Massachusetts Fishing

If you are competitive or laid back, if you choose to be alone or with friends, if you are young or old, if you if you choose to release or keep, if you are a man, woman or child, from the boat or from shore, for work or for pleasure, from salt or freshwater you can enjoy the wonder of fishing.

Sport fishing at both deep-sea and freshwater is a popular experience from mid-April through the end of October due to the state’s long shoreline.  Fishing continues for Bass, pickerel, pan fish and trout.  There were almost 200,000 fishing licenses obtained in 1998.

Sunfish:  BluegillBlack crappie (Calico Bass)

Pumpkinseed (commonly known as Kibbie or Kiver in New England.) Rockfish.  Sunfish are the commonly most sought after, freshwater pan fish in Massachusetts. They are scrappy fighting fish and a joy to catch. 

The "black bass" is really not a true bass at all.  They are so named due to the fact that as fry they are indeed black and hover over their nests until they are ready to venture out.  They are really a member of the sunfish family.  However, they are not as short or round as the ordinary sunfish. 

Largemouth Bass is really great eating whether baked or fried.  Some folks use the catch and release system because they seek out these game fish strictly for a victory in a professional bass tournament.  The largemouth bass prefers mud or sandy-bottom habitats with hardly any current.  The want plenty of vegetation and covering.  They vary in shade, but their overall pattern includes a broad dark line along its side.  The upper mandible extends beyond the eye when the mouth is closed.  On the other hand, the Smallmouth Bass

chooses fairly clear cool water and is happy living in rivers and streams.  It prefers rocky or gravely bottoms with little or no vegetation.   The smallmouth bass varies in color from dark bronze to bright green mostly with a small light chevron on the operculum.  The upper mandible doesn't not extend beyond the eye when the mouth is closed. 

Perch:  Massachusetts has two abundant tasty species of perch.  The

yellow perch, a true perch is related to both the tessellated darter  that dwells on stream bottoms and the other is the popular game fish the walleye.   It is easy to distinguish with its yellowish sides and dark zebra bands. There are a lot of yellow perch and they are found in many ponds and lakes.  It is agreed by most anglers that it is one of the

best tasting fish.  Actually, the white perch is a member of the true bass family. It is kin to the famous striped bass.  The white perch is greenish black on its back with bright chrome unmarked sides.  The white perch are found dwelling in coastal bays and estuaries that move up river to spawn in fresh or brackish waters every spring.  They do not require flowing water to reproduce their young.

Catfish:  Catfish have broad mouths with whiskers on their top and bottom of their mouths. They have no scales and have an adipose fin.  They defend themselves by erecting and locking into place a sharp spiny dorsal fin.  If punctured by these spines the would is painful and slow-to-heal.   Catfish have scent-detecting cells imbedded in their skins, especially around their mouths. During the day they rest under logs, weeds and shade.  When the sun sets, they become busy looking for something to eat.  They have a tendency to swallow the hook.  Catfish taste so good they are farmed commercially   They are very easy to clean.  Pan-frying recipes are the choice of many cooks in New England.  The largest catfish family in Massachusetts is the streamlined White

Catfish The Bullhead, called the horned pout in New England are the most abundant catfish and are found in practically all freshwater habitats.  Dark chin

whiskers identify this one as a brown bullhead.  The yellow bullhead has white chin whiskers and a convex tail.

Channel Catfish are usually identifiable by their large eyes, deeply forked tail and streamlined shape.

Pike:  Pike are ambush predators with an explosive takeoff.  They hide in wait in the edges of weed beds that conceal them while still giving them a clear view of their prey as well as their enemies.  They have long, torpedo shaped bodies with opposing dorsal and anal fins positioned  near the back of the tail.  They have a duck-billed long snout with a large number of teeth that are sharp and ready to grasp prey. 

Chain Pickerel are found in most waters and have the dark "teardrop" as an identification feature.    It can live up to five years and weight up to 9 lbs. 5 oz.

the state record. The Northern Pike is one of Massachusetts largest freshwater fish.   The largest caught in the state of Massachusetts weighed an awesome 35 pounds.    The Northern Pike prefers flooded grassland and meadows  for spring spawning, causing them to be limited in Massachusetts. 

The tiger Muskie is a cross between the Northern Pike and a Muskellunge.  They are limited in number and have a striking large sized pattern.  They have a high mortality rate as fingerlings transported from Pennsylvania's hatcheries by the hundreds of thousands. They are difficult to catch therefore they are a prized trophy.  Most are taken through ice. and can weigh in excess of 40 pounds. 

Trout: The only native trout to Massachusetts is the brook trout.

  It is one of the most beautiful freshwater fish in North America.  They require cold water and today they are largely restricted to headwater streams and a few relatively pristine rivers due to the fact they are intolerant of thermal and chemical pollution.  They average about 5 inches in length.  They love shaded streams.  The brown trout can reach large size in "big water".  It migrates from lakes to rivers or streams to spawn.  Brown trout are active both by day and by night and are opportunistic feeders.    While in fresh water, the diet will frequently include invertebrates from the streambed, small fish, frogs, and insects flying near the water's surface. The high dietary reliance upon insect larvae, pupae, nymphs and adults is what allows trout to be a favored target for fly fishing.  

The tiger trout is a sterile cross between a brook trout and a brown trout. It is known for striking harder and faster than either of its parents.  The rainbow trout

are not native to Massachusetts but are cultured and stocked from hatcheries.  Rainbow trout are unusual in that there are two forms which sometimes share the same habitat. The freshwater form of rainbow trout spend their entire life in fresh water. The saltwater form called steelhead migrate to ocean, though they must return to fresh water to spawn. They range from 10-12 inches in length and the state record wa 13 lb. 13 oz.

  Lastly, but by no means least if the Lake Trout.  is the largest of all salmonids.  They live in the deep cold water lakes of Northern New England and Canada.  Lake trout are prized both as game fish and as food fish.  Lake trout are the largest of the trouts, the record weighing almost 46.3 kilograms.

Carp:The largest of all freshwater fish in Massachusetts is the carp. Actually  carp are members of the minnow family.  they have large deep bodies, with a golden brown color and one whisker on each side of their low-slung mouth.  They have rubbery tough lips and no teeth.  They are heavily scaled in general while some have no scales and appear as leathery. While tasty when grown in good water, carp can be riddled with small bones in unpredictable locations.  Most carp have a fishy taste and are not considered to be good for eating in North America.

Shad:   The shad spends most of its time in the Atlantic but returns to freshwater rivers to spawn.  Massachusetts has the largest "run" of shad with hundreds of thousands of fish migrating to the Connecticut River.  The state record is 11 lbs. 4 oz. (also the world record for this species). The are a tremendous fighting fish when caught.  It is likely that you will need a net to bring in this fish due to its tender mouth.   Even though these are bony fish and difficult, if not impossible, to fillet; theyare wonderful tasting when pickled or baked.

Fishing History

In 1637 Salem Neck Massachusetts opened their first shipyard as they were one of teh colonies most importants ports.  Not only were the fleets responsible for almost 90% of the United States ships they were also leading the US in whaling centers.  As recent as 1997 there were almost 400 wholesale and fish processing plants with an annual average of 5,000 employed in the industry.

In 1998, Massachusetts commercial catch value was $204,408.00, the highest among the New England states and teh 4th highest in teh US at 252,518,000 lb.  The lobster catch was over 13,000,000 pounds, with a value of over 48 million dollars.  Quahog lands were 19.2 million pounds, with a value of 8 million dollars.  There were 5.8 million sea scallops harvested in 400 wholesale and fish processing plants with an annual average of 5,000 employed in the industry.

Most Popular Places to Fish

Some of the most popular fishing spots in Massachusetts are:  Atlantic Ocean, Boston Harbor, Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod Bay, Cape Cod Lakes and Rivers, Concord River, Goose Pond, Lake Buell, Lake Lashaway,Massachusetts Bay, Merrimack River, Mystic River, Nantucket Sound, Onota Lake, Parker River, Quabbin Reservoir, Quincy Bay, Rhode Island Sound, Saugus River, Vineyard Sound, Wachusett Reservoir, Walden Pond, Whitings Pond and Whitmans Pond.