Bell pond, in Worcester, has monster fish in it. Small pond. Big fish.
My first largemouth catch was over 4 lbs.
wear waders, you can walk the whole shoreline.
Clean lake, great fishing.
Also, the wachusett reservoir. Fish very early if using lures. Or, very late.
It’s a great smallmouth fishery.
My PB, from wachusett, was a 5 lb 8 oz, smallmouth. 26+”. A true pig.
But, caught on live bait. It works best there.
The Thomas basin area holds nice fish.

I use everything BUT, soft plastics.
All hardbaits or soft, large swim baits.
It’s all about the time of day.

Top water (buzzbait, spittin image, frog, popper, or Heddon,)from 4:00-7:00 am. Or longer if hitting.
I’ve caught bass on top water in 38 degree water.
Jerk bait for an hour or two, or less, after top water, if no bites or follows. More if you’re catching. Reel as fast as you can , and jerk that Rod as hard and as fast as you can. They can’t stand it, and you get viscous hits.
Get that bait moving. Side to side.
Then, a crank bait, around 9:00-12:00. Square lip, or Rapala tail dancers to get deeper.
I use no soft plastics, and I catch a lot of fish, when I fish.
If I get skunked, I will tie on a 5” shaky head worm, on a shaky head jig.

Enjoy the excitement of the hard baits.
Viscous hits, multiple species catchers, and even double hookups.
Put the plastic down, and cover water.
I probably have $7000-$10,000 in lures. I’d hate to add it up, because the wife wouldn’t like it.

Even when I troll, I’m always trolling 2-3 times faster than everyone. Mostly because I target Northern pike, and Tiger Muskies.
I use a 12”, 3 oz spinner bait, every time I go to a new lake. Big lure, and I usually get 3.5 lbs plus or bigger on it. For bass.
Try large lures. Think Muskie, then use it. Big bass!!!
I pulled out a double cowgirl #10 blades. My buddy said WTF, are you going to catch with that? 12” long.
First cast to show him, a 3.8 lb bass.
He was shocked!!! We fished for an hour with no catches.
They work great. But there is a pattern to follow. You, need to figure that out.
Try my pattern. Works great once you are confident in your choice.
Enjoy.

I have caught fish isolated on my fish finder. So, yes, yuh can. I normally do not. I use it for temps, depths, rock piles.
Remember, the shallower you go, the closer the target is. So, when shallow, you could be right on top.
I have a transducer on my front trolling motor and one in the rear, alll going to the same head unit.
I definitely use it when I troll.
I cast troll. I see a monster pike, Muskie or pickerel, while trolling, I go over the fish, then cast out 75’, closing the bale immediately.
The bait shoots to the bottom, and they hit on the dive. I troll 2.5-4 mph.

It’s a little lengthy, but I give you details.
I used to fish Pontoosic 6-8 times a year. I live in Worcester, so it’s 2 hours away.
I went, specifically for the northern pike and Tiger Muskie’s. The state record Tiger Muskie, came from Pontoosic. Now, they started spraying the weeds, instead of harvesting them, Pontoosic is toast. It was top 5 fisheries in this state. Huge bass too.
I haven’t returned, since 2010. I call a bait store and ask if they are spraying or harvesting. If they still spray, I’d avoid it.
I threw large lures(3 oz, 12+” long spinnerbaits). Super shad raps, worked awesome. I only threw big lures. Caught many bass, 3.5lbs and up. I got multiple Tiger Muskies back to the boat, that were well over 20lbs.
I caught 26 pike there in 2009, on Rod and reel. 26 more out of Quabog(Also got a 22 lb pike here, my friend caught a 24lbr thru the ice.
52 total pike on Rod and reel in 2009.
Biggest pike was just at 10lbs at Pontoosic. But saw many huge muskies. My son was ten, and he caught a 9lb 4oz pike. His cast. His lure choice…(my favorite picture of him). Plus, he outfished me that day, 7 pike to my 5. Catching 12 pike in one day, in Massachusetts, is a great day.
It was, repeat, was, crystal clear water, and northern pike, shooting out of the water everywhere. You could see them dart at the Jerkbaits I used from deep very deep water. It was my favorite place.
Was.
If it were me, I would go to Onota. It’s a trophy brown trout lake, and you can catch them very shallow now. I used a Rapala Rippin Rap, size 5, 2 years ago, and I caught over 40 brown trout. While trying to catch bass. Crazy. It was the lure of choice that day.
Also, it’s your best chance at a State Record Northern Pike. In 2009 or 2010, someone caught a 34lbr.
2010… One pound shy of the record. I’ve fished with the man who caught the state record(35 lbs). And I fish that lake too. According to Biologists, they shocked a Northern pike there, that they classified as “considerably larger”, than the state record.(South Pond)
Onota, probably has many, well over 40lbs, and maybe even 50lbs, by now. These trout lakes, with landlocked alewife’s, grow absolute monsters. It’s dinner heaven, for pike. Shoot straight up, out of the water. It’s how I caught my 22 lb pike. It shot up and out of the water, I threw my bait, he hit it. 14 lb fire line, on a 1/4oz lure. My biggest fish.
Throw a trout swim bait for pike. I have the big 8oz, version from Spro.
And Basstrix, 6” soft ones. Fish love them.
Onota, has multiple State Records in there. Probably crystal clear water too.

Pontoosic, I’d call and see how they are managing the weeds. Ask if they still catch pike? It was, one of the few lakes thats been proven, to grow pike, that reproduce. So sad, how bad the lake turned. I still see my Super Shad Raps, all, torn up from the nasty hits on them.
Human intervention sucks!!!!
Really does. Ruined my lake I just built on. Was a great clear water fishery, now it’s coffee color. Sprayed weeds!!!
Northern Pike are a stocked fish, mostly. But fun to chase and catch.

Also, in Lee, you could try Laurel Lake. Trophy pickerel there every year. 6lbs plus.
A simple Crocodile Spoon(use this on any of the lakes out there). The one with the blue, worked best for me.

I would try Onota. Go for a trophy Brown or Rainbow trout. Or go big, for a record Northern.(That’s my choice).

Find the bait balls, and fish them too, in open water. It’s very effective.
Awesome fishing out there.
Good luck.
That’s my son at 10 years old, with his almost 10 lb pike. He was so scared to hold it, and I got a smile for half a second and got a lifetime picture.
The other, a 24lb pike.

Have you, Hawk1961, ever personally caught a Northern Pike, from the Charles River? Or see or know someone?
I’m in Worcester, but chase Northerns. And Tiger Muskie.
I’m guessing there are 15-25 pounders there now.
I wanted to fish it all winter, but a slipped disc, multiple times, took away my whole year.
Thanks for that info.

They are still catching them in the Connecticut River.
From the Mass site if Gold pin awards.
One is Catch and keep.
One is a catch and Release.

You can find up to date trout stocking, and where, on the Mass Wildlife website. They hit really well, the day after they stock.
I caught over 40 Browns, 2 years ago, on one trip, using a bass lure.
I have a bad neck, and I couldn’t fish for weeks after fighting them.
I usually chase Northern Pike, and the few Tiger Muskies we have.

https://www.mass.gov/orgs/division-of-fisheries-and-wildlife

Is Long Pond in Lakeville, a northern pike lake also?

Supposedly they started a program at Quabbin reservoir.
I remember seeing the gold pins, when I was young. But haven’t heard of any lately. I also have not looked in years.
Always check the gold pin page. They have to say where it was caught. But, some lie. Hehe.

👍👍👍, I’ve always wanted to try and get one. It’s a long, wide river.
I don’t where to start.
I hunt mostly northern pike and tiger Muskie.
So, I use Rapala Tail Dancers a lot.
Trolling at 3-5mph. Walleyes love them.

The Connecticut River, supposedly still has walleye in it.
It’s the only place I know that you can still find them. And, they are few and far between.
It’s a program started, but never took off.