Places · MA
Places to fish in Massachusetts
Every place has a practical guide: what's biting and when, where on the water to fish, how to fish it and how to get there.
50 places
Berkshires
Region guideReservoirCheshire ReservoirCheshire Reservoir is a shallow, weedy, 575-acre impoundment of the Hoosic River along Route 8, and a fertile one: MassW…RiverDeerfield River (Florida to Charlemont)The Deerfield River, running through the hills of Florida, Rowe and Charlemont, is what MassWildlife calls a premier des…RiverHousatonic River (Lee and Stockbridge)The Housatonic flows south through the Berkshires from Pittsfield toward Connecticut, and between Lee and Stockbridge Ma…LakeLaurel Lake (Lee and Lenox)Laurel Lake, on the Lee-Lenox line off Route 20, is a small (170 acres), deep and clear lake with a bit of everything: s…LakeOnota LakeOnota Lake, 653 acres on the western edge of Pittsfield, has long been known for trophy trout. Its deep water stays cold…ReservoirOtis ReservoirOtis Reservoir, 1,036 acres on the Otis-Tolland line, is a trout-trolling lake. MassWildlife stocks it every spring and…LakePontoosuc LakePontoosuc Lake, 511 acres on the north side of Pittsfield, is the Berkshires' pike lake. MassWildlife says its biggest c…LakeStockbridge BowlStockbridge Bowl is a deep, clear 398-acre lake off Route 183 in Stockbridge. Like Onota, it keeps a layer of cold, oxyg…RiverWestfield RiverThe Westfield River rises in the Berkshire Hills and flows through three branches (East, Middle and West) to its main st…
Connecticut Valley
Region guideLakeCongamond LakesThe Congamond Lakes, three connected basins on the Connecticut line in Southwick, are best known for largemouth bass: Ma…RiverConnecticut River at the Holyoke DamEvery spring, American shad crowd into the Connecticut River below the Holyoke Dam on their way to spawn, and anglers li…ReservoirQuabbin ReservoirQuabbin Reservoir, a 24,000-acre drinking-water reservoir spread across several central Massachusetts towns, is one of o…RiverSwift River (Belchertown and Ware)The Swift River flows out of Quabbin Reservoir at Winsor Dam in Belchertown, and its first few miles are special-regulat…LakeThe Oxbow (Easthampton and Northampton)The Oxbow is an old bend of the Connecticut River, a 231-acre horseshoe off Route 5 on the Easthampton-Northampton line…
Central
Region guideLakeLake QuinsigamondLake Quinsigamond, 800 acres on the Worcester-Shrewsbury line, is a city lake with a big-fish reputation. Lately it's be…LakeQuaboag PondQuaboag Pond, a broad and shallow 558-acre pond on the Brookfield-East Brookfield line, is known across Massachusetts fo…LakeSouth Pond (Lake Quacumquasit)South Pond, officially Lake Quacumquasit, is Quaboag Pond's deep, clear neighbor on the Brookfield-Sturbridge line, and…ReservoirSudbury ReservoirSudbury Reservoir, 1,240 acres in Southborough and Marlborough about 25 miles west of Boston, is a backup water supply y…ReservoirWachusett ReservoirWachusett Reservoir, a 4,041-acre drinking-water reservoir in Boylston, Clinton, Sterling and West Boylston, is a shore-…LakeWallum LakeWallum Lake straddles the Rhode Island line in Douglas: a deep (81 feet), very clear, rock-bottomed lake with holdover t…LakeWebster Lake (Lake Chaubunagungamaug)Webster Lake, 1,297 acres on the Connecticut line in Webster, is one of MassWildlife's all-round best bets: it's on the…
Boston and North Shore
Region guidePier/Access PointDeer Island (Winthrop)Deer Island, at the tip of Winthrop on Boston Harbor, is home to the MWRA's wastewater treatment plant, and wrapped arou…LakeLake CochituateLake Cochituate, three connected basins in Cochituate State Park where Framingham, Natick and Wayland meet, is a Boston-…Fishing AreaMerrimack River Mouth (Newburyport and Salisbury)At the mouth of the Merrimack River, between Plum Island in Newburyport and Salisbury Beach, the river pours deep, fast…Fishing AreaPlum Island (Parker River National Wildlife Refuge)The Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, on Plum Island off Newburyport, has what the Fish and Wildlife Service calls…Pier/Access PointSalem Willows Fishing PierThe Salem Willows Fishing Pier, rebuilt by Marine Fisheries and the City of Salem and opened in November 2024, reaches m…LakeWalden PondWalden Pond, Thoreau's famous kettle pond in Concord, is also a big-trout pond. It's 100 feet deep and very clear, and i…
South Shore and South Coast
Region guideFishing AreaAngelica Point (Mattapoisett)Angelica Point in Mattapoisett is a long, rocky point that reaches farther into Buzzards Bay than anything else along th…LakeFearing Pond (Myles Standish State Forest)Fearing Pond is a small, clear kettle pond in the woods of Myles Standish State Forest in Plymouth, and the only pond in…LakeGreat Herring PondGreat Herring Pond, on the Plymouth-Bourne line, sits at the head of the Bournedale herring run: its outlet flows to the…Fishing AreaHull GutHull Gut is the narrow, deep channel at the tip of Hull that tankers use on their way into Quincy's Fore River. The Fish…LakeLong Pond (Lakeville and Freetown)Long Pond, on the Lakeville-Freetown line, is the largest natural pond in Massachusetts at 1,780 acres, and a well-known…LakeMarys Pond (Rochester)Marys Pond in Rochester is a small, clear, sandy-bottomed trout pond that MassWildlife stocks every spring and fall with…RiverPalmer River (Swansea)The Palmer River, a small tidal river crossed by Route 6 in Swansea, has a spring white perch run that The Fisherman's w…LakeSnipatuit PondSnipatuit Pond in Rochester is a big, very shallow, tea-stained warmwater pond, 667 acres but only about 5 feet deep on…Fishing AreaWestport River and Horseneck BeachThe Westport River is a big, protected estuary at the western end of Buzzards Bay, where the West and East branches meet…
Cape Cod and the Islands
Region guidePier/Access PointBass River (Yarmouth and Dennis)The Bass River meets Nantucket Sound in Yarmouth, and Marine Fisheries has built two public fishing piers along it, both…BayCape Cod Bay (Brewster Flats to Billingsgate Shoal)The south shore of Cape Cod Bay, from Barnstable Harbor east past Brewster to Billingsgate Shoal, is a favorite of Cape…Fishing AreaCape Cod CanalThe Cape Cod Canal is a 17-mile ship channel between Cape Cod Bay and Buzzards Bay with a current so swift that swimming…LakeCliff Pond (Nickerson State Park)Cliff Pond, the big, deep, crystal-clear kettle pond in the middle of Nickerson State Park in Brewster, is the most heav…Fishing AreaCraven's Landing (Scorton Creek)Craven's Landing is a small Marine Fisheries property on Scorton Creek in East Sandwich, a tidal creek running into Cape…Fishing AreaCuttyhunk IslandCuttyhunk, a small island reached by ferry from New Bedford, is one of New England's most storied surfcasting spots for…Fishing AreaMartha's VineyardOn Martha's Vineyard, Marine Fisheries owns or funded three well-known public shore fishing spots: Dogfish Bar in Aquinn…LakeMashpee-Wakeby PondMashpee-Wakeby Pond, two connected ponds in Mashpee and Sandwich that together cover 737 acres, has what MassWildlife ca…Fishing AreaMonomoy National Wildlife Refuge (Chatham)Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge in Chatham, made up of Morris Island on the mainland and the offshore islands of North…Fishing AreaNobska Point (Woods Hole)Nobska Point, below the lighthouse at the edge of Woods Hole in Falmouth, is where shore anglers can reach the kind of r…Fishing AreaOuter Cape Beaches (Cape Cod National Seashore)The ocean beaches of the Cape Cod National Seashore, from Truro south through Wellfleet to Eastham, are the Cape's "Back…LakePeters Pond (Sandwich)Peters Pond, a clear, cold kettle pond in the Forestdale section of Sandwich, is a holdover trout pond: MassWildlife say…Fishing AreaProvincetown (Race Point and the West End Breakwater)At the tip of Cape Cod, Provincetown offers two very different kinds of shore fishing. Race Point, inside the Cape Cod N…Fishing AreaWaquoit Bay Jetty and South Cape BeachAt the mouth of Waquoit Bay in Mashpee, a long jetty marks where the bay drains into Nantucket Sound, and The Fisherman'…