May 5th: Watershops Pond 8:00am - 4:00pm
Fish-In Headquarters will be at
514 Alden St.
Springfield, MA. 01109
As usual, it is 100% free to participate in the fish-in!
***2013 Massachusetts Freshwater Fishing License Is Required***
***100% FREE to participate***
***Public is welcome to participate***
***Experienced and inexperienced anglers are welcome and will enjoy the event***
***SCHEDULED EVENTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE***
This 186-acre warm water pond has just under seven miles of heavily developed shoreline. Watercolor is brown with a transparency of only three feet. The bottom is muck, with some limited areas of sand and rock. Maximum depth is 21 feet and aquatic vegetation is heavy. This pond is an impoundment of the Mill River and is also fed by Schneelock Brook and numerous street drains. During the summer months there is severe deoxgenation below a depth of five feet. There is no formal boat launching or parking area, but access is possible off Alden Street for car top boats and canoes only. No motors are allowed. Watershops Pond can be located on the U.S.G.S. topographical quad map titled “Springfield South.” Nearby fishing areas include Fivemile Pond, Loon Pond, Lake Lorraine and the Connecticut River.
A 1979 fish population assessment found 15 species. Resident gamefish include largemouth bass and chain pickerel. Brown and rainbow trout are stocked in the spring as part of an inner city program. Nongame species are yellow perch, black crappie, pumpkinseed, bluegill, white perch, killifish, golden shiner, white sucker, channel catfish and carp.
There is a good, well-balanced bass population here with adequate stocks of quality fish 12 inches or better. Chain pickerel don’t seem to do as well, but there are some good fish. The spring-stocked trout do not carry over through the summer months, but they do provide some good fishing, primarily from late April through mid May. Panfish are abundant and yellow perch are over populated, under harvested and stunted. Black crappie and bluegill are under weight for their size and the harvesting of these fish is encouraged to prevent stunting. Channel catfish are scarce, but large carp are abundant.(All of the info regarding Watershops Pond is provided courtesy of Mass Division of Fish and Wildlife)
Posted Sat May 04, 2013 4:41 am