Eastern Ma & New England Area Fishing Reports

[DogBone_384]

Drove by Ponkapog OTW from Bass Pro Shops.  I drilled down with a paddle bit.  There's at least 5" of ice there which means two things: It'll be a while until ice out and I'm going ice fishing there tomorrow if it doesn't rain.

[DogBone_384]

Only 66 days until the Quabbin Reservoir opens ....

[Mr. Aquarium]

cant wait! didnt fish it last year

[MassYak85]

I think I might try and get out in my kayak tommorow for the first time this year, slight chance of rain so we'll see. If I do go I'm gonna give the blade baits and hair jigs a shot. 

[DogBone_384]

I reconned Plymouth today and here’s what I found:

• Great Herring: 90% skimmed over. Best chance of opening up this weekend.
• Hedges: 90% heavy skim. Might free up with a couple days around 40 (though I might risk driving down there again tomorrow.)
• Big Sandy: 75% ice/skim. Not launchable.
• White’s Pond: 50-75% ice/skim.
• Little Pond: 50% open. Tough launch.
• Billington Sea: Locked up.
• Ponkapog Pond: At least 5” ice as of 2/7.

I’m planning to get out this weekend.  If anyone finds an orange Tundra with a BR sticker parked at a pond in Plymouth ...yep, it’s me.

[DogBone_384]

Flipped a coin this morning and chanced a drive back to Hedges Pond.  It was still half skimmed over, but there was plenty of area to to fish.  I launched around 11:30 and stayed until dusk, landing three SMB (all hovering around two pounds) and one yellow perch that tipped the scales at 1-2.  The first SMB came on a 1/8 oz Rage Tail Menace I let sit on the bottom a while.  The other two SMB and perch liked a perch colored blade bait.  

 

Got nada on a bubblegum Ned and a couple hits on a black 4” Zoom U-Tale, but my ML spinning rod didn’t have enough OOMPH to get a hookset.

 

Surface temps started at 38.x and just topped 40.x in the northern part of the pond.

 

Weather permitting I’m going back tomorrow and/or Monday.  

[Mr. Aquarium]

went down the cape saturday, fished 2 ponds both new spots to me. one super shallow, fished jigs, jerkbaits, swimbaits here. had a questionable hit on a swimbait. went to another deeper spot my buddy told me it was good.  pond was skimmed over, the wind ended up breaking the ice so it opened up. caught 3 perch on hair jigs. 

sunday went out for a few hours in the rain, both of my winter ponds are open. fished from shore no action but still good to get out. glad to find more open water. these spots ive done very well in the cold water. i know where ill be fishing this weekend

no open water bass yet this year. caught my first bass of the year ice fishing in early january. 

[DogBone_384]

I hit Hedges Pond right around sunrise and stayed until a little after 2:00 PM.  Caught 5 SMB and one yellow perch.  All the bass hovered just under 2 pounds and the perch right at a pound.  Three SMB liked a gold blade bait and two inhaled a black 4" Texas rigged Zoom U-Tail.  #5 nearly swallowed the blade bait in 5' of water.  Everyone else was in 10-12' or so.  

 

Water temps started at just over 41 degrees and finished a hair over 40.  

 

Mike, I think you need to grab your kayak and hit PLYMOUTH.  I drove by two ponds OTW home and they were open.

 

Weather this week looks good.

 

If I don’t pick up an extra shift Thursday, I’ll be back in Plymouth looking for big SMB...

[Mr. Aquarium]

I hit Plymouth Sunday in the rain! No action but only had an few hours to fish didn’t fish the yak! But had the waders!

[DogBone_384]

Got home from work this morning, gave the boss 3 dozen roses, did the housework and jetted off to Plymouth.  Launched a little after 11:00.  

 

It was a l o n g and w i n d y day.  Worked from South to North to East, covering as much as I could between 40' and 10'.  I stuck mostly with blade baits (though three of them are still down there...) a Yamamoto Heart Tail, Sebile magic swimmer, and a couple different suspending crank baits.  

 

After nearly five hours without a bite, fighting the wind and a experiencing a bunch of equipment problems I started back to the canal.  I stopped about 50 yards from shore near the canal I tossed a green/red Rage Tail on a 1/8 oz jig head and came up with a nice football of a yellow perch.  

 

A LOT of work at the big pond in Plymouth for a perch, but it beats getting skunked.

 

Water temps at the big pond were 37.x.  Water temps at the small pond you cross to get to the big one were a degree warmer.  I fished there for a few, without any luck, on the way back to my truck.  

 

I might go back tomorrow for another try.  I know there are BIG SMB there, just have to keep at it and try to figure out where they are.  The big pond is nearly 300 acres, a lot of water to cover with a kayak.

[DogBone_384]

Thursday’s weather was much better than Wednesdays, and the fishing was the same.  I started out at the BIG pond in Plymouth around 9:00.  After two and a half hours of nothing I packed up and headed south to Hedges.  

 

Not too long after launching I nabbed three SMB on a 1/2 oz. Silver Buddy and one on a chartreuse Rage Tail Menace.  I finally broke the two pound mark for ‘18 with a 2-2.  The other three were 1-14, 1-11, and 1-8.  All four came in about a five minute span in the same spot.  I moved around for another couple hours but struck out.  

 

Surface temps at the BIG pond were 37.x and Hedges showed 40.x.  I wonder if that three degrees made up the difference?!?!?!?  The big pond is nearly 10x bigger than Hedges so there’s more real estate to cover.  

 

2018 is starting out pretty good.  Travelling to Plymouth a couple times a week might require getting a third job....

 

The kids are on vacation next week so I’m taking a friend’s son to Hedges so he can get a couple smallies for himself.

 

[Mr. Aquarium]

i went out for a quick trip this morning after a job interview. wanted to see if ole faithful is open, 90% open some skim ice on a protected shore. only had one rod with the lure i had on, no gear. 2 pickerel.  not bad for a 30 min trip

[MassYak85]

I'll be out tomorrow for the first time this year down here, weather is not supposed to be great but I need to get out and scratch the itch. Got some blade baits and hair jigs tied on and plan on targeting the deeper channel edges. How did the job interview go Mike?

[Mr. Aquarium]

think it went pretty good! thanks for asking 

ill be out in the yak all weekend! the snow is supposed to hold off until the night!

[DogBone_384]

Mike, good luck with the job.  I'll be at Hedges with a friend's son on Tuesday and Thursday if weather and schedule pans out.  

I'm going to hold off the BIG pond until the water temps are in the mid 40's.  I'm not good enough there to pick them off the way conditions are now.

[Cyacnba]

Fished at the Charles River today for an hour and caught a couple of chunky bass. There were two more people fishing, and we all kept catching a bass every 5 minutes or so. We were using a jerkbait, and you could see some bass chasing what looked to me like shads. One of the biggest ones spitted out a small bluegill.

[NHBull]

Just wondering if anyone has tried the Merrimack at the Bow power plant. Hoping to get there in a week, especially if they turn it on......

[DogBone_384]

Sorry Bull, I try not to go north of the Neponset Bridge unless I have to.

[ne_dan]

I’m new on here.  From RI but half a mile from the Plainville/North Attleboro line.   Just in case anyone is wondering almost everything South of Providence is iced out.  Hoping that next weeks weather gets rid of the rest,  been waiting to take the kayak out.

[Mr. Aquarium]

Got out today!  Missed one bass at spot 1!  Spot 1 I’ve done well at befor in the cold! Missed one bass out deep! Could see down 15-20 feet! Pretty cool! 

Spot 2! Shallow pond to see if the shallow bite is good cuz deep bite sucked! Caught 1 big pickerel at 3.11! 

Going out tomorrow! Still need that first bass of the year 

[DogBone_384]

14 hours ago, ne_dan said:

I’m new on here.  From RI but half a mile from the Plainville/North Attleboro line.   Just in case anyone is wondering almost everything South of Providence is iced out.  Hoping that next weeks weather gets rid of the rest,  been waiting to take the kayak out.

Welcome to the forum.  If you have a car-topper, head east to Plymouth.  Almost everything from exit 5 on route 3 southward is wide open.  Here's a helpful link: https://mass-eoeea.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=c956ffbcff3142c2b6295985cce37372   

[je1946]

15 hours ago, NHBull said:

Just wondering if anyone has tried the Merrimack at the Bow power plant. Hoping to get there in a week, especially if they turn it on......

Sent you a PM.

[LadiMopar]

Been doing some reconnaissance here in North Central Ma (Leominster, Boyalston, Shirley, Pepperell etc) most of the ponds are still pretty well locked up except in areas that have significant moving water. Some recession around the shallow edges but not enough to wet a line. Drove around Wachusett yesterday and it too is pretty solidly locked up but the Quinapoxit river that feeds it is open, but like The Quabbin doesn't open until April 1.

 

The Nashua River is wide open but running extremely high and fast in all the locations I've looked at. Tried my luck at the Groton ramp this week (from the shore, not ready to put the yak in) using a half oz jig and the current is so fast it couldn't hit bottom (abt.13 ft in the channel) before being carried 20 yards off.  

 

Scoped out some of the more easily accessible pockets with quieter, more shallow water (2-6 ft) and didn't see any activity; no bait fish, heck not even a ripple in the silt. 

 

Still it was good to be out, and I hope to get back this week if for no other reason than to practice and fine tune my casting after months in captivity. 

[Mr. Aquarium]

fished 2 ponds yesterday, shallow ponds. didnt feel like dealing with the wind at the bigger deep ponds. first pond was a bog pond i fished at before. didnt realize how deep that hole was. small tiny area drops to 15-20 feet deep very close to shore.   i had a hit and missed a nice crappie. water temps 43-46 here. 

pond 2. fished shallow along the drop offs. finally caught my first bass of the year. chunky 1.5lber. caught a perch and a pickerel here. missed a few other fish.  water temps 44-46.

[JAB50]

On Cape Cod till this Wednesday 02/19/18. My brother and I went out yesterday and today in our 12' aluminum. Caught 3 largemouth and a perch yesterday between the 2 of us. And caught 4 today between the two of us. My brother's was close to 5 lbs. Caught them on jerkbait special and jigs. Biggest on the jerkbait. 

If anyone has any recommendations where it could be lights out these next few days? Please shoot me a pm! Not looking at long pond harwich,mashpee wakeby or wequaquet lakes. To big for a 12' with only 55lb thrust trolling motor!