need info re lakes/rivers near arlington

[e-sea-e]

so, I just moved to arlington this past september and have a place to store my jonboat, so now I dont have to keep it up at my parents house in danvers. I can now start planning the attack on the lakes/rivers i n/around the arlington area.

problem is, I dont know this area at all.

looking for recomendations on where to start fishing for bass when april or ice out comes (six more weeks six more weeks six more weeks)

looking to find places where their is a proper ramp, gas motors allowed- but I do have electric- anywhere remotely close to arlington, say, less than an hour away.

I have already checked out these lakes/rivers

mystic lakes/river,
horn pond, woburn,
spy pond, arlington

also really looking for info on the charles or any other rivers that hold good bass and or pike.

thanks guys,

e-sea-e

[teflon_jones]

I used to live in that area until last summer. Let me start with two of the ponds you have listed:
mystic lakes/river - The river is ok for fishing, but I never had great luck. The upper mystic lake is pretty good though, but in the summer it gets very busy with boat traffic. It's also pretty deep and doesn't offer a lot of easy spots to find fish. Overall, it's still a good fishing pond though. The two upper basins are very shallow, and very dirty. I wouldn't bother fishing them! For the most part though the lower basin has some good fishing since it's mostly used for recreational boating, not for fishing. It gets very deep in the center (85'), and in general slopes away from the shore pretty uniformly and steeply to the deepest point in the dead center. Fishing a sinking line with a woolly bugger or streamer just out of casting distance of shore is probably your best bet.

spy pond, arlington - This is a very good fishing water. You can't use a motor on it, but it's small enough that you really don't need one. Your best bet in this pond is poppers or streamers in the spring on a floating or intermediate line, and streamers or woolly buggers on sinking lines as the water warms up. It gets to a little over 30 ft in the deepest spots. There's a big island in the center that has a lot of good fishing around it.

The Charles has more great fishing spots than I can even begin to tell you. It's probably the best fishing water around metro Boston. What kind of fishing are you looking for? There's a lot of different spots that will offer you different kinds of fish and fishing.

[Slappy]

Eric,
The advantage of the charles is that you don't have to wait as long for ice out. Cambridge/Boston should be fishable after the next big rainstorm. That is the best FW fishing in new england that I have found. Watertown gets pounded pretty hard because of the herring, but the rest of it is very lightly fished, unlike upstream in Waltham which also takes a pounding.

the Mystics tend to have some large bass because of the alewife populations and tend to be underfished. The mystic river is a sewer, but probably has some good fishing.

but why would anyone want to catch bass when the carp are feeding? --126-3-

[PMcHallam]

Sudbury River has some good bass fishing as well - there's a ramp where Rt 117 crosses it, if you go upstream, I believe, just a short ways, it opens up into a large area called Fairhaven Bay whihc has a lot of lily pads and other good bass environment, and the main river body holds bass as well. I forget if you can actually drive down to the ramp, however - it might just be a carry-in. There's other ramps at the various bridges which cross the river, off of RT 20, for example.

Pat M.

[boba]

E-sea-e.
How do you plan to fish? from shore? a powerboat, kayak/canoe/float tube? How high/low are your standards?
If you have a canoe or kayak, the confluence of the Assabet and Sudbury (which form the Concord River) has good bass fishing. Fishing from shore is possible but frustrating.
The upper Charles near Route 128 does have pike. Once I was playing around with my then very young son catching small pumpkinseeds on a fly when a pike, bigger than my arm both in length and width, engulfed the sunfish and broke me off in a millisecond. The lower Charles has herring, bass and stripers in season, as do the lower Mystic.
Spy Pond has tiger muskie and some very large bass. I just can't bother to put up with the weeds when the water warms up.
The Aberjona River just above Upper Mystic Lake produced a state record bass a while ago from shore, although I couldn't put up with fishing there. The lowest part of the Mystic just below the Amelia Earhardt Dam will defintely produce stripers from shore even now, but I can no longer bring myself to fish there either (too ugly and too much trash and no way do I want to put a fly line there). I used to catch stripers on bait and plugs in Dec. and Jan. from the lowest part of the Mystic just as it enters Boston Harbor on the bridge by the Everett power plant. I wouldn't fish there now, but if you are desperate, you could consider it.
If you are a salty flyfisher, check out Jack Gartside's self-published book on flyfishing Boston harbor. If you are a freshwater fisher, search this site and others for Ron Power's articles on fishing Arlington and Greater Boston.
Tight lines,

[BluesCruiser]

here's a few http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/dfw_pond.htm

[e-sea-e]

guys: thanks for the info, if anyone else has suggestions, keep it coming! I am really excited about fishing this new area, I will let you all know how I do. As much as I love the ocean, freshwater is really where I got started, and I love discovering new areas to fish.

I may be sending PMs to you fall or more info, so check your PMs.

thanks again!!

e-sea-e

[flymaster3]

I agree on spy pond easy to fish.
You might want to try Jamacia Pond in JP there is a small
ramp and gas motors are not allowed the most boat traffic
is from the row rentals. anf there is lot of room from the shores.
You can't beat the Charles River for varity of fish if you realy
want to bend a rod check out the herring run in May at the falls
in watertown square large strippers come all the way down from
the locks to feed some large keepers where caught in 04 from
the shores or wadeing.

flymaster3

[flymaster3]

I agree on spy pond easy to fish.
You might want to try Jamacia Pond in JP there is a small
ramp and gas motors are not allowed the most boat traffic
is from the row rentals. anf there is lot of room from the shores.
You can't beat the Charles River for varity of fish if you realy
want to bend a rod check out the herring run in May at the falls
in watertown square large strippers come all the way down from
the locks to feed some large keepers where caught in 04 from
the shores or wadeing.

flymaster3
fish for fun..........fish to eat ......but fish

[charlesrats]

Hi, GO to www.alongthecharles.com The most complete rundown about the Charles there is. Also, search MASSWILDLIFE link into maps, best bets, and REGULATIONS AND BAG LIMITS. Environmental and vocal enforcement along with volunteer groups will be ever present starting this season to stop the poaching and over-harvesting of River Herring and Striped Bass. Display your valid fresh water fishing license as a sign that you are one of the good guys. Remember, your license fee DOES NOT GO INTO THE GENERAL FUND OF THE COMMONWEALTH. It goes to support our pursuits of fishing, hunting, camping, hiking, bird watching, and boat launch facilities. Example, check out the almost complete launch park at Woerd Ave., Waltham (Charles River). YOUR LICENSE FEE HELPED PAY FOR THAT! NOT SOME POLITICAL HAND-OUT. Interested in joining our organization email us at RWVOFMA@YAHOO.COM

[charlesrats]

Attention To All Alewive Pursuers, In Particular The Poachers And Over-harvesters, Until Now Have Assaulted These Migrating Fish. The Mystic And Charles Rivers Will Have New Updated Signage Regarding Regulations And Harvest Limits. Second, Enforcement Coverage Will Be Greatly Increased, Especially At The Waterown Dam. Just Because You Can't See Them Does Not Mean They Not There. Park Rangers And Local Authorities Will Also Be Part Of The Enforcement Efforts. We Can No Longer Stand For People Coming From Fitchburg, Fall River, N.h., And R.i. To Decimate What's Left Of Our River Herring. But, Please Remember, Any And All, No Matter Where You Are From, You Are Welcome To Come And Partake In The Herring Fishery For Your Personal Use. Follow The Rules Or As I Have Been Informed, Citations Will Be Issued, Strong Probability Of Confiscation Of Equipment And Vehicles, And Arrests Of Major Violations. Yes, Commercial Fishermen Are Partly To Blame For The Extremely Low Numbers Of Herring, But, As Recreational Fishermen We Can Police Our Own Ranks. To Do Your Part And Help Restore The River Herring. Email:rwvofma@yahoo.com For More Information. we Are Not "tree Huggers" Think I'm Joking, Herring Harvest In The State Waters Of Conn. As Been Shut Down Completely At Least Until 2006. Zero!! None!!

[albacized]

Attention To All Alewive Pursuers, In Particular The Poachers And Over-harvesters, Until Now Have Assaulted These Migrating Fish. The Mystic And Charles Rivers Will Have New Updated Signage Regarding Regulations And Harvest Limits. Second, Enforcement Coverage Will Be Greatly Increased, Especially At The Waterown Dam. Just Because You Can't See Them Does Not Mean They Not There. Park Rangers And Local Authorities Will Also Be Part Of The Enforcement Efforts. We Can No Longer Stand For People Coming From Fitchburg, Fall River, N.h., And R.i. To Decimate What's Left Of Our River Herring. But, Please Remember, Any And All, No Matter Where You Are From, You Are Welcome To Come And Partake In The Herring Fishery For Your Personal Use. Follow The Rules Or As I Have Been Informed, Citations Will Be Issued, Strong Probability Of Confiscation Of Equipment And Vehicles, And Arrests Of Major Violations. Yes, Commercial Fishermen Are Partly To Blame For The Extremely Low Numbers Of Herring, But, As Recreational Fishermen We Can Police Our Own Ranks. To Do Your Part And Help Restore The River Herring. Email:rwvofma@yahoo.com For More Information. we Are Not "tree Huggers" Think I'm Joking, Herring Harvest In The State Waters Of Conn. As Been Shut Down Completely At Least Until 2006. Zero!! None!!

I sincerely hope you're not referring to the Bait Bucket (of Waltham fame) recruits who'll look the other way if offered a beer.