By Mike Roche

A visit Tuesday morning to the MassWildlife web site revealed that Lake Mattawa was stocked with rainbow trout on March 21. A search for “Massachusetts Trout Stocking” gets you started, and the trout stocking report gives you the ability to check town by town. In addition to Lake Mattawa, it looks like all local ponds and streams have been visited by stocking trucks at least once. Silver Lake in Athol, Laurel Lake in Erving, Moore’s Pond in Warwick and Connors Pond in Petersham have also been stocked.

Lake Mattawa is a very special fishery. The lake was actually created by a dam that in effect greatly expanded a historical body of water known as North Pond, which was located near the southwest corner of Lake Mattawa. The end result of that has created a natural “handicap access” for fishing. Much of the shoreline abuts relatively deep water and that depth is reachable by casting from the edge of the road. So, most fishermen can be confident of presenting bait or lures to trout in the favored cold-water habitat trout prefer. This means that the rainbow, brown, brook and tiger trout historically stocked at Mattawa are in reach of fishermen casting from shore.

This writer has on several occasions driven by and witnessed wheelchair fishermen. Most bodies of water have this available only with the addition of man-made structures. There is also an excellent handicap access for fishermen on Lake Rohunta that is available by entering Eagleville Road and following the signs. A handicap access was recently built near Lowell on the Merrimack River and there are plans to build handicap/public access structures along the Cape Cod Canal as well to add to the several locations that have been built across Massachusetts.

Getting back to Lake Mattawa, that ability to easily cast to good fishing water has made it a very popular destination for fishermen locally and also to people who travel a distance to fish there. Many enjoy tossing spoons and trout like to grab those shiny, darting lures. The first one that comes to my mind is Al’s Goldfish, the classic spoon that has been catching fish for a long time. Invented in the 1940s by Al Stuart, who ran a sport shop in Indian Orchard, Massachusetts, it took off in 1952 when it was distributed across the region and just kept becoming more popular as fishermen found it caught fish, especially trout.

Mattawa shore casters also throw Cleos, Kastmasters, Luhr Jensen Krocodiles, and classics like the Daredevil, but most are bait fishermen. Live baits like earthworms and nightcrawlers are popular, as are minnows, and a lot of Lake Mattawa regulars use terminal tackle. Terminal tackle includes swivels, barrel and removable sinkers (remember that lead sinkers are not allowed in Massachusetts) and are used with either live bait or the very popular Berkley Power Bait. You cast out and watch your rod tip for the bite of a big one! You can also purchase a small bell for fishing rods that jingles to alert you of a bite. Meanwhile you just relax and socialize.

Mattawa also has boat access and a lot of fishermen troll for trout. They drag the aforementioned spoons as well as plugs like the ever-popular Rapala, the original balsa wood minnow. Also popular for trolling are streamer flies and spinners in front of worms, nightcrawlers or minnows. The popular spinner strings like the Dave Davis products are also used, as are single large blade spinners like the Luhr Jensen flasher. It really does not matter what you use or where you go—get out, do some fishing and enjoy the season.

Last Saturday MassWildlife held the Awards Presentation for the 2023 Freshwater Fishing Program and 9-year-old Ryker Leslie of Petersham was awarded a gold pin after catching the biggest chain pickerel in the state. Congratulations Ryker! That is a great honor and I hear the young man and his brother are both avid hunters and fishermen. Keep it up!

Earlier this week the frantic barking of my French Brittany Tessie brought my attention to a bobcat walking through the back yard. I was able to snap a couple pictures with my cell phone, but it was too far for a decent image. Love seeing wildlife! There is no question that deer are showing up more frequently in mowings as they feed on emerging green vegetation and also socialize. Turkeys are showing up as well, although most are still flocked up. The mature males, called toms or gobblers, are beginning to gobble and will be setting up territories and trying to attract receptive hens. That is not happening yet, but eventually hen groups will break up. The concentrating of turkeys around bird feeders is problematic as when concentrated, hen turkeys do not disperse as they would if they were foraging for natural food sources. The nesting success rate of hens that are not dispersed seems to be much lower for a variety of reasons, including making it easier for predators. For that reason, and the inevitable arrival of black bears, take your feeders in.

Last Saturday night, the Worcester County League of Sportsmen’s Clubs presented me with the Words of Wisdom Award at the League’s Annual Banquet. It was a humbling experience as Bill Davis, retired MassWildlife biologist who led the eagle restoration and later served as district manager for the central district, presented the award along with Marion Larson. It forced me to think back about my involvement in conservation matters over my lifetime and reflect on how lucky I have been to be part of what I feel was the “Golden Age” of fish and wildlife conservation in Massachusetts. It was much appreciated.

Mike Roche is a retired teacher who has been involved in conservation and wildlife issues his entire life. He has written the Sportsman’s Corner since 1984 and has served as advisor to the MaharFish’N Game Club, counselor and director of the Massachusetts Conservation Camp, former Connecticut Valley District representative on the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board, has been a Massachusetts Hunter Education Instructor and is a licensed New York hunting guide. He can be reached at mikeroche3@msn.com.