Fishing Report For Quabbin Reservoir, MA

By Rick Seaman

March 16, 2025

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Fishing Report Quabbin Reservoir, MA

Fishing Reports

Popular Fish Species Quabbin Reservoir, MA

Smallmouth Bass

Current Report: Good To Very Good
Outlook: Very Good To Excellent

There are miles and miles of rocky shorelines on Quabbin Reservoir, and that's ideal territory for smallmouth bass. Locals report catching smallies on just about anything in your tackle box, but spinnerbaits, tube baits, jigs, drop-shot rigs and jerkbaits are all catching lots of fish. Just find a rocky point, work from deep to shallow and identify the ideal depth for the day. Then work rocky or rip-rap areas in that depth. When smallmouth are shallow I like to throw the Rapala DT-6 in crawfish colors. The fishing is often good on cold, windy, cloudy and rainy days.

Lake Trout

Current Report:Good
Outlook: Good To Very Good

Quabbin Reservoir is home to the state record lake trout, at over 25 pounds, and a lot of fish over 15 pounds are caught regularly. Lake trout spawn in late Fall, in shallow rocky areas. In Spring lakers here move relatively shallow where many locals catch them while trolling a wide variety of lures. Live baitfish, which you must catch for your personal use, can be used to fish for lake trout here, either when trolling or casting. Lakers feed on small fish, so lures imitating baitfish, sunfish, perch or small trout are good choices. Other choices include nightcrawlers or Berkeley Power Crawlers, fished on jigs or drop-shot rigs. Flashy spoons can be fished at any depth, either jigging, trolling or cast and retrieve.

Landlocked Atlantic Salmon

Current Report: Good To Very Good
Outlook:Good To Very Good

Anglers most often target landlocked salmon by trolling open water. These landlocked salmon are still using shallower water now, but will move deeper as Spring and Summer warm the water. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation report that the highest concentrations of these big fish are in the deeper, colder, western arm of the lake. Trolling with spoons, flashers, streamers and bait harnesses are popular, and all are catching some nice fish. Check regulations before fishing for salmon, or any other species, on Quabbin Reservoir.

Fish species to fish for...

Guide to fishing for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, black crappie, rainbow trout, brown trout, lake trout, bluegill, pumpkinseed sunfish, white perch, yellow perch, Atlantic salmon and chain pickerel at Quabbin Reservoir in Massachusetts.

Quabbin Reservoir is a 25,000-acre lake which covers approximately 39 square miles, with over 180 miles of shoreline. The area from Gates 8 to 16A, and from Gates 22 to 44 are designated areas for fishing from the bank. Popular fish species here include lake trout, smallmouth bass, landlocked Atlantic salmon and stocked rainbow trout.

Primary fish species to catch

Click images for fishing tips and details about each species.

Today's Weather & Forecast

Fishing Boat Rentals

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Fishing License

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Map - Fishing & Access

Rick Seaman is a fishing enthusiast with over five decades of fishing experience, a retired tournament fisherman, author of numerous published articles on fishing, and co-author of the book "Bass Fishing - It's not WHAT you throw, It's WHERE you throw it".