Fishing Lower Reservoir Bear Swamp in Franklin County, Massachusetts

• Overview

  The Franklin County entry here is Lower Reservoir Bear Swamp, in Massachusetts. Height above sea level is 876 feet. It runs to roughly 107 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. At about 3.3 miles of edge, most people work one arm at a time. Few waters listed in Franklin County are bigger. Charlemont is the closest place, 6.6 miles off. For a city, Albany is 40 miles off. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Lower Reservoir Bear Swamp

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Reported across Franklin County: brook trout, white sucker, bluegill and smallmouth bass. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. At Lower Reservoir Bear Swamp light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 19°F in January to roughly 66°F in July. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Count the season from break-up, usually mid April. The season between ice runs from about mid April to mid December. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. That shapes the year on Lower Reservoir Bear Swamp.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. The nearest mapped parking is half a mile away, so the last stretch is on foot. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Upper Reservoir Bear Swamp, 0.8 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the current arrangement for Lower Reservoir Bear Swamp.