Eastern Ma & New England Area Fishing Reports

[JAB50]

Well,

Mashpee usually still has a nice weed between the island and the shoreline around the corner of the lake from the ramp. The mouth of pickerall cove use to be really good this time of year with spinnerbaits and jerkbaits. Long Pond Harwich should be good for smallies right now. Find the humps and bait. 

[FishinDinks]

7 hours ago, DogBone_384 said:

Let me know where you find them.... I couldn't get more than one dink SMB at Hinckley's, Flax, and Buck's.   Je1946 says Sheeps is the place.  I think there's a HP limit there.  I can pedal my kayak all the way down in 15 minutes or so.

 

https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2016/08/se/dfwsheep.pdf

 

I have Thursday off and might go smallie hunting somewhere.....

I should be at Sheeps in Brewster tomorrow. I have never been there so should be interesting. I am paddle only so if it takes you 15 min to get all the way down I will probably be a half hour. 

[Janderson45]

2 hours ago, JAB50 said:

Well,

Mashpee usually still has a nice weed between the island and the shoreline around the corner of the lake from the ramp. The mouth of pickerall cove use to be really good this time of year with spinnerbaits and jerkbaits. Long Pond Harwich should be good for smallies right now. Find the humps and bait. 

 

Humps and bait works on Mashpee too  .  

[je1946]

Interesting reading.  I've only fished Sheeps on one occasion and that was the spring that Quabbin opened late last yr.  Hammer and I fished Hinkleys and did just so so.  We took a ride over to Sheeps and Long Pond and decided on Sheeps for a couple of reasons, we had the crawdad and Long I felt was just too big if the wind came up.  I had spoken to a person I know who used to fish the cape ponds on a regular basis, and asked him if he had just one place to fish on the cape for big smallies where would he fish, without hesitation he said Sheeps and showed me some pics that were impressive.  Upon launching, some guy was coming in and had been fishing for smallies and said he caught nothing.  Hammer and I did good for an afternoon of fishing, blades, jigs and jerkbaits were the ticket. We had at least 10 smallies up to 4lbs, and a number of decent trout.  It is deep and clear, has some good drop offs,  scattered boulders, gravel shoals and sand, the left side from the ramp also has some decent lay downs along the shore.   I haven't been back there since, but it is surely on my hit list.

 

[DogBone_384]

I went to Hedges this afternoon in search of late fall smallies .... again.  Got there around 2:00.  There was just a light breeze and the surface temps were 55.x.

 

Got called back to work, so after three hours of tossing a hair jig, lipless, DT-6 & 10, Rapala Shad Rap deep, and a Swim Senko I caught one decent yellow perch on the DT-6.

 

The Lowrance showed a lot of life on the east side and almost nothing on the NW side I usually catch them at.  I dunno, they’ve got me stumped.

 

It’s supposed to be windy tomorrow, but if I get out I think I might just bring a Senko & Ned.

 

 

[FishinDinks]

Went to sheeps yesterday water temp was about 53 and got completely skunked.  Trout were all over the place eating some type of recent insect hatch.  It looked like a pod of dolphins.  All I had for trout were some inline spinners but they weren't having it.  I have been getting skunked a lot lately I need to rethink my kayak strategy.  I seem to get hung up on trying to fish deep.

[Janderson45]

6 hours ago, FishinDinks said:

Went to sheeps yesterday water temp was about 53 and got completely skunked.  Trout were all over the place eating some type of recent insect hatch.  It looked like a pod of dolphins.  All I had for trout were some inline spinners but they weren't having it.  I have been getting skunked a lot lately I need to rethink my kayak strategy.  I seem to get hung up on trying to fish deep.

Keep at it, fishing deep in the right locations will pay off, all about finding the right spot on the structure that is hopefully holding bait.  I’ve noticed the smallmouth will often stack up on the wind blown side of underwater humps and points.  Opposite of the behavior I usually see from largemouth and lake trout.  The smallmouth seem to set up on the wind blown side of deeper structure and gorge on bait as the current smacks bait into said humps and points.  There’s exceptions of course, and I have found smallmouth behaving more like largemouth and trout (sitting behind/underneath the stucture feeding on bait that passes over the top) but if I find them on the windblown side in any sort of numbers it’s usually a slug fest.

 

It’s been a weird and slow fall transition period in New England this year if you ask me- smallies were late to leave their summer locations and move up shallow.  I’m not sure when it really happened if it did in bulk at all.

 I expect water temps in the low to mid 50s this weekend, hoping to find them in 25-30 feet but really not sure.  With water temps in the 50s pretty much my whole smallmouth Arsenal is still in play..  I’ll have far too many rods rigged up this weekend (14 combos or so) and hope to narrow it down as the day wears on..

[MassYak85]

10 hours ago, FishinDinks said:

Went to sheeps yesterday water temp was about 53 and got completely skunked.  Trout were all over the place eating some type of recent insect hatch.  It looked like a pod of dolphins.  All I had for trout were some inline spinners but they weren't having it.  I have been getting skunked a lot lately I need to rethink my kayak strategy.  I seem to get hung up on trying to fish deep.

I saw the same thing on Whitehall last Sunday. Some guy was fly fishing from shore so I assume he knew what was going on as far the fly hatch. 

[Mr. Aquarium]

i havent ventured deep with blades yet. going on a swimbait jig mission tomorrow in some shallow hawg factories! water is still warm!! 

[DogBone_384]

Tried Great Herring this morning.  Equipment problems started from launch and soured the morning.  I tried to turn my attitude around but to no avail.  Between my yak, reel, and wind that picked up out of nowhere I didn’t last an hour.  I packed it up and returned home to do housework (no french maid outfit today...) and rake the yard before the rain.

 

Mr. Aquarium is right, water temps were 55.x at GH, with a near calm turning to heavy gusts.  Another day, another pond .... 

 

I looked at my notes and for the last three years I’ve not caught squat for bass when the water temp gets into the 50’s.  I have to change tactics and/or location...  

 

ADD: since the season’s getting late, let’s talk about a group lunch somewhere and talk about this and next season. We’ve met at the Red Wing Diner on route 1 in Walpole.  I’m open to suggestions.  

 

16 hours ago, FishinDinks said:

Trout were all over the place...

I bagged a nice trout at Flax pond last week while trolling a Rapala DT-6.  I’ve tried trolling the last few times out since the fishing’s been tough.  A huge benefit of a pedal kayak.  

 

I’m also hung up on fishing deep.  Just can’t get my head around it and have little confidence in it.  Just have to keep at it, make detailed notes of what worked/didn’t work, weather conditions, depth, etc..  Once you catch one or two it’ll click.  

 

Do you have electronics for your kayak?

[DogBone_384]

9 hours ago, Janderson45 said:

I’ll have far too many rods rigged up this weekend (14 combos or so) and hope to narrow it down as the day wears on..

14?  I feel much better about my addiction!  Thanks for the SMB tips...

[Janderson45]

Tough conditions down the cape today for sure.  Got a handful of small keepers and one good bite in the afternoon.  Hit a spinnerbait up fairly shallow. Water temps were 52-54.5, wind picked up very stiff out of the west mid morning and got worse as the afternoon went on.  

 

 

Just shy of 4.5 lbs at only 18.5”. Healthy fish for sure.

 

there was a tournament pulling out the same time as me.  Looked like a tough day for most guys but one team had 3 largemouth over 5lbs including a 7.6 - Pretty impressive haul of largemouth for this time of year no doubt.  The guy caught them so deep that he had to fizz them to release em.  Would love to know where and what he was doing, keeps me coming back trying to figure it out.

[Discojon75]

Solid fish!  I'm probably fishing Long Pond Harwich tomorrow.   I've never actually caught a fish there... usually after getting skunked for a couple hours I pull my kayak up the herring run into Greenland Pond and lay waste to 1lb largemouth in there.  Supposedly Greenland has big ones but my biggest in there was around 16.5", call it 2.5 lbs.  I'm really hoping to stick a couple nice smallmouth. 

[Mr. Aquarium]

i was supposed to get out on saturday with a buddy on his boat at a local hog factory, he ended up working. i shore banged a couple spots, i hate fishing in the yak in the wind. ended up with 2 pickerel and 2 yellows. the last spot was the best, had a lot of hits, pickerel were aggressive. missed a small bass that hit a crappie jig. 

im on a mission for a 2lb crappie.

 

sunday was going to try and get out for some deep water bass since the wind died but got stuck doing house work then off to the bar for beers, wings, laughs and footballl

[Dunks N Dinks]

I was out on Saturday fishing the small open tourney on Mashpee that @Janderson45 mentioned. Tough day for me as well, fishing and equipment-wise. Caught 1 short fish and 1 small keeper early on drop-shotting a small craw bait in 20-25ft, and missed one good one at the side of the boat on a deep jerkbait.

Then the wind whipped up and in the process of trying to rid my trolling motor of some weeds, i snapped the trolling motor cord, and it became locked in the down position. By the early afternoon, my trolling battery was out, so i had to limp back to the ramp and call it a day. Not exactly how i drew it up.

Anyhow, the situation has me considering upgrading my 12v 55lb TM (2 batteries) to a 24v 80lb (3 battery) system to link with a sonar unit on the bow... anyone have any idea what mapping chip is best for NE Mass (navionics/lowrance vs. Humminbird/Lakemaster??)  

Also down to grab lunch at the EoY

[je1946]

7 hours ago, Dunks N Dinks said:

I was out on Saturday fishing the small open tourney on Mashpee that @Janderson45 mentioned. Tough day for me as well, fishing and equipment-wise. Caught 1 short fish and 1 small keeper early on drop-shotting a small craw bait in 20-25ft, and missed one good one at the side of the boat on a deep jerkbait.

Then the wind whipped up and in the process of trying to rid my trolling motor of some weeds, i snapped the trolling motor cord, and it became locked in the down position. By the early afternoon, my trolling battery was out, so i had to limp back to the ramp and call it a day. Not exactly how i drew it up.

Anyhow, the situation has me considering upgrading my 12v 55lb TM (2 batteries) to a 24v 80lb (3 battery) system to link with a sonar unit on the bow... anyone have any idea what mapping chip is best for NE Mass (navionics/lowrance vs. Humminbird/Lakemaster??)  

Also down to grab lunch at the EoY

Why do you run two batteries in a 12V system, longer life I suppose.  I had a 17' Lund Explorer XL with a 24 motor guide 80 digital tour, and that TM would pull that heavy Lund around all day using 2 series 29 batteries & never killed the batteries on it even on a very windy day, so why would you need 3 batteries on a 24V?  Just asking not trying to tell you what to do.  We usually do a lunch sometime at the EoY. 

[Dunks N Dinks]

my bad, was including the starter/electronics battery in the equation. So currently have one 12v trolling, one starter...will likely need two 24v trolling and starter when i switch

[MassYak85]

I was hoping to get out a couple more times in my kayak but the weather next week looks like ice season might be right around the corner. I have broke ice at A1 once though so maybe I'll make one last trip out. 

[Mr. Aquarium]

ill be fishing all winter long!!! BLADE BAITS!!!!!!  

[Janderson45]

Saw some skim ice on ponds while on my way to work this morning  ?  this cold weather we’ve had all week is gonna drop temps fast and really slow any remaining bite down..  on the bright side, it should make the fish easier to locate....

 

i’ll be heading out in the Lund again on Saturday.  Likely Mashpee, Wequaquet or Long Pond Harwich.  Still considering Webster and a few others as well in case I decide not to go down the cape, but I think the cape is my best shot (locally at least) for a good day of smallmouth fishing.  Wequaquet has a chance for a nice Pike, which i’d be okay with too.

 

Id imagine water temps have dipped into the high 40s on the larger cape lakes by now, but can’t say exactly how quick they’re cooling down.  I’ve hard some good days fishing for smallies in 45-50 degree water, just hoping it’s not much cooler than that.  Once it’s colder than 45 I struggle to get them to bite anything other than a bladebait.  

 

Anyone else getting out this weekend?  I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes one way or the other..  tight lines and remember to be safe if you’re getting out on the water this time of year..

[DogBone_384]

4 minutes ago, Janderson45 said:

Anyone else getting out this weekend?

I might try to get out for a bit on Saturday, pending getting the wife to sign my 'permission' slip ....?.

 

If YES, it'll likely be Hedges in Plymouth.  The Cape's a bit of a drive for just a part day for me.

[Mr. Aquarium]

1 minute ago, DogBone_384 said:

I might try to get out for a bit on Saturday, pending getting the wife to sign my 'permission' slip ....?.

 

If YES, it'll likely be Hedges in Plymouth.  The Cape's a bit of a drive for just a part day for me.

i've had some great mid winter days out there.  January! 

i cant wait to get out for some cold water bassin, im itching to go! after my trip to NY this weekend, its game on

[DogBone_384]

5 minutes ago, Mr. Aquarium said:

i've had some great mid winter days out there

I've not had much luck there the last couple outings.  I think downsizing and slowing down is the key.  If nothing else, a couple 1+ pound perch make up for it.  

[Mr. Aquarium]

lets fish it!! if i need to get bit i go there. 

[Peter Hill]

What are you throwing for bait this time of year in this cold ass weather? I have been seeing some big lunkers at my honey hole yet they just stare at everything I toss out there to them. I am mostly fishing the Topsfeild,Ipswich,Danvers,and home town Peabody lakes and ponds. Sny advice would be much appreciated.

Edited November 15, 2018 by Peter Hill
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