Lake Buel

Overview

Lake Buel is really two lakes in one: a pair of deep bowls joined by a shallower plateau you can easily motor across. The 196-acre enlarged great pond sits just south of Route 183, about a mile below where it meets Route 23. Homes and seasonal camps line nearly the whole shore, and the lake gets plenty of recreational traffic.

Fishing

Spring belongs to the trout crowd: stocked fish are the lake's main draw and pull heavy pressure once the season opens. Don't sleep on the warmwater side, though. Largemouth and panfish are plentiful and the odd trophy bass shows up. Winter is pike season. Most northern pike here are caught through the ice, and some top 20 pounds. The pike reproduce naturally and are only occasionally topped up with stocking. Lake Buel has produced award-size fish in nine categories: largemouth and rock bass; chain pickerel and northern pike; brook and brown trout; and panfish such as black crappie, sunfish and yellow perch.

Species

MassWildlife survey nets have turned up largemouth and rock bass; chain pickerel and northern pike; panfish such as banded sunfish, black crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed and yellow perch; brown bullhead; and banded killifish, golden shiner and white sucker. Trout are stocked every spring and fall, and pike or tiger muskellunge are added when the hatcheries have them.

Regulations

MassWildlife freshwater regulations apply: https://www.mass.gov/freshwater-fishing-regulations. Check local town or DCR rules for access fees and restrictions.

Licensing

A Massachusetts freshwater fishing license is required for anglers 15 and older.

Access

Your only public way onto Lake Buel is the DCR ramp on Rt. 183 at the northwest corner. It is paved, takes trailers, and has a paved lot for about 30 vehicles. Everything else along the shore is private, so plan to fish from a boat, or from the ice in winter. Beartown State Forest's DCR office handles questions about access.

Ice fishing

Most of Lake Buel's northern pike, including fish over 20 lb, are caught through the ice. With the shoreline nearly all private, the ice is also one of the easiest ways to reach the fish.

Water facts

196 acres; average depth about 18 ft; deepest point 47 ft in the western bowl; water clear to about 13 ft; heavy weed growth everywhere except the deepest water.

Nearby waters

• Lake Garfield · 6.6 km (MA)
• Goose Pond · 14.2 km (MA)
• Blackberry River, WTMA · 17.3 km (CT)
• Laurel Lake · 17.4 km (MA)
• Whiting River · 17.6 km (CT)
• East Twin Lake · 17.7 km (CT)

More in Berkshire

• Kinderhook Creek (NY)
• Whiting River (CT)
• Otis Reservoir (MA)
• Goose Pond (MA)
• Laurel Lake (MA)
• North Pond (MA)