Jamaica Pond, MA

Outing Information

Fish Caught

Brook Trout

Weather

Other Patterns Tried

No other pattern information for this outing.

Fishing Partners

No fishing partners were saved with this outing.

Waypoints

No waypoints were saved with this outing.

Notes

After work today I went to Jamaica Pond to fish a bit. My fish advisor on my Droid X said today would be a good solanar day to fish for trout. So I get there, pop open my hatchback and grab my light spinning gear with 6 lb test and load up my trusty gold 1/8 oz Kastmaster. I immediately do my routine thing of gathering intelligence so I go up to the two city kids named Brian and Eric and ask them what's biting. They tell me they got a rainbow, yellow perch, a crappie and a handful of bluegills. I then go up to an old timer named Ray. He tells me many stories and gives me a lot of tips about Jamaica Pond. He tells me he caught 3 rainbows earlier in the morning and tells me he almost had a salmon recently. He tells me a buddy of his caught a huge salmon here a few weeks ago. And the best tip, is to fish between the two trees to the left and cast far... there's a deep hole there.

So I gather my notes. 45 degrees, water temp around 48 degrees, past a full moon I believe, near sundown, winds blowing from west (Wind from the west, a fisherman's best) and I am using my lucky rod and lucky lure.

So by this time Ray had left and the city kids went across the pond to fish. I located the supposed honey hole and went to work. Because of male testosterone I upped my lure to my 1/2 oz gold Kastmaster because it feels so good to cast it a hundred feet. I retrieve fast, keeping the lure high in the water column. I continue to fan cast for five minutes. Nothing. I suddenly remember the Kastmaster website saying to retrieve slooowwly. I can't do that. Too impatient. I don't want to drag on the weeds. But after 20 casts I do just that. I cast it out far and reel it in slow.

Bam! Got a bite! I set the hook... feels like a trout. Bass won't hit this presentation at these temps and I am not deep enough for crappie or perch. My trout would either be in shallows over gravel or holding up in a deeper section. It feels like a trout... and just like that I lost it. Maybe I didn't set the hook. Now I am think my lure is way too big. Still, I keep on using the 1/2 oz. I cast it out a few times after and whammo! Another bite! I reel it again and lose it. I now switch to a 1/8 oz Kastmaster. This what I should have been using.

I see Eric and Brian walk towards me now. I cast not as far as I want but I reel in super slow. Bam! I get my third hit. I pull in my first Brook Trout. Pretty fish. 10 inches. A farm fish. Stoked!
The kids see me pull this in and applaud me. Then set up shop next to me and I continue to fish. Boom! I get another bite. I reel it and lose it.

So now Eric fishes next to me. Which I think is a wicked faux pas. I can barely cast now between the two trees. But whatever. He's using a 5' pole and he's just flipping his line. Weird. But he catches a lot of fish and I haven't so... I shoot my lure between him and a tree and reel super slow. This is the last time I see my beloved lucky lure because now, I get a bite. I set the hook and reel slowly so I don't tear the soft mouth of the trout. But... it's not a trout. My rod begins to bend in half. The kids are staring in awe. I am in utter disbelief. Can't be a bass, it's way too big... and pike are not hitting now in this cold. This fish is having me shuffle my feet and gets me to use my whole body to wrestle with it. It is pulling as hard as a striped bass in the ocean. It moves from way left to all the way to my right. The kids pull up their lines. About one minute passes and I can't bring this fish in. The fish breaks the surface a bit... the kids yell, "Salmon! It's a salmon!" I am mortified. I don't want to lose this. I running only 6 lb test. Another minute passes. I am cursing and the kids are screaming. They telling me not to lose it. Wow. I say thanks... ha ha. The damn fish is going everywhere and I am trying to follow it.
I would say I battled with this fish for over four minutes now. I am adjusting my drag and trying to wear it down before even thinking of landing it. But I managed to get this fish about five feet away from me... splashing in about two feet of water... and then it happened. Snap. My line went limp... the kids got upset and my heart sank. Brian said, "See... you shoulda use 10 lb test like me." (But it was Eric who caught all their fish)... ha ha ha. From what I saw, the fish was about the length of my arm. I would say it was over 6 lbs to maybe 10 lbs. I believe based in what's been biting and ruling out warm weather fish, that this was a salmon. Or the world's biggest trout. I was moments away from perhaps my most biggest catch. Almost.