Jerry in Milford

Word from Jerry in Milford is that stocking is going on in the Central Wildlife District, and all stocked waters are churning out trout. Last week’s hot spots were Ashland Reservoir where nice browns were hitting and Louisa Lake where rainbows were active. A few crappies have been mixed in taking small shiners meant for the stockies. Largemouth bass are just getting underway, but laker activity at Wachusett Reservoir continues unabated with one exception: the forkies are mostly 3- to 5-pounders now rather than the giants that were in evidence opening week. Enjoying the hot laker bite at the “Chu are Rod Delgado, Danny Dunbar, and Eddie Dunbar who have been catching their forkies on hardware. Just starting to heat up is carp fishing in the Blackstone River. Water in that flowage is still cold and fast.

Word from Jerry in Milford is that stocking is going on in the Central Wildlife District, and all stocked waters are churning out trout. Last week’s hot spots were Ashland Reservoir where nice browns were hitting and Louisa Lake where rainbows were active. A few crappies have been mixed in taking small shiners meant for the stockies. Largemouth bass are just getting underway, but laker activity at Wachusett Reservoir continues unabated with one exception: the forkies are mostly 3- to 5-pounders now rather than the giants that were in evidence opening week. Enjoying the hot laker bite at the “Chu are Rod Delgado, Danny Dunbar, and Eddie Dunbar who have been catching their forkies on hardware. Just starting to heat up is carp fishing in the Blackstone River. Water in that flowage is still cold and fast.

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.)