Frozen water fans have viewed this thaw as anything but favorable. Provided that you pursue your passion with a goodly dose of caution, you should find that most hardwater is just fine. The uptick with the inclement weather is that access has improved.
Experienced ice fishing guide Patrick Barone of Charter the Berkshires Outfitter shared some post-thaw safety tips for those itching to get out. Spots commonly used for ingress/egress, and those susceptible to a lot of foot traffic, should be watched for rain/thaw erosion. The continual hoof beats etch grooves in the ice which funnel rainfall which can make conditions unsafe. Boat ramps and other slopping shorelines are some of the first to feel the effects of a thaw. Expect inlets which had run dry to be recharged with flowing water creating a potentially hazardous situation. Give the rivers a rest for a few days until the predicted freeze catches solid ice again. With 14” of ice throughout much of the Western part of the state, there is plenty of sufficient, safe hardwater to enjoy.
As for improving your success rate, especially for pressured ponds and lakes, there are a couple tweaks that might help you out.
By now, bigger bass, pike, trout etc will often migrate to deeper water flats to escape angling pressure. With a reduced feeding window and a weariness borne from seeing many of their brethren being plucked out from the depths, an embellishment or two can make all the difference in the world. Patrick suggested clipping the fins off one side of the baitfish in order to give it more of a seductive wiggle. I have had good luck clipping off one pectoral fin as well as the dorsal fin from a shiner. With fish as lethargic as they are it also helps to stimulate as many senses as you can, such as scent. I smear a smudge of BioEdge Smelt Wand on my shiner and found that it makes a huge difference. Last Saturday I had 6 flags before a buddy finally succumbed to my ribbing and gave himself the BioEdge embellishment. Within minutes of the first application, he was on!
Pete Santini of Fishing FINatics was fishing with Mini and Mickey Mouse at Disney World when we spoke but he’ll be back at his shop by the weekend, which is brimming with shiners and all sorts of ice fishing needs. Timing is good because ponds and lakes in Greater Boston have locked up faster than bettors are throwing cash at the Pats for the big game.
According to Rod from Arlington B&T, a couple spots worth considering are Walden and White Pond. These ponds are two of the more productive close-to-Boston trout factories; and both are known for big browns.
For a chance at something scarier there’s always Spy Pond in Arlington. Pike thrive there and thanks to an alewife forage base those fish are getting big. How the predator and prey got there remains a mystery. Not only is there no record of an official pike stocking but as far as I can gather, there’s no way an anadromous species can access Spy Pond. Regardless of the origin, there’s no denying a 40” pike through the ice is a rush!
Eric from Lunkers in Ashland said that he saw a picture of a 7-pound hawg largemouth bass taken locally! The big bass could have come from a number of potentially productive spots such as Farm Pond, Lake Winthrop, the Waltham coves of the Charles River (caution this is moving water!) or maybe Coughman Cove in Cochituate. There was at least one nice pike taken from Heard Pond and there have been a few from Fairhaven Bay. Rainbows have been cooperating at Ashland Reservoir.
Jim from Barry’s in Worcester said that in spite of his tanks brimming with premium pike baits as well as the smaller stuff, some of his most hard-core patrons are plucking panfish from the Route 290 section of Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester. Those guys are jigging up those fish and they are catching an occasional rainbow trout while they are at it. If you give that a try, set up a trap with a sucker for a pike or tiger muskie! JIm said that there was a lot of buzz this weekend about the Quabog Pond pike tournament this weekend and while that has historically been a prolific pike producer, it’s “sister” water body – South Pond is arguably more impressive. Not only is it noteworthy for it’s big brown trout, thanks to it’s landlocked alewife forage base, but is also home to the pike state record! I’ve fished it a few times and more than once observed a big largemouth taken as well.
Eddie of B&A in West Boylston told me of a 6 pound, 5 ounce largemouth which was taken from Maple Spring Pond in Holden. Other buzz-worthy happenings are both species of black bass at East Waushacum and small to medium pike at Indian Lake.
While Lake Mattawa is heavily stocked with trout, those fishing larger shiners are catching both smallmouth and largemouth bass according to Rodney Flagg of Flagg’s in Orange. This place holds over brown trout so a larger meal may work for a quality trout. The jiggers are out in force targeting jumbo perch at Rohunta as well as rainbow trout at Moores Pond. Both Spectacle Ponds are getting fished with the south getting the nod for the most action for crappie. The Barton Cove gang is out on this walleye and pike producer on the Connecticut River.
Donny from Merrimack Sports said that Lake Attitash has been solid for largemouth bass while nearby Tewksbury Pond has faster action of pickerel. Top local tips for trout are Forest Lake, Plugs Pond, Round Pond, Berry Pond and closer to the coast Pleasant Pond and Sluice Pond.
Fishing Forecast for Massachusetts
After the spate of 50 degree temperatures and downpours, safety should be override shiner selection as your priority this weekend. But provided you watch entry/exit locations, eroded auger holes and inlets, most water bodies that had at least 6 inches of ice should still be fine. Best bets are Spy Pond pike, Walden Pond browns, South Pond browns and Lake Moore rainbows.