Eastern Ma & New England Area Fishing Reports

[MassYak85]

Fished yesterday. Got up at 4:30 trying to hit a spot. Someone else had the same idea and beat us to it. Kind of a slow day as we targeted deeper structure the first part of the day without much luck, only had dinks interested in smaller baits. With like an hour before we had to go I finally got on a pattern where they were holding to still-green milfoil patches among the dying fields of it. Got 4-5 decent ones doing that. Felt good to finally figure something out but sucks to go the whole day before realizing it. 

[DogBone_384]

2 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

sucks to go the whole day before realizing it. 

Yeah, I feel that way frequently, but it was good you got it down by the end of your trip.

[MassBass]

I got out saturday and the fall bite had begun. The air was hot yet crisp, and the blue sky yielded a light yet forceful wind. What I found was there was small bait hidden in the decaying weeds. The yellow perch were fearsome. I came to a kind of secluded spot near a rowing club and saw a bass swim off from the weeds. I ended up catching her along with three others, not giant but they would keep for sure. Came to another spot and the perch were prolific, may have caught a dozen or more. Had a bass go after a hooked perch as well. Its of note no white perch only yellow. Maybe the white perch are more in the brackish areas. Also I was able to get bites because I made a color change from bright white to black/gold, the water was clearer than usually and all the white was too much.

[MassYak85]

Hopefully the fall feed starts to get better then next few weeks. October into November is usually good for me. Although I am pleased with how my September has gone compared to last year. Logged several skunk trips last September but have been able to find a few decent patterns this year, I don't feel completely lost. 

[DogBone_384]

17 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

Hopefully the fall feed starts to get better then next few weeks.

I hear ya! I dropped into Hedges yesterday afternoon and caught a long & skinny SMB on the first cast, on a clown V110jr, from shore… OK, I thought, this is gonna be good. . . . Three hours later I left with a total of two SMB and one yellow perch to the kayak.  My three catches, combined, might have weighed two pounds.

 

During that time, @Saltysmalljaws texted me and in that text, let me know he and his wife boated roughly 75 fish on one trip over the weekend (for reference, I’ve caught 93 fish this year) with their biggest over five pounds.  CONGRATS to Salty, he’s a SMB guru for sure, but talk about taking the wind out of my sail….

 

Weather at Hedges was near perfect. Almost calm, mostly overcast, and 75.x water temps. Air pressure was 30.3.

 

I’ll be on Cape Cod this weekend, perhaps I can get some of@Saltysmalljaws ‘s mojo!

 

Best of luck to everyone getting out there too!

[guidoStow]

I was in VT this week and got skunked for lmb or smb on two days but I did get this gal:

 

 

9.5 lbs 36" Northern Pike...

 

[MassYak85]

9 hours ago, guidoStow said:

I was in VT this week and got skunked for lmb or smb on two days but I did get this gal:

 

 

9.5 lbs 36" Northern Pike...

 

I wish we had more trophy pike in MA. They're out there but you have to have another level of dedication to chase them. 

[guidoStow]

3 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

I wish we had more trophy pike in MA. They're out there but you have to have another level of dedication to chase them. 

I had so much fun I'm going to look for some more... Certainly a complete blast on the fly...

 

Certainly a lot sexier getting skunked fishing for Northerns...

[MassYak85]

1 hour ago, guidoStow said:

I had so much fun I'm going to look for some more... Certainly a complete blast on the fly...

 

Certainly a lot sexier getting skunked fishing for Northerns...

Yea skunked going for bass feels like failure. Skunked going for pike just feels like earning your stripes. 

[MassYak85]

Got out on webster today with my dad and his friend. Slow day, managed a few decent ones but it was like a 1 fish deal per spot. Pull up, catch one and that's all you got. Bait definitely seemed scattered around and active in smaller schools but couldn't really get on any pattern for fish chasing them. 

 

Fall trout stockings were delayed because of the warm water temps this September I saw Mass wildlife post something. I picked up a couple swinbaits in preparation. A 10" real prey trout and a large slammer in trout. Real prey came unrigged I'm gonna do a top hook setup with some decoy quads I think. I gave it a few casts today just to see how it swims (and if I can even cast it on my gear, it's almost 8oz, managed some good casts on my 867). Had something good size follow it lol, didn't get a great look but that would have been heartbreaking getting a bite on that thing with no hooks haha.

[JG233]

I fished a 250 acre pond with very clear water yesterday. I've done well here before, both in size and numbers. 

 

I started at 10:30 and wrapped things up at 4:30. I spent a couple hours fishing humps in the middle of the lake. I caught all my fish, four small LMB in total, there. After, I tried fishing rocks and docks closer to shore in an effort to locate some bigger fish, but had no luck. 

 

It was a busy day on the water. Lots of boat and paddle traffic. The water temp was 70-72. Not the best fishing day, but it was beautiful out. 

[Styguy922]

On 9/24/2021 at 7:24 PM, guidoStow said:

I had so much fun I'm going to look for some more... Certainly a complete blast on the fly...

 

Certainly a lot sexier getting skunked fishing for Northerns...

 

I've been looking into finding them in MA.  There's a bunch of spots in Western MA, and some out east where I've seen people managed some nice specimens, but I have yet to find such success in MA ......maybe this fall/early winter when they're supposedly most active.  Haven't really targeted them since spring and even then they were fairly lame attempts.

[MassYak85]

3 hours ago, Styguy922 said:

 

I've been looking into finding them in MA.  There's a bunch of spots in Western MA, and some out east where I've seen people managed some nice specimens, but I have yet to find such success in MA ......maybe this fall/early winter when they're supposedly most active.  Haven't really targeted them since spring and even then they were fairly lame attempts.

Yea aside from Western MA the river systems seem to be the best shot at Pike. Some of the deeper trout stocked lakes in Eastern MA will occasionally give up Monsters but they're not easy to come by. With the dedication it takes to catch those you're almost better off driving North for better odds.

[guidoStow]

I fished Chauncy Lake this morning. Got a nice 20" pickerel early on and then nothing. Met a nice guy in a Lund bassboat who got two but he agreed it was tough going. Perhaps it was the front that came through yesterday?

[MassBass]

On 9/27/2021 at 12:47 PM, MassYak85 said:

Yea aside from Western MA the river systems seem to be the best shot at Pike. Some of the deeper trout stocked lakes in Eastern MA will occasionally give up Monsters but they're not easy to come by. With the dedication it takes to catch those you're almost better off driving North for better odds.

I can confirm they are in major rivers!  The lake pike is a different beast though, in MA it seems kind of like unicorn hunting. 

[MassYak85]

17 hours ago, guidoStow said:

I fished Chauncy Lake this morning. Got a nice 20" pickerel early on and then nothing. Met a nice guy in a Lund bassboat who got two but he agreed it was tough going. Perhaps it was the front that came through yesterday?

Chauncy has always been tough for me. Some guys do decent there though. 

[DogBone_384]

I fished LPH on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.  Saturday's trip was a first fishing trip for my wife's friend, teaching her how to cast a spinning setup.  We couldn't get her a catch, and I managed one white perch on a LV150.

 

I returned Sunday morning after the heavy rain passed and fished with @Saltysmalljaws until noon.  Jake picked up a few small fish, including a hornpout, on a drop shot.  I was close to the skunk, when late in the trip I dropped a t-rigged Zoom Baby Brush Hog under a moored boat and came up with a healthy 2 1/2 pound SMB.

 

Most of what we marked was deep, 30+ ft.  We got the same report from another guy while leaving.

 

Water temps are falling.  They were 74.x on Saturday and 69.x on Sunday. Air pressure was 29.9 Saturday afternoon and 29.8 Sunday morning.  It was overcast Saturday through late Sunday morning.  It was almost dead calm Saturday and 10-12 mph most of Sunday morning.

 

Good luck to everyone getting out there.  Fall is upon us.

I tossed my waders in the car this morning and drove to Hedges planning on a "one rod and one jerkbait" attack.  Stuck with it for the first hour, but dredging up dead grass got to me and I tied on a chartreuse Damiki DC 100, which a 1.1 pound yellow perch liked.  I went back to the jerkbait for the last half hour.

 

I saw beaucoup bait fish tight to shore and in the last grass along the shoreline. 

 

It was mostly cloudy, almost calm, and the air pressure was 30.

[Don51]

The window is closing! Some epic days can be had, it is all in the timing.  

[MassYak85]

4 hours ago, Don51 said:

The window is closing! Some epic days can be had, it is all in the timing.  

Yup, just a couple months. Usually Thanksgiving weekend is it for me and I shift to getting ready for ice fishing. Although I usually keep out a few rods for some hopeful shore missions on those fluke warm days.

[Mr. Aquarium]

9 hours ago, Don51 said:

The window is closing! Some epic days can be had, it is all in the timing.  

Window?   Open water fish year round 

[Don51]

14 hours ago, Mr. Aquarium said:

Window?   Open water fish year round 

Did it a few seasons up there. If you can find moving water I suppose it is possible. Can't keep those fingers warm though!  ?

[Mr. Aquarium]

5 hours ago, Don51 said:

Did it a few seasons up there. If you can find moving water I suppose it is possible. Can't keep those fingers warm though!  ?

There’s spots that don’t freeze and bass are hungry. Last were we finally got ice on the cape. I was ice fishing Monday, open water fishing/catching bass the next day a few miles away from the ice fishing spot!

 

always open water fish to catch

[JG233]

I fished a shallow pond from 7:30 to 3:30 yesterday. The water temp peaked at around 66. I caught around a dozen fish in total, mostly LMB with some small pickerel mixed in. Most of the bass were 2-3 lbs, and healthy with lots of fight in them. I did catch one outstanding fish while working a particularly productive stretch of water that's rocky and weedy. 

I tossed out a natural colored wacky worm and repositioned the kayak a bit. So the worm had time to soak. When I picked the rod back up and gave it a probing lift, there was some weight there. I reeled down and set the hook and the weight didn't move much; it took a moment before I realized there was a fish on. The bass refused to surface and I worried about getting stuck in the weeds. When it did come up I had to knock down one jump right near the kayak. The photo (like solo ones often are) doesn't really show the size, which was 4+ lbs. Great day fishing, although it was windier than expected. 

 

[guidoStow]

Fished the Concord this morning. The weeds are starting to die back leaving the beds coated in a black muck that covers any fly pitched in that direction. But just off the weed beds I caught two enthusiastic pickerel 16" and 18". Leaves are starting to change and it was rather chilly when I put in. But it was quite a nice day to be on the river...

[DogBone_384]

22 hours ago, Mr. Aquarium said:

Window?   Open water fish year round 

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