Eastern Ma & New England Area Fishing Reports

[JQ-92]

New to the area moving from NH to MA. Getting a place on the Merrimack river in the Haverhill area. Was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction in terms of what areas of the river might be my best bet? No boat yet but I’m the market for one. Any help would be appreciated thanks. 

[MassYak85]

On 7/18/2019 at 11:28 AM, JQ-92 said:

New to the area moving from NH to MA. Getting a place on the Merrimack river in the Haverhill area. Was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction in terms of what areas of the river might be my best bet? No boat yet but I’m the market for one. Any help would be appreciated thanks

I've only fished it a couple times in that area, both times for the spring striper run so I can't comment on the regular bass fishing. The current can be fairly fast in that area and it very rocky as you head up river, I'd imagine there's some decent smallies. You're also close enough to the ocean that you get tidal effects. But again with the rocks be very careful there's some really sketchy areas as you head towards Mitchell's falls and if the river is low and the tide drops you can get into some bad situations. 

[JQ-92]

On 7/19/2019 at 11:49 AM, MassYak85 said:

I've only fished it a couple times in that area, both times for the spring striper run so I can't comment on the regular bass fishing. The current can be fairly fast in that area and it very rocky as you head up river, I'd imagine there's some decent smallies. You're also close enough to the ocean that you get tidal effects. But again with the rocks be very careful there's some really sketchy areas as you head towards Mitchell's falls and if the river is low and the tide drops you can get into some bad situations. 

Thanks for the heads up appreciate it. Maybe I’ll go with a flat bottom Jon boat instead of a fiberglass boat. 

[DogBone_384]

Fishing Rhino and I fished the Quabbin Tuesday, launching just after 0600 with light rain and temps in the 60’s.

 

Tom caught three LMB and one SMB straight away near the launch on soft baits. I worked  topwater with nary a bite.

 

We moved when things slowed down.  I nabbed my first fish, a 3-9 SMB, on a T-rigged Senko w/chartreuse tail on a steep drop off. Tom followed suit a couple casts later in the same location.  That was it for that locale, so we moved on.

 

Tom caught a few more SMB while I continued with various treble hook baits.  Working our way back to the launch in the PM I stuck a 4-6 LMB on a 4” TRD on a 1/10 oz jig head (think full size Ned).  Like my 3-9 catch, Tom followed with a nice SMB.  

 

Overall it was a pretty good day. I caught a couple small SMB in addition to my big fish and Tom out fished me, like usual, at about a 4:1 clip.

 

I think Tom said water temps were in the low 70’s.  It cleared up in the early afternoon.  BP was 29.8.

[Mr. Aquarium]

Great afternoon on the boat yesterday. I took my buddy and his 11 year old son out. My goal was for him to get a big fish. Mission accomplished. 

We found boats and a big big school of pogies.  We also had a whale in the middle as well.   The kid got first fish! He got a fat 38 inch fish. We got 3 fish all 20lbs. We had a few big runs. Had some blues bite the pogies in half also stole some gear!  

[DogBone_384]

Fishing Rhino and I made another trip to the Quabbin today, launching right on time @ 0600 and stayed until about 1500. It was cloudy in the AM and cleared by mid morning. Tom, like always, picked a bass up just beyond the launch.

 

We travelled far and wide today and couldn't find anything over about a pound.  I caught sixteen SMB and one rock bass that combined, didn't total 2 pounds.  I threw a variety of topwater and crank baits, a wacky Senko, and the ONLY bait that worked today: Canada Craw Ned.

 

Tom said the water temps were in the low 70's.  There was just a breeze in the morning that picked up some throughout the day. BP was 30.1.

 

[Don51]

Hey Mike, are you going out in the rental boats?  16 SM kept you busy anyway.  ?

[MassYak85]

Back in town for the weekend and hit quinsig today. Got a bit a of a late start (7:30ish) and with the wind and clouds I was hoping for a change of pace but nope, still slow going. My dad fished his usual stuff (jigs, spinnerbaits, paddle tails) and I decided to stick it out with some swimbaits. I ended up getting two of the three bass of the day. Both were probably 1.5lbs and decided they were gonna try and swallow a 9" slammer. Well they got the front hook and that's all that counts haha. 

 

It's kind of sad when ice fishing for a couple months this past winter was more productive for bass than open water has been all year...Is anyone else having a slow year or is my head just not in the game? 

[LadiMopar]

7 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

Is anyone else having a slow year or is my head just not in the game? 

 

Funny, been wondering the same thing. Have had a lot on my plate since my dad passed in December and I really figured the less than stellar season was because my mind is not as focused, but looking around the forum, as well as talking with guys on my tournament trail, it just seems to be a slow.season for a lot of folks. So don't feel like the Lone Ranger. 

 

Hopefully it picks up in the fall when water temps cool down.

[DogBone_384]

On 8/2/2019 at 4:47 AM, Don51 said:

Hey Mike, are you going out in the rental boats?  16 SM kept you busy anyway.  ?

Yes, we rent their boats. They’re not fast, but do the job for short money.

On 8/3/2019 at 4:02 PM, MassYak85 said:

Is anyone else having a slow year or is my head just not in the game? 

I’ve caught decent numbers, but this year’s size/weight is way off.  Topwater’s been very slow.

 

I’m gonna fish deep and slow the next couple trips.

[MassYak85]

19 hours ago, LadiMopar said:

 

Funny, been wondering the same thing. Have had a lot on my plate since my dad passed in December and I really figured the less than stellar season was because my mind is not as focused, but looking around the forum, as well as talking with guys on my tournament trail, it just seems to be a slow.season for a lot of folks. So don't feel like the Lone Ranger. 

 

Hopefully it picks up in the fall when water temps cool down.

Good to know I'm not alone. 

 

Went out again today for about 5 hours at Whitehall...not a fish, not a bite. Tried frogs and punching the thick stuff, worms big and small, shallow and deep, around cover and on deeper structure. Tried big and small swimbaits on top and cranked down ticking the tops of weedbeds. Easily the most frustrating outing of the year. I'm at a loss this summer. I've been able to downsize (significantly) and get numbers the last couple months but they're average to dink size.

 

Like you said, hopefully fall brings some change of pace. I think I'm gonna take a break the next few weekends and take the chance to do some other outdoor stuff and refocus a bit. 

[MassYak85]

@Mr. Aquarium You getting out for any night fishing? That's my last hope at this point lol. Pretty sure my biggest fish this year came at night back in the spring. 

[Mr. Aquarium]

I haven’t been since April! Last week was my first time since May I’ve gone bass fishing. 

I need to get out there.  But I’ve caught some of the biggest bass I’ve ever caught in the dog days of summer

[camkulz4]

New user on this forum and looking for some advice. I'm planning on heading to the Quabbin this weekend with some friends, because my last visit during the spawn ended with me snapping off on what was certainly the biggest fish of my life and I haven't had the time to go back since then. I don't have a depth finder which I understand complicates this a lot for me, but I'm just looking for some general direction on what to throw for baits and maybe a couple landmarks on the reservoir to help with my difficulty in finding the depth of the water. We will be launching from Area 2.

 

Thanks for any advice!!

[DogBone_384]

1 hour ago, camkulz4 said:

I'm planning on heading to the Quabbin this weekend with some friends

Firstly, welcome to the forum. 

 

If you're going on a weekend, get there well before 6:00 AM opening if you want to get out early.  

 

I've fished it twice this year with mixed results.  My reports are written above.  You'll likely get LMB by fishing near the launch.

 

Without a fishfinder, look for shallow areas that look light and fish the edges where the water looks darker.

 

Most of the shoreline drops off quickly.  Mount L and Mount Zion (on map below) are good examples.

 

Here's a Quabbin map link: https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2018/03/27/quabbin_reservoir_fishing_map_2018_0.pdf

 

You might find more detailed maps on sites such as Navionics or Lowrance.

 

Best of luck out there.

[camkulz4]

2 hours ago, DogBone_384 said:

 

I've fished it twice this year with mixed results.  My reports are written above.  You'll likely get LMB by fishing near the launch.

 

 

I was reading your reports above like you mentioned and saw you were using a Ned rig and that was doing the trick. I've never fished a ned rig, were you hitting the edges where there is dropoffs by suspending the bait in the water column or bouncing on the bottom?

 

Thanks again for the help!

[DogBone_384]

2 hours ago, camkulz4 said:

I've never fished a ned rig

Most were caught on the ledges, right off the bank.  All were dinks, so I’d look deep for bigger fish.

 

As far as fishing a Ned rig, BassResource is the best place to learn about it.

[Dunks N Dinks]

Haven't hit freshwater since my slow-ish tourney day on Whitehall Rez last month, but I have been putting in some time offshore and was lucky enough to get my first Blue-fin Tuna of the year last weekend...talk about meat in the freezer lol!



 

[JG233]

2 hours ago, Dunks N Dinks said:

Haven't hit freshwater since my slow-ish tourney day on Whitehall Rez last month, but I have been putting in some time offshore and was lucky enough to get my first Blue-fin Tuna of the year last weekend...talk about meat in the freezer lol!



 

Wow!

 

That's a big one. 

[Mr. Aquarium]

On 8/6/2019 at 1:00 PM, camkulz4 said:

New user on this forum and looking for some advice. I'm planning on heading to the Quabbin this weekend with some friends, because my last visit during the spawn ended with me snapping off on what was certainly the biggest fish of my life and I haven't had the time to go back since then. I don't have a depth finder which I understand complicates this a lot for me, but I'm just looking for some general direction on what to throw for baits and maybe a couple landmarks on the reservoir to help with my difficulty in finding the depth of the water. We will be launching from Area 2.

 

Thanks for any advice!!

Drop shot, jigs, tubes out deep over offshore structure 

[Don51]

That tuna is worth some cash! I'd be selling that as soon as I came in!  ?

[je1946]

6 hours ago, Don51 said:

That tuna is worth some cash! I'd be selling that as soon as I came in!  ?

I don't think the recreational fisherman can sell, believe you need a commercial license to sell tuna, and the price of tuna is WAY down. 

[Don51]

Oh, well in that case, sushi for everyone!  ?

[je1946]

4 hours ago, Don51 said:

Oh, well in that case, sushi for everyone!  ?

Blackn'd tuna steaks on the grill are yummy  cook em creoled  only had it that way once and it was delish.  that's a whole lot of sushi. lol

[DogBone_384]

Fishing Rhino and I hit Great Herring at dawn and stayed until about lunch when the wind picked up significantly.

 

Tom did well, catching 5 or 6 good Sallies and 1 nice Larry.

 

I started S L O W but redeemed myself with a 3_5 SMB on a 4” Keitech Sexy Shad Swing Impact, drop shotted.  I finished the day with three more SMB, a LMB, and a fat Pumpkinseed that thought he was a 5 pound Sally the way he hit the drop shot. There’s also one big ‘ole Pickerel out there with my favorite Yozuri topwater stuck in its face. I lost 2 good fish too. 

 

It was mostly cloudy when we started and cleared up quickly. Water temps were 80.x, and barometric pressure was 29.7. Wind was light, from the south, until about lunch time.