Sportsman’s Corner: A hole in the water

Published: 06-26-2025 12:24 PM

By Mike Roche

There are two oft-repeated quotes about owning a boat. One defines a boat as “a hole in the water that you pour money into” and the second is “the two happiest days in a boat owner’s life are the day he buys it and the day he sells it.”

This writer has had a boat for his entire adult life starting with my father’s “Quabbin boat.” Those of us who are familiar with the Quabbin Reservoir’s great fishing understand that there is some outstanding cold water fishing via deep trolling for lake trout and landlocked Atlantic salmon, perhaps the best in the Northeast, and also great warm water species fishing, particularly for largemouth and smallmouth bass.

To use your personal boat to fish Quabbin Reservoir, it must fit regulations for the water supply. Horsepower is restricted to 20 horsepower for two-stroke engines and 25 horsepower for four-stroke engines. All boats must be inspected and sealed after treatment for invasive species. Quabbin trollers also often utilize specialized gear that includes downriggers to fish at depths, lead-core or wire line, rod holders and electronics to mark where fish are suspended and what temperature water is at the surface and depths.

The expense to buy and outfit a special boat for the limited weeks of Quabbin trolling are well worth it to the many locals who are passionate about that cold water fishery. Many fishermen are equally engaged in bass fishing. The only Quabbin-related requirements are horsepower and the invasive cleaning if you go anywhere else, but big smallmouths and largemouths are there for serious fishermen.

My next boat was an “anywhere but Quabbin” boat. A ProCraft 18 ½-foot walkthrough bass boat, it was equipped with downriggers and was a fine Lake Ontario boat when that fishery was the rage. It also performed well off the coast and was used to fish for striped bass, both off the Cape and in the north shore waters, and was a perfect bass boat well. It became an old fishing boat after 25 years and there was some pressure to replace it with something “nicer.”

During Covid, when you could not find a used boat, one posted on the internet caught my eye and the 2007 Tahoe Q6 Ski and Fish 20-foot runabout was purchased. It was in great shape, but needed the seats to be redone. Topstitch Vinyl in Ashfield did a fabulous job and the boat is like new. It is a departure from outboards and the Inboard/Outboard is a General Motors five-liter V8. It is way more than needed locally but is perfect for the big lakes in Maine and has great fishing platforms in the bow and stern. As a result, winterization and tuneups are a bit more involved, but the boat is roomy (seats eight), pulls tubers and skiers easily and is great for cocktail cruises around the pond.

Lately, however, my “never own a pontoon boat” personality has been challenged. Since a lot of my boating time is spent giving people a ride around the pond, the very popular “floating living rooms” that are becoming so popular have caught my eye! Can’t believe that I would ever part with the perfect fishing machine, but they are now adapting pontoon boats for fishing with specialized trolling motor mounts.

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This unbearable heat has been going on for what seems like forever! The dogs are relaxing, but fall will come, and soon. This writer has trained at Hedgerow Hunt Club with Pat Perry for years and that enabled me to get the dogs on top of their game for the hunting season. Pat has announced that he is no longer having club memberships and ending his training as of July 12. His expertise and the training grounds will be missed!

There have been a lot of sightings of whitetail fawns locally and the spotted sprites seem to be doing quite well. Time will tell as to game birds and small mammals as the wet spring and heat wave potentially can impact the survival rates of young-of-the-year.

Those interested in getting a Massachusetts Hunter Education Certificate should get involved in that process now. There are two options – one is the blended option of completing the online MA Hunter Ed Study Guide and then attending a one-day in-person Field Day. The other is a traditional classroom course with multiple sessions taught by certified instructors in classroom setting.

Field Day will be held at Mahar Regional School in Orange on Saturday, July 26. You can sign up for that field day or others by going to the MassWildlife web page and searching for Basic Hunter Education to register. Space is limited but there are field days held regularly for the next two months. Get started today!

The students and parents who went on the Mahar Fish’N Game Club Alaska trip got home this week and word has is that they brought home bunch of fish, including lots of flash frozen halibut filets. I will be featuring the trip in a future column.

Mike Roche is a retired teacher who has been involved in conservation and wildlife issues his entire life. He has written the Sportsman’s Corner since 1984 and has served as advisor to the Mahar Fish’N Game Club, counselor and director of the Massachusetts Conservation Camp, former Connecticut Valley District representative on the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board, a Massachusetts Hunter Education Instructor and is a licensed New York hunting guide. He can be reached at mikeroche3@msn.com.