Fishing Pelham Lake in Franklin County, Massachusetts

• Overview

  The Franklin County entry here is Pelham Lake, in Massachusetts. Land around it is mixed forest. Roughly 80 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. With about 1.4 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Few waters listed in Franklin County are bigger. For supplies, Charlemont is 5 miles out. Springfield is the closest city, 44 miles away. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Pelham Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Levels move with the draw rather than the rain on water like this. Records held for Franklin County cover brook trout, white sucker, bluegill and smallmouth bass. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Fish Pelham Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 67°F on average, January about 18°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near mid December: that is the shape of an average year. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. It sets the rhythm of the year at Pelham Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. You can park half a mile away and walk in from there. The water borders Pelham Lake Park, so expect the reserve rules to apply. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Lord Brook is 3 miles distant. Check the current arrangement for Pelham Lake.