A river in Mashpee

[Scorton Angler]

I would understand that there is a creek/river in Mashpee, a portion of which the Cape TU chapter maintains for catch and release brook trout. Am I right on this, and from whom can I find out more about fishing it?

[MKDeceiver]

Does the creek run into the ocean?

[Scorton Angler]

Yes, it's a creek that runs along Route 28 just near the Mashpee/Falmouth town line, and I just can't think of the name of it, but I know I once read somewhere that TU maintains brook trout in it. I've done very little fly fishing for trout, since I spend all my free time in the surf, but if there were a way so convenient to get exposed to fly casting to trout, I'd probably give it a try.

BTW, I think where I read about this was in a magazine, but not one of the more popular ones--something like New England Fish and Game, or some such title.

[David Churbuck]

Yup, it's called the Mashpee River, aka the Mashpee herring run, flowing out of Mashpee-Wakeby Pond.

I have put in many a hopeful hour south of Route 28 (accessed through the parking lot off of Rte 28 on the road into Cotuit). It's a beautiful conservation area known as the Mashpee River Woodlands.

The bottom is pretty mucky where the water turns brackish.

Apparently Daniel Webster liked to fish the Mashpee River way back when.

I have never seen a fish, let alone caught one in there. But there are searuns in the neighborhood as I witnessed one caught at the entrance to Popponesset Bay one May long ago. It's worth a try, if not for aesthetic reasons only.
dcc

[Scorton Angler]

Thanks. That sounds like what I'd heard, although, as in most magazine articles, they made it sound like the fish were prolific and starving, which your note suggests may not be the case.

[MKDeceiver]

If you pick up a Cape Cod Map and take a look at rte 28 in Falmouth/Mashpee area, you will see a # of rivers that cross under. The Childs is one that comes to mind, I think the Coonamesett is another. All of these rivers at one time held sea run trout. I'm not sure if they even stock these anymore with fingerlings. I've explored, looking for those trout in January before. Came up empty as I have many times on my sea run trout exploration trips.

Quick story, we were fishing Scorton earlier this year, like late April. Catching schoolie stripers one after another. Out of the blue my friend tied into, roughly a 22 inch sea run brown. Oh my, most gorgeous fish I've ever seen in my life!!!!

[Scorton Angler]

I was fishing Scorton Creek in August in the middle of the night, right along the rip-rap at its mouth, when a guy using spinning tackle across the creek from me takes a brown trout. I was astonished; he didn't think it was a big deal ans wished it'd been a schoolie.

I know the hatchery folks put browns in the creek in the spring, because in April there were people taking tons of little 10-inch ones out from the pool just south of Rt6A where the creek turns sharply east. But real sea-runs is another story. Maybe some few of those fingerlings make a go of it. It's one of those good mysteries, but like you, I can confirm first hand that it's only a mystery, not a myth.

[David Churbuck]

I used to be obsessed with searun browns and in the pre-web days on alt.fishing, someone kindly sent me a photocopy of a very comprehensive article on fishing for them on the Cape. For the life of me I can't recall the author or the publication.

Long and short of it: true searuns are pretty rare. Scorton Creek is allegedly stocked, and according to one old timer, when the pumps would fail at the state hatchery in Sandwich the fingerlings would get dumped into the creek to give them something of a chance. I've heard lots of discussion about the Sandwich strain of trout, but don't remember enough to spout off here.

On the southside, the Coonamesset is worth a try. I've fished it in the winter and it was the object of a major restoration project by TU in the 80s and 90s. Apparently there was someone in the hatchery program who would "shock" the streams to collect searuns for brood stock.

I dunno, trout have never turned me on enough for me to continue to flog around the marshes (and nearly die in the mosquito trenches) and curse the trees along the streams for eating my backcasts. Give me an angry bluefish any day. When it's winter I'd rather tie some flies than shiver while watching my line freeze in the guides.