Best bets for trophy northern pike and chain pickerel

Find places that produce trophy-sized pike and pickerel, using records from MassWildlife's Freshwater Sportfishing Awards Program. Keep in mind that these aren't the only places to try your luck.

Table of Contents

Best bets for chain pickerel

WaterbodyTown
Lovells PondBarnstable
Middle PondBarnstable
Wequaquet LakeBarnstable
Buckley-Dunton LakeBecket
Great Herring PondBourne/Plymouth
Greenland PondBrewster
Quaboag PondBrookfield
Sampson PondCarver
Robbins PondEast Bridgewater
Great PondEastham
Herring PondEastham
Muddy PondEastham
Monponsett PondsHalifax
Herring River ReservoirHarwich
Norwich PondHuntington
Long PondLakeville
Laurel LakeLee
Long PondLittleton
Mashpee-Wakeby PondMashpee
Lake BuelMonterey
Garfield LakeMonterey
Otis ReservoirOtis
Onota LakePittsfield
Pontoosuc LakePittsfield
Billington SeaPlymouth
Long PondPlymouth
White Island PondPlymouth
Richmond PondRichmond
Snipatuit PondRochester
Long PondRutland
Shawme Lake Lower & UpperSandwich
Stockbridge BowlStockbridge
Agawam River/Agawam Mill PondWareham
Glen Charlie PondWareham
Heard PondWayland
Webster LakeWebster
Long PondYarmouth
Connecticut River 

Best bets for northern pike

WaterbodyTown
Wequaquet LakeBarnstable
East Brimfield ReservoirBrimfield
Quaboag/Quacumquasit PondsBrookfield
Cheshire ReservoirCheshire
Hamilton ReservoirHolland
Holland PondHolland
Buel LakeMonterey
Housatonic River/Woods PondNA/Lenoxdale
Onota LakePittsfield
Pontoosuc LakePittsfield
Quinsigamond Lake/Flint PondShrewsbury
Concord River 
Connecticut River 

Northern pike stocking

Northern pike naturally reproduce in several waterbodies in Massachusetts. In addition, MassWildlife occasionally stocks northern pike in select waterbodies with adequate pike habitat. A small number of 3–12" pike are obtained from the New Jersey Division of Fisheries and Wildlife through a cooperative exchange program, since MassWildlife does not have a warm water fish hatchery.

Northern pike stocking information is listed in the table below. Note: It takes 3–5+ years for pike to attain the 28" minimum legal catch length. 

TownWaterAcresYears stocked
ArlingtonSpy Pond1032024
BrookfieldQuaboag Pond5312013, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023
CheshireCheshire Reservoir4182006, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021
FraminghamCochituate Lake5592024
HollandHolland Pond652000, 2007, 2008
MontereyBuel Lake1942006, 2023
New SalemRohunta Lake2502006
Shrewsbury/WorcesterQuinsigamond Lake, Newton Pond, Flint Pond4752002, 2004, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022
SturbridgeEast Brimfield Reservoir4202002, 2006–2008

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