Forge Pond Fishing Spot

• County: Middlesex - Westford MA
• Acreage: 212
• Public Fishing: Yes
• Mean Depth: 15'
• Max Depth: 33'
• Elevation: 205'
• Bathymetry Map: View Forge Pond Bathymetry Map
• Website: http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/habitat/maps/ponds/pdf/dfwforg.pdf
• Last Modified By: vinny60 on 12/27/13 12:41 PM
• Ask about Forge Pond in our Fishing Forums

This large, 212-acre natural great pond is located an eighth of a mile south of Route 25. Maximum depth is 33 feet; average depth 15 feet. The water is dark with a transparency of only four feet. The bottom is predominantly gravel and aquatic vegetation is scarce, limited to patches in coves and a few shallows. The shoreline is heavily developed except for the southeastern and southwestern coves, and along the railroad right-of-way.
Access to Forge Pond is provided by a dirt and gravel ramp, owned by the Public Access Board, located off Beaver Brook Road on the pond’s southeastern cove. Parking is limited to approximately five vehicles. There is also an informal access along the railroad track where car top boats and canoes can be launched.

The last fisheries survey, conducted in 1979, recorded 11 species: Largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, black crappie, pumpkinseed, bluegill, white perch, yellow perch, golden shiner, brown bullhead and American eel. The largemouth bass and white perch dominated the sample.

Based on the results of the last fisheries survey this pond appears to be sustaining a high degree of fishing pressure. It appears that gamefish are removed almost as soon as they reach legal size; bass over 12 inches and pickerel over 15 inches are very scarce. We do have reliable reports that big bass are occasionally taken here, however, so bass anglers shouldn’t hesitate to give this pond a try. The abundance of small bass will certainly provide plenty of catch and release action.
The pond’s best resource appears to be its panfish, which are abundant and of fair size. Ice fishermen should concentrate on the white perch, yellow perch and crappie (“calicos”), all of which are susceptible to standard jigging techniques. This would also be a good pond to try with a fly rod and poppers on a warm evening.

Forge Pond is a 14-acre (57,000 m2) pond in the Chiltonville section of Plymouth, Massachusetts, within the Eel River watershed. The pond's inflow and outflow is Shingle Brook, a tributary of the Eel River.