Photo by Michael Skinner

As cold winds blow down from Canada across southern New England, ice-anglers struggle to keep warm against the frosty gales.

Fortunately, few things warm a winter angler’s fingers faster than having the line rip through your hands as a pike peels away under the ice. Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts teem with lakes and ponds with thriving northern pike populations.

Pack up your gear and spend some time on the following waters in pursuit of these hardwater tigers.

MASSACHUSETTS
Lake Quinsigamond
This 772-acre lake is close to Worcester and has developed a reputation for winter pike. Part of the attraction is that the Massachusetts Division of Fish and Wildlife has stocked the lake with northern pike since the early 1980s. Today, ice- fishermen routinely catch pike over the 28-inch length limit, with many fish pushing 20 pounds.

Ice-anglers will find three distinct sections of the lake. The northern basin of the lake is deep and narrow. This is where ice-anglers go when looking for trout. It averages about 33 feet.

The middle section, often called the “southern basin,” is shallower, with numerous coves and islands. This is where anglers have the best chance of hooking into a northern pike or chain pickerel.

The southernmost section is known as “Flint Pond.” This pond is shallow with an average depth of 9 feet. Flint Pond seems better suited for largemouth bass fishing, but some of the biggest pike turn up in this section.

The shore is highly developed, but anglers will find plenty of public access. Parking for the southern basin can be found at Quinsigamond State Park on the west side of the lake south of Route 9. North of Route 9, on the west side of the lake, Regatta Park provides access to the northern basin.

The lake has two launch ramps. The northern ramp is on North Quinsigamond Avenue in Shrewsbury (from Exit 22 off Interstate 290). Another boat ramp is on Flint Pond off Route 20 east of Worcester.

A-l Site
Ice-anglers enjoy abundant yellow perch, largemouth bass and crappies here, but it is the northern pike that is the big winter draw. MassWildlife began releasing northern pike into this 325-acre pond in 1988. Biologists have continued to stock the pond with pike to maintain the fishery.

This lake, often called “Stump Pond,” was created when a dam was placed across the Assabet River. Trees and stumps were not removed from the lake before it was flooded. While much of the wood has since decayed, there is ample submerged cover for the fish. Pike anglers do well fishing near the larger piles of submerged logs and stumps.

The water of A-1 is stained brown, and local experts recommend adding a bright-colored spoon or jig to your tip-ups to improve pike success. Also, look for dropoffs. The average depth is only 3 feet, but there is a deep basin formed by the old river channel that drops down to 15 feet.

This pond has a good forage base of golden shiners, white suckers and yellow perch. All three make excellent Stump Pond pike baits. There is a vast amount of submerged timber, so keep your bait anchored tightly with plenty of weight. Free-swimming baits will tangle quickly in this pond.

Stout lines are also recommended to help fight big fish through the sunken wood.

Access to A-1 is provided through roadside parking. Take Exit 23 off I-495 onto Route 9 west toward Worcester. Turn south onto Route 30 into Westborough. About one mile past Westborough Center, turn right onto Mill Street to the lake.

A resident season license costs $27.50. Non-resident Massachusetts licenses cost $37.50 for the season or $23.50 for a three-day permit.

For more information, contact the Massachusetts Division of Fish and Wildlife at (617) 626-1591.

For tourism information, write to the Office of Travel and Tourism, 10 Park Plaza, Suite 4510, Boston, MA 02116; or call (800) 227-MASS.

CONNECTICUT
Winchester Lake
Winchester Lake is a newcomer to Connecticut’s northern pike fishery. The state Department of Environmental Protection began stocking pike fry into the lake about eight years ago. Anglers are now reporting fish exceeding the state’s 26-inch size limit, with many of these fish going over 36 inches.