Last weekend was a bit cooler, and then bam back into second summer this week! The fishing has fluctuated, let’s dive into the details!
Tim was out on local Congamond where water temperatures were 68 – 69 degrees. He said that his game plan was to try to fish deeper using his forward facing sonar to get some practice with it and although he was able to locate fish, they weren’t interested in what he was throwing. Then he cruised down a shoreline with a good drop off and noted some fish on the sonar; he dropped a drop shot down and got a nice thump that ended up being about a 2 pounder. Next, Tim moved over to some offshore humps where he hauled water so he picked up and moved to a different part of the lake and started throwing a finesse jig around weeds. I’m not a jig fisherman so I was forcing myself to use it. Voila! Another 2 pounder on the jig! Tim’s last stop before trailering was the marina where he caught 2 bass on a Texas rigged stick worm. All in all not a bad day. Sometimes you need to force yourself to fish your weaknesses in order to gain some confidence. That’s what I did today, albeit baby steps.
Shawn the Fisherman got out three times since the last report, to three different waters all up da ‘shires and all under different weather conditions. His first stop was a return (check this week’s Jigs & Bigs “Just the Tip” segment) to the pond he did so well at last week. Bass jigs with craw trailers were on the menu again. This time tho, conditions were miserable, and after catching a couple decent pickerel and a meh largemouth, Shawn the rain had drenched him to the point of uncontrollable shivering, so he called it a day.
His second stop was to one of his favorite multispecies lakes on the opening day of the J&B nationwide October Scavenger Hunt. Shawn said that he had trout in mind, but after a lap around the water on a clear, relatively calm day with the numerous recreational kayakers sharing the water, he had successfully found 4 species other than trout: bluegill, largemouth, yellow perch, and a couple massive pickerel on a dropshot rigged with a 3 inch worm.
Finally, he stopped into what he said is slowly becoming one of his favorite lakes to fish in search of some pike action; Onota in Pittsfield. Shawn said that when he arrived he discovered that the state had recently stocked with trout, but unfortunately he didn’t have any luck, so he headed out for his pike. He caught a surprise channel catfish (they’ll hit a lure every so often) and a trio of pike lurking offshore near some dense weeds. My personal theory is that having a population of Northerns in a waterbody increases aggression of other species, and Onota is no exception. If you head up into the mountains, you’ll be greeted with some epic peak-season leaf displays and some fantastic fishing. Keep in mind that these 2 things will also be drawing a lot of folks to the same area, so be sure to be exercise extra patience with the pumpkin spice crowd!
Jerry got out in Berkshires a few times this week, reporting that water temps Saturday were as low as 54 degrees, and that in just four days they were back in the mid 60’s. Saturday Jerry caught six bass on black and blue ned and neko rigged soft plastics. On Sunday Jerry went chasing multi species on a large clearwater lake in Lee where he caught some largemouth and smallmouth bass, bluegill, and rainbow trout. He reported that the bluegill, trout, and smallmouth were in fifteen to twenty feet of weather and largies were shallow in only five feet of water. Jerry’s next outing was on Ashmere lake Monday evening looking for crappie and perch but said that the bite was really poor, only catching three small fish: a pickerel, smallmouth, and rock bass. Last but not least, on Wednesday afternoon Jerry fished my local hill town lake for a couple hours where the bite was excellent. He landed six largemouth up shallow, eight rock bass, and a few yellow perch all on drop shot rig with green pumpkin soft plastics and nightcrawlers. There’s still plenty of time to get out fishing and enjoy the outdoors this fall.
Don’t forget to check out the MA Trout Stocking page for all the updates on the fall stocking program! They have been loading the water with fish, and they make for a tasty meal! Saturday looks like a washout and Sunday has some rain, but if you are lucky enough to be off Monday for the holiday, it looks like perfect fishing weather!
Good luck out there folks!
Wild Woman 