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

Neponset Reservoir, Foxboro, MA

I've only fished here once but it was the most disappointing day of fishing I have ever experienced. The Neponset Reservoir is the biggest body of water that I've fished and at first glance it seemed like an amazing find. There are sections of thick lilly pads, long grass, different points and coves, and a huge area that is all submerged tree stumps. Having said all that, I fished it for 5 hours and caught 2 less than average sized bass. Maybe it was the bait I used or it just wasn't my day but I was seriously let down.

Pretty much the entire shore of the reservoir is privately owned and as far as I can find, there is no public boat ramp and only a little bit of shore line fishing.  I was able to get my 2 person john boat in by backing my Explorer down a dirt path located just off of Edwards Rd near the Beach St intersection.  You can also fish from the shore at the end of this path as well. 

The reservoir is divided into two halves, eastern and western halves.  If you drop your boat in on Edward Rd, you will be in the northern end of the eastern half.  The weeds are very thick up there but you will see a couple of points and drops to fish almost immediately.  If you travel down to the southern end you will find all of the submerged trees which didn't produce any results for me.  Along the way down you will encounter 3 islands that look like they should produce some bass as well as a few random patches of lilly pads.

To be honest, although I had limited success here, I'd love to give it another shot just because it looks like a bass haven and its just too tempting.  I think if I do go back, I'd check out the western half since it gets more sunlight during the early mornings which warms the water more quickly drawing the fish in to shallow waters.  If you've had any success here, I'd love to hear about it.

Successful Baits: None Yet
Shore Fishing? Yes but limited.
Boat Access? Yes off of Edwards Rd
Boat Ramp? No.

See the Neponset Reservoir in Google Maps

Robbins Pond, East Bridgewater, MA

Well, this place has been a bit troubling for me.  I've fished here 4 times.  3 times on a boat and once from the shore.  Each time, I went with high expectations and each time they haven't quite been met.  Robbins Pond consists of two bodies of water divided by a small dirt access road that you can find across the street from Nick & Angelo's Pizza on Route 106.

Early in the season, on the eastern half of the pond (the side on the right side of the access road) the weeds aren't too bad on the shore lines and can be fished with some success.  Yet, when I went out in late June, the weeds were too thick to fish, never mind get my boat through them.  We were stuck fishing the weedless shore on the northern side of the pond, unsuccessfully.  This half of the pond has no houses on the shore. 

The most attractive and most troubling part of Robbins Pond are all of the submerged tree stumps.  There are submerged stumps everywhere, which we all know provide structure for bass to congregate around.  Unfortunately, they also provide places to run your boat onto and get stuck for 5 minutes (like I did... twice).   If you can battle through the stumps with a good navigator, you could have some success. I'm yet to fish there without catching a fish, but just never as many as I expect.

As for the western half of the pond, also accessible from Pond St, I have only fished that a for a few minutes, until my motor went to shit.  This half of the pond is almost completely surrounded by houses on the shore except for the beach on Pond St, and the side that butts up against the access road.  On that shore though, you will find some good fishing, with lilly pads, bushes running in the water, and long grass, giving you plenty of structure to fish.  I'm not sure if I plan to go back there because of all the trouble I have been given there, but I always welcome a challenge.

Successful Baits: Worms - Pumpkinseed w/ salt & pepper flakes. 
Shore Fishing? Yes
Boat Access? Yes, Pond St and Access Road off of Route 106
Boat Ramp? Yes

See Robbin's Pond in Google Maps