Fisheries & Fishing
Manchaug Pond is an important recreational fishery throughout the year whether you’re a fishing club bass tournament or just a kid looking for the quick-fighting catch of a bluegill.
The state boat ramp, managed by the Town of Sutton, offers easy-on access with a $6 . in state fee and $12. out-of-state day fee or a $40 season pass for Mass residents available at the town hall.
Manchaug Pond hosts a full season of fishing tournaments and kayak/canoe clubs from the tri-state area. Check the state site page
Boaters should take care leaving the ramp and on the water as Manchaug is a shallow lake with large rocks present, a submerged rock wall at the channel, several islands, and a submerged sandbar known as Blueberry Island.
FISHING MANCHAUG POND:
LICENSES: A Massachusetts freshwater fishing license is required of anyone 15 years and over. Younger anglers are not licensed but must follow all freshwater fishing laws concerning daily limit and minimum catch size. Licenses are free for ages 15 -17 and 70 and older.
THE CATCH: Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife reports: “The fishing pressure is intense, and bass over a pound or two are decidedly scare. This is a good pond to fish for bass in early spring, before the recreational boat traffic becomes distracting. Perch fishing is generally good, although average perch size is around 7-8 inches, with white perch predominating. The bluegills are very good, with plenty of fish 8 inches or better. Pickerels are scare, but lunkers are regularly taken through the ice. While pike are no longer stocked here, the possibility of catching a very large example from the 1989 stocking will remain for some years to come.”
IN-LAKE FISHERIES:
Surveys conducted by the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife have revealed 10 species:
- Black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus)
- Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)
- Brown bullhead (Amelurus nebulosus)
- Chain pickerel (Esox niger)
- Golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas)
- Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)
- Pumpkinseed or Kiver (Lepomis gibbosus)
- Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
- White perch (Morone americana)
- Yellow perch (Perca flavescens).
Additionally, the pond has been historically stocked with
- Northern pike (Esox lucieus) and
- Tiger muskellunge (Esox lucius x Esox masquinongy)
with the last stocking occurring in 1989, and are still caught today.
Bluegills guard their nest in Manchaug Pond, June 4th, 2009.
Take the fish quiz!
Can you identify all fish species living in Manchaug Pond and its streams? Hover over the picture for the answer!
Click for more information about each species.
COLDWATER FISHERIES:
An unnamed tributary to Manchaug Pond, located on private property, is a significant coldwater fishery resource supporting multiple year classes of native brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). While stories from days gone by of other streams supporting trout the size of your forearm in the hillsides of Manchaug Pond, pressure from increased development and low stream water levels have contributed to the loss of these resources.
An electrofishing survey performed by MassWildlife staff on July 15, 2008 yielded 120 wild Brook Trout across multiple age classes in 82 meters of stream. "This is an exceptional abundance of wild Brook Trout, putting this brook in the 90th percentile for Brook Trout abundance reative to streams of similar size across Massachusetts." reports Adam Kautza, Coldwater Fisheries Project Leader with Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. A small number of other common stream fish species, White suckers (Catastomus commersoni), yellow bullheads (Ameiurus natalis) and blacknose dace (Rhinichthys atratulus) were also found in this survey.
Manchaug Pond plays an important role as a headwater of the Mumford River in the Blackstone River Watershed by linking this coldwater fishery with the river. Summer high water levels in the pond are needed for connectivity in order to maintain these populations in both the stream and the pond.
Coldwater fisheries are highly sensitive to changes water quality and quantity: sedimentation, disruptions in flow, habitat fragmentation, alterations of the temperature regime and degraded water quality. Further, "Isolated streams, such as this unnamed tributary, which are not connected to any other stream are even more sensitive because they are unable to be naturally replenished with Brook Trout migrating from a nearby sour population should anything happen to the brook." Mass Wildlife reports. On the list of Massachusetts' fish species in greatest need of conservation are the brook trout and blacknose dace both present in our watershed. State maps show that the small blacknose dace is nearly lost in the eastern part of the state.
Source: Coldwater Fisheries Program, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife
