Michael Fabrizio, Nashville singer/songwriter and son of Dr. Michael Fabrizio, a respected local pediatrician, sent us a fish story. We’ll let him tell you in his own words:
“This morning, July 2, 2021 my father and I and our neighbor Peter Rando forged ahead with a last-minute fishing trip out on Onota Lake. We reserved a pontoon boat from Onota Livery the day before despite the chance of rain and went out at 6:30 am this morning. The owner of the livery, Rick (Wendling), couldn’t believe we actually showed up. The rain was spitting and we were doubting getting out on the water but since there were no thunderstorms in the forecast, we figured we would weather a little rain, dress warm, pack essentials and see what the morning would bring us. We all had been wanting to pull something BIG out of Onota Lake FOREVER. Peter and I had fished the lake as kids and my father and grandfather had fished the lake with me beginning over 30 years ago. We’ve been more focused however the last 3 summers since I had been coming back up from Nashville with my family for a month to enjoy a solid taste of summer back home. “
“We weren’t on the water for more than 30 minutes when I heard Peter yell from the back out of the boat “fish on!” I reeled in my line and rushed to get my phone (in its waterproof case) to capture whatever was about to happen. Peter handed the rod to my father to reel in and grabbed a long-handled net. The next 5 minutes were such a rush it’s hard to describe. We knew we had a bass and we knew it was BIG. Peter was using 10 lb test (line) on a sturdy medium weight rod and it was being TESTED the whole time. Peter stuck his net out and pulled the fish into the boat. My father had landed a roughly 7-9 lb smallmouth bass. Incredible colorings and simply a natural beauty of a fish. We were all dumbfounded like three kids who just caught their first fish. We did our photoshoot with a blurry camera lens (due to the waterproof case I had on). We shot a video as well which captures the emotion of the moment. We really wanted to weigh and measure but the time the bass had been out of the water was dangerously close to lethal. The last thing we wanted to do was let a creature which had grown that large and lived that long die because of our need to document it. When we put him back in the water he was moving very slowly and sluggish and we were nervous. I got around to him reached into the water, grabbed his tail and rocked him back and forth allowing the water to rush through his gills rapidly and within a few seconds he took off with a few pops of his powerful tail back to the depths.”
(Incidentally, they caught that fish on a purple artificial worm).
“We were young again. We were free. We had conquered the unconquerable Onota Lake. Finally!”
“However, we didn’t realize what we had. When we got back to the dock, we asked Rick at the livery what the state record for smallmouths was. He wasn’t sure. His son Drew came out and looked at the picture and said that’s the biggest smallmouth bass we have seen! That’s a lot coming from a family who sees fisherman day in and day out all year round, year after year. On the way home I looked up the official records and the WORLD record is 11 lbs. 15 oz. The MA state record is 8 lbs 2 oz caught 30 YEARS AGO in the Wachusett Reservoir. We will never know if we had a record breaker. But, all-in-all, persistence on a gloomy, rain spitting, wet and cold morning turned out to be one of the most thrilling fishing stories that I will get to pass on to my children.”
It certainly was a huge smallmouth bass, there’s no denying that, even though the picture was taken through a waterproof case and came out cloudy. We can’t see the faces of the lucky anglers, but the main attraction, the bass, came out fairly well. Estimated to be over 22 inches long, that fish would have easily qualified for a bronze pin from MassWildlife in the Catch and Keep or Catch and Release categories, perhaps a gold pin. In the last several years smallmouths in the 4 to 5 lb weight category have been winning the gold pin.
However; regulations of the MassWildlife Freshwater Fishing Program clearly stipulate that to qualify, a catch and release fish must be measured at the site of capture, photographed against a standard measuring device, then immediately released. A clear, side view, close-up photograph of the fish against a flat, clearly labeled measuring device must be included with all affidavits. The photo must include the entire fish and the measurement must be clearly discernible. A total length measurement will be used and all fish measurements will be rounded up to the nearest ¼ inch.
The anglers have no remorse for letting that fish go and not collecting a pin. They are happy that the bass is presumably still swimming around in Onota Lake today. Who knows, without precise measurements, that fish may grow a tad larger each time they tell the story.
Boat Parade
Meanwhile, on another local lake, there were different happenings. The Fourth of July Boat Parade on Ashmere Lake in Hinsdale. The day started out a bit raw, cloudy and rainy, but by the time the parade started, the weather turned nice. About 15 boats, mostly pontoon boats all decked out with red, white and blue flags and buntings, participated this year. The parade proceeded to most coves with boat riders tooting horns, playing patriotic music and waiving to all the people who had congregated along the shoreline. Of course, the parade observers waived, applauded and waived their own flags, too. “Happy Fourth of July” could be heard all over the lake. It was nice.
Antlerless deer permit applications due next week
If you want to hunt antlerless deer this fall, you need an antlerless deer permit. If you apply for a permit by the July 16 deadline, you then must check back after August 1 to find out if you have been awarded the ability to purchase the permit. Hunters can apply online using MassFishHunt on a computer or smartphone. You need a valid hunting or sporting license to apply for an antlerless deer permit. There is no fee to apply; a $5 fee is charged only if you are awarded a permit during the instant award period.
The instant award period begins August 1st at 8 a.m. and ends on December 31. Your odds of being awarded a permit are the same regardless of when you check your permit status. You can check the status of your permit through MassFishHunt.
Good news for turtles
Recently, Eversource workers hosted a Turtle-Palooza to teach others how to protect wildlife. The turtle protection program is designed to train the energy companys’ crews in locating and protecting endangered turtles. Denise Bartone, manager of licensing and permitting at Eversource Energy, explained that “these turtles are state-listed endangered species, so we work with the Department of Fish and Wildlife in Massachusetts to make sure we are still protecting the species while providing reliable services to our customers.”
This initiative is part of their work with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife under the Natural Heritage Program.