-
If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership The benefits pay for the membership many times over.
-
Be sure to enter the NES/MFS May Giveaway ***Canik METE SFX***
Quabbin Reservoir
- Thread starter Mikey
- Start date
Thanks guys, I have two weeks off starting today (out of work at noon). I will be in vermont next week but plan on getting some fishing in the second week but there is just not a lot of places close (within mins.) to Ware.
So I guess the best thing to do is pick a spot and go for it.
So I guess the best thing to do is pick a spot and go for it.
Patriot
NES Member
Can you get a topographical map online? If you can I'd print one out and use your finder to start with sunken islands, sharp drop offs, etc. and use the standard new lake approach.
Biggest thing I heard about Quabbin is that is BIG and easy to get frustrated trying to find fish. Early AM or evening is probably your best bet. I'm sure there'll be lots of daytime boat traffic no matter where you go.
I hear there are monster smallies there too.
Biggest thing I heard about Quabbin is that is BIG and easy to get frustrated trying to find fish. Early AM or evening is probably your best bet. I'm sure there'll be lots of daytime boat traffic no matter where you go.
I hear there are monster smallies there too.
Hi Mike,
Quabbin is one of my favorite places to fish. Theres a great variety of species and water types to fish, from deep trolling MONSTER lakers to topwater largemouth action. For bass, pickerel, panfish etc. I would stick to gates 31 and 43 (hardwick). Gate 43 has 2 sides to it, the main "big" side on the left and the smaller pond side on the right. I've had great success with both, but the pond side can get "small" for a whole day of fishing. It also tends to weed up as the summer progresses and get taken over by pickerel. I probably pulled 25-30 3-5lb pickerel out of there one afternoon. It was fun at first, but it felt too much like catching the same fish over and over haha.
The larger side of gate 43 has several different ways it can be fished... bottom structure (if you're good at reading the fish finder) and just working coves, points, visible structures etc. The water is ULTRA clear, so any tactics you might have for clear water fishing... use them here! I usually have pretty good luck pulling off the boat launch and hugging the right bank. You'll soon come to a relatively large cove that is shaped like a bowl. At the bottom of that bowl are usually some good sized smallies (3-4lbs). Around the edge and through the weeds there's a good blend of largemouth and pickerel. I'll usually rip a spinnerbait through the middle and see if i get any takers, then slow it down with a yamamoto senko or similar soft bait. A real hot sunny day will drive them out of that cove though, so start early. As the day progresses I usually try any of the rocky points. Almost always pull a smallie off of one of those. Clear across from the coves on the right you can find some rocky walls (at the foot of the dams) that you can troll up and down casting a diving crankbait or working it slow with a plastic jig. They drop off pretty fast and hold a ton of baitfish, so there's usually something waiting just below.
There's a ton of water to fish at Quabbin, so it might take a few trips out to start developing a productive pattern but it's SO worth it. No speed boaters, jet skis, or ole man rivers' sitting in his cottage with a shotgun shoo'in you away from catching "his" bass. haha.
Have fun!
Quabbin is one of my favorite places to fish. Theres a great variety of species and water types to fish, from deep trolling MONSTER lakers to topwater largemouth action. For bass, pickerel, panfish etc. I would stick to gates 31 and 43 (hardwick). Gate 43 has 2 sides to it, the main "big" side on the left and the smaller pond side on the right. I've had great success with both, but the pond side can get "small" for a whole day of fishing. It also tends to weed up as the summer progresses and get taken over by pickerel. I probably pulled 25-30 3-5lb pickerel out of there one afternoon. It was fun at first, but it felt too much like catching the same fish over and over haha.
The larger side of gate 43 has several different ways it can be fished... bottom structure (if you're good at reading the fish finder) and just working coves, points, visible structures etc. The water is ULTRA clear, so any tactics you might have for clear water fishing... use them here! I usually have pretty good luck pulling off the boat launch and hugging the right bank. You'll soon come to a relatively large cove that is shaped like a bowl. At the bottom of that bowl are usually some good sized smallies (3-4lbs). Around the edge and through the weeds there's a good blend of largemouth and pickerel. I'll usually rip a spinnerbait through the middle and see if i get any takers, then slow it down with a yamamoto senko or similar soft bait. A real hot sunny day will drive them out of that cove though, so start early. As the day progresses I usually try any of the rocky points. Almost always pull a smallie off of one of those. Clear across from the coves on the right you can find some rocky walls (at the foot of the dams) that you can troll up and down casting a diving crankbait or working it slow with a plastic jig. They drop off pretty fast and hold a ton of baitfish, so there's usually something waiting just below.
There's a ton of water to fish at Quabbin, so it might take a few trips out to start developing a productive pattern but it's SO worth it. No speed boaters, jet skis, or ole man rivers' sitting in his cottage with a shotgun shoo'in you away from catching "his" bass. haha.
Have fun!
Thanks mdh that is some good advice.
I was thinking of heading up and doing some offshore fishing to check it out and then grab my little crawdad and planned on staying in some of the smaller areas around gate 43 in the Pottapuag area.
I was thinking of heading up and doing some offshore fishing to check it out and then grab my little crawdad and planned on staying in some of the smaller areas around gate 43 in the Pottapuag area.
You could have a great day in pottapaug with a crawdad. Just make sure they'll allow it... I'm not sure off hand. Quabbin has pretty strict rules. I'm not sure about the pottapaug side, but I know for sure the minimum boat size on the main side of 43 is 14'5" for one or 2 ppl.
The shore fishing is somewhat limited but I've heard of people taking some fish from shore so they can be found!
The shore fishing is somewhat limited but I've heard of people taking some fish from shore so they can be found!
