Haggetts Pond, Massachusetts: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Essex County in Massachusetts is where Haggetts Pond sits. This is lake country bush country. With some 211 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. About 2.2 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. Size puts it in the front rank of our Essex County list. Tewksbury is the closest place, 3.2 miles off. Lowell sits 6.2 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Haggetts Pond

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Open biodiversity records for Essex County list alewife, bluegill and striped bass. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Take Haggetts Pond a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 72°F at the top of summer and 25°F at the bottom of winter. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late March. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about late March until roughly late December. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. It sets the rhythm of the year at Haggetts Pond.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Parking sits half a mile out, which makes for a walk with tackle. There is a recorded fishing site some half a mile from here. Facilities include toilets around half a mile from here. This lies within protected land, so the rules will be stricter than usual. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. The nearest alternative is Ames Pond, 1.5 miles out. None of that is settled for Haggetts Pond in what we hold.