Eastern Ma & New England Area Fishing Reports

[Mr. Aquarium]

Nice fishing guys. I went out for a quick shore mission after I got some gear at Tom’s bait  for my Upstate NY salmon steelhead fishing in a few weeks. The first pond I don’t fish very often,   Had a new brewery there. So Of course I found my way In , had a couple. As for the fishin, I got skunked, had a few whacks on an albie snack.   Hit one of my honey holes. Only got one fish at dusk on a  Lanciotti Psycho Gill. I also had an owl come down after the gill to.  

[MassYak85]

Got out one more time for half the day yesterday. Hit a local spot. Tough bite, felt much more seasonal and very windy. There's one spot where the milfoil beds are still hanging on and that's where I got my bites. Only got two, one on a chatterbait as it was falling. The other on a real prey shiner. That one went 3-8 and 18.5". The other was just over 3. Slow day otherwise but I'll take those.

[guidoStow]

It definitely is feeling more fall like. This next week the overnight temps are heading towards the low 40s.  I was hoping we'd finally get a fall shallows feed as the waters cool and head towards turnover.

[Mr. Aquarium]

Stripers still around! 
 

I’m hoping to bust out the boat and hit some local spots soon 

[JG233]

On 10/16/2021 at 7:36 PM, DogBone_384 said:

Glad you got out and sorry we didn’t get out together on my boat. Next time.

No worries, next summer!

I got out a bunch though and had a great time fishing. I even started making out a gear list of baits and stuff I need for next year. HA!

[DogBone_384]

5 hours ago, JG233 said:

I even started making out a gear list of baits and stuff I need for next year. HA!

Down the Tackle Warehouse rabbit hole!  Hold off on new rods.  I've built a heck of a Kistler arsenal... you should try some out and wait for their sales.  Compared to the Kistlers I own, that St. Croix MH/M I believe you sampled feels like a broom stick.

 

I have a few bait cast setups around 10 - 12 ounces spooled up with braid.

[MassBass]

On 10/17/2021 at 7:28 AM, dovii said:

I fish in Chauncy in summer. The lake does not have too much cover and always feels its windy. I am glad you had some luck!

 With all this chat about Chauncy, I should note that I won a tournament there. Never been there before, but my bud and I showed up and won the thing. Never been back. Winning bait was a black/chart. balsa crankbait. It was early summer but the weeds were still rising through the water column. Kicker came near that trail where the wind was blowing in on some rock structure. I could not get over that old mental hospital that overlooks the lake. Think of the confined souls that once gazed longingly upon Chauncey.  

[guidoStow]

Caught another nice Pickerel (22") this morning at Chauncy. Then the wind started cranking and the bite stopped. The weeds seem to be starting to die back but they are still quite in evidence. 

[DogBone_384]

Got done with the day's duties and took off to Blue Hills Reservoir (BHR) just before dusk to wet a line.

 

Five or six casts into it a 1.62 pound LMB bit my clown Vision 110jr.  Stayed a few minutes longer, until it got too dark to see.

 

Going to get out tomorrow afternoon and Tuesday.  The season's getting short.

 

Best of luck to everyone else getting out there!

[Styguy922]

Went out today for a couple hours and the wind was killer - so tough to deal with in a kayak.  Caught some pickerel but no bass......taking Thursday and Friday off of work to fish.   Really want to take advantage of the moving bait bite before I have to switch to fishing jerkbaits and Ned rigs painfully slow although nothing beats catching bass real late in the year around Christmas time.  What’s everyone’s plan of attack been lately?  I feel like I’m still seeing a lot of fish out in mid/deep waters rather than up shallow in a classic fall pattern so from a bait perspective I go from chatterbaits, to buzzbaits, squarebills, jigs.....  I don’t believe turnover has happened yet in my lakes so that may be why.  Water seems to still be hovering between 58-65 degrees. 

[Don51]

Don't forget the Ratltrap! It can be a killer bait this time of year. 

[guidoStow]

I haven't seen/caught bass in the 6-10 foot deep weed beds I have been fishing at Chauncy.

 

Wind sure has been challenging in the kayak with a fly rod...

[Mr. Aquarium]

Got out hit a 2 ponds. 
 

First pond we started off great, started off with a jerkbait. We had a bunch of follows. Missed a few, but they wouldn’t bite.  Had a monster follow my jerkbait to the boat, turn on it real quick like she wanted to eat and then she swam away. Few more whacks a pickerel 2 perch later. We decide to hit another pond. We ended up getting bunch of pickerel, a few bass, and a giant crappie. The bass came on topwater and zoom fluke. Got a crappie on a swimbait 

[DogBone_384]

Another short mission, this time to Sunset Lake.  I ran out of light in less than a hour.  Managed two picks on a clown Vision 110jr.

 

It was drizzly, with winds about 10 mph from the northeast. Air pressure was 30. Water temps stayed just shy of 61 degrees.

[Dunks N Dinks]

Not a bass, but I caught this 40" BFT on (sorta) bass tackle this weekend (saragosa 5k, 7ft terez, 30lb braid) and on a topwater!

[MassYak85]

Had to do some minor reel cleaning this past weekend. I think I'm nearing 50 trips this year and a few were in the rain so some of my reels are complaining a bit. Usually I can get away with once a year during the winter but I like to keep my swimbait rods especially in good shape as it gets colder. Should be able to get out a couple times this weekend. Thanksgiving is usually when I call it quits but I might sneak out in the kayak a couple times in December if the weather stays fairly mild.

[Styguy922]

16 minutes ago, MassYak85 said:

Had to do some minor reel cleaning this past weekend. I think I'm nearing 50 trips this year and a few were in the rain so some of my reels are complaining a bit. Usually I can get away with once a year during the winter but I like to keep my swimbait rods especially in good shape as it gets colder. Should be able to get out a couple times this weekend. Thanksgiving is usually when I call it quits but I might sneak out in the kayak a couple times in December if the weather stays fairly mild.

 

Love fishing over thanksgiving.  I went through December last year and actually did better in Dec than Nov for some reason.  I'm trying to go as late as possible, provided there is no ice.....will see.

[Mr. Aquarium]

I love winter bassin! 

[DogBone_384]

I found a hole in the nor'easter, tossed my waders, a spinning rod, and tackle bag in the car and drove to Hinckleys pond to try my luck.  There were scads of baitfish cruising the shore from the word go.  I tossed the jerkbait for a bit, then switched to a chatterbait, hoping to get a reaction.  After an hour and a half of pulling up green slime, sticks, and a couple clam shells, I packed up and parked at Seymour pond and walked to a section of LPH where it drops off almost immediately.

 

My jerkbait and chatterbait, again, did nothing.  Within a few casts a 2.82 SMB made it to shore with my green/white Zako buried in its lower jaw.  A big thanks to @Saltysmalljaws for sharing his LPH expertise.  I made a few "hail-mary" casts along Seymour's shoreline on the way back to the car and came up with the same green slime Hinckley's gave me.

 

I had my lightweight waders on and the water didn't feel cold.  Wind was stiff from the E/NE and the air pressure was 29.6.

[DogBone_384]

On 10/24/2021 at 10:17 PM, Styguy922 said:

wind was killer - so tough to deal with in a kayak.

Do you have an anchor?  I use a 7 pound claw and have anchor trollies on both sides of my kayaks.  Works like a charm!

[Don51]

Claw type of anchor can be dangerous in the yak on a windy day. You have to be ready to cut that anchor line if necessary. I never use an anchor, I prefer to drift when in the wind. 

[guidoStow]

I use a 3.5lb folding grapnel style anchor and a single trolley. I leave it closed when it is weedy. It is the swinging from side to side that is a pain for me.  And casting big wind resistant flies it this stuff from a kayak...

[DogBone_384]

40 minutes ago, guidoStow said:

I use a 3.5lb

I started with a 3.5 pound folding anchor, which didn’t do much.

 

My 7.5 is a folding grappler too, to correct myself. I got it at West Marine.

[Styguy922]

21 hours ago, DogBone_384 said:

Do you have an anchor?  I use a 7 pound claw and have anchor trollies on both sides of my kayaks.  Works like a charm!

 

I don't - I probably should, I just figure it's another piece of equipment to lug around.....but maybe I'll give one a try!  Thanks, both.  I do understand the safety concern too though.  Fishing tomorrow - can't wait!!

[MassYak85]

11 hours ago, DogBone_384 said:

I started with a 3.5 pound folding anchor, which didn’t do much.

 

My 7.5 is a folding grappler too, to correct myself. I got it at West Marine.

I use the grapplers too.

 

Just a tip to everyone for safety reasons. If you tie your rope to the HEAD of those style and then zip tie the rope to the eye of the shank it allows the anchor to function properly, then if you get snagged you just need a quick yank to break the zip tie and now you're pulling the anchor out backwards to free the snag.