New England - New England Freshwater Fishing Reports

Headline news from Rich at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk: Saugatuck Reservoir surrendered two big browns recently, both pushing 8 pounds, each caught on a shiner by different individuals fishing different parts of the impoundment. The reservoir has also been producing good catches of largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappies, and perch. Local rivers such as the Mianus, Mill in Fairfield, Saugatuck, and Norwalk remain reliable trout spots. Periodic stockings are keeping these flowages filled with trout, and crowds have dwindled, leaving surviving stockies to the efforts of diligent anglers. The upper and lower Saugatuck River was stocked May 6. The Mianus River outside the TMA was stocked May 7.

Plenty of good fishing news from Colin at Fishin’ Factory 3: Trout action remains outstanding at stocked ponds, lakes, and streams including the Salmon River, Coginchaug River, Day Pond Trout Park, and Chatfield Hollow Pond and Brook Trout Park, the only change being the decreased number of fishermen. The main attraction at this time, however, is the Connecticut River which is producing shad, carp, and striped bass in the Middletown-to-Rocky Hill stretch, the latter species on sandworms and chunk baits. Bass in area ponds are just moving into the shallows, so as weather and water warms, action with them should surge. Presently, Candlewood Lake is the place to be for big bass. Among top-ten finishers in recent tournaments the average size of bass weighed-in is 5 pounds. Some of the biggest fish caught include a 6-pound, 2-ounce smallie and a 7-pound largie. The Coginchaug River and Salmon River TMA and TTA were stocked May 7.

Jeff Sullivan in Bristol hit the big time with crappies last week at Cook Pond in Massachusetts and Johnsons Pond and Simmons Mill Pond in Coventry and Little Compton, Rhode Island, respectively. Fishing during the day from shore, he popped a load of slabs including giants in the 18-to-19-inch bracket, most on NLBN 3- and 3.75-inch shads and a Strike King spinnerbait. He said connecting with the big calicoes was chiefly a matter of knowing where big crappies can be found in a given waterbody and patiently working through smaller specimens until a monster bites. Jeff also put in time hunting chain pickerel and largemouth bass in the same ponds, adding bucketyaps to 6.5 pounds to his already impressive 2026 total of lunker largemouths along with many nice chains on a black Berkley Choppa. Cook Pond, he said, is a chain pickerel factory.

Reporting from Goose Hummock Shop in Orleans, Ian let everyone know that freshwater bass are “pretty active” now in Cape Cod ponds. Many are cruising shallow water and pairing up. He has not seen beds but is confident bass are very close to fanning nests. His good friend, who fishes all over the area, said bass are on beds in small waters in Plymouth. Ian has been catching some bass on topwater lures but most on a Chatterbait. He also mentioned the number of herring in herring-run ponds is “incredible.”

AJ at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay. Cape told us that lots of local anglers are switching to saltwater species. That means anyone sticking with freshwater fishing can have for themselves the huge supply of trout still finning in ponds on and just off Cape Cod. All stocked waters are loaded with stockies, including holdovers, and producing well, so just pick one from the online stocking list and enjoy the action. If you need help choosing a spot, AJ suggested Long Pond and Fearing Pond in Plymouth and Peters Pond in Sandwich. Bass activity is a bit slow but improving steadily. Bass are not yet on beds, but they are in shallow water (4 feet or less) and will be bedding soon. AJ again recommended for bass any pond with a herring run such as Great Herring Pond in Plymouth/Bourne and Big Sandy Pond in Plymouth, both of which offer largemouths and smallmouths.

Rick in Milford is not happy with the weather—too rainy, windy and chilly—but has no problem with the fishing. Bass are still on the slow side but speeding up a little bit each day. Trout, though, are going strong everywhere they have been stocked including Pratt Pond where Billy D.’s catching brookies, Uncas Pond where Tony F. is reeling in rainbows, and Hopkinton Reservoir where fishermen are tangling with tigers. Pratt Pond, Singletary Lake, and Lake Cochituate were stocked May 5; Quacumquasit (South) Pond, Uncas Pond, Webster Lake and Wallum Lake received trout May 6; and West River accepted trout May 8.

From Roger Aziz, Jr., in Methuen we heard Plug’s Pond (Lake Saltonstall) and Round Pond (Lake Pentucket) received a stocking of tiger trout, but that species is not cooperating. Instead, anglers are catching rainbows at both sites. Baddacook Pond was stocked May 4; Lake Pentucket (Round Pond) and Forest Lake in Methuen were stocked May 5; Baldpate Pond and Stile’s Pond got a slug of stockies May 6 followed by Pentucket Pond and Parker River May 7 and Squannacook River May 8. The Merrimack River is low but manageable. Herring are present in good numbers, along with some stripers and shad. This week should see higher numbers of all three species in the flowage. Some nice-size pike to 36 inches are being caught in the river too. Up north in New Hampshire very nice smallmouth and largemouth bass are hitting at Lake Winnipesaukee and Northwood Lake.

Skip at Saunders Boat Livery, Inc. in Southwick, continues to have a great year with bass. Last week, though, success was tempered by error. He should have won a tournament at Candlewood Lake with more than 15 pounds of bass including a 3-pound, 11-ounce smallmouth and 4.5-pound largemouth, but he lost track of time and came in 15 minutes late and was disqualified. Skip was quick to blame himself saying, “I should know better.” Bass fishing overall at the famous lake in southwest Connecticut was good for him and several others but difficult for many who just could not put together a decent total. Only one other contestant managed a five-fish limit. Most weighed-in 1, 2, or 3 bass. Skip feels that finesse-fishing windy spots made the difference. An expert light-line, small-bait finesse anger, he was culling two hours into the match. Water temperature registered 55 to 57 degrees Back at Congamond Lakes in Southwick, Massachusetts, bassin’ is about the same as at Candlewood, meaning some bassmen such as Skip have been doing well but not everyone else. Littleville (Reservoir) Lake was stocked May 5.