For an ice fisherman the flash-frozen conditions of the last week were pure heaven. Seldom do water bodies lock up so quickly (and so late in the season) and many anglers shook off the cold to venture onto “new” ice in mid-February; why even the South Shore got into the spirit with many anglers touting 5” of granite-hard black ice!
Not to date myself but the “64 thousand dollar question” is how did the ice fair after the thaw? Personal, anecdotal sampling revealed a loss of only about 1 ½ to 2”. Of course, every water body is different and you have to take in mitigating factors. Those “mitigating factors” however are the elephant in the room in that many shorelines are shot. Good ice may await you but getting past shoreline erosion is the tricky part. Stay away from current of all sorts, boulders and ledges, which radiate heat, and be careful of southeast-facing shorelines, which are taking a beating from steadily strengthening sunlight. Sheltered coves, particularly those which face the north and shorelines that are tree-shrouded and protected from the sun have the best ice.
Pete from Belsan Bait in Scituate was practically euphoric since for one of the few times this winter he sold shiners! Anglers didn’t waste much time putting those shiners to good use as they found good bass fishing at Lilly Pond and Jacob’s Pond. A few guys downsized their shiner selection and found solid ice and targeted trout at Myles Standish State Park in Plymouth. Pete said that local ice was on average 5” on Monday and should still be safe. But of course there is no substitute for common sense and caution. The predicted temperatures of the weekend won’t do the ice much good so an early on/early off Saturday outing might be best. There is no ice conditions information from Fore River in Quincy just yet but that may change next year since Lisa spent the offseason renovating the shop and now has a freshwater section. The bling from jewelry has been replaced by some pretty spiffy finishes on spoons, spinners and other wares just in time for imminent open water!
Jim from JCB in Cheshire said that weekend ice reports had ice depths at roughly 8”. Pretty impressive pike action was the rule throughout the many basins of Cheshire especially the “second lake” and reports were good at Onota and Pontoosuc as well. For fast largemouth action Jim recommends the third basin. North Pond has been hot for rainbow trout with fatheads the preferred bait.
I have no word on what is going on in the Connecticut Valley Region since my decade-plus contact, Rod from Flagg’s, has been hospitalized. Brandon from Granby’s informed me that he is doing better but I guess he lost a lot of weight. In fly-tying circles and beyond, Rodney is a legend – let’s hope for a speedy recovery. Brandon has heard of a few 26 to 29 pound pike coming out of Onota. Pike definitely belong to the big fish/big bait mantra and Granby’s has baitfish big enough to put a saddle on. Shiners are up to 8 ½” and he has suckers up to 12”! That’s a mouthful that a big ol’ toothy would have a hard time turning away from. He’s hearing good things from Metacomet for rainbows, with even the occasional 18-20” holdover crashing the bait. Brandon’s best bet for a big rainbow is to stick a worm or small shiner just under the ice by a point. Be careful but keep in mind that rainbows also have a habit of hanging close to eroded, sunny shorelines, placing a bait just under the ice as safely as you can get to there often pays off. For a bass best bet, you can’t beat Big Alum Pond.
Eddie of B&A in West Boylston said that guys have been catching crappie from Indian Lake and are taking trout from the coves of Lake Quinsigamond.
Fishing Forecast
The weekend weather forecast is for twin 50 degree days, and with the nearly-March sun bearing down on water bodies, common sense and caution should be your priority. If you’re not sure about local ice, take a trip further west where bass are proving a winner in Big Alum Lake, crappie are king at Indian Lake and trout are cooperating at Metacomet and North Lake.
Some action at Quaboag this weekend. 4″ of ice, careful of the Southern side where the drop off is, went from 4″ to 1/2″. Some catfish/perch, but still looking for those pike. Good luck