Onota Lake

Onota Lake, 653 acres on the western edge of Pittsfield, has long been known for trophy trout. Its deep water stays cold and oxygenated all summer, so stocked trout survive for years and grow large: MassWildlife says browns over 10 pounds have been reported. Northern pike, bass, pickerel and panfish fill out the lake, and the city's Burbank Park has a big ramp, a fishing pier and shore fishing.

When to fish

• Spring and fall: MassWildlife stocks trout in both seasons, on top of fish that have carried over from earlier years.
• Summer: the trout survive in the cold, deep layer, while bass, pickerel, perch and sunfish use the weedy shallows. MassWildlife calls the warmwater fishing very good at times.

Where to fish

• Burbank Park pier: about 75 feet long, it lets shore anglers cast into water as deep as 45 feet. It's also a handicapped-accessible fishing site.
• The north end: the coves there are thick with weeds in water under 10 feet.
• Deep water: the lake reaches 72 feet, and the fishing pier is the easiest way to reach it without a boat.
• Trophy fish: MassWildlife's trophy records list Onota for brown, rainbow, brook and tiger trout, northern pike, chain pickerel, both basses, crappie, yellow perch and carp.

Getting there

The City of Pittsfield runs a double concrete ramp that takes almost any trailered boat, plus the fishing pier and a large parking lot, in Burbank Park off Valentine Drive on the east shore. There's more shore fishing along Dan Casey Memorial Drive on the north shore, with roadside parking for about 20 cars. The lake is busy with swimmers, water skiers and sailors in summer, and the city sets its own rules for the park. You need a Massachusetts freshwater fishing license, and the state bans small lead sinkers and lead jigs in fresh water.