Eastern Ma & New England Area Fishing Reports

[Mr. Aquarium]

it sucks that there is a TON of great reservoirs that are illegal. down south you can put boats on reservoirs 

[MassYak85]

48 minutes ago, Mr. Aquarium said:

it sucks that there is a TON of great reservoirs that are illegal. down south you can put boats on reservoirs 

I know, I can only the imagine the monsters living "offshore" in Wachussett that will likely never see a hook. The thing I have come to appreciate about living up here though, is if you look at the south, or california, where you have the big fishable reservoirs, is besides little farm ponds, you don't really have a lot of the smaller lakes like we have in between. You might have an amazing fishery, but you might have to drive 1, 2, or 3 hours to get to it depending where you live. Here, I can be on 30 different lakes/ponds in probably 30-40 minutes. It's one of the things I missed living down in Virginia beach. I can't just drive down the road and fish at a whim in my kayak like I can here. Most of my trips were planned hour drives to the larger reservoirs. I always had the option to fish tiny local ponds from shore, or drainage ditches, but it definitely was a different feel. 

[JG233]

I hated fishing in AZ. There are only like five bodies of water and everyone fishes them. It was always super crowded--absolutely terrible for kayak fishing. 

[DogBone_384]

There's an extra kayak here for you if/when you get back to MA ...

[Quarry Man]

Anyone want to fish the 28th - 30th in east ma near leominster, but willing to drive a little bit. Hopefully there will be open water...

[MassYak85]

28 minutes ago, Quarry Man said:

Anyone want to fish the 28th - 30th in east ma near leominster, but willing to drive a little bit. Hopefully there will be open water...

Best of wishes to you. The high during that stretch is supposed to be 15 degrees. Post pics if you make it happen that would be awesome! 

[JG233]

3 hours ago, DogBone_384 said:

There's an extra kayak here for you if/when you get back to MA ...

Thanks man. I'll actually have mine with me for the summer! 

[DogBone_384]

Great! I’ve got a new favorite pond with big SMB & LMB ....

[Janderson45]

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays/New Year to all of you!

 

looking forward to march/April.. put the kayaks away last weekend finally...

 

2017 was a pretty good year for me, I continue to grow as an angler with many thanks to all of you.

 

2018 is looking like the year I finally break down and buy a Quabbin rig.  If anyone has any input on 25hp restricted rigs for the Q I'd love to hear it!  Looking at a 16' Lund Rebel amongst others right now... 

[DogBone_384]

This might be a good starting point:

 

http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dcr/watersupply/watershed/quabbin-fishing-guide.pdf

[Quarry Man]

anyone want to fish one of the next couple of days?

[Janderson45]

17 hours ago, DogBone_384 said:

This might be a good starting point:

 

http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dcr/watersupply/watershed/quabbin-fishing-guide.pdf

Thanks DogBone - I've read through it many times.  In all honesty the restrictions are really pretty ridiculous, particularly the "4 Stroke engines 1/2 the BIA or OBC rating up to a maximum of 25HP" and "No 25hp 2 Stroke engines are allowed" ... the 1/2 the boat's rated max HP rule really hamstrings private rigs out their... No one would ever advise you to buy a boat and rig it with an outboard that is 1/2 of the hulls rating... recommendations usually advise you to have 75-100% of the boats max HP rating in order for it to perform as expected while under a load... by only allowing 1/2 of the rated max it seems like they are really trying to keep you from getting your boat up on plane.  25HP is bad enough already, but making it even worse you have to put the 25hp outboard on a boat rated for a 50HP engine or more.   Naturally they don't allow 25HP 2 strokes either, which just happens to include the motor with the best performance in the 25HP class, the Evinrude Etec.   I came across a quick blurb not included on the fishing guide stating that 25HP 4 Stroke engines are permitted on boats with a 40HP max rating to discourage the use of 20HP 2 Stroke engines... but I can't seem to find it again.  Can anyone confirm this or know where I read it?  

 

The restrictions are definitely a bummer and make your options very limited, but I suppose that's why the Q doesn't get pressured nearly as often as other large lakes/reservoirs in the state, which is a good thing.

 

A 16' aluminum V hull (Like the Lund Rebel or Fury) should theoretically be able to get up to about 22-24MPH with an evenly distributed load and 25HP outboard.  That's plenty good enough for me, I just want to make sure I can actually get this type of performance.  My fear is that with 2 larger guys and fishing gear the boat might really struggle to get on plane... but I guess that's something I'll just have to live with or address down the road.  I'd love to be able to take 3 people on the boat (myself and 2 others) but then I run the risk of plowing water and never being able to get on plane at all. 

 

Despite the restrictions limiting private boats to small aluminum hulls with small outboards, I really think it will make fishing a TON more enjoyable and successful... Just being able to have a nice bow mount trolling motor with iPilot and a boat with more storage will make a huge difference for me...  When my buddy and I go out in the rentals we typically get 7-8mph and never get on plane, which is painfully slow as some of you know... There's been times I wanted to fish various spots on the reservoir that I chose not to simply because of the amount of time it would take to get to them and back to the ramp in time.  It's not uncommon for me to target spots that are 7 or 8 miles from the ramp, so you do the math... that's an hour to get there and an hour to get back.. like I said, painful.

 

13 hours ago, Quarry Man said:

anyone want to fish one of the next couple of days?

Are you talking about Ice fishing?  It's been crazy cold here in Massachusetts recently... I would expect most all ponds/lakes/reservoirs in the state are locked in ice with the possible exception of some of the larger bodies of water down the Cape/Plymouth ... even those might be iced over now.  It's not supposed to get above 20 degrees until the end of next week...  Maybe I'll try out ice fishing this weekend!  I've never been before but have been wanting to try it out.  I would think most of the ice in the state should be plenty thick/safe by this weekend? 

[JG233]

It takes forever to get anywhere in those Quabbin rentals--ha. It's still great that they have them though. 

[Fishing Rhino]

Here's a hint for getting the Quabbin rentals up on plane.

 

The fuel tank has a long line.  Move the tank forward as far as it will go.  If you have a heavy 12 volt battery for the trolling motor, move the battery as far forward as the power cables allow.  I'm going to make an extension to move the battery ahead of the middle seat.

 

I have managed to get the boat up on plane and probably hit around fifteen mph with just me in the boat, and all my gear placed in the bow. I had to sit as far forward as possible and had to reach behind me to control the throttle and steering.

[MassYak85]

Why don't they allow two strokes on the Q? Those E-tech engines are crazy quiet and very environmentally friendly. 

[Janderson45]

49 minutes ago, MassYak85 said:

Why don't they allow two strokes on the Q? Those E-tech engines are crazy quiet and very environmentally friendly. 

Great question... I think the rules were adopted a while back when 2 strokes might have been a bit less environmentally friendly... I'd be scared to buy a 20hp 2 stroke for the Q as well.. feel like it's only a matter of time before they ban them all together.  You also have to wear rubber wading boots when launching a boat, can't have carpeted bunks on your trailer, aren't allowed any contact with the water and are supposed to stay 500' away from the loons or something silly like that.. seems a bit excessive but I suppose it's part of what makes it such a beautiful and unique fishery.  I'm halfway surprised they let you bring your own anchor for a rental boat.. it could have aquatic hitchhikers on it after all!

 

2 hours ago, Fishing Rhino said:

Here's a hint for getting the Quabbin rentals up on plane.

 

The fuel tank has a long line.  Move the tank forward as far as it will go.  If you have a heavy 12 volt battery for the trolling motor, move the battery as far forward as the power cables allow.  I'm going to make an extension to move the battery ahead of the middle seat.

 

I have managed to get the boat up on plane and probably hit around fifteen mph with just me in the boat, and all my gear placed in the bow. I had to sit as far forward as possible and had to reach behind me to control the throttle and steering.

 

That's very impressive that you were able to get 15mph by shifting some of the weight around in the boat.. fishing by myself the few times I've done it was miserable... got about 5mph and was plowing water the whole time.  Got better speeds with a fishing partner in the front!  That's good advice about moving the gas tank and battery to the bow.. I've never tried it but I'm sure it would help.  I'm also betting that you were in one of the better rentals with a 10hp?  All the rentals on the western side have 10hp outboards and I would typically get 11-12mph in those with my buddy.. but it seems like the majority of the boats at the two eastern launches have 8hp outboards, I've even seen some with 6hp.  

 

The Lund tiller I'm looking at is about 650lbs.  Add another 150 for the motor, 150 for three batteries (1crank 2troll) and about 400lbs for two fisherman and gear.  That adds up to about 1350lbs.. quite a bit of weight for that little 25hp to get up on plane.  That's assuming an empty fuel tank and livewell too  .   I'll have to see what I can do to shave some weight off that total and move as much weight as possible forward.. 

[DogBone_384]

6 hours ago, JG233 said:

It takes forever to get anywhere in those Quabbin rentals--ha. It's still great that they have them though. 

I agree, but it's cheap and worth it once you find some consistent spots. 

 

Simply put - go there with Rhino: it's cheaper and he knows where the fish are.....

[MassYak85]

Got out on the ice for the last time today. I got out 4 times in total and the previous 3 all I had to show for it was a few dink pickerel. Today I started at about 9:30 and after 5 hours all I had gotten was 1 pickerel and a bite off from a larger pickerel (I apparently misjudged how sharp their teeth are, 20lb fluoro leader were no match). After changing most of the leaders on the tilts to 40lb fluoro to prevent any more biteoffs the bite flipped on like a switch. In total I got 6 bass and 5 pickerel in the final tow hours. The biggest bass was a nice 4lber, and the rest were all 2-3lbs. One of the pickerel was also pretty hefty with a 5 or 6 inch sunfish in it's belly. Overall it was a pretty good ending to my short ice fishing season. I'll be leaving for Virginia Monday, I won't see anymore Massachusetts bass until late June. Good luck everybody, tight lines!

 

Oh, and I guess Pickerel teeth aren't just for show, the big one I got today had the last laugh a chomped down on my finger while I was trying to get the hook out with pliers. d**n things are SHARP. He barely even got me but 3 teeth went in and out with me barely feeling it and I started gushing blood. I'm not sure if those darn things have anti-coagulant in their mouths or what but it didn't stop bleeding for like an hour. 

[Fishing Rhino]

Pickerel teeth slice, like small scalpels.  Trout teeth puncture.  

 

I learned the hard way this past year when I caught a nice trout and lipped it.  Five puncture wounds on my thumb.  It took a long time to staunch the bleeding, and my white rod was almost red around the grip before it stopped.

 

Fish blood will not coagulate in the air.  Next time you have a bleeding fish hold it over the water and see how the blood coagulates when it hits the water.  I doubt that your contact with a fish, or its slime would have a prolonged effect on human blood coagulation.  

 

Fish slime can however cause big problems if it gets into a puncture wound.  The resulting infection will spread rapidly.  There is a simple preventative if done soon enough.  Soak the wound in hot water.  Hot enough to be uncomfortable but not hot enough to scald you.

 

Soak it for a half hour, and it will kill the toxins found in fish slime.

 

 

If a spine stabs you
Start first aid right away
❯ Rinse the wound with soap and water.
❯ Soak the wound in tolerably hot (40-45°C) water
to relieve pain.
❯ Continue soaking for 30 to 90 minutes, or longer
if the pain continues.
❯ Never apply a tourniquet or pressure to the wound.
❯ Remove any visible spines.
❯ If the fragile spines break and leave fragments in
tissue, don’t try to dig them out. Keep the wound
clean, and get medical attention as soon as
possible. A doctor may use x-rays to find the
fragments and then remove them.
❯ Purple dye released by urchin spines may fool
you into thinking spines are embedded under
the skin. This dye is not toxic and will be absorbed
in a few days.
❯ Tell the doctor about your tetanus immunization
history, and consider a booster shot.
When is it a medical emergency?
Radio for help immediately if:
❯ The injured person is in shock.
Seek medical attention if:
❯ A spine punctures a joint space between bones.
❯ Signs of infection appear — fever, redness or
discolouration, warmth, swelling, pus, increasing
pain or altered sensation around the wound.

[je1946]

11 hours ago, Fishing Rhino said:

Pickerel teeth slice, like small scalpels.  Trout teeth puncture.  

 

I learned the hard way this past year when I caught a nice trout and lipped it.  Five puncture wounds on my thumb.  It took a long time to staunch the bleeding, and my white rod was almost red around the grip before it stopped.

 

Fish blood will not coagulate in the air.  Next time you have a bleeding fish hold it over the water and see how the blood coagulates when it hits the water.  I doubt that your contact with a fish, or its slime would have a prolonged effect on human blood coagulation.  

 

Fish slime can however cause big problems if it gets into a puncture wound.  The resulting infection will spread rapidly.  There is a simple preventative if done soon enough.  Soak the wound in hot water.  Hot enough to be uncomfortable but not hot enough to scald you.

 

Soak it for a half hour, and it will kill the toxins found in fish slime.

 

 

If a spine stabs you
Start first aid right away
❯ Rinse the wound with soap and water.
❯ Soak the wound in tolerably hot (40-45°C) water
to relieve pain.
❯ Continue soaking for 30 to 90 minutes, or longer
if the pain continues.
❯ Never apply a tourniquet or pressure to the wound.
❯ Remove any visible spines.
❯ If the fragile spines break and leave fragments in
tissue, don’t try to dig them out. Keep the wound
clean, and get medical attention as soon as
possible. A doctor may use x-rays to find the
fragments and then remove them.
❯ Purple dye released by urchin spines may fool
you into thinking spines are embedded under
the skin. This dye is not toxic and will be absorbed
in a few days.
❯ Tell the doctor about your tetanus immunization
history, and consider a booster shot.
When is it a medical emergency?
Radio for help immediately if:
❯ The injured person is in shock.
Seek medical attention if:
❯ A spine punctures a joint space between bones.
❯ Signs of infection appear — fever, redness or
discolouration, warmth, swelling, pus, increasing
pain or altered sensation around the wound.

I remember that day well Tom.  I did the same with a fluke a few yrs ago while fishing down the Cape.  Lessons we learn.

On 12/28/2017 at 6:33 PM, Janderson45 said:

Great question... I think the rules were adopted a while back when 2 strokes might have been a bit less environmentally friendly... I'd be scared to buy a 20hp 2 stroke for the Q as well.. feel like it's only a matter of time before they ban them all together.  You also have to wear rubber wading boots when launching a boat, can't have carpeted bunks on your trailer, aren't allowed any contact with the water and are supposed to stay 500' away from the loons or something silly like that.. seems a bit excessive but I suppose it's part of what makes it such a beautiful and unique fishery.  I'm halfway surprised they let you bring your own anchor for a rental boat.. it could have aquatic hitchhikers on it after all!

 

 

That's very impressive that you were able to get 15mph by shifting some of the weight around in the boat.. fishing by myself the few times I've done it was miserable... got about 5mph and was plowing water the whole time.  Got better speeds with a fishing partner in the front!  That's good advice about moving the gas tank and battery to the bow.. I've never tried it but I'm sure it would help.  I'm also betting that you were in one of the better rentals with a 10hp?  All the rentals on the western side have 10hp outboards and I would typically get 11-12mph in those with my buddy.. but it seems like the majority of the boats at the two eastern launches have 8hp outboards, I've even seen some with 6hp.  

 

The Lund tiller I'm looking at is about 650lbs.  Add another 150 for the motor, 150 for three batteries (1crank 2troll) and about 400lbs for two fisherman and gear.  That adds up to about 1350lbs.. quite a bit of weight for that little 25hp to get up on plane.  That's assuming an empty fuel tank and livewell too  .   I'll have to see what I can do to shave some weight off that total and move as much weight as possible forward.. 

Another recommendation if your going to punch the ticket on a Q boat, is to get a motor that has tilt and trim.  Well worth the little extra you pay.   Check out craigslist, there was a 17 Lund for sale in NH at a very gd price. Gd luck with your purchase,

[Janderson45]

20 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

Got out on the ice for the last time today. I got out 4 times in total and the previous 3 all I had to show for it was a few dink pickerel. Today I started at about 9:30 and after 5 hours all I had gotten was 1 pickerel and a bite off from a larger pickerel (I apparently misjudged how sharp their teeth are, 20lb fluoro leader were no match). After changing most of the leaders on the tilts to 40lb fluoro to prevent any more biteoffs the bite flipped on like a switch. In total I got 6 bass and 5 pickerel in the final tow hours. The biggest bass was a nice 4lber, and the rest were all 2-3lbs. One of the pickerel was also pretty hefty with a 5 or 6 inch sunfish in it's belly. Overall it was a pretty good ending to my short ice fishing season. I'll be leaving for Virginia Monday, I won't see anymore Massachusetts bass until late June. Good luck everybody, tight lines!

 

Oh, and I guess Pickerel teeth aren't just for show, the big one I got today had the last laugh a chomped down on my finger while I was trying to get the hook out with pliers. d**n things are SHARP. He barely even got me but 3 teeth went in and out with me barely feeling it and I started gushing blood. I'm not sure if those darn things have anti-coagulant in their mouths or what but it didn't stop bleeding for like an hour. 

Been there!  Had a big pickerel anhilate my hand a few years ago.. I was in a canoe and he thrashed hard when I went to unhook him.. I had the same thought, "I can't believe how much I'm bleeding" .. fingers are pretty vascular though.  Interesting and also strange that you started to light it up after switching to 40lb fluoro?  I would think it's just a coincidence, but if they're not being line shy not a bad thing to beef up the leader size.

6 hours ago, je1946 said:

Another recommendation if your going to punch the ticket on a Q boat, is to get a motor that has tilt and trim.  Well worth the little extra you pay.   Check out craigslist, there was a 17 Lund for sale in NH at a very gd price. Gd luck with your purchase,

Yes I do Plan on power trim and tilt... probably just going to end up going with a Mercury/Tohatsu 25ELPT...thinking about adding a TH Marine Mini Jacker jack plate as well.. gives about 4" of set-back while also gaining a couple inches of height.  I think it should do well for a small aluminum V hull.   ThayersMarine in Norwich CT has a few lund rebels in stock with 25hp... thinking of heading down there and checking them out soon.  Currently leaning towards a tiller lay-out to save me ~60lbs... will offset the weight of a trolling motor battery in the bow.  

[MassYak85]

@Janderson45 Oh I'm sure the 40lb fluoro didn't help my bites (might not have hurt it), but I had 2 pickerel chew through 20lb and I didn't feel like messing with that anymore. I think for whatever reason 2pm was just "time to eat" in that area. Usually when I just target bass I do 12 or 20lb leaders, I usually carry some extra and some 40lb and steel just in case there are a lot of toothy critters. Normally I'd deal with the biteoffs when targeting bass with lighters line but being my last day out this season I was fine catching pickerel at that point lol. 

[je1946]

11 hours ago, Janderson45 said:

Been there!  Had a big pickerel anhilate my hand a few years ago.. I was in a canoe and he thrashed hard when I went to unhook him.. I had the same thought, "I can't believe how much I'm bleeding" .. fingers are pretty vascular though.  Interesting and also strange that you started to light it up after switching to 40lb fluoro?  I would think it's just a coincidence, but if they're not being line shy not a bad thing to beef up the leader size.

Yes I do Plan on power trim and tilt... probably just going to end up going with a Mercury/Tohatsu 25ELPT...thinking about adding a TH Marine Mini Jacker jack plate as well.. gives about 4" of set-back while also gaining a couple inches of height.  I think it should do well for a small aluminum V hull.   ThayersMarine in Norwich CT has a few lund rebels in stock with 25hp... thinking of heading down there and checking them out soon.  Currently leaning towards a tiller lay-out to save me ~60lbs... will offset the weight of a trolling motor battery in the bow.  

My Q boat is an older 16' Spectrum Avenger with a console(I'm old and like the comfort lol) has a merc 25 4stroke, MK maxium 55 on the bow and with 2 guys over 200lbs, and a ton of gear I get 21-23/mph all day.  You'll fly with the tiller.

[Mr. Aquarium]

been MIA recently! just got back from NH over christmas week, it was friggin cold up there! lowest was -12,  got out ice fishing tuesday balmy  15 degrees with 15-20 mph winds.  caught a nice pickerel and a tiny perch.
went snowmobiling and hiking as well, wanted to go skiing but it was to d**n cold. 

went out ice fishin over the weekend back home. 5 inches at least, saturday a small pond, caught 2 crappies and a perch, didnt get to fish much of the pond, the land owner likes to skate and asked me to stay away from what is the good part of the pond to fish. 

sunday took my buddy ice fishing! his first time. we fish here alot in the open water but my first time here on the ice! slower then expected.  lot of perch and a few big pickerel! the ice was thick here in plymouth!  at least 6inches

BE SAFE GUYS!!!  if one pond is safe DONT assume another  is safe, each pond freezes different! ALL WAYS CHECK THE ICE!! IN MANY DIFFERENT SPOTS!!! 

[MassYak85]

9 hours ago, Mr. Aquarium said:

BE SAFE GUYS!!!  if one pond is safe to assume another  is safe, each pond freezes different! ALL WAYS CHECK THE ICE!! IN MANY DIFFERENT SPOTS!!! 

THIS^

 

Hey @Mr. Aquarium, when you go are you jigging or do you use tipups too? It's weird for me, open water I exclusively use lures, it's just more fun for me. But ice fishing I rarely jig, almost always bait fishing with tipups. I guess there's just something about chasing flags that gets me more excited.