Once again frustrated anglers are turning their eyes to the west as well as the north and it all comes down to inches. But unlike earlier in the season, the “inches” has little to do with ice but rather that much fluffier water/cold concoction, namely snow! The western portion of the state has far less of it and if you take a peak at the north-of-the-border report you’ll find fishing where snow is not as much of a frustration factor also.
However, in some ways the fuss and muss of the white stuff can be a good thing, so said Pete from Belsan’s when we spoke. Since Scituate made the national news, the place was under siege by out-of-state broadcasters. One such journalist came into the shop complaining that he couldn’t see through the glare of the ice, snow, slush and slurry by the shoreline. The solution was a nice pair of Costa Del Mar shades that Pete was all too happy to outfit him with! Additional benefits will be less harried hardwater since the less-obsessed among us won’t want to put up with the snow. Sounds like opportunity to me! You can capitalize on your own opportunities at Little Pond in Plymouth where patrons of Belsan’s have been scoring brookies and bows. Another steady customer has been topping off with shiners and staking claim on non-descript cranberry bogs in Pembroke. Jacobs Pond and Damons Point Pond continue to please with pickerel and panfish aplenty.
Rod from Arlington B&T told me that oft-stocked Horn Pond has had nary a sole on it possibly because they’re dismayed by the drifts. Anglers poking around for spots less frequented than Fairhaven Bay in the Sudbury River are finding much faster action for pike and a few big bass in the mix. Rod is crowing about the new Hogy Epoxy Jigs, which are multispecies slayers which he’s having a hard time keeping in stock. From April through November it could be said that Eddie from B&A in West Boylston has hit the jackpot since he’s a stone throw a way from Wachusett Reservoir when it is open season. Recently he hit another jackpot which isn’t nearly so fortuitous—3 feet of snow! While there are some local gems such as Moosehorn in Hubbardston which is a warm water species winner and Indian Lake where pike roam, you’ll have a hard time accessing them. Eddie is topping off buckets of shiners and pointing patrons more to the western part of the state. To tap into some goodies there, I enlisted the decades long experience of Rod from Flagg’s in Orange. Rod recommends nearby Rohunta for largemouth bass. A sleeping giant which is bound to awake is Lake Mattawa which was stocked to capacity with trout just before the freeze and should be prime for fast-paced action. If you’d rather tackle a toothy critter check out Barton Cove and poke around for pike and maybe a walleye throughout Turner Falls.
If it wasn’t for the news reports, Brandon from Granby’s in Granby would not know what all the weather-related fuss is about since they got only about 7 inches of the white stuff! While the snow fall was minimal the size of the action is not. A 6 ½ pound rainbow trout was bested from Goose Pond recently. For pike check out Woods Hole, which is an oxbow off the Housatonic River. Speaking of oxbows, The Oxbow off the Connecticut River may have a crowd during weekends but there are a lot of pike there to support it with the occasional 15 pounder being taken. There have been some decent pike caught from Lake Onota and Buel with the latter giving up some very impressive trout catches as well. If 7”of ice is still too much snow than consider the Cheshire Reservoir area where according to Jim from JCB there is about half of that. While the snow level is puny the same cannot be said for the pike from Cheshire Resevoir. According to Jim a gang who frequents a popular ice fishing website recently took a trip to Lake Champlain and found the going inconsistent. Fortunately they reserved a safety net – Cheshire Reservoir – where they tallied double-digit pike and lasted from dusk to dawn!
Best Bets for the Weekend
If the snow drifts around you look taller than the Gronk, the remedy is to take a field trip out west where. relatively speaking, they got a mere dusting. If trout are to your liking try Goose Pond or Lake Buel. Closer to the Connecticut Valley Region there is Lake Ellis or Lake Moore. Pike are prowling among Woods Hole off the Housatonic River as well as The Oxbow. The Oxbow is also a panfish winner and if you have sonar and a few choice jigs you should find plenty of action. There will be some opportunists who view the migration to spots with less snow as a chance to capitalize on less pressured local water so it just might be time to revisit those local honey holes!
Don’t forget to keep an eye on the dam of the eagles. Only a few casts to see if feeding is in progress. But watch your footing. A Feb striper would be good start to 2015. “Yah”
I know Carl, it bugs me that January came and went and I did not catch a striper. Of course the effort was hardly there since I’ve been having a blast ice fishing. But when I heard of a certain hard core kayaker that we know of catching recently at a place we know quite well I felt JEALOUS!!!!!!!!If not this month, next for sure!