Bass Fishing on the Quabbin Reservoir

Where is the Quabbin?

Topics

• Quabbin History and Facts

• Lay of the land (access gates, areas to know)

• Getting Prepared (boat, gear, decontamination program, rentals)

• Getting Bait (hellgrammites)

• Places and ways to fish

• Rules and Regs

Quabbin Facts

• 40 square miles of water

• 18 miles long

• Max depth of ~150 feet

• 412 billion gallons

• Managed by the Mass DCR (formerly MDC)

• MWRA handles distribution

• Part of network with Wachusett Reservoir

• Holds a 4 year supply of water (alone)

• Also generates power

Quabbin History

• 1895 Board of Health recommended

• Four towns flooded: Dana, Enfield, Greenwich and Prescott

• Seven towns altered

• Homes moved, graves dug

• Flooding started in 1939 and ended in 1946

• Named after Indian chief Nani-Quaben

Windsor Dam

Prescott VillageDana Center

The MWRA Water System

Notable Pop-Culture Stuff

• The novel Someday by Jackie French Koller is based on the eviction (1938) of the remaining residents of Enfield.

• The reservoir is featured as a prominent plot element and set in the 2003 movie Dreamcatcher, based on the Stephen King novel.

• The novel Stillwater by former Massachusetts governor William F. Weld (depicts the flooding of the Swift River Valley and the creation of the reservoir through the eyes of the novel's 15-year-old protagonist, Jamieson Kooby.

Eagle Project

• 1982 – First eagle “Ross”

• Mass F&W and Mass Audubon

• 41 eagle chicks were brought from Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Michigan

• 5 year imprinting program

• By 2004, 61 birds were recorded, 39 of these at Quabbin Reservoir.

Fishing Facts

• Open April 18th to October 17th

• Opens at 6am and closes between 6:30 and 8:30 depending on date

• You can fish from shore, personal boat or rental boat

• The “Big Q 3”

– Smallmouth

– Laketrout

– Landlocked Salmon

Gate 3 Fishing Area

Horseshoe Dam

“The Quabbin Boat”

Access to Fish• By Shore

– See map– Bike access is limited– Parking fees do apply if at boat launch areas

• Personal Boat– Three “Fishing Areas” – see map– 2 stroke limit of 20HP, 4 stroke limit of 25HP– May have two engines, not to exceed 20 total HP

• Rental boat– Both with ($40) and without motor ($14)– 10hp engines

Where to Go

The Flats

Island area

Shaft 12

Fishing Gate 3

Horseshoe Dam

Largemouth Fishing

• Best is in ‘The Pog’

• Deepest is ~30 feet, much is less than 10 feet

• Some do fish with shiners

• Popular artificial include most everything:

– Jitterbugs, ZaraSpooks

– Soft frogs, WeedWalker

– Spinnerbaits

– Jigs and Worms

LARGEMOUTHS

Where to Go – “The Pog”

Smallmouth Fishing

• Artificial

– Topwater (Pop-R, SlapStick)

– Crankbaits/Traps

– Plastics

• Live Bait

– Crawfish

– Hellgrammites

Hellgrammites

• Larvae of the Dobson Fly – 7 year cycle• Expensive ($8-12+ dozen)• Hard to Find (length of cycle, conditions)• Found in highly oxygenated riffles in streams• 1-2 feet of water• Can store in coffee can with leaves and a douse of

water for week• Hook through carapce• Can work dead• Free spool (electrical tape/bobby pin) seems to be

most effective

Where to Go

The Flats

Island area

Fishing Gate 3

Horseshoe Dam

Where to Go - Islands

SMALLMOUTHS

25-35’

Between Island Fishing

Where to Go – The Flats

The Flats

SMALLMOUTHS

Current Restrictions

• Since August 17th there has been decontamination requirement

• Recommended limits on fish consumption The general public should limit consumption of affected fish species

(Children younger than 12 years, pregnant women, and nursing women should not consume fish except for lake trout less than 24 inches long and salmon. All other people should not eat smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, or lake trout greater than 24 inches long; may eat unlimited amounts of salmon and lake trout less than 24 inches long; and should limit consumption of all other Quabbin and Wachusett Reservoir fish species to one five-ounce meal per week.) to two meals per month.

Restrictions…con’t

• NO boating beyond marked limits• NO lead fishing sinkers• NO landing of boats on shoreline or islands except at

designated areas.• NO swimming or wading (must use boots at launch)• NO dogs or other animals• NO camping• NO fires• NO alcoholic beverages (loosely enforced)• NO disposal of materials in the reservoir or reservation• NO acts that pollute the water supply• NO pontoon boats, inflatable boats or sailboats

Size Limits

Quabbin Reservoir is one of the largest man-made public water supplies in the United States. Created in the 1930s by the construction of two huge earthen dams, the reservoir is fed by the three branches of the Swift River, and seasonally by the Ware River. Quabbin's water covers 39 square miles, is 18 miles long and has 181 miles of shoreline. When full, Quabbin holds 412 billion gallons of water.

The New Salem and Enfield lookouts offer magnificent views of the reservoir. In order to flood the vast area of the Swift River Valley in the 1930s, the entire population of four towns had to be relocated. Hundreds of homes, businesses, a state highway, a railroad line, and 34 cemeteries were also moved or dismantled. Over 6,000 graves were relocated from the Valley to Quabbin Park cemetery.

The Quabbin Reservoir Fishing Season is scheduled to open on Saturday, April 17, conditions permitting. All private boats launched on the reservoir will be required to have a Quabbin Boat Seal (QBS) which certifies the boat as being clean and free from aquatic invasive species (AIS). Boats that currently have intact seals are not required to be inspected prior to launching on the reservoir as long as the seal is unbroken. For unsealed boats, owners can get a QBS one of two ways.1) Cold Weather Quarantine – Boats and trailers that are inspected and passed, are sealed with a QBS prior to February 20th. The boats are then quarantined for a minimum of nine weeks, a sufficient amount of time to kill any AIS. As long as the seal is intact when the boat is presented for launching at the Quabbin boat launch areas, it may be launched on the reservoir. Appointments must be made by calling the Visitor Center (413) 323-7221 between January 25th and February 5th between 9 AM and 3 PM. Boats will be brought to a DCR facility at the appointed time and receive a thorough inspection. Boats and trailers must be clean and in good condition. Upon passing inspection, the boat will be sealed to the trailer. There is no cost to boat owners for this inspection.2) Boat Inspection and Decontamination – Boats without an intact seal or whose current seal is broken prior to launching at Quabbin (e.g. launching boat in another body of water),can be inspected, washed and sealed through the decontamination program. This will begin in early April. Boat owners will make an appointment through the Quabbin Visitor Center (413) 323-7221 after March 1st for the April cleaning dates. Boats and trailers must be in good condition without excessive corrosion. Trailers cannot have any carpeting. Owners must be able to start their motors and allow them to be flushed with 140 degree F water or a chemical cleaning alternative. Once sealed, the boats are eligible for launching at Quabbin. Boat owners will be required to pay the washing fee at this inspection.