Is the Charles River in Watertown fishable?

[hendog]

Hello all-

Has anybody tried fishing the Charles around the Brighton/Watertown/Waltham area with any success or heard of somebody who has? I've heard the water quality has gotten much better but on my jogs around the river trails I still see trash floating around and murky waters. :confused:

thanks in advance for any info.

[Lurch]

I fished in Waltham a few years ago and the bass fishing was great. From what I understand that portion of the river is called the "lake district" or somthing like that. The reason for the name is becasue the river flows very slowly and does not look like your typical river.

After taking a tour of the mills of Lowell many many years ago I found out that the Charles river was going to be the hub of the industrial revolution but becasue the river flowed so slowly companies had issues generating power and sending commerce down the river. The slow Charles river forced the Industrialist to choose the mighty Merrimack instead as the Mac has a swifter current.

Another historical note....the forest areas around Lowell, Dracut and Tyngsboro were cut down to clear buildings for the industrial revolution and that wood was shipped to Newburyport for the ship building industry.

[Slappy]

The watertown area is always a good spot, but it depends what you want to catch! The water is probably still high, but I am sure things are starting to happen. This is a good area for smallmouths, but if you catch one over a pound it will be a whopper. March--May is when the suckers spawn, they will hit spinners and flies this time of year and they fight pretty hard. Most are 1-3 lbs with an occasional bigger one. Tons of other species in that stretch as well, but the quality of fishing will depend on the water temp. The area has become fairly heavily fished in recent years.

[bigbonita]

Hello all-

Has anybody tried fishing the Charles around the Brighton/Watertown/Waltham area with any success or heard of somebody who has? I've heard the water quality has gotten much better but on my jogs around the river trails I still see trash floating around and murky waters. :confused:

thanks in advance for any info.

i haven't been there yet this year. however, it's been my experience that after some big rains like we've had lately, it takes a week or more for the river to settle down. i usually fish the watertown stretch beginning with carp, and then stripers when they show up below the falls. the problem at that stretch is the river is faster flowing (likely due to the narrowness of it at that point) in normal conditions. when i carp fish, i don't use a weight, just a ball of dough on a hook and there's no way that can avoid being swept around back to the banks. as someone else already mentioned, there is a reasonable small mouth fishery from this point going all the way back to waltham, below the moody st dam. moving up river from there, the big rains have less affect on the flow (although there is still a faster flow). this area is more fishable than points below the moody st dam in waltham going past watertown sq. there are many spots to fish. pike and bass are the prime larger game fish with calicos and other pan fish extremely abundant. all it takes is one good warm spell like what is currently occuring to open up things in that wider, lazier part of the river. i must add that i'm primarily a saltwater guy who mostly fished around these coves during evenings after work when time didn't allow to hit a good saltwater spot. hence, i haven't fully explored that region as much as i could. however, it was convenient because i lived in waltham. we have now bought a house in framingham and i probably won't be fishing those areas anymore, with the exception of the watertown carp and striper thing-i fully intend on enjoying that fishery. anyway, i hope that helps
rich

[JAY420]

Hell yeah its fishable. The water level is still pretty high but there are some real big carp in the deeper pools. The stripers will be here soon and they come in strong, the secret is knowing when. Ive fished the stripers the last three years and have done pretty well. The secret is not telling anyone because it gets crowded quick. The best time is mid week late at night. They will also take a fly.

[AdamFishes]

woa stripers in watertown. can you give me some info on this? I work in newton and durring the week it would be cool to go catch a few when they get up this way. Although the weekend Id rather be at a nicer more nature like spot......you can email me at Reed422@aol.com that would be awesome. THANKS!

[Ray]

I work right across the street from the watertown herring run now. Will be throwing the rods in the truck frequently!!!

Water is high, and rising today!!

[troutmaster2004]

The Basin in Watertown Square is the end of the herring run, if you plan on fishing there, make sure you have your license. Over the past few years, I have seen the game warden on a regular basis.

Carp fishing is the favorite sport right off the dock in the square, oatmeal balls have been harvesting 10-13 pounders.

The bass fishing has been sparse. 1-2lb large mouth on worms and grubs.

As the herring start coming from the ocean, the banks on the Arsenal Mall side are loaded with fisherman after the Strippers, te best bet is just past the old army area by the brighton line off solider field road.

Happy Fishing :brow

[AdamFishes]

whats happening down there these days?