Quabbin Reservoir

[Cchiger]

Hello everyone. I will be in Springfield for a few days next week and would like to do a little fishing on the Quabbin Reservoir. A Smallmouth bass is a bucket list fish that I would like to scratch off the list. Any advice from anyone in the area on shore fishing for smallmouth or other fish in general. Thanks in advance for any input it’s greatly appreciated!

[Will Wetline]

Shore fishing may not be productive this time of year because the smallmouth in this big, clear body of water are in their summer pattern chasing baitfish around deep water structure.

 

I generally rent a boat and travel to areas accessible from Gate 43 or Gate 31. I'm not familiar with Gate 8 but believe it has more deep water access from shore. Rig 6 lb. line on a ML rod and/or 8 on medium tackle.

 

The Quabbin is a beautiful spot to spend the day because it's undeveloped and highly restricted. You might enjoy a trip to the Visitors Center.

 

https://www.mass.gov/quabbin-reservoir-fishing-guide

[je1946]

If your shore fishing you can try the Connecticut River.

[Deeare]

Rent a boat!    Do some research on the available maps to find some humps and ask the site for the best gate to launch from.   Good luck!!

[Janderson45]

Check out the "eastern ma fishing reports" thread under the northeast region sub forum here on Bassresource- myself and many others have contributed some very useful and detailed reports over the past few years.  I would definitely recommend renting a boat to get away from the shore and fish some deeper water. This time of year I generally look to find and catch smallmouth in 25-35 feet of water at the Quabbin, but a number of variables can definitely make an impact on where they are holding or feeding.  Later in the summer I catch them as deep as 50 feet, but that's not the norm for me.  There's a lot of water out there and it helpful to have a depth range as a starting point when studying maps to eliminate water that is typically unproductive this time of year... there's always exceptions of course.  

 

Shoot me a PM if you want with more specific questions and I'll do my best to point you in the right direction.  I've fished there quite a bit over the past few years, not as often as some guys on here that live closer but certainly enough to know what I'm doing.

Here's a link to the thread I was talking about, I think I scrolled back far enough for the posts to be from this time last year, but search through the pages and you'll find plenty of Quabbin reports..