Goose Pond
A beautiful lake for swimming, fishing, and boating.
Berkshire Hills Leisure Lee offers community residents access to Goose Pond! Goose Pond is a 225 acre coldwater mountain lake with an average depth of 18 ft. The water is crystal clear with a transparency of 17 ft. Aquatic vegetation is extremely scant.
This 225-acre, coldwater mountain lake has a maximum depth of 46 feet and an average depth of approximately 18 feet. The water is infertile and crystal clear with a transparency of 17 feet. The bottom is composed of rubble and aquatic vegetation is extremely scant. Public access is provided by a boat ramp (with parking lots) located on the southwestern shore just north of the pond’s outlet. To get there, take Forest Street south from Route 20 (just east of the turnpike interchange) about two miles. Forest Street changes to Goose Pond Road and the ramp is located on the north side of the road at the end of a short driveway. The pond’s shoreline is moderately developed with summer cottages and is privately owned; hence shore fishing access is quite restricted.
Fish Populations
At least eight fish species are known to be present here: largemouth bass, smallmoLth bass, chain pickerel, red breasted sunfish, brown bullhead, tessellated darter, white sucker and rainbow smelt. In addition, the pond is stocked every spring and fall with catchable trout, mainly rainbows and browns. The pond is also stocked with broodstock salmon, and these fish will continue to be stocked on an annual basis whenever they are available.
Fishing
This is a premier coldwater pond and it is managed primarily for salmonids. Abundart numbers of stocked trout and an adequate forage base translate into excellent trout fishing. The ability of this water to carry trout from year to year has resulted in its designation as a special brown trout water with specific regulations designed to promote the production of big browns. Starting in 1994, there is a limit of one brown trout per day with a minimum length of 15 inches (this does not affect the standard three trout limit, but only one of those trout can be a brown, and it must be at least 15 inches long). The brood-stock salmon are an added attraction at this pond. Most salmonids are taken by trolling small spoons, spinners or streamers, or by still fishing the bottom with worms, shiners or dough baits. Ice fishing is slow, but sometimes results in a trophy. While this pond is justifiably renowned for its salmonid fishery, don’t overtook the smallmouths. These scrappy fighters are not particularly large, generally running around a pound or two, but there are enough of them to keep any bass angler happily occupied. The largemouth fishery is also worthwhile.