Piscatorial pursuits in the salt may be on ice but it’s skim ice that has the interest of anglers out west. With plummeting water temperatures, most who are looking for action are banking on trout. There still is a sliver of saltwater opportunities but it’s restricted to smelt/mackerel inshore and tautog which are getting deeper by the day.

Massachusetts Saltwater Fishing Report

The last contributing captain standing for this report is sadly calling it a year. On Sunday Captain Jason Colby along with the crew composed of Jim Wright and yours truly, hit the Buzzards Bay tog grounds hard and while we limited out on blackfish we came up short on the brown bomber front. Considering how hot the tautog fishing had been it was almost a foregone conclusion that we’d limit out on whitechins but we were hoping to add a few white-bellied cod to the Little Sister cooler. Seizing a benevolent break in the Buzzards Bay seas, Jason pointed his bow towards The Trench which was a 30 mile haul from port in Westport.

Lisa from Fore River Fishing Tackle in Quincy told me that she’s still selling sabiki rigs and old-school bamboo smelt rods. Holding one of those throwback rods is comparable to holding a hand-line, which was tackle de rigueur for flounder during the glory days, and a window into how generations of anglers fished in Massbay.

Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing Report

Thankfully freshwater fishing is taking up the slack of the lack of saltwater options. Pete from Belsan Bait and Tackle in Scituate told me that it’s all about trout with Plymouth being the money location. For rainbows, the best bets are Fearing and Little ponds, while for the chance at a significant brown trout it’s hard to top Long Pond. As for warm water species, some kids have been grabbing shiners from the shop and tugging in impressive largemouth from the smattering of cranberry bogs which dot the South Shore.

Eric from Lunkers in Ashland said that some have their sights set on pike in both Heard Pond and the Sudbury River. Two other toothy locations to consider are Fairhaven Bay and Spy Pond. Rainbow trout are cooperating at Lake Cochituate, Ashland Reservoir and Hopkinton Reservoir. Rene from Bridge Road Bait in Salisbury said that Artichoke Reservoir has been productive for pickerel, bass and panfish. Trout enthusiasts are doing well at Sluice Pond, Baldpate, Stiles and Forest Lake. Haverhill has no shortage of stocked ponds either. Regarding Haverhill, that cities all-encompassing watershed – the Merrimack River – has no shortage of pike with the fish getting especially active just prior to ice setting up. Even in recent years, solid ice occasionally sets up among oxbows and current breaks by islands in December, stay tuned! In between selling a myriad of Kastmaster sizes and colors.

Eddie of B&A Bait and Tackle Co. in West Boylston is keeping one eye on the Thomas Basin and said that skim ice has already formed in some stretches! While a reservoir-wide freeze is certainly not what we want, especially now that December’s open, it’s a hint of what might be in the offing in some smaller water bodies. Meanwhile at the Chu some anglers are complaining about skinny lakers: relax, those fish have just spawned out and will gain girth soon! In addition to lakers, smallmouth bass are still being caught especially by Gate 7. In fact if Eddie had to pick one spot to focus in on period, it would be the gates off Route 70.

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Josh from The Fishing Hole in South Hadley also has ice on the brain and beginning next week he’s going to be doing a bit of recon in the Berkshires as well as over the border. Meanwhile with water temperatures now hovering around 40 degrees, bass and carp in the Connecticut River are a tough find but pike remain on the prowl. In time Josh is going to give us the goods on oxbows and other setbacks along the river which lock up early and produce pike and walleye. As for now, the top target out west is river trout in the Swift as well as the Deerfield. Browns, rainbows and their cousins may be considered cold water gamefish but temperature still matters insofar as finding consistent prey so look for tailwater tributaries to the main branch of rivers and you’ll find warmer water and more fish.

I also placed a call to Martin Farrell who last year took over the bait/wisdom dolling position held by Jim from JCB Bait for years. Martin will again be stocking shiners/suckers for everything from Hilltown rainbows to Cheshire Reservoir pike. The latter is really his calling because he just happens to be situated on the banks of Cheshire Reservoir!

Massachusetts Fishing Forecast

Tautog is one of those species which outlast most fishermen! The conundrum once you get into the 12th month is not only the weather but whereabouts of those whitechins as they migrate onto offshore wintering grounds. Once settled into a rockpile, chasm in a ledge, or remnants of a wreck, they cease to feed. In fact a DMF biologist told me that tog at that time become so dormant that if one were enclosed in a cage that was dropped off a pier the fish would likely survive the winter with little fanfare. We are not there yet but for the rest of the late fall/early winter expect to find tog schooled up tightly in deep structure of 70-100’. The fishing won’t be easy but then again, nothing is when it comes to this unique wrasse. The other salty option remains as it has been for weeks – smelt/mackerel off of docks/wharves and piers. Smelt usually occupy the night shift while mackerel take over during diurnal hours. Trout that had been holding tight to deep water are usually now but a cast away. On the South Shore consider Long Pond in Plymouth or Fearing’s. From Boston through Metrowest strong options are Ashland Reservoir and Walden Pond. Farther north Sluice Pond can be strong as can be Baldpate and Forest. Skim ice in Central Mass has some anglers dreaming of hardwater but not all are as Chu lakers begin to fatten up after spending energy spawning. Father west pike are in predate mode in the Connecticut River while tailwater trout are a fly fisherman’s best friend.