Charles, better then I thought

[CO Fisher]

Walked down to the river right next to Boston. I caught at least 5 different kinds of fish and they where all hungry. There was nothing big enough to write home about, but still fun. Too bad there was more trash in the water then fish.

[IanB]

I fished the other side of the river from where you are, and it is just as productive. There are some big bass in there too, I have been into them up to 3-4lbs. on the fly.

IB

[CO Fisher]

I didn't get anything that big, but good to know that they are in there. Too bad they can't clean it up a bit.

[SteepBank]

your doing better than I am getting out at least....good job but this must be a change from CO fishing wise (Ive fished there a few times)...however, when the stripers get here in numbers you should have a blast

[albiejunkie]

Fished the Charles in the Newton Waltham area late last week. Caught a nice carp about 15lbs and lost one a bit bigger on a secret glow bug type fly. This time of year if you can get your hands on a canoe and pole you can have shots in the warm sunny days. Fish the shallow areas that don't see a lot of boat traffic. The Charles can be a great fishery, even better when the stripers show up!!!

[Slappy]

I think that the charles is hands down the best freshwater fishery in eastern MA. the variety, quantity, and quality of the fish is unmatched.

Keep at it and you will soon find some very productive spots.

[CO Fisher]

I would like to go down there and try and hook into a carp; never tried on a fly before. My last trip there was filled with a ton of fish, but mostly pretty small. I wish I would have had a 2 or 4wt. A 6wt is a little much for pan fish and some other guys I have never caught before. I don't think I will be able to get a canoe down there, but I am sure there are some good spots from shore.

[CO Fisher]

Huge change from CO, but I am trying to find out how to have a good time fishing here as well. There are bigger fish to be had here for sure...if those stripers show up soon.

your doing better than I am getting out at least....good job but this must be a change from CO fishing wise (Ive fished there a few times)...however, when the stripers get here in numbers you should have a blast

[albiejunkie]

If you can see the carp you can catch them. First chum the hell out of the water with small balls of bread. Pinch the balls slightly so they sink just under the surface. When the carp start tailing for the food just get your fly in front of it's nose. It takes some stealth but when things go in your favor and your line goes tight, you start to wonder why more people don't do this.

[IanB]

That fishing for carp down on the 'boston' part of the charles river is pretty difficult. I had about a pod of 10lb fish (at least) up under the Harvard bridge (mass ave) and they would not touch the bread I was throwing, never mind the fly I had. The carp really are great fish to catch (from what I hear!) but I have never hooked into one. Just thought I would vent my frustrations.

Also if you fish on the Charles long enough (down in the city area) you will eventually see a carp launch itself out of the water like a small mouth bass does when it is fighting really hard. It happens from about now, till the end of the summer, so when you see/hear that huge splash/rise. You now know what the heck it is, a Carp! This took two seasons to figure out (since it rarely happens right in front of you, and they don't jump more than once)

[CO Fisher]

In the lakes back in CO the carp would always dance. Usually when it got windy they would start shooting themselves out of the water. Didn't find out if they where eating or what. Never had one jump while on the line though...if they did I bet more people would give them some respect.


That fishing for carp down on the 'boston' part of the charles river is pretty difficult. I had about a pod of 10lb fish (at least) up under the Harvard bridge (mass ave) and they would not touch the bread I was throwing, never mind the fly I had. The carp really are great fish to catch (from what I hear!) but I have never hooked into one. Just thought I would vent my frustrations.

Also if you fish on the Charles long enough (down in the city area) you will eventually see a carp launch itself out of the water like a small mouth bass does when it is fighting really hard. It happens from about now, till the end of the summer, so when you see/hear that huge splash/rise. You now know what the heck it is, a Carp! This took two seasons to figure out (since it rarely happens right in front of you, and they don't jump more than once)

[PMcHallam]

And if you want to venture out to the wilds of "MetroWest", you can even fish for trout, even places to wade on gravelly bottoms, in fast water - feels just like Colorado, I bet - well, not quite, probably, but it's a nice resource to have close by. Areas in South Natick, Norfolk, Millis, Medway, Medfield are all stocked by the state, in many of the place where bridges cross the roads. And as much of the land in this region immediately adjacent to the river is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers for flood control, there's long stretches of relatively low development for some nice paddles.

Anyone who wants to learn more about the state of the river, get involved, I'ld urge them to check out www.crwa.org site.

Pat