

Not satisfied I went out for a shore outing with the Monka crawler. Got 2 lost 1, still smallwr fish though. It's so fun getting hit on that thing at night haha, the noise of all the metal clanking when they hit it and your line goes slack and then you swing into them. I'm going out again tomorrow and will probably hit the shore again at night.

Love the Monka bite.  It's addicting.  The big Smallies at the Chu absolutely destroy them.  I can only imagine how much fun it would be if you could fish the place at night.    

 

I had 73.7 degrees on Whitehall this past Friday.  Crazy.  

[MassYak85]

On 4/17/2023 at 1:50 PM, Frezzy said:

Love the Monka bite.  It's addicting.  The big Smallies at the Chu absolutely destroy them.  I can only imagine how much fun it would be if you could fish the place at night.    

 

I had 73.7 degrees on Whitehall this past Friday.  Crazy.  

It's so fun to fish that thing. I just picked up a 2nd one from MGC in a bluegill pattern. 

[MassYak85]

Spent the day at Manchaug hoping for a decent prespawn jig bite. Only got one decent bass on a spinnerbait, and a ton of dinks on a jerkbait. 

 

Does anyone do well here? It's like my 4th time and I've never had a good day there. Seems like I always get a ton of stunted pickerel and a handful of okay bass and some dinks. 

[DogBone_384]

Took the Ranger to south Plymouth. Managed a swimbait sized Yellow Perch.  Threw the ‘normal’ assortment.

 

Saw lots of beds. 90% of them had White Suckers on them.  Only a couple smallmouth made themselves seen.

 

The weather was beautiful. Water temps were 58.x - 59.x. Air pressure was 30.1.

 

So far, March & April are very forgettable….

[MassYak85]

Hit the home lake yesterday. Fish were tight to cover (docks and rocks) in the shallows. I couldn't persude them to chase much of anything. Managed 8 or 9 including a few 2 to 3lbers so not a bad outing but definitely had to work for them. Did not see any on beds. Water temps 58.

[1984isNOW]

Are they just postponing the spawn this year or something? Have only gone out a couple times and haven't seen a bed. Caught a couple on spinnerbaits in vegetation.

[MassYak85]

On 4/26/2023 at 11:35 AM, PUTitinYOURmouthFISH said:

Are they just postponing the spawn this year or something? Have only gone out a couple times and haven't seen a bed. Caught a couple on spinnerbaits in vegetation.

I think the warm weather had them getting ready and then it cooled back off. I think next warming trend will get some shallower and onto beds. Full Moon coming up too if you buy into that. 

[DogBone_384]

On 4/26/2023 at 11:35 AM, PUTitinYOURmouthFISH said:

Are they just postponing the spawn this year or something?

Possibly.  I saw beds at two ponds in Plymouth recently and saw White Suckers almost exclusively.  Only a couple SMB made themselves seen cruising around the beds.  To my recollection, Suckers usually spawn in mid-late March.

 

I’ve got a lot of family obligations right now, but plan on getting out on Cape Cod in the next couple of weeks.

 

Best of luck to those getting out… 

[je1946]

On 4/27/2023 at 6:32 PM, MassYak85 said:

I think the warm weather had them getting ready and then it cooled back off. I think next warming trend will get some shallower and onto beds. Full Moon coming up too if you buy into that. 

Still to early and water is too cold for bass to be spawning.

 

[MassYak85]

On 4/30/2023 at 12:37 PM, je1946 said:

Still to early and water is too cold for bass to be spawning.

 

Definitely but some of my local lakes have been touching the low 60s on nice days. They've been sitting on breaks outside spawning flats for me but haven't made the big push up yet. Although I did have a couple days where the shallow bite was on (2 to 3 FOW around hard cover). Just no bed fish yet. Cold rain this week won't help either. Probably a few more weeks.

[1984isNOW]

It's happening, black spinner bait, double willow with silver and black on either side of the blades.

[Don51]

Nice weather and no reports?  ?

[JG233]

I'll be in the area and fishing soon!

[MassYak85]

21 hours ago, Don51 said:

Nice weather and no reports?  ?

I've actually been slacking lately. Getting back into hiking more. I did see spawning bass along the shore recently out on some walks. Saw an absolute BEAST last weekend along a rail trail in Nashua that had to be at least 6.

[Mr. Aquarium]

Haven’t gone out bass fishing since mid April. I need to get out. Did a shore trip. Brought my surf rod to bomb baits out there 
Spot one was good a big fish spot. Had a few whacks on the crawler. Put on the PG. They loved it. Few whacks. Stuck twin 5-11s from 2 different areas and a 3.  Hit spot 2. Water was really high couldn’t fish the spot well. It fishes well with lower water.  When the waters high it’s really shallow can’t reach the drop offs. But I tried. Had one big blow up on the PG. Got one smaller fish and missed a decent one on a T rig rage bug.  Tried the DS crawler. Immediately got smoked. Thought I had my 3rd 5er. But couldn’t get that extra ounce to get her over. She was            4-14. Then got a nice 3lb smallie on the crawler. First smallie for me on a DS bait.  The 3rd pond was dead. Couldn’t get a sniff 

[DogBone_384]

Great catches Mike, especially Sally!

 

I fished my home pond yesterday morning until just after lunch.  Scored 3 LMB and one pick.  The bass went 1, 2, and 3 pounds, in that order.  All three bass were short and fat.  Nobody was interested in reaction baits.  A Yamamoto Kut Tail and magnum Fluke got bites.

 

Water temps were 65.x, it was cloudy/raining, near calm, and air pressure was 30.2.

[DogBone_384]

I dropped into Canton Res. for the first time in ages this afternoon.  I think the vegetation was killed off.  The water had that dark tea look to it and all the lily pad fields  that are usually on the West end were gone.  Any vegetation I pulled up looked limp and dead.  A yellow perch followed a jerkbait but wouldn't commit.  I left after a couple hours, with nary a bite.

 

I moved over to Sunset Lake, that was purged of vegetation a few years ago.  Some panfish picked at my Senko and a pick whacked my topwater, but that was it.

 

To compare local waters, Ponkapoag has never been treated the way Sunset and Canton res were.  I fished it the other day and the vegetation is full and healthy.  I catch fish there.

 

Water temps were 69.x and 68.x, respectively.  It's been a very tough Spring.  Can we rewind back to February when I caught good fish?

[MassYak85]

I've been slacking on getting out. Gonna try for Stripers this weekend I think. Then the weekend after I should be able to get out for some bass.

[DogBone_384]

Our 7 month old cats woke me up at first light and since my kayak & gear was already in my truck I decided to drive to Plymouth and give the pond I love to hate a shot.  It was quiet the first two hours.  I switched between a jig, Senko, crank bait, and jerk bait to see what was on the menu.  I ditched the Senko for a 3.8" Keitech and started casting 'dirt' shallow.  I got snagged so I start pedaling towards it but as I got closer I saw the line was not where I casted.  I set the hook and came up with a healthy, brightly colored LMB that was 4 pounds (or better) and 20 7/8".

 

Spent another couple hours working drop offs and a flat full of beds.  I hooked a small SMB on a Shimano jerk bait but got spit.  I hooked, and landed, a nice white perch shortly after.  That was it for the trip.

 

The highlight came as a crossed a berm and into a canal where I saw a @Mr. Aquarium sized LMB with a smaller (3 pounds) bass hanging out.  I tossed a jig, Ned, V110, and weightless Senko at them.  The big bass nosed up to the JB but wouldn't commit.  Too bad, it surely would have been a PB.

 

I also saw a few BIG turtles and one loon doing what they do.

 

It was bluebird clear.  Winds were 5 mph from the East, and the air pressure was 30.4.  Water temps were 64.x.

[DogBone_384]

Dropped into my home pond yesterday for a couple hours.  Got two picks.  One on a baby brush hog and the other on a Duo Realis 80SP jerkbait.  

 

It was bluebird clear, winds were 5-10 mph, and air pressure was 30.  Water temps were a balmy 70.x.

[MassBass]

Herring were in full force Tuesday evening. Couldn't help but snag em on striper baits. Did see a striper show off a log jam for a slug go but it was shy. 

[DogBone_384]

I trudged through Cape traffic yesterday to fish my #1 Plymouth kettle before resident stickers are required for the Summer.  Got 4 good SMB and 1  1_6 yellow perch to the kayak and got spit by two more SMB.  The smallmouth didn't want anything other than a 3.8" Keitech.  Mr. Perch hit a Ghost Minnow Duo Realis 85SP.

 

Water temps were 69.x.  It was mostly sunny with light wind from the SE.  Air pressure was 30.3.

 

I'm still waiting for my first topwater fish of '23....

[JG233]

Good days on the water.

 

It was a fishing extravaganza: 2 days, 16 hours of fishing and paddling, 40 odd fish, and a very sore back and shoulders. Water temps were around 68 the entire time. Most fish were caught on a paddle tail, ned rig, or grub. I kept it simple and simple worked fine.

 

Most bass were right around 2 lbs, give or take. I might have lost a bigger one who got acrobatic right after I set the hook, but the bass you didn't really see, and lost, is always the biggest one. I also caught the occasional perch and pickerel to keep things interesting.

 

This is the average bass I was catching:

 

[DogBone_384]

Got my kayak salty this afternoon behind my house.  Came up with a nice 6 pound schoolie on a pink/white jig head & white paddle tail.  

 

High tide is just after dawn.  I might just get out after the cats wake me up.