Jerry's Bait and Tackle

Rick in Milford told me that although the bike-ridin’ kids are back in school, they are still going fishing when time allows. Scores of them come in after school and on weekends to pick up shiners to use as bait for bass, pickerel, panfish, and bullheads in ponds and lakes all over the area. They have a ball, Rick said. Numerous other anglers have been having fun too. Brian, for instance, has been fishing out of his kayak and bagging bass and pickerel at different sites including Hopedale Pond and Milford Pond, the latter giving him a 4-pound largie. Also, a youngster, whose name escaped Rick, beached three 1- to 2-pound largemouths on shiners at Louisa Lake; another young fisherman reported taking three rainbow trout on PowerBait from shore at Ashland Reservoir; and one older gent scored more than twenty bass on minnows in three outings at a pond in Uxbridge. Rick also mentioned an unusual catch made on a shiner at Pratt Pond: a watersnake.

Rick in Milford said at least 100 kids came into the shop over the weekend to get shiners which they then used to catch largemouths, pickerel, bullheads, and panfish at several venues including Hopedale Pond and Choate Park. Also, a fellow who took five youngsters fishing reported they used four dozen minnows, catching all kinds of fish at a local pond, the name of which Rick forgot. Another fisherman named Timmy told Rick he witnessed a boat angler catch a tiger trout that looked like a 4-pounder at Ashland Reservoir. Rick also had reports of good action with largemouths and pickerel at Lake Whitehall and Uncas Pond along with news from New York’s Salmon River where one customer hooked and lost 26 salmon, and another angler named Mike caught king salmon and brown trout.

Rick in Milford had lots of people out fishing last week, and most did fine. Probably the best report came from T.J. and his buddy. They fished Wallum Lake and tallied between thirty and forty 1.5- to 2.5-pound smallmouths, four largemouths of the same size as the smallies, and an 18-inch rainbow, all on drop-shotted baits in thirty feet of water. Elsewhere, other anglers did not score as many fish but did pop some dandies. Among them were a youngster who caught a 4- to 5-pound smallmouth on a shiner at an undisclosed site; a lady who had a 4.5-pound largemouth on a minnow in the evening at Lake Maspenock (North Pond); and a couple of fellows who bagged a big largemouth and a nice pickerel on shiners at Lake Winthrop. The bike-ridin’ kids continued to have fun with a variety of species at Milford Pond and Louisa Lake. The kids especially enjoyed catching bullheads at Milford Pond. Rick also mentioned carp being taken on hair-rigged baits from shore at the Blackstone River.