Presentation on bass fishing in the Quabbin Reservoir given by Jack Huntress at Concord Rod & Gun Club on April 9, 2013.

1. Bass Fishing on the
Quabbin Reservoir

2. Where is the Quabbin?

3. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. Windsor Dam

8. Prescott Village
Dana Center

9. The MWRA Water System

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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

14. Horseshoe Dam
Gate 3 Fishing Area

15. “The Quabbin Boat”

16. • By Shore
Access to Fish
– 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

17. Where to Go Island area
The Flats
Horseshoe Dam
Fishing
Gate 3
Shaft 12

18. 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

19. Where to Go – “The Pog”
LARGEMOUTHS

20. Smallmouth Fishing
• Artificial
– Topwater (Pop-R, SlapStick)
– Crankbaits/Traps
– Plastics
• Live Bait
– Crawfish
– Hellgrammites

21. 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

23. Where to Go Island area
The Flats
Horseshoe Dam
Fishing
Gate 3

24. Where to Go - Islands
SMALLMOUTHS

25. Between Island Fishing
25-35’

26. Where to Go – The Flats
The Flats
SMALLMOUTHS

27. 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.

28. 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

29. Size Limits

30. 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.

31. 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.