Forge Pond Fishing near Granby, Massachusetts

• Overview

  In Massachusetts, Forge Pond belongs to Hampshire County. Height above sea level is 279 feet. The water covers some 67 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. About 1.1 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. Few waters listed in Hampshire County are bigger. Supplies mean a trip to Granby, 2.7 miles off. It is 13 miles to Springfield, the nearest city. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Forge Pond

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. Fish documented in Hampshire County include brook trout, bluegill and pumpkinseed. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. On Forge Pond a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 71°F in July and bottom out at 23°F in January. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Once it clears, about late March, the fishing comes on quickly. Ice usually gives way near late March, and forms again about late December. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. That shapes the year on Forge Pond.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. There is somewhere to leave the car, half a mile off. Bachelor Brook Wildlife Management Area covers ground next to the water; its rules will apply on that side. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Failing this one, try Metacomet Lake, 3 miles away. Nothing here settles the position at Forge Pond for certain.