With over 16,000 acres October Mountain is the largest state forest in Massachusetts. October Mountain is an ideal location for hiking, camping, canoeing & kayaking, hunting, fishing, as well as snowmobiling and ATV use. I recently had the chance to go bass fishing in October Mountain Reservoir and had a great time catching smaller, yet very aggressive largemouth bass. Keep on reading, and I’ll give you the tips necessary to have a great time catching bass in October Mountain Reservoir.
October Mountain Reservoir is located just off of West Branch Road in October Mountain State Forest on the Pittsfield side of the mountain. Recreational activities that are allowed in October Mountain Reservoir include, fishing, canoeing & kayaking, swimming, and picnicking along the shore. October Mountain Reservoir is about 30ft deep at most and the only species of fish that appears to habitat this waterbody is the largemouth bass. Interestingly enough, all of the bass in October Mountain Reservoir appear to be “shocked” as they are all no more than 13-15 inches in length. My article, Largemouth Bass Info, gives insight as to why this might be. Nonetheless, these bass are great fun to catch!
How to catch largemouth bass in October Mountain Reservoir
We fished from a canoe on our October Mountain fishing expedition. In general we targeted areas of the reservoir where there were either lilly pads, weed beds, or submerged timber. We positioned our boat about 30 yards away from the shore and cast our lures and live bait directly into these popular bass “hangout spots” We caught most of our bass using live worms as well as the Yum Money Craw.
We have also been successful in the past using other fishing lures such as rubber worms, Rapalas, and smaller Rooster Tails to catch bass in October Mountain Reservoir.
Although you most likely will not catch that trophy bass in October Mountain Reservoir, you are definitely going to have a great time catching the smaller, yet very aggressive largemouth bass that the reservoir has to offer. Bring the kids, and pack your ultralight for a great afternoon of bass fishing fun!
The bass fishing has worsened due to a large increase in the panfish population, mainly pumpkinseed. It still is a great place for kayaking.
This is a beautiful location, my wife and I were kayaking here last weekend and saw a moose on the drive in!