Morses Pond, Wellesley

My own fishing roots can be found in the shallow waters of Morses Pond in Wellesley. Just down the street from me, this 105 acre pond is home to a surprising number of sizable largemouth bass. The pond can essentially be broken down into three sections. These include the deeper, clearer left side, home to the swimming beach, and the two unfathomably weedy right sections. The latter two average no more than 10-12 feet in depth and by august are all but covered by an impenetrable sheet of dense cover, almost too much for even the heaviest of jigs. The left side is considerably deeper and contains several solid stretches of workable shoreline, with countless felled trees and convenient docks. This shoreline meanders around for about a mile until it comes to a miniature basin at the mouth of a tunnel. The abundance of large crappie is  impressive in addition to the lurking largemouth bass and pickerel. The pond is also home to several rocky points, which serve as my ultimate go to spots on a slow day.

Now that I've covered the basics of the layout, it's time for the fish population. Morses contains a healthy supply of largemouth bass, pickerel, and bluegill. It is also home to bullhead catfish and the occasional perch, although the oxygen poor waters have all but suffocated them. In past years I usually reel in anywhere from 6 to 12 bass between 4 and 7 pounds and countless 1-3 pounders. Pickerel range anywhere from one to two feet and are obnoxiously abundant. My favorite technique for reeling in the largemouth in the springtime is a sinking gary yamamoto worm or a deep diving perch imitation. Although in August the weeds really begin to take over the pond, springtime offers the opportunity to still drop a weedless rig in without fear of snagging. Although there is plentiful shore fishing that can be accessed by walking around the beach or traveling down the aqueduct at the entrance, the use of a canoe or kayak will open up the opportunities. Anyway, throwing that worm at any point on the shore and just letting it sit on the bottom before slowly raising the rod tip every five to ten seconds nearly guarantees if you find the right spot. Look for the felled logs on the developed side of the pond and the tree cover on the more secluded side. Once summer kicks into full swing, the bass go deep and the best thing to do is fish in the late evening with a floating worm rigged weedless that you can drag over the tops of lilly pads and heavy cover. Using a frog imitation instead of a worm is deadly although you may want to bring more than one. The best colors for both worms and frogs are dark greens and purples. The fish have never responded to the flash so I recommend a dull color. If that doesn't seem to work, the glitter bits in the worms work well or a worm with a different colored tip. The pickerel really tear them apart. Try right off the bridge connecting the main pond to the small pond when the water is high and you'll get the lunkers that travel in between the two. The shoreline near the aqueduct offers the best cover for surface worming but the clearer side is a great opportunity to use the sinking worm.
On the slowest days, trying a size 3 or a size 4 agila spinner without the rooster tail is a surefire way to start off the action, even if it means dragging in a feisty pickerel.
Now that fall is upon us, it's time to start using the techniques that paid off in the springtime. More spinners and crankbaits work best as the bass have slipped into deeper waters and the weeds have cleared considerably. Rapala is the best bet for some great fights. Using a perch imitation off the point of even trolling it on the left side carries success.
If you fish this pond and follow a little of my advice you will catch fish and have a great time. Good Luck