Puffers Pond, Amherst, MA

Factory Hollow Pond, known to almost everyone as Puffer's Pond, is a small round pond in Amherst, MA that is known more for trout fishing than bass fishing.  There is access to nearly every part of the pond from the shore and if you wanted to you could get a small boat in there as well.  The bass I have caught here were pretty small but I only fished here during the post spawn period.

Puffers get's pretty deep in the middle, about 15 feet from what I've heard, but the northern shore is pretty shallow and the weeds just off the shore give the fish good structure to hide by.  There are lilly pads running along the northern and north eastern shores that you can fish as well as a few downed trees on the western shore.

On the south western shore, there is a tall rock wall that goes deep into the water that you can fish if you can cast it far enough out there.  I've also seen a few kids fishing from atop the rock but I'm not sure how to get up there or if it's even legal to be up there.  For the most part, Puffer's Pond isn't an ideal fishing spot but when you're crunched for time and want to get in a few casts, you could do a lot worse than Puffer's.

One thing you have to be aware of though is that this is the "beach" for Umass students.  On a hot spring/fall day, expect to see hundreds of students laying on the beach and swimming so don't expect to have a very successful day. 

Successful Bait: Worms- Watermelon, pumpkin seed green.  Poppers- Yellow & Black pattern.
Shore Fishing? Yes 
Boat Access? Yes 
Boat Ramp? No

See Puffer's Pond in Google Maps

Pepper Mill Pond, Ware, MA

Pepper Mill Pond is a very isolated pond in Ware, MA located right off of Route 9.  It is an interesting body of water though.  It's almost like a slow moving river with a pond stuck to the side of it.  If I plan on going fishing from the shore in the Amherst area this is my go to spot.

When you first get to Pepper Mill, you will see a long skinny section of the pond with a lot of downed trees in it.  This spot is loaded with trout and you'll see a few people sitting there with their rods set up.  If you're here for bass, don't both stopping anywhere on this part of the pond.  I've tried it about 6 times and haven't gotten a single hit.

Instead, you want to follow a long path, about 3 minute walk all the way around the pond where you will see a peninsula sticking out into the pond, which divides it into two halves.  The only problem with this pond is there is very limited access to the water from the shore.  Thinking back on it, there are about 8 spots that you can fish at from the shore, the rest is covered in thick forage.

I've fished there about 7 or 8 times and only once have I gone without catching a fish which was early this June.  Last fall when I fished it, I caught at least 2 or 3 bass every time.  I've caught almost all of my fishing on the eastern shore of the pond, both on the southern and northern half.  The weeds on both sides are very thick so I've only been able to use Texas rigged worms here but they've been successful for me.

If you can, I would suggest getting a canoe or kayak in.  There are so many great spots, especially in the northern half that are impossible to fish from the shore.  Also, there are always fishing breaking in the middle of southern half, but you just can't cast far enough to reach them.  It is one of the most tempting ponds I've ever fished but it's just so hard to actually get your pole in the water. 

Successful Baits: Worms- Pumpkin seed green, Black & Orange, Red, Yellow, & Black.
Shore Fishing? Yes
Boat Access? Yes but there is a steep hill to climb down to reach the water.  Canoes and Kayaks best options.
Boat Ramp? No

See Pepper Mill Pond in Google Maps

Lake Metacomet, Belchertown, MA

This is place where I've caught my biggest fish.  In early May this year, I took my boat out here and while fishing in about 2 feet of water, I caught a 4 pounder, and two 3.5 pounders.  This is definitely my favorite spot to fish in the Amherst are.  The problem here is that if you don't own a boat or own land on the lake you won't be able to fish it; there's no open shore spots to fish from.  If you do own a boat, I suggest you get it in here.  There is a boat ramp off of Poole Road. 

I fished the eastern shoreline pretty much the whole time I was there.  There is a little cove that is about 2 feet deep the whole way in (about 100 feet) that was loaded with fish in early May.  I went back in the middle of June and I think it was a little too late.  All the big fish had gone back to the middle of the lake and all that was left were the new born baby bass.  Along the entire eastern shore, there are lilly pads and bushes that run into the water about 5 feet.  It's a great place to cast right next to the bushes and pull out tons of bass.

I spent about 9 hours out on the lake one day and went around the entire shoreline of the lake twice.  I caught fish on the southern, eastern, and western shores.  The northern shore was clear of any weeds or lilly pads and was very hard to fish.  There are a couple docks you can work but it's not worth your time.

The lake gets pretty deep in the middle, which is where I assume the fish headed after the spawn period.  You can use a deep diving crank bait or a lipless crank bait to get down to them.

Successful Baits: Worms- Pumpkin Seed/ w Red Flakes, Black and blue.  Frogs- Light Green.
Shore Fishing? No
Boat Access? Yes, off Poole Road.
Boat Ramp? Yes

See Lake Metacomet in Google Maps