Ponkapoag Pond MA Fishing Report

Comments

• bassinbrooksy

  while i personally take great pleasure in releasing all of my fish (that is provided they dont get mortally injured during the fight ) i do agree that telling someone they are "not a true angler" because they take fish home is total BS! fishermen have been catching fish to feed their families with for thousands of years and they are TRUE anglers! catch and release is great but if you pay for a fishing license you pay for the right to eat what you catch .

• fishermanmike

  Many fish have parasites. It does not mean its contaminated.

• bassturds

  those parasites add to the flavor!
  
  i agree with pocket! i dont eat freshwater fish unless its trout and salmon! and i still dont take them home often!
  
  saltwater fish thats a food fish! cod flounder and any bottom fish! stripers i consider like a lagremouth and smallies! a gamefish!
  
  cod have worms in the filets! but no need to worry!!!!

• samf

  jjbagoose, cool, no worries at all. assumptions seem to also be a frequent problem on this site as well lol.
  
  john, any place i fish or have fished is contaminated.
  
  i say take as many pickerel as anyone wants!

• bloomagoo

  BTW, I refuse to believe that the fish in my beloved Ponki are in any way contaminated :(

• bloomagoo

  If I were to keep freshwater fish for consumption I would stick with panfish. They are lower on the food chain and harbor fewer contaminants. Saltwater fish also have plenty of parasites. The reason you don't see them in the filets you buy is that they are inspected on a light table and the parasites are removed prior to sale. When you catch and eat any wild fish there is a good chance that it has parasites, so always cook thoroughly.

• pocketfisherman

  This is strictly my opinion.......Aside from trout (and other stocked species), personally I do not feel that any freshwater fish should be kept. Saltwater on the other hand are another story. Trout and other stocked species are put there for that reason, to catch and keep. Native freshwater fish are limited, whereas salt water are almost limitless (unless your catching them commercially and millions at a time). Again, just my personal opinion on keeping fish. I am strictly a catch and release guy either way (with the exception of deep water ocean/charter boat fishing, which I have not done in over 15 years at least). Doesn't make keeping fish anywhere wrong if you are staying within the confines of the law. Just my personal preference.

• shawneramone

  I would definitely be grossed out by parasites and other gross things.

• jjbagoose

  My comment wasn't directed at you or anyone else in particular. Just a general statement regarding comments I frequently see on this site. (again message board suck)
  
  And I agree with everything you said.

• samf

  my comment had 0 animosity about keeping fish so please don't assume i have any. tha's why message boards suck. i guess i could change the word "why" to "when" and no one would've said anything. it was about catching something and seeing a disturbing white parasite and thinking twice about even going near it.
  
  i will say that many of the people that don't release are not doing it legally, especially when it's for bass. the people that aren't are keeping 4+ pounders without regard or thinking about the long run impact that has on a fishery. i know for a fact that happens at that pond.