Plentiful Fishing in the Berkshires

In addition to hiking, skiing, and kayaking, the Berkshires offers a variety of exciting fishing opportunities for all ages and abilities to enjoy.

Article By: Harry Desmond of Berkshire Rivers Fly-Fishing

There is a diverse selection of fishing throughout both the northern Berkshires as well as the southern Berkshires with some spots that are well off the beaten path and some within plain view.  Whether you like hiking into remote lakes to fish or you prefer to explore a local lake via boat, the options are endless.

In addition to conventional spin-fishing, you could also try your hand at fly fishing in the middle of a river while trout sip insects off the surface around you. No matter where you may be staying in Berkshire County, you are never very far from productive fishing opportunities.

Massachusetts is on a short list of states in the Northeast that offer year round fishing on all of their waterways. Because fishing is open year-round, anglers are provided with a number of fishing options winter, spring, summer, or fall. Make sure to read the rules and regulations you receive when buying your license, which can be done easily online via credit card. There are many sections of river that are catch and release only, as well as regulations on the catch and keep limits on lakes and ponds. While fishing is always an option in Massachusetts, each season provides ideal conditions for different species and/or techniques.

Spring time is a great time to get out into the local rivers for trout. Regardless of whether you prefer fly fishing or spin fishing, if you are interested in fishing for trout, spring, especially March through June, is one of the best times to hook up with an acrobatic rainbow trout or a beefy brown trout.

As mayflies begin to hatch in the spring, trout begin to sip the surface looking for a meal. If you have never fished for trout on the dry fly, it is an experience not to be missed, and it is many fly anglers’ absolute favorite time to get out and explore local rivers. Many local Massachusetts rivers are stocked to keep populations healthy and improve your chance of a great catch, so make sure to take a look at the Massachusetts stocking reports to see what bodies of water have been stocked.

There is also natural reproduction for all trout species in most Berkshire rivers. If trout fishing isn’t your cup of tea, bass fishing is also an option in the spring, although it is best in the summer. In April, the bass start to wake up from their less active winter state. Many anglers have likely fished for bass in lakes, but small mouth bass fishing can also be world class in some Berkshire rivers.

 As the trees start to fill in and temperatures begin to warm towards summer, the trout fishing starts to slow down, as trout thrive in cooler water, and the warm-water species, pike, carp, and bass, become much more active and willing to bite. There are a dizzying variety of lakes to explore in the area. If you are willing to travel a bit off the beaten path, there are lakes you will have completely to yourself and there are others in plain view that are very easily accessible.

The bass and carp fishing opportunities during the summer can be numerous, whether you’re interested in spin or fly, lakes or rivers, walk in or boat fishing. The carp is a bit trickier of a fish to catch but has become a popular sport fish of the Berkshires.

  • Carp are massive, armored, bottom-feeding fish, which can often clock up to 10-15 pounds, reminiscent of koi fish. You will be successful in hooking up with a carp if you can slowly sneak up on one of them because they are easily spooked and slow moving.

When leaf peepers flock to the Berkshires to view the brilliant oranges, reds, and yellows turn on the hillsides and the temperatures cool slightly, the fall trout fishing pick back up and the pike fishing improves significantly.

  • Pike are prehistoric looking, large, and toothy fish and pike fishing is becoming one of the most popular and addicting games in the Northeast. The pike fishing can be world class in some of the local waterways, with pike in the 40 inch range being caught in the rivers and 40 or more inches in the lakes.

If you’ve fished for bass and trout before and are looking for a large catch and an aggressive fight, pike fishing is exactly what you are looking for. Pike can be caught using flies or spin gear. However, catching pike on the fly is a once in a lifetime experience with a thrill that can’t be beat. While pike fishing starts up in the fall, the pike remain active and hungry throughout the winter on local rivers and continues through early spring, right before the trout become active and the cycle begins again.

Many anglers do ice fish on lakes during the winter, catching many of the same species we encounter in warmer months like trout, pike and bass. Despite the cold temperatures most river sections do not freeze over, so winter river fishing can be very productive as well for trout. There are possibilities in the winter to catch a trout 20 inches or greater straight through until late spring.

For the do-it-yourselfer, the Massachusetts freshwater fishing website is a great way to get oriented with the lay of the land. There are also a number of expert guides available for hire through Berkshire Fishing Adventures and Berkshire Rivers Fly Fishing, if you’re looking for a custom lesson and outing.

The Berkshire waterways offer many ways of catching lifetime size fish throughout the year.