Eastern Ma & New England Area Fishing Reports

[BillNye]

Are you guys using fish finders or topo maps for depth?  Most of the ponds in this area have terrible bathymetry data.

[JAB50]

No depth finder for us. Just topo maps. My brother has his fish finder rigged to his yak. So, we aren't able to use it.

[Mr. Aquarium]

no topo maps, most ponds i fish dont have them, i have a fishfinder i use.
 

[JAB50]

Just got back from fishing. Caught about 10 total bass(smallies and largies) excluding some huge pickerall. That's between my brother and myself. Lost several too. Jigs, jerkbaits and crankbaits. We missed or lost about another 8 fish. Brother lost a tanker. Saw it too. Big girl too. Finally we cut it short because the wind started howling. Jerkbait and jig had the most action. Fish were somewhat shallow. I'd would say by the 3rd week of March it's going to be lights out. Water is high everywhere down here too!

[Mr. Aquarium]

thats awesome! im jealous! dying to get on a decent bite, only 1 bass and a ton of pickerel. headed to the cape this weekend

[DogBone_384]

Took a friend's son to Hedges yesterday, hoping to get him a SMB or two.  The weather was cloudy/misty, 45-50 degrees (at best) with a moderate wind from the north.  I put him on the spot where I've caught them all year and told him to use a blade bait.  He's a smart kid but not a good listener.  He didn't catch anything. 

 

I caught 3 SMB, all on a blade bait.  All were in 10' or less.  Surface temps were 43.x all day.

 

Mike, if you're looking for bass, drop your kayak into Hedges.  I've not struck out there yet this year and all but a couple have been right around the two pound mark.  It's only 28 acres so you should be able to cover it quickly.

 

I'm going to re-con waters around my home area.  I expect to see open water.  Will post when I find out.  Plymouth's a great town to fish, but it's $20+ in gas round trip to Hedges.  Can't do that ALL the time.

[LadiMopar]

3 minutes ago, DogBone_384 said:

Took a friend's son to Hedges yesterday, hoping to get him a SMB or two.  The weather was cloudy/misty, 45-50 degrees (at best) with a moderate wind from the north.  I put him on the spot where I've caught them all year and told him to use a blade bait.  He's a smart kid but not a good listener.  He didn't catch anything. 

 

Sorry the kid didn't catch anything, but it was wonderful that you took the time to take him. This is what I love about our sport. 

 

Don't know how old this kid is but he was probably listening more than either of you realise, and with any luck at all one day he'll surprise you by doing everything exactly as you said. With age comes wisdom, or so it's said. 

 

Hats off to you DB!

[DogBone_384]

Thanks for the +.  Evan is 18.  He's like his father who's an engineer (and works tons of hours), so Evan thinks like an engineer and has to try what he believes will work.  It's good because he's learning what works/doesn't work for himself.

 

I've got a great work schedule.  I can take him fishing when he's got the time and his Dad can't.

[Mr. Aquarium]

2 hours ago, DogBone_384 said:

Took a friend's son to Hedges yesterday, hoping to get him a SMB or two.  The weather was cloudy/misty, 45-50 degrees (at best) with a moderate wind from the north.  I put him on the spot where I've caught them all year and told him to use a blade bait.  He's a smart kid but not a good listener.  He didn't catch anything. 

 

I caught 3 SMB, all on a blade bait.  All were in 10' or less.  Surface temps were 43.x all day.

 

Mike, if you're looking for bass, drop your kayak into Hedges.  I've not struck out there yet this year and all but a couple have been right around the two pound mark.  It's only 28 acres so you should be able to cover it quickly.

 

I'm going to re-con waters around my home area.  I expect to see open water.  Will post when I find out.  Plymouth's a great town to fish, but it's $20+ in gas round trip to Hedges.  Can't do that ALL the time.

yea looks like i have to. that place is a great numbers place. ive been searching for bigger bass, havent turned up anything other then a bunch of pickerel. 
only got out once to my coldwater spot usually catch a 3lb or so bass. a few of them to, now that its open ill be fishing there more. 

hedges is a great cold water spot, the smallies there always fight great. good numbers to.  havent broken 3lbs there tho, lot of smaller fish

[DogBone_384]

Three pounds is about the biggest I think you'll get there, being such a small pond.  A one pound plus perch there regularly too.  I agree it's a great numbers  pond.  My Lowrance is usually lit up with blobs.  Once the water gets into the mid-high 40s you'll see me in northern Plymouth at that Big pond looking for bigger bass.

[Mr. Aquarium]

yep! ive heard of bigger bass from there but the smaller ones are always the ones you get to bite.
that big place is tough, good luck, im still trying to figure that out, its not easy. 

[Mr. Aquarium]

got out after work, was hoping for 70 sunny warm, got to the spot 48 cloudy and windy.  caught 4 small bass up to 2lbs, fighting good, fishing from shore they were stacked up.  2nd time ive fished here in the cold and they were in the same spot both times.

[Mr. Aquarium]

Got out today on the cape!  First spot immediately found fish!  I saw something weird on the finder, didn’t mark fish but something on bottom! Who knows  could of been a fish!  Dropped the blade down, bam fish on!  The smallies were stacke up in 20-22 feet deep! If I wasn’t on the hole I wouldn’t get em! 19 feet nothing 25 feet nothin!  Caught 4 smallies 2-3lbs! 2. 2.6, 2.12, 2.15.  Missed a few! All were fat and eating good! Bite died at 1030!  Wind picked up clouds rolled in! Couldn’t get another fish! Packed up hit another pond close by! Nothin! Had a few hit and a fat perch! Packed up got lunch! 

Hit antoher pond close by! Had a few hits! Caught a lot of perch, few jumbos, 1 fat largemouth! 2lbs but it had a belly! 

 

Cant wait for tomorrow 

[MassYak85]

Mike how do you like to fish the blade baits? I've just been giving them a slow lift and fall jigging them off the bottom. 

[Mr. Aquarium]

23 minutes ago, MassYak85 said:

Mike how do you like to fish the blade baits? I've just been giving them a slow lift and fall jigging them off the bottom. 

That’s how I fish them as well. If the fish are feeding they will hit it! If not you gota sweet talk em with  the ned rig, drop shot, plastics on jig heads 

[Cyacnba]

Fished at my usual spot at the Charles River and caught two stripers and a largemouth bass. Missed two huge stripers and another small one. I used a Megabass Vision 110 and a LC Pointer 100. Not a big fan of the 110's hooks... they got destroyed after one fish. 

[Mr. Aquarium]

thats awesome!! i need to get out for some holdovers 

[DogBone_384]

Got done with my appointment around noon and had to go fishing.  It was too late and windy to drive to Plymouth so I stayed local and launched at Ponkapog a little after 1:00.

 

I started at the northern end and worked around figuring I’d find the warmer water.  I threw a t-rigged Rage Tail Menace, t-rigged 4” Zoom U-Tail, Mepps spinner, a perch Shadow Rap, and a Yozuri 3DB prism shad square bill.  

 

Not much happened until a little after 4:00 when the Yozuri got hit by a truck in 5’ of water off a point on the eastern shoreline.  What I assumed to be a pickerel by its fight turned out to be likely the biggest Larry I’ve caught at Ponkie.  I got cocky and figured I could just lift it into the kayak instead of using the net under my seat.  Karma struck as Mr. Bass came loose  as I lifted it out of the water.  I don’t usually count fish that don’t make it IN my kayak, but because this one was big and it hit the side of the kayak on the way down, I’m calling it a catch.  It’s also my first LMB for ’18.

 

Yozuri-san gave me one more LMB that came in at 2-2 from the same area the first came from.

 

Water temps were 46.x - 47.x with a wind that picked up when I launched and died off when I left at dusk.

[DogBone_384]

Yesterday's forecast was too good to pass up.  I took a vacation day and headed to my favorite big Plymouth pond, launching around 8:00.  After 3 1/2 hours of nothing I packed up and headed to Hedges, where the smallies are more cooperative.  I tossed a gold blade bait, green/red flake Rage Tail Menace, a red DT16, and the Yozuri square bill I caught Larries with at Ponkie the other day.  Water temps were 42.x to 43.x.

 

I launched at Hedges around 12:30.  I kept it simple with the gold blade bait, green/red flake Menace, and a perch Rapala DT6.  The Rapala was all I needed.  I hooked onto six SMB and got four in the kayak, all around two pounds, with the biggest coming in at 2-4.  Water temps were 46.x to 47.x and the SMB are AWAKE!  They had a LOT more fight in them than just two weeks ago.

 

Check March off the list....

[NEBass123]

Caught my first bass of the season on Thursday before the storm. The fish was a tank which was shocking as the pond I caught it at is a dink factory. I don't think I've broken a pound and a half at this pond before. Hopefully, this means a good spring is in store!

 

[MassYak85]

A tank for sure! Did you get a weight on her? That pond sure looks "fishy" though. 

[Deeare]

On 3/4/2018 at 5:55 PM, BobberBuddy said:

Caught my first bass of the season on Thursday before the storm. The fish was a tank which was shocking as the pond I caught it at is a dink factory. I don't think I've broken a pound and a half at this pond before. Hopefully, this means a good spring is in store!

 

Did you catch that in Medford/stoneham mass????  Looks like spot pond in the background

[Mr. Aquarium]

im so jealous! i would kill for a decent largemouth.  when its nice out i have to work.  jigs,jerkbaits and swimbaits havent caught anything decent.  last week i pitched a jig to a nice blow down. twitch twitch bam, fish hit good, felt like a good bass. so pumped, thinking had my first decent largemouth of the year super pumped.  it was just a greedy pickerel. 

god d**n i miss stable weather and warmer temps to actually catch a bass worth bragging about

END RANT

[NEBass123]

It was actually at Field Pond in Harold Parker (North Reading). I do go to spot pond at work and have caught some big ones there. I work in Wilmington so I'll go anywhere within 10 minutes during lunch.

 

Unfortunately, I didn't have my scale on me which I was ticked about. My guess was in the mid 5s, but I have been wrong before. Need to keep it in my car!

 

@Mr. Aquarium - I am with you on the stable weather. Stupid snow storm coming in tomorrow.

[MassYak85]

8 hours ago, Mr. Aquarium said:

im so jealous! i would kill for a decent largemouth.  when its nice out i have to work.  jigs,jerkbaits and swimbaits havent caught anything decent.  last week i pitched a jig to a nice blow down. twitch twitch bam, fish hit good, felt like a good bass. so pumped, thinking had my first decent largemouth of the year super pumped.  it was just a greedy pickerel. 

god d**n i miss stable weather and warmer temps to actually catch a bass worth bragging about

END RANT

Lol sounds like my first fish of last year. It was a nice secluded pond I was fishing from shore. There was a nice laydown and I casted a weightless fluke to the end. Twitched it, let it sink, twitched it and there was a huge swirl. Really got my heart racing but I got it near shore and it was just a nice healthy pickerel.