Whitehall Reservoir Fishing Spot

• County: Middlesex - Hopkinton
• Acreage: 575
• Mean Depth: 6'
• Max Depth: 32'
• Elevation: 330'
• Website: http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/habitat/maps/ponds/pdf/dfwwhite.pdf
• Last Modified By: carpmaster on 05/10/16 12:16 AM
• Ask about Whitehall Reservoir in our Fishing Forums

This enormous 575-acre natural great pond is located about a quarter mile south of Route 135 and a mile west of Route 495. Maximum depth is 32 feet, but overall this is a shallow pond and average depth is just six feet. Transparency is variable, depending upon suspended algae and boat traffic, and runs from six to ten feet. The bottom is equally variable, consisting of gravel, rubble or muck, and structure in the form of humps, islands and fallen trees is abundant. Aquatic vegetation is abundant to overly abundant, heaviest along the western shorelines.
Shoreline access is excellent since the Department of Environmental Management owns a narrow band of land around the entire pond. There is a large, paved boat ramp and parking lot just off Route 135 on a northeastern cove of the pond. It is suitable for all trailer boats and there is parking space for at least 30 vehicles. There is also a small, unimproved access for car top boats and canoes off Pond Street (with parking for only two or three cars) on the extreme southern tip of the pond. There is a speed limit on this pond which prohibits water skiing.

A general fisheries survey was last conducted here in 1979, although an electro-fishing survey for bass was conducted in 1992. The 1979 survey recorded eight species: largemouth bass, white perch, yellow perch, pumpkinseed, bluegill, white catfish, brown bullhead and golden shiner. Chain pickerel are present as well. A limited number of trout are stocked every spring. Tiger muskies were stocked 1981, northern pike in 1985 and 1988.

Trout fishermen will enjoy some good action here in the spring and early summer by concentrating on the deep hole at the southern end of the pond. However, it is the warm water fishing that is the real attraction. There is an excellent bass population with large numbers of legal size fish. Lunkers in the four to six pound class are not uncommon. The problem is that there is so much “bassy” looking habitat, which’s it’s sometimes hard to figure out where the big ones are hiding. Ice fishermen find good action with the pickerel and perch, but very rarely pick up a northern pike. The big predators have apparently not taken to this water as well as were hoped. The white catfish are always worth a try, providing good action along with bullheads on warm summer evenings, and sometimes tipping the scales to three pounds or more.

The Whitehall Reservoir has been stocked with tagged trout. If you should be one the very rare lucky anglers that catch one of them, make sure you call Jeff LeClaire at (508)529-3901.