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A Non-Quabbin Bass Fishing Event at Candlewood Lake


Candlewood Lake

Image by noktulo via Flickr

This quick post may seem just a tad out of place since it does not have a direct relationship to Quabbin (except many of the anglers have likely been here), but this is the week of the BASS Federation Eastern Divisional Fish-off on Candlewood Lake down in Connecticut. This is definitely a non-Quabbin fishing event!

The dates run from 9/20 through 9/24.

Candlewood is another of the older regional reservoirs constructed over 80 years ago. Teams from each state in the Federation Nation’s Eastern Division have descended on the Danbury, CT area to compete for positions in the National Championship later this year. The anglers will find most fish relating to weed beds, offshore humps, and rock-piles or chasing schools of alewives that are gearing up for their trek back to the sea …

Good luck to all who made it to the Candlewood Lake Divisional!

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Five Fall Bass Fishing Tips for Quabbin Reservoir


Smallmouth Bass from the Rainy River near Inte...

Image via Wikipedia

Fall has arrived with both the air and water temperatures starting to cool. Not only do we get the benefit of more comfortable conditions but so will all fish species in Quabbin Reservoir, especially the bass family!

Changing environments cause bass to alter their behavior as well. Knowing how these changes impact Quabbin’s bass locations and actions can definitely help improve your bass fishing success on the Big Lady.

Here is a peak at five fall bass fishing tips to use on your next Quabbin Reservoir trip:

  1. With the summer heat waning, both largemouth and smallmouth bass start drifting back to the shallows from their deeper water haunts; focus much of your time on the deep to shallow water transition areas …
  2. Fish deep diving crankbaits, heavier jigs and carolina rigs or drop shots when targeting deep points by starting deep and working shallow during mid-day hours …
  3. If fishing rocky shallow tapering points or flats, use suspending jerkbaits, lipless crankbaits, spinnerbaits or a swim jig for covering the water quickly …
  4. Both species of bass are often roaming to feed on scattered pods of baitfish so stay mobile unless you locate a concentration of bass on structure It’s always a great idea to keep one rod rigged with a heavy metal spoon so you’re ready for schooling baitfish …
  5. When fishing shallower bays with healthy vegetation, a weedless frog can be a killer but keep another weedless sinking bait (sinking worms like the Senko work great for this) for the bass that strike but miss …

And one last super-secret tip for the Quabbin …

Don’t forget to check out the areas around old submerged structures (roadbeds, foundations, etc.) as these can be fish magnets during the fall season!

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Annual Quabbin Reservoir Deer Permits Drawn


A white-tailed deer

Image via Wikipedia

As part of the DOCR’s mandate to protect the waters and lands of Quabbin Reservoir and Reservation, controlled deer hunts are held each your to manage the herd thriving throughout the reservation area.

Initiated in 1991, the MDC (now DOCR) determined the size of the herd had grown (3 to 5 times state average) in several areas as to threaten Quabbin’s natural resources and therefore needed to be controlled.

Over time the size of the areas open for the hunt are changed depending on the deer densities present during any one season. This practice is meant as a conservation measure to protect both the herd and watershed.

More than 1200 permits were selected from 1850 eligible submissions with the hunters being assigned to one of the four segments identified for the 2010 deer hunt.

Successful hunters will be informed via regular mail within the next few weeks but a list of the selected license numbers can be obtained by clicking the following link:

2010 Quabbin Reservoir Deer Lottery Results

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Quabbin Reservoir: Spring 2010 Smallmouth Bass Fishing


Even though we are rapidly approaching the official transition from spring to fall, we recently found a video about smallmouth fishing on the “Big Lady”, Quabbin Reservoir.  Posted by George from the “Local Hook Up” video channel on YouTube, this segment summarizes a great opening day trip with him and his buddy Bill catching numerous pre-spawn smallies.

As typical during the pre-spawn season on the Quabbin, the G&B duo used a combination of jerkbaits, jigs and yes even shiners to tempt these hungry smallmouths to the boat.  Most of the bass boated were in the 2 to 3 pound class with a few 4+ pounders thrown in for good measure.

So take a few moments and watch the show (they do a pretty nice job of producing the video with some underwater footage  as well!) as they have a day catching great Quabbin smallmouths that many of us only dream of …

M. Tougias’ Quabbin: A History & Explorers Guide


Quabbin Reservoir

Image via Wikipedia

If you are planning a trip to the Quabbin Valley area, you may want to consider investing in one of the available “guide-style” books such as “Quabbin: A History and Explorers Guide” by Michael Tougias.

Tougias’ book is subdivided into two main segments where the first segment is further partitioned into three parts addressing the history of the Quabbin Valley area.Each of the three sub-parts addresses specific aspect of the valley’s history including the creation of Quabbin Reservoir, a specific recollection of the “The Lost Towns” as well as the lingering history of the region.

The actual “guide” section of this tome is provided through the second major subdivision entitled: “The Present: Exploring Greater Quabbin“. In this last section of the book, Tougais provides both a look at the natural wonders of the Quabbin area as well as descriptions of the main access points around the reservation.

One of the side benefits we found highly useful are the historic images interwoven with the text. Particularly useful for heading out for some Quabbin fishing are the aerial views of the valley region before flooding. Taking the time to study these images and use them to assist in the interpretation of the historic topographic maps for the area can definitely assist in identifying areas with flooded cover (roadbeds, rock walls, etc.) that hold fish … ;)

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