Good smallmouth ponds or Lakes in Massachusetts

[kmccarthy]

BIU

[Fishing Rhino]

Great Herring in Plymouth used to be a great smallmouth pond, but over the past few years it has been on the decline which coincides with the serious decline in vegetation.  It had a weed bed that ran the perimeter of the pond in water from six feet to ten or more feet.  You could catch plenty of fish from those plants.

It can still have its good days, but nothing like it was from 2009 - 2011.  It can also produce good largemouth and pickerel fishing as well.  There was an increase in vegetation the past two years.  Hopefully, that's a good ***.  There is a fairly large shoal to the northeast of the Mass Maritime Academy facility.  It's about a hundred to a hundred fifty feet in diameter.  It is from seven or eight feet deep to about 12 feet deep, where it drops suddenly to twenty plus feet on the west and thirty plus feet to the east.  It is covered with short vegetation, and holds both species of bass and pickerel as well. 

I used to be able to fish that for about two hours catching plenty of fish.  Not so much any more.

Mashpee Wakeby also used to be a great pond for both species of bass.  I used to fish it a couple of times a week.  I only fished it once this past year and a couple of times last year.  It too has suffered a drastic decline in its vegetation.

Watuppa can have its good days, but  they are few and far between.  I generally avoid it like the plague.  I'll fish it once or twice a year at most.

Your favorite pond has been the most prolific fishery in this area for the past several years in terms of numbers and average size.  It's less than five minutes from my doorstep.

 

["hamma"]

How about Quabbin res., any stretch of the conn river, chicopee river,.. congamond,.. webster,.. long pond brewster,.. johns pond,...peters pond, even some of the merrimac river,... or where the state record came from wachusett res

 Theres some quality smallies in Massachusetts,... but in my eyes?  NH may be simply awesome,... but Maine rules!

[Fishing Rhino]

Quabbin is good, but it's two and a half hours from here.  I fished it twice this year.  The second time I went with Dog Bone.  I caught five nice smallies, all over two pounds, a couple close to three within a hundred feet of the dock where we got our rental.  I caught one more small one in that same area when we returned.  If I recall, I caught about a dozen small mouth, and half of them could have been caught from the shore.  Wacky worm and a Srike King seven inch elaztech finesse worm rigged on a shaky jig head green pumpkin with red flakes.

Webster used to be great until they de-weeded the place.  Catching forty to fifty bass was a typical day fishing the vegetation.  After they treated it, you would be lucky to catch ten fish.  Haven't fished John's pond since I got the Z-8.  The Z-7 could be launched but the ramp is none too big.  The 7 was much more nimble to trailer at the smaller ramps than the 8.  Never did much at John's.  Ashumet close by John's was pretty good for smallies, then they de-weeded it and thrashed the weeds with what look like a waterborn wheat combine with the big paddle wheel in the front. 

Merrimack River will produce smallmouth and largemouth.  It's been hit or miss for me.  The first two or three times I did okay.  Fishing beneath the I-93 bridge in the first two sections on each bank.  Caught decent numbers, but nothing of bragging size.

Peters pond has largemouth and smallmouth.  Wequaquet is decent, but parking at the ramp is limited to residents with parking permits.  I've parked there a couple of times once prior to Memorial day, and then again after Labor day.  Never had any problems with the locals.  There is a rowing club facility at the ramp, and the locals told me that the cops only enforce the parking between Memorial and Labor day.  It is a nice pond.

Peters Pond has smallies and largemouth, but can be tough to fish.  There is a campground on the pond with docks and moorings.  It seems most rent a space for the summer.  In season it can be over run with jet skis, party barges, water skiers, wake boarders, etc.  I've had to work for every fish I caught there.

Wallum Lake, near Webster has the rep of being a great smallmouth fishery.  My limited experience and that of some of my friends is that it's a spring fishery.  April and May then it tapers off. 

Singletary is a decent Pond.  Fished a couple of years ago four or five times.  Caught a lot of bass at the shoal north of the island on the big section of the pond the first time I went there with a friend of mine.  The next time it produced nothing.  They seemed to be holdin in six to eight feet of water along the shore.

Buffam or Buffamville was interesting, more for the beaver that call the place home than the fishing.  It looked very fishy with standing timber and submerged stumps.  Only went there once with a friend who knew his way around.

None of them can hold a candle to Sawdy.  The smallmouth bite was off a little this year, but the largemouth more than made up for it.

["hamma"]

is 177 or is it 117 the only way into sawdy?

[Fishing Rhino]

On ‎11‎/‎7‎/‎2016 at 4:01 PM, "hamma" said:

is 177 or is it 117 the only way into sawdy?

It's route 177, also known as Bulgarmarsh Road and the American Legion Highway.  That's the only public access.

[Deeare]

In Mass there's some good spots down south.  Plymouth and cape areas.  See prior posts but Quabbin is #1 in my opinion.  I also suggest Wachusett.  Target gate 14 -24  But For smallies I go to nh:.  Winny.  Squam.  Newfound.    Maine is great from what I hear but I don't have first hand experience.  

[CTBassin860]

Wachusett reservoir was going to get my vote.

[Neonsnow78]

Hey Rhino does that first small pond connect to the big one(Sawdy) via a canoe?

[KenP]

I smash them all season long at wachusett. You know you can find a list by species on the mass site: http://www.mass.gov/

[Fishing Rhino]

4 hours ago, Neonsnow78 said:

Hey Rhino does that first small pond connect to the big one(Sawdy) via a canoe?

 

Yes, it does.  Canoe, jon, kayak, plastic pontoon type can all access the big pond.  Some guys do it with smaller, beater, bass boats.  The water got so low last season that it was a chore even with a smaller boat.  

 

I'd hang up more than once even in my canoe.  Most of the regulars quit going there because it was near impossible to negotiate the channel.

[Neonsnow78]

awesome, finally got a trolling setup, so bigger waters are something i want to check out this year. I dont feel like spending all my effort and 30 mins paddling to where i want to fish. Ill leave that to my canoe camping trips

[kroberts9]

On 1/15/2017 at 7:31 PM, MassBassin508 said:

Wachusett reservoir was going to get my vote.

I agree Wachusett res is one of the best smallie holes but with that also comes heavy pressure. just food for thought. 

[Deeare]

On February 2, 2017 at 2:11 PM, kroberts9 said:

I agree Wachusett res is one of the best smallie holes but with that also comes heavy pressure. just food for thought. 

Try the areas/gates that are less traveled.  Gate 35 (the rook) is a 30 minute walk.  Not as much pressure out there.  I love the smallies but I always have a rod rigged for trout.  Half ounce perch kastmaster!!!   Last April I caught a 3+ lb rainbow on a jerk bait and my friend caught a lake trout on a jig.   When you hook something you never know what it is until you land it.  

[Deeare]

What lures produce for you?   I done well on small gold kastmasters.   Small spinners.   Lizards to name a few.  

[GrumpyOlPhartte]

Early spring of 2016 I managed to wrestle in three smallmouth bass over three pounds from Onota Lake near Pittsfield in western Mass while fishing from the bank using Craw Fatties.  Also hooked a couple of smaller smallmouths from Lake Ashmere.  I seem to do better with smallmouths in early spring and fall (September/October).  Not sure if you are interested in western part of the state, but thought I'd toss this info out there.

[Chris186]

My two favorites for smallies would be Mashpee/Wakeby and Long Pond Harwich, both on the cape. You can only fish Long Pond before memorial day and after labor day, as the ramp is only for town residents in between. 

[KenP]

On 2/7/2017 at 7:20 PM, Deeare said:

What lures produce for you?   I done well on small gold kastmasters.   Small spinners.   Lizards to name a few.  

 

Soft plastics always produce. I tend to throw bigger baits for bass. I catch and release 9.9/10 times so keeping them from swallowing it is important but I mainly try to target larger 3lb+. They hit it so hard and fast I've had a 1lber get a 5/0 EWG get gut hooked on a 10" berkley worm.

Kastmasters I throw the perch 1/2oz with a teaser treble with a red rooster feather I tied on. You can just buy the VMC shad rap replacement hooks now in red and white or both. But I only throw that for lakers and salmon. A guy hooked a 20lb laker a few years ago on opening day on the silver 1oz so anything is possible. 

Get a whopper plopper now before the summer gets here and they are sold out everywhere. The Rat Ta tat is awesome in the 130 size. Make sure you have a medium/heavy or heavy rod that can handle a 1.5oz to get a good hookup. When the big browns smash this out of the water a lighter rod will disappoint. 

[Deeare]

I target lakers a lot in April and oct/nov using the perch and silver/blue kastmasters.  And gold/red for salmon.   I'm still trying to find the best smallie pattern.    Every time I target smallies I catch trout!!   I got a few smallies on the ploppers 90.  I throw tubes a lot but dont have much luck at all which shocks me.  

[KenP]

On 2/15/2017 at 8:40 PM, Deeare said:

I target lakers a lot in April and oct/nov using the perch and silver/blue kastmasters.  And gold/red for salmon.   I'm still trying to find the best smallie pattern.    Every time I target smallies I catch trout!!   I got a few smallies on the ploppers 90.  I throw tubes a lot but dont have much luck at all which shocks me.  

 

For more metal try a little cleo in nickle 3/4oz. Its a flutter spoon so just rip it up and let it go back down. I do really well on it and knock on wood have only caught bass on it plus a few large pickerel.