New England - New England Freshwater Fishing Reports

Talked with Tyler at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk who said the DEEP did a fantastic job of stocking trout in local rivers including the Mianus River, Saugatuck River, Norwalk River, and Mill River in Fairfield. Action has been superb in these flowages with stockies hitting just about every standard lure and bait including Mepps Spinners, Roostertails, Kastmasters, Phoebes, and Power Bait, the latter either bounced along bottom or drifted under a float. Water temperature in bass ponds is rising slowly, and local bass anglers are beginning to see largemouths in close to shore. Milder daytime temperatures forecasted for the next two weeks should urge more bass into shallow water. Tyler also reminded readers that Fisherman’s World carries Aquarion Water Company fishing permits for Saugatuck Reservoir which opened April 13. Cost is $10 for a day permit, $30 for a season’s pass.

Reporting from Fishin’ Factory 3 in Middletown, Colin said the Connecticut River is still blown out from all the rain, but local anglers are enjoying excellent trout fishing at the Salmon River, Coginchaug River, Hammonasset River and Day Pond. Also, the improvement project at Chatfield Hollow Pond (Schreeder Pond) and Brook Trout Park will be paused between April 13 and April 28 to allow people to fish. Both the pond and brook were stocked April 12 in time for the April 13 start of the catch-and-keep trout season. A few fellows have been logging largemouth bass on shiners and jerkbaits in small local ponds.

Red Cattey in Litchfield could not contact Frank Barata or Billy Bones. But he did have results from the 74th Hitchcock Chair Derby held April 13 at the Riverton section of the Farmington River. Nick Balducci won the Hitchcock chair with a 25.5-inch rainbow trout that weighed 9 pounds,9 ounces. Tony Fillie logged the next largest trout, a 26-inch, 8-pound, 15-ounce rainbow, and Ian Dwyer topped the youth division with a 6-pound, 7-ounce rainbow.

Danny at Goose Hummock Shop in Orleans announced that fishing is good in Cape Cod ponds including Sheep Pond in Brewster where he popped three nice rainbows on a Colorado spoon, and Hamblin Pond in Barnstable where his buddy, Ian, tallied big smallmouth bass on a Chatterbait dressed with a soft plastic crawfish. Higgins Pond inside Nickerson State Park in Brewster was stocked last week with rainbow and tiger trout. Higgins can be difficult to access, but it is solid spot for topnotch trout fishing.

Connor at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay described trout and bass fishing in ponds on and just off Cape Cod as “okay.” Trout ponds are still churning out stockies albeit at a slower pace, and largemouths and smallmouths are now preparing to spawn by moving close to shore. Two of last week’s more productive waters were Mares Pond in Falmouth for largemouths and stocked trout and Mashpee-Wakeby Pond in Mashpee for smallmouths and stockies. Big chain pickerel are being caught here and there as well. Connor popped one on a wake bait at an undisclosed site, and a customer showed him a photo of a massive pickerel he had caught and released at Mashpee-Wakeby. Connor said it was the biggest chain pickerel he had ever seen.

After telling us about good fishing for recently stocked trout at Hopkinton Reservoir, Ashland Reservoir, Pratt Pond, Louisa Lake, Whitehall Reservoir, Stall Brook in Bellingham, and Hopping Brook in Medway/Holliston, Rick in Milford talked at length about the exciting lake trout action at Wachusett Reservoir. Big numbers of big lakers—8,10, 12, 15 pounds and up—are being caught, most within 30 yards of shore, and many on shiners, Kastmasters, and jigs including at least one huge forkie on a jig ‘n pig intended for smallmouths. No one is predicting how long the action will remain extraordinary; but the Chu’s water is still frigid, so the lakers could stay close to shore for a while. (As of April 12 the biggest lake trout entered in the Adult Release-Catch Division of the 2024 Massachusetts Sportfishing Awards Program is a 39-incher from Wachusett Reservoir. The 2024 fishing season at Wachusett Reservoir began April 6.)

Roger Aziz, Jr., in Methuen said weather has been so lousy, even he did not fish much last week. He did get out with his dad for a short while at Forest Lake and Round Pond, but neither place produced. In fact, they had just one hit between them. Rog also tried to fish the Merrimack River in Haverhill, but water level was too high and current too strong.

News from Skip at Saunders Boat Livery, Inc. in Southwick, is that nothing much has changed regarding bass fishing at Congamond Lakes. Water is still cold, and bass tight to bottom in deep water. When feeding, the bass move up to drop edges in twenty feet where they can be taken on bottom-bounced lures, a Ned Rig being popular. Skip has seen some largemouths cruising the shoreline but has not been successful enticing any to strike. A recent two-man team tournament produced a winning five-fish total of 16 pounds, not bad considering how difficult the fishing has been. Trout action remains good. Skip’s buddy—the one who popped the 26-inch brown mentioned in last week’s report—logged another big brownie, a 5-pounder, on a Ned Rig in twenty feet of water.