Sometimes I think these Hotspot stories can get a little stale and I wanted to come up with a way to reinvigorate the concept. I do really enjoy the ones that have a cool story behind their name or discovery, but when it boils down to the core goal of this column, a hotspot story is really only relevant to the readers that fish in the vicinity of said hotspot. It occurred to me that I speak with dozens of expert fishermen every week thanks to our comprehensive reports section, so I thought it might be cool to turn the spotlight on them and create a list of known hotspots throughout our coverage area, because it’s April and, nearly everyone with a fishing rod will make at least a few casts for trout, we’ll start there.
Connecticut
Tyler from Fisherman’s World in Norwalk gave a few suggestions; he said both the Mill River and the Norwalk River are heavily stocked, easy to access and productive. He suggested fishing above Lake Mohegan for best results on the Mill River. For the Norwalk River he suggests parking behind the Wilton Town Center and fishing the stretch right behind the lot.
For as far back as I can remember the crew at Bobby J’s in Milford has been sending those afflicted with trout fever to Southford Falls in Southbury. You can park in Southford Falls State Park and fish above and below the dam.
Field correspondent Red Cattey in Litchfield, CT recommends Highland Lake in Winchester, CT, and Mount Tom Pond in Morris-Litchfield-Washington, CT, while adding that Highland Lake has excellent boat access but limited shoreline access and that internal combustion engines are not permitted on Mount Tom Pond.
Andrew from Fishin’ Factory 3 in Middletown recommends the Salmon River Trout Management Area, the stretch where the Blackledge and Jeremy rivers flow into the Salmon River are particularly productive. There’s a dirt road off of Comstock Bridge Road in Colchester that traces the river and the gate is almost always open in April.
Rhode Island
The new owners at Breachway Bait and Tackle in Charlestown suggest heading to Barbers Pond in South Kingstown; it’s heavily stocked and features a paved lot with ample parking at the Barbers Pond Fishing Area off of County Trail on the southeast shore.
Over at Weekapaug Bait and Tackle the crew suggests heading to Wachaug Pond in Charlestown. This large kettle pond is also heavily stocked and features easy access with a paved ramp through Burlingame Sate Park, a huge parking lot with ramp is located off of Sanctuary Road.
I spoked with Jeff Sullivan from Lucky Bait and Tackle in Warren who suggested Carbuncle Pond in Coventry, which is a little off the beaten path pond that holds a ton of trout (many big browns), you can access it through the Carbuncle Pond Fishing area off of Route 14. His second recommendation is the Melville Ponds in Portsmouth, located inside the Melville Campgrounds on Bradford Ave.
Massachusetts
The crew at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay shared the same suggestion with Pete Belsan from Belsan’s Bait and Tackle in Scituate; they both said Long Pond in Plymouth is the best and most reliable ‘off Cape’ pond in southeastern Massachusetts. The pond gets several rounds of stocking per year and there’s ample parking with a boat ramp off Clark Road.
Amy from The Sports Port in Hyannis said she sends many hopeful trout hunters to Hamblin Pond in Barnstable, it’s another pond that gets regular visits from the stocking truck. Hamblin also has the benefit of two access points, there’s the town beach at the south end off of Route 149 and there’s a car-top ramp on the east side, also off of 149.
The guys over at the Goose Hummock Shop in Orleans say their customers come back with the best reports from Little Cliff and Big Cliff Pond which are both inside Nickerson State Park and are known for producing big browns. Easy access to both can be found at the end of Flax Pond Rd in Brewster.
Skip Bryant of Saunders Boat Livery recommended Congamond Lakes Middle Pond in Southwick, which features a large ramp and ample parking off of Point Grove Road. His second suggestions was Hampton Pond in Westfield, MA, also a favorite of Field Editor Rod Teehan; access is through the Horse Pond boat ramp or Hampton Ponds State Park.
Rod Teehan offered up another favorite, Laurel Lake in Lee. This little gem in western Massachusetts offers a secluded feel with plenty of access along the eastern shore via the boat ramp or Lenox Town Beach, both off Route 20.
Longtime field correspondents Jerry and Rick in Milford offered two central Massachusetts hotspots both in Ashland. Hopkinton Reservoir has a long history of trout production and offers excellent access options through Hopkinton State Park. Ashland Reservoir also carries a long-standing reputation and offers access through Ashland State Park and a boat ramp off of Spring Street.
Last but not least, Roger Aziz Jr. suggested two northeastern Massachusetts options. Forest Lake is a small, but potent pond on the outskirts of Methuen with access available via the ramp on Ridgewood Lane. Stiles Pond is a secluded gem in Boxford with easy access through the Stiles Pond Town Landing off of Stiles Pond Rd.
