I'm hopeful some members can provide me some info on the Quabbin Reservoir. On Sunday, my brother-in-law and I will be taking the 90+ minute trek from Billerica to the Q for 5:30am to ensure a motor boat rental. We are on the hunt for smallmouth bass.
I've heard gate 43 and gate 3 (i think 3) have boat rentals and the perfect water temps for smallies (i won't discriminate against largemouth either). Is there a preference for which gate to launch at?
I'm not asking for any spots, but are there certain structure/landmarks to look for here that would send us in the right direction.
How do the smallies here react to plastics here? I catch 75-80% of all my bass on 5" Senkos. Lately, I have been been giving spinners, rattlers and crank baits more attention. In clearer water, I am having success with the rattlers (nice 3 lb LMB from Spot Pond yesterday).
I'll be sure to snap some photos of some fish. I'm hoping there will be more than one beast to post. Who wouldn't want that to happen on Father's Day, right?
Thanks,
Mike
I troll this site often for fishing spots and tips, but not much of a poster. I'm not gonna lie; I get a little jealous when I see pics of bass bigger than 5lb, thinking why can't that be me. I do have a PB of 6.1 from Nuttings in 2014, so I know the rush you get from reeling in one of those bad larry's.
I'm hopeful some members can provide me some info on the Quabbin Reservoir. On Sunday, my brother-in-law and I will be taking the 90+ minute trek from Billerica to the Q for 5:30am to ensure a motor boat rental. We are on the hunt for smallmouth bass.
I've heard gate 43 and gate 3 (i think 3) have boat rentals and the perfect water temps for smallies (i won't discriminate against largemouth either). Is there a preference for which gate to launch at?
I'm not asking for any spots, but are there certain structure/landmarks to look for here that would send us in the right direction.
How do the smallies here react to plastics here? I catch 75-80% of all my bass on 5" Senkos. Lately, I have been been giving spinners, rattlers and crank baits more attention. In clearer water, I am having success with the rattlers (nice 3 lb LMB from Spot Pond yesterday).
I'll be sure to snap some photos of some fish. I'm hoping there will be more than one beast to post. Who wouldn't want that to happen on Father's Day, right?
Thanks,
Mike
Good luck!
Gate 3 has more shallow water areas and some weeds (rare at Quabbin) so maybe a better spot for largemouth. I usually don't get up that far north from gate 43.
Gate 43 is a great place to start an fish the whole joint. Try to get a map of the Q, it's easier that way!
I usually start at the little island on the right next to Den Hill, in front of the dam. Nice 12-25 feet deep water there and plenty of big rocks and a few stumps (marked on my sonar); great spot especially early in the morning. Unweighted senkos are best bet.
Most of the coves can be good, but my most favorite spot and the area that has given me my best and biggest smallmouth bass is the channel between Leveau Island and Stevens Island. These islands are right across from the biggest one, Mount Zion. Usually the wind is too much to anchor (unless you bring serious weights and do both ends of boat) but no matter, setup to drift jigs, creme spinner worms, or other baits that can get down deeper (say 15-30 feet) and go acroos from one side to the other, then repeat. The bass use this section as a "transit tunnel" most of the day and you will do well there, never not had excellent action there.
While it's still June, at the Q, the bigger smallmouth are always deeper than you think, more so in July on, but I think it will still work.
Best of luck, I love that place!
Boat rentals are at gate 8, 31 and 43. I've never gone out of 8 and only once out of 31. When I go out of gate 43 which is also known as fishing area 3, I usually just head to the islands that are right after the bathroom up the right shoreline. There are some nice points and drop-offs there. I've had luck on topwater spooks and buzz baits in the early morning and then spend the rest of the day throwing a jig and a drop shot. Depending on the cloud cover, I'll find them from 15-30+ ft. It can be intimidating your first few times there and no matter what the weather app says for wind you can almost always count on it to be worse that what's predicted. I bring a trolling motor and fish finder when I go. Very helpful to find the right depths. If you don't find fish shallow early, stay away from the bank for the rest of the day unless it's cloudy, rainy or windy. Windblown shore lines and square bills are a good way to find fish there. Especially around rocks. Good luck. Bring your sunblock and your rain gear.
Good advice, especially about the sunblock and wind!
Rainy days suck, but clouds and light rain are best days on the Q.
I caught 15 smallies. Each and every one was caught via 5" senkos. I was casting into 2ft and dragging them down the rock ledges back to the boat (we had an anchor). Of the 15, 7 of them weighed between 2.0 and 3.0lb, another 5 were over 1.0lb, with just a couple of little guys. These fish were CRAZY. I've caught SMB before, but these fish were on a different level. So much fun seeing these fish jump 4, 5, 6x.
I wanted to post a few pics, but am having issues doing so. Any easy way to do so?
Thank you to all that replied. Your feedback really lead to us having a successful day at the Quabbin.