Eastern Ma & New England Area Fishing Reports

[The one that got away]

Made a drive to Snipatuit in Rochester on Sunday afternoon.  Never been there before.  Was hoping a shallow place further south of me would be warming up sooner.  Water temps were between 49-52.  Could only manage two pickerel in about three hours of fishing.  One on a ned rig and the other on a Vision 110.  I think I could find Bigfoot sooner than I could find a bass this time of year. 

[dovii]

You guys give me the motivation to go out and try my luck! I have always had very good outings generally June onwards but colder months, it seems I do something wrong  ?  

In summer I am throwing senko 90% of the time, maybe that has something to do with it.

[padlin]

I knew the golf season was quite a bit longer at the shore, mostly the cape, but it never occurred to me the fishing season would be longer as well. Here in the hills of western Ma I can get out about mid April - mid Oct. If the ice cooperates I can get out outside those dates but it's pretty much a waste of time, and at $4+ a gallon, a waste of money.

 

After joining this group I'm tempted to take drive to the Ct shore and see how things are down there, although I am kind of chicken putting my canoe in 40 degree waters. Didn't think twice of it when I was younger, but I do now.

[guidoStow]

I'm 64 and am using my float tube or standing to fish in my kayak even in these cold waters. A canoe is easy. Dress for immersion, wear a PFD and go for it! No speed boats or water skiers to cause wakes or chaos. It is the best time to be out... Are fish are a bonus.

[DogBone_384]

On 3/23/2022 at 8:21 AM, padlin said:

I am kind of chicken putting my canoe in 40 degree waters.

Don’t be chicken.  Stick to small waters and keep a change of clothes in your vehicle.  

 

Like @guidoStow said: Dress accordingly and WEAR YOUR PFD!

 

And go get’m!

[Styguy922]

Got out of remote work yesterday a little early and went out on an oxbow off the River.  Water temp was 48-51 with the help of some direct sunlight.  Figured with the warm shallows and bluegill moving close to shore I may find some bass in the vicinity.
 

Sure enough, 3rd cast with a Ned rig and scored a 3.7 lb Largemouth.  Not super long but real fat and fought HARD.  Caught 4 other healthy fish on a red chatterbait.  All shallow, close to deeper (10-12ft) holes.  Was pleased with the performance of my new Tatula SV TWS too - all around good day for about 2 hrs on the water

[MassYak85]

Nice! Gonna head out foe the first time tomorrow. Will definitely have the chatterbait tied on.

[MassYak85]

It was about as good a start as I'd hoped for. Fished Quinsig with air temps in the low 40s and plenty of wind. My hands are still numb lol. My dad got a nice Swaver fish to start us off probably 2.5 to 3 lbs and very fat. I decided to give the bigger glides a shot in hopes of a spring giant but only had smaller followers. Then of course I gor my first fish on a tiny little tailspin lol. And go figure it was 5lbs 3oz haha. Sometimes the big baits don't always pan out I guess. The fish had a smaller head and was short but was basically a football. Doesn't get much better than that for the first bite of the year. I got another decent one maybe 2.5lbs on a chatterbait in the same area.

 

I was hoping to get some deeper smallies on blade baits but they weren't cooperating. I did manage a few big yellow perch though.The wind was going good so I had to try some wind blown shores with a spinnerbait, which paid off. I got 4 more fish and a big pickerel I thought was a pike at first. I think it was just shy of a pin (so was the bass by half an inch). 

 

We called it quits when feeling in our hands started to become an issue haha. Water temps were still low to mid 40s. Fish were definitely feeding up a bit and we found some shallower than I would have guessed but not on spawning flats yet. If the wind wasn't such an issue I would have liked to fish jigs a bit more on those deeper breaks but it was pretty brutal and hard to keep bottom contact.

[bass.slayer69]

43 minutes ago, MassYak85 said:

My dad got a nice Swaver fish to start us off probably 2.5 to 3 lbs and very fat. I decided to give the bigger glides a shot in hopes of a spring giant but only had smaller followers. Then of course I gor my first fish on a tiny little tailspin lol. And go figure it was 5lbs 3oz haha.

Always how it turns out isn’t it. 
 

Since I am time limited by school, thinking about getting out for some night fishing. Did decent out on the local ponds at night last fall and looking forward to seeing how it pans out in the spring. I would highly recommend it.

[MassBass]

I can report from my first open water outing, local river, from bank. I Started with a gold/white spinner that I had made over winter. I started at a concrete pipe that still had a small trickle from the rain the day prior. I had a small fish short strike, and on the upstream side of the pipe, another short strike from an ID'd LM. No more activity there so I continued downstream on my planned route. I came to an area that many years ago was a beach on the Charles, but it was very flat and shallow. Followed it out into a more marshy area (albeit all natural marsh features were filled in centuries ago) and tried for luck. By now the wind had turned into a bitter blast and the bright sky had turned dark. I snagged my spinner and broke off on a shallow parallel cast. Sat down and tied on a blade bait.

 

On my way back I was hucking the blade bait in an area that looked more pleasant, and had something grab the lure and move with it and then come off in a great swirl. That was intriguing. Then I reached a bridge which was the spot I had in mind when I tied on the blade bait. Tried afew casts and retrieves. Then had something hit. Starts ripping drag, shaking, and ripping more drag. Took me a little bit to realize this is something very big. I bring it in and it is a carp foul hooked in the tail. Landed it and photographed it. A good way to get excited on the first outing! Shortly after that I had a good bass follow, but quickly turn away. Then I got my bait hopelessly tangled in a stick with string on it. So much junk in that river. My fingers were too cold to deal with that, so that was it for me today.

 

[guidoStow]

It's 20 degrees and snowing right now. Maybe you guys sounded too happy about your catches...

[MassYak85]

This cold snap is certainly not ideal haha. Looks like warmer temps at the end of the week, hopefully will get the fish back in the mood for the weekend.

[Mr. Aquarium]

Yea just a one day thing!  We will be good 

[GSil]

Anyone here have any experience fishing Whitman's Pond in weymouth, I work close enough to it to hit it during my lunch breaks quickly and was just looking for some pointers on where to hit there

[Don51]

I never seriously fished it, but I know there are good fish in there. An aquaintance of mine has caught some good ones there. It is a herring fed pond so that can produce some big fish!

[GSil]

7 hours ago, Don51 said:

I never seriously fished it, but I know there are good fish in there. An aquaintance of mine has caught some good ones there. It is a herring fed pond so that can produce some big fish!

Yeah i've heard the same, i've never taken the boat out in it either. Just quick expeditions from shore or on my yak for an hour or two.

[DogBone_384]

On 3/29/2022 at 4:44 PM, GSil said:

Whitman's Pond in weymouth

Firstly, welcome to the forum.  I’ve fished Whitman’s pond on/off for a long time, with mixed success.  It’s very weedy and shallow along Middle street but opens up after you turn the corner and head to the rte 53 side.  I’ve done ‘OK’ there, but witnessed a guy in a Jon Boat pull a 5 pound LMB out of the lili pads near the ramp.  

 

I’d bring heavier gear if you have it.  

 

The ramp is good for small boats.

[bass.slayer69]

On 3/28/2022 at 12:58 PM, MassYak85 said:

Looks like warmer temps at the end of the week, hopefully will get the fish back in the mood for the weekend.

Got out for a half hour last night after school. Threw around a Strike King wakebait and slow rolled a spinnerbait - no takers. Got super windy and rainy so I eventually called it but it felt good to just get back in the rhythm again. Might go out again this afternoon for a bit - anyone know what the water temps are looking like?

[DogBone_384]

I finished my week on Cape Cod yesterday.  Overall it was a much better trip than last year, where I got skunked EVERY trip in March '21.

 

I took a zero at Long Pond, Peter's Pond, and Mashpee-Wakebey.  All are deep ponds whose water temperatures were 45.x - 46.x.  Deep ponds are my kryptonite.

 

I caught fish at Santuit, Lover's Lake, White Pond, Small's pond, Hinckleys, Goose, and Great Herring.  Overall size was good, with a 4-8 SMB at Hinckleys, 3-11 LMB at Great Herring, and 3-9 LMB at Goose being the biggest.  Hinckley's SMB took a chartreuse jointed Rapala Shad Rap deep in 16'.  The two big LMB took soft baits in shallow water right at wind blown drop offs.

 

Water temps where I caught fish ranged from 48.x to 51.x, air pressure from 29.4 to 29.7, with overcast or light rain for the week.  Winds varied from 10 to 20+ mph.

[MassYak85]

Got out today. Very odd day. I thought I was gonna end with a skunk but managed to get 7 fish in the last hour on a jerkbait and lipless. The reaction bite is sometimes all that really works and I went to it too late. The fish seemed like they had backed off a bit with the recent cold nights and we found them in like 15FOW. Got 4 quick on a vision 110. With time running low before we had to head out I decided to abandon what was working and switch to an LV500 to try and get a big bite a littke deeper out. I managed 3 more fish, lost another. No big one unfortunately but did get a nice 2.5lb smallie to end the day. 

[Mr. Aquarium]

Finally got my goal bass, I’ve been hunting this fish for years. Countless hours and heart breaks. 
I started out waking up at 430 am, feeling like crap, mixture of expired cheese and a couple of beers the night before. Almost didn’t go, but I said I have to, I wouldn’t catch my dream fish sleeping in.  Got to the spot at 7 am. I got a small bass just shy of 3 on the glide. Few cast later I caught this giant. Didn’t know she was this big until I weighed her, thought it was a 6er my 7.   She hit the glide along a drop off to a spawning flat. Slowly worked, she just nipped the hook, only one hook point in the top lip.  
 

She went 8lbs 2 ounces 22 inches. I’m so happy to finally break 8lbs in MA!    I needed to change my undies  after that fish 

[Chowderhead]

Awesome fish - congrats!

[padlin]

Nice, didn't know we had them that big, gives me a new goal.

[MassBass]

Thats a real legend right there for these parts. From a trout stocked pond? 

[MassYak85]

2 hours ago, Mr. Aquarium said:

Finally got my goal bass, I’ve been hunting this fish for years. Countless hours and heart breaks. 
I started out waking up at 430 am, feeling like crap, mixture of expired cheese and a couple of beers the night before. Almost didn’t go, but I said I have to, I wouldn’t catch my dream fish sleeping in.  Got to the spot at 7 am. I got a small bass just shy of 3 on the glide. Few cast later I caught this giant. Didn’t know she was this big until I weighed her, thought it was a 6er my 7.   She hit the glide along a drop off to a spawning flat. Slowly worked, she just nipped the hook, only one hook point in the top lip.  
 

She went 8lbs 2 ounces 22 inches. I’m so happy to finally break 8lbs in MA!    I needed to change my undies  after that fish 

Dude! That's awesome! You've had a heck of a start to the season, congrats! 

 

Now onto that elusive 9lb club!