Conference wahoo::fishing

            Yep, the trout are hitting all over the place. They're
    catching rainbows, some in excess of 16" in Forest lake. That's
    just one of the spots. I guess the trout are active all over as
    usual for this time of year. Try Plugs Pond or Forest lake in Mass.
    or N.H. try Big Island Pond, to name a few.
    
    
                     Bob

    Yep, they're up alright. Friend of mine got a 27" rainbow yesterday.
    That is some fish!!!!!!!!
    
    Crappie are getting ready to spawn too. I know that this weather
    won't keep up, but if it did...wow!! would we have a earlier and
    great bass spawn. As it now stands, the water is down so far that
    we will probably loss most of this years spawn.
    
    Tight lines, Ranger Ron

     I don't expect an answer to this, but where in Mass. can you find
    a 27" rainbow other than Wachusett and Quabbin (which are both closed)?
    
    
    --TSB

    To be honest, I really don't remember where he said he caught it.
    I can varify the size as he kept it and bought it in to the bar
    to show it off. If I had to guess at where, I would say Singletary
    in Millbury. Reason is, that is the lake he fishes the most.
    
    Ranger Ron

       There was a whopper tkaen at Fitchburg Rod and Gun a couple weeks
    ago. I believe it's in here somewhere.
                                                Denny

    
      Bob,
          Big Island pond is the one right over in Derry off of RT111
    right ?  There is no access to that pond that I can find, it's all
    privatly owned.  I fished there a couple of times last year with
    a person whom is no longer employed at DEC so I have sort of lost
    contact with him but he lived on the pond so we could get out there
    from his place. Where is the public access ??
    
      Kevin

    It's pay access, you pay a fee and get a key for the gate, never
    been there myself but it's a popular spot.  You by a key at the
    gas station on the corner... don't ask me which gas station at which
    corner though 8^)... someone in here should know though...donmac

    re.6      They actually is "NO" public access. There is a ramp set
    up for "FISHERMAN" only, and from what i've been told is strictly
    enforced. They do not allow pleasure boating from that ramp. You
    need to fill out an application and pay a fee which gives you a
    key for the padlock at the gate. To obtain these you must go to
    a garage on I believe 121A (take a right at the first light on 
    111 leaving Salem) it will be on the righthand side. Also they only
    give out so many keys per year.
    
                                                         Guy

    
     Sounds like a hassle, I'll do my fishing elswhere. 
    I just looked in the fish and game dept fishing guide and they
    listed big island pond as not haveing any trout. I suppose they
    are talking about places where they stock them and not where they
    occur naturaly. I noticed that they  didn't list to many for Hillsboro
    county.
    
     KH

       Mass started stocking Mar. 20th. Over 600,000 trout statewide.
    More than half are 12"+. Supposedly many 'whoppers'.
                                                Denny

    
        I  haven't had a chance to get out and fish much this year but
    it seems to me that no one is talking about catching much yet. I
    think in a lot of places the water level is to high to fish the
    rivers and also the haven't been many insects hatching yet. 
        I did hear about a 3.5 lb brown taken out of the Merrimack in
    Manchester. This was before all the rain and runoff had swollen
    the river toit's current unfishable level. 
        The guy I was talking to said something that made a lot of sense.
    He said that the Merrimack is one of the most underutilized rivers
    in the state. The fact of the matter is that a good number of the
    streams and rivers that are stocked buy the fish and game empty
    into the Merrimack. I would guess that lots and lots of trout and
    salmon eventualy make their to this river. Also in the past five
    or so years I hear that 5 million atlantic salmon have been stocked
    in anticipation of the fish ladder under construction at the power
    co. dam in manchester. This year will be the cleanest the rive has
    ever been because of the new sewage treatment plant in manchester,
    they were adding thier own brown trout, you know, the kind with
    no eyes or fins and they kinda just float along.
    

I WANT TO GO FISHING!

However, I want to go with a friend who recently moved to Sommerville, MA.
Can anyone recommend a good spot to catch trout and/or bass within an hour's
drive or so from Sommerville?  Preferably on the North East quarter of the
state.

Eagerly awaiting replies!

Tim

     Martin's pond and Foster's pond in the North Reading/Andover area
    are good bets. They're right off rte 125, but you can't see 'em,
    so ask at any gas station...
    
    --The Skoal Bandit

re: < Note 1063.13 by SAVVY::LUCIA "There are those who call me...Tim!" >
>
> However, I want to go with a friend who recently moved to Sommerville, MA.
> Can anyone recommend a good spot to catch trout and/or bass within an hour's
> drive or so from Sommerville?  Preferably on the North East quarter of the
> state.

	One place real close is Horn Pond in Woburn.  The water isn't the
	cleanest, but I had a few real good days catching rainbows there...

	Cruising along the shorline in the Scanoe with the electric motor
	running, trolling out far enough to not bother the shore fisherman 
	who weren't having much luck.   Wham!  Wham!   2 or 3 double-bingers
	(ie, we both hooked rainbows at the same time) with an audience!
	It's feels even better that way!  ;-)

	Black rooster tails with the off-white bodies and gold spoons 	
	are certified rainbow and brown catchers!

re: < Note 1063.2 by FOOZLE::SCHOLZ "Ron....and thanks for all the fish" >

>    Yep, they're up alright. Friend of mine got a 27" rainbow yesterday.
>    That is some fish!!!!!!!!
    
	Someone mentioned Singletary... that place has decent trout fishing,
	but I've never heard of anything nearly of that size from there,
	though anything's possible.   Maybe it was at Singletary Rod & Gun ?
	Up the street from the pond ?   I know they *stock* some 5 pounders
	there for their ice fishing derbies.  A good friend of mine is a member
	there.

     One place I forgot is Walden Pond in Concord, Ma, which has been
    "hot" lately, especially by the RR trestle. Corn, shiners, salmon
    eggs and worms seem to be the best baits, but I'd bet brass/fluorescent
    orange spoons would work too...
    
    --The skoal Bandit

    > .13..."places to go around somerville..."
    
    As for trout - you're on your own.  The Charles river has some Very
    good bass fishing.  Recent articles in the "Fisherman" have been
    impressive.  I've had good luck in the lakes section.  You can even
    rent a canoe in Newton.  ...hard to beat the Charles for urban angling

    
     Got a nice 12" squaretail last night out of the Merrimack river.
    I caught him at the mouth of one of the feeder streams that flow
    into the river near Litchfield. 
     It had nice color and didn't look like one of those stock trash
    fish that I always throw back so I kept him. What a mistake, it
    had a taste like the water smelled . Even though the flesh was a
    nice orangeish pink color the unmistakeable flavor over the
    merrimuck river was in it. Catch and release from now on in that
    river.
      Another point I wanted to note was the content of the bellie.
    He was feeding on and quite stuffed with small stone fly or may
    fly larva. Why it went for my mepps I'll never know because there
    were so many of them in his stomach that after I caught him the
    live ones he had just ate were still in its mouth.
    
    Kevin