Dow Brook Reservoir Fishing Guide, Essex County, Massachusetts

• Overview

  Out in Essex County, Massachusetts, sits Dow Brook Reservoir. It sits 3 miles in from the sea. Small at around 19 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Rowley lies 1.3 miles from the water. The big place round here is Lowell, 23 miles distant. If this one is busy: Bull Brook Reservoir 0.3 miles away, Lower Millpond 3.7 miles, Upper Millpond 3.7 miles away, Clark Pond 3.8 miles and Rantoul Pond 4.2 miles away. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Dow Brook Reservoir

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. Open biodiversity records for Essex County list alewife, bluegill and striped bass. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. At Dow Brook Reservoir the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 26°F in January up to 71°F in July. The year turns gently, without extremes at either end. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. The hot months push the fishing to dawn and dusk. On Dow Brook Reservoir that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. The nearest mapped parking is half a mile away, so the last stretch is on foot. Part of this sits inside or beside Jewett Hill, so read the notices. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. The nearest alternative is Bull Brook Reservoir, 0.3 miles out. None of that is settled for Dow Brook Reservoir in what we hold.