Chastened By The Chu
After reading so much about what a cruel mistress The Chu can be, I had very low expectations for my first visit. I figured it would most likely be an exploratory hike with fishing gear.
I hit Gate 14 at Scar Hill mid-morning and met a few guys who were winding down after being there for the early morning bite. A guy casting a spoon from the beached floating dock said he had caught a few small lakers, and a bucketeer with shiners said he had got one smallie, which is what I was after primarily.
I walked and cast, and then set up for a while on some ledge to the south. With the clear water I saw not only a few cruising smallies and some largemouths, but also what I think was a laker, in only a few feet of water. Got some follows but no bites.
Then I spotted a 2-3 pound smallie on a bed - wow, first fish I've seen on a bed this season - I thought the spawn was over. I ran several baits by her to no avail, then after switching to a bluegill lipless crankbait she slammed it after about six casts, but spit it after one gill-rattling leap! And a few minutes later she was back on the bed like nothing had happened - that's strong maternal instinct.
I don't know what was the bigger adrenalin rush, that or the 3 foot water snake that rounded the corner of the ledge in the shallows, headed right toward me until I let loose some shouted invective that caused him to make a wide berth around me, LOL.
A couple of hours later, I hooked another nice smallie in a cove down the shore a ways, on a drop shot Zoom lizard, but this one too made a mighty leap and threw my bait back at me.
That was it for action, but considering all the tales I've heard of The Chu skunking people who are far better anglers than me, I wasn't that disappointed. It was a beautiful day to be out in this entrancing place. I covered a lot of shore in eight hours of walking, and made some mental notes for future trips.
I can definitely see how The Chu gets under people's skin. Check out the Wachusett Reservoir Addicts page on Facebook, for example!
https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=wachusett%20reservoir%20addicts