Planning a trip to Massachusetts anytime soon? If you fancy a day trip filled with classic New England foliage, amazing antique shopping, and great freshwater fishing, then include the town of Brimfield in your itinerary. This Central Massachusetts town may not be on top of everyone’s radar, but it’s a fantastic destination just an hour outside of Boston.
Watch the town come to life every May, July, and September for the world-famous Brimfield Antique Flea Market. This open-air flea market is a week-long festival featuring the rarest antique finds that draw collectors from all over the world. If you happen to be around town during spring and fall, you can enjoy trout fishing in the waterbodies in and around the area. Ice fishing is quite productive here as well, with trophy northern pike as the catch of choice for many anglers.
Access the East Brimfield Reservoir for a great bass fishing experience. This body of water has different access points that are open to fishing. One of them is the Champeaux Road Fishing Area, at the north of the reservoir off Route 148. It is a shore fishing area that’s open year-round and has great ice fishing access. Another one worth looking into is the dam site located off Route 20. It is a scenic area with a nature trail and a shore fishing access area. Aside from largemouth bass, this reservoir is great for northern pike fishing and also has plenty of yellow and white perch, chain pickerel, bluegill, brown and yellow bullhead, and black crappie.
Connected to the reservoir is nearby Holland Pond. It is a small yet productive body of water that’s protected, so most of it’s open to recreational fishing. It is known for its largemouth bass population but is particularly fantastic for its northern pike catch during winter. Common carp in the 15-pound range can be found here as well. Other species include chain pickerel, black crappie, yellow and white perch, brown and yellow bullhead, pumpkinseed, and golden shiner.
Little Alum Pond has a public boat ramp and an adjacent shoreline where anglers can catch rainbow trout and brown trout with which the pond is regularly stocked. Other species in the pond include largemouth and smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, yellow and white perch, golden shiner, and brown bullhead. It is also a great ice fishing spot, known primarily for trout, yellow perch, and some chain pickerel.
Brimfield State Forest is a great fishing destination in the Brimfield area for inexperienced anglers. Its main pond is the man-made Dean Pond. While there are not a lot of big fish here, new anglers will enjoy catching good-sized panfish there. It is also regularly stocked with brook and brown trout every spring and fall, so there’s always a chance of catching them when the season is right.
Score rare antique finds or even just browse at the Brimfield Antique Flea Market. It happens every May, July, and September for a full week.
Bike along the scenic Brimfield Rail Trail, a 2-mile section of the planned trail system that will run from Palmer to Franklin.