Long Pond in Barnstable County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Massachusetts holds Long Pond, in Barnstable County. Salt water lies 1.9 miles off. Around 150 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. Size puts it in the front rank of our Barnstable County list. For a base, Teaticket sits 1.4 miles out. The nearest city of size is New Bedford, 17 miles away. The line between counties passes nearby, which can change who manages the water.

• Where to Fish on Long Pond

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Being tidal, the water moves twice a day, and the fishing moves with it. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Work Long Pond in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 71°F for July and 30°F for January. The year gives four workable seasons without severe ends. Some winters give nothing at all, so plan for open water. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. The season on Long Pond rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Parking within half a mile means no long carry with tackle. Long Pond Watershed takes in this water; protected-area rules will apply. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. The nearest alternative is Grews Pond, 0.6 miles out. Where Long Pond is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.