Eel Pond in Plymouth County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Eel Pond is one of the Plymouth County listings for Massachusetts. Everything around it is open valley. Surface area runs to about 19 acres — small enough to read in one session. It lies lower than most water we list in Massachusetts. The closest town, Mattapoisett, is 0.2 miles away. Further out sit Mattapoisett Center (0.9 miles) and Marion (4.2 miles). Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Eel Pond

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Salt or brackish and tidal: fish the flow, rest at slack, and watch the mud on a falling tide. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. County-wide records name tessellated darter, striped bass, bluegill, swamp darter and chain pickerel. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Eel Pond gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 72°F at the top of summer and 29°F at the bottom of winter. The season stretches long at both ends here. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. March through May is the strongest run, with October and November a second stretch. Plan around that when you fish Eel Pond.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. A slipway half a mile out gives trailer access. Mattapoisett Rail Trail Parking holds the nearest mapped parking, half a mile out. Facilities run to toilets half a mile from the water. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. The nearest alternative is Pine Island Pond, 2.6 miles out. Nothing here settles the position at Eel Pond for certain.