Massachusetts Fishing Report – February 23, 2023

“This cannot possibly be happening in February?”. A version of that phrase has been oft-repeated lately by anglers taking advantage of a rare open water opportunity and capitalizing on everything from carp to largemouth bass. Far from just small guys, some of those Larrys have been bonafide hawgs too! It’s enough to make even the most ardent frozen water fanatic wont to say, “no ice, no problem!”.

While the verbiage varies, the point has been the same as anglers cannot believe of their good fortune in February. For most the priorities have been: A) to find water free of skim ice, B) cast a line out there and C) catch something, anything. But some have been adding a D) to the multiple choice equation as in: “drag-puller”! It almost defies logic, because after all, it is the dead of winter.
 
Over the weekend I found open water among one of the Greater Boston rivers and was hoping for a panfish tug or two and if really lucky – Larry love. I packed a medium spinning outfit consisting of a 7’ GLoomis GLX rod and new Shimano Vanford 3000 reel as well as a polar opposite combo, namely an archaic Shimano Spirex 1000 ensconced onto a decades-old 5’ Berkley ultralight Lighting Rod. As for the latter setup, I thought I had retired it to the corner of my basement but not having anything else suited to the 1/32 ounce jig I intended on using, I dusted it off.

If you’re curious which outfit caught the biggest fish – yup – you guess it, the clunky old entry level rod/reel.

The reason for the featherweight rig was that I was hoping to tempt a few crappie and to sweeten the offering I planned on spiking the jig with – spikes. Those spikes (bottle fly grubs) as well as the jig were leftovers from the 15 minute ice fishing season we had in Greater Boston this year. The bigger stick was to be used to float shiners in the hopes of luring in a largemouth. I was feeling optimistic thanks to the 40 degree morning, glass calm conditions and several promising cues from Mother Nature.

Mother Nature boosted my confidence thanks to two feathered friends. The first was an immature bald eagle which glided overheard and the other a few grackles I overheard, probably on their way to mob a bird feeder. While the value of the first avian visitor is obvious, grackles to many are less so. But if you’re like me, you recognize and appreciate that their grating screech is a harbinger of spring.

The stage was set and first up was a 15” bass which took down the shiner. I was more than satisfied with a bass of that size for mid-February but there would be much more.

Not long after, the nickel-sized strike indicator for my jig scooted out and disappeared. Knowing that crappie are master bait expungers, I scrambled for the rod fully expecting it to bob back up leaving me stripped of the spike. In retrospect I could have taken my time because the tank I was tight to was not about to become unbuttoned. The longed for 10” crappie metamorphosed into a 10 pound carp!

Man that old Shimano drag was still up to the task as it screamed but didn’t stick. Certainly the four pound test would not have held up for long with a drag that hesitated. I took my time, slid the carp to hand and after a quick picture let it go. The rushes for that day would not be restricted to that carp either as not much later I would catch the biggest bucketmouth I’ve caught in years. I had to pinch myself that it was only mid-February!

I have hardly been alone with my good fortune as friends have done well and as pictures have proved so have some of their friends. What is lacking however is others joining in the fun as shop after shop I talk to have little if any customers. Owing to the toothless winter, many species are unusually active for this time of the year. Once we get past this spate of inclement weather the feed should continue.

Not surprisingly my conversation this week with Pete, of Belsan Bait and Tackle, revolved around bass. The Scituate shop owner mentioned largemouth, and in some cases smallmouth, as good bets in Plymouth’s Billington Sea, Long Pond in Plymouth as well as Long Pond in Harwich/Brewster. He also mentioned Mashpee Wakeby Pond as a water body which has produced quality bass in the past.

If outdoor stimuli such as budding crocuses and song bird sonnets aren’t enough to get you thinking of spring than maybe a glance at Masswildlife’s website will. There on the current first page is news that trout stocking is set to begin along the Southeast District in early March and the last time I checked – March is about a week away!

Massachusetts Fishing Report

Nuno from Lunkers in Ashland served up a few choice spots when we spoke on Wednesday. Likely largemouth lairs in Metrowest to consider are Lake Chauncy, Whitehall Reservoir, Dug Pond, Farm Pond and Winthrop Pond. The coves of the Charles River in the Waltham section have also been known to be good bass producers as well. And don’t forget Fairhaven Bay on the Sudbury River, while ice fishing there for pike I’ve seen a number of big bass pulled out of there.

Eddie of B&A Bait and Tackle Co. in West Boylston told me that business at the moment is limited to anglers baiting up and heading beyond the border. That’s a shame because the Stillwater Basin is wide open and a number of salmonoids which swim in Wachusett have been known to frequent there during the offseason and upstream of the Waushacum Brook it’s game on all year long. Eddie mentioned East Waushacum Pond as a pretty little gem which produces slab Sallys as well as solid Larrys. Parking is tough in the summer but significantly less so now. For pike, Indian Lake gets the local nod and right now the fish should be shallow and pre-spawn aggressive.

It’s telling when a Berkshire area guide has to travel a half hour north just to find ice for clients! Spencer from Berkshire Bass took a troupe to Shaw Pond where their luck could have been better but they did find 8” of ice. In spite of a quiet bite, Spencer told me that the charter was content just to be out there. As is the case most everywhere anglers are ice fishing in New England uniformity of ice is not the norm this year. Pockets of thin ice are prevalent so be careful especially as we near March. Moving forward the good news is that Spencer’s familiar spots in the Housatonic River will be fishable very soon making for an early season for guiding. You can chat it up with Spencer at the Springfield Sportsmen’s Show this weekend where he will have a booth and a full display of Megabass tackle as well as Douglas and Duckett Rods.

Rennie of Bridge Road Bait and Tackle in Salisbury sure knows how to pick them. He’s taking the next two weeks off to carve up New Hampshire trails with his snowmobile. Something tells me he had one eye on this weeks forecast before making plans. Minding the shop will be his uncle Jim who wasn’t the busiest guy when we spoke but he did come up with a few black bass best bets. Options to consider are Country Pond, Artichoke Reservoir, Lake Attitash and Tuxbury Pond. With the Merrimack River wide open the Stanley Island section in Haverhill is worth considering as is the Pine Island section in Methuen. The Merrimack is another one of those magical Massachusetts rivers where you never know what’s swimming in front of you. I recall last year while we were focused on pike my friend Steve Langton caught a really nice Sally and the next day I caught one of the biggest pickerel I had seen in years.

Even in the western portion of the state, a goodly dose of caution is needed on the ice. Examples of this from Martin Farrell of B&R Bait and Tackle in Cheshire are eye-opening. Much of Lake Pontoousuc has spots with 10” of ice, yet there are areas with open water. Onota and Cheshire both have many sections with 6” of ice but some swaths are unsafe. A better bet for more consistently solid ice is smaller trout water in the Hilltowns such as Windsor Pond. There are plenty of anglers putting in the time for pike in those bigger water bodies so don’t be dissuaded just swing by Martin’s place for a hands-on assessment of where to fish.

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

It looks as if the dreaded lion of March has wandered out of its den prematurely but open water is not going anywhere and the fish will remain active. Regardless of where you fish you will fare better right now where there is current from a culvert, inlet, tributary, or whatever. Instinctively predators frequent flowing water expecting it to bring along a meal. Pinch points where ponds drain into other ponds are spots to spend some time. As for what’s working I’ve heard of Larrys cooperating on everything from spinnerbaits to swimmers and to of course the coldwater favorite – the tried and true shiner. I’m especially partial to the shiner option if for no other reason than you have to visit a bait shop to get them. Consider that, odds are that the shop owner could use the company!