Unless you have been locked in your room your entire time at Wheaton, you have likely either seen people fishing or the fish themselves in Peacock Pond. For many of us, it has brought back memories of our childhood excursions to ponds or creeks where we caught our first fish. Mine was with my brother while camping with our grandparents. A small sunfish nearly escaped me by tangling my line in the reeds, but I had eventually bested it. With spring temperatures approaching and these images in the back of our minds, it begs the question of how do we return to this long underutilized pastime?
Step one: Getting your license
So how do you get started? Unfortunately, the first step is to buy a fishing license. However, conveniently they can be bought online and printed out and are only required for those 15 years old or older. Prices for freshwater fishing licenses fluctuate for people of different ages and residential statuses. Residential status will considerably reduce the price of your licenses, with people from 15-17 and older than 70 getting them for free. Seniors from 65-69 also get a steeply discounted price of $14.75. However, the regular fishing license will set you back double that at $29.50. For non-residents 18 or older, there is only one option for a license which is an extra $10 on top of the regular fishing license for a Massachusetts resident. However, 15-17-year-olds only pay $7.10 for their licenses. Temporary 3 day fishing licenses are also available, for those less enthusiastic about the outdoors. The for residents it is $12.50 and for non residents it is a steep $23.30. However, because it’s Massachusetts there is a tax for first time purchases. For any first time purchase there is a extra $5 charge for the “Wildlands Conservation Stamp” added to first time licenses.
On the other hand, saltwater licenses cost $10 for everyone and aren’t required for those under 15 or with licenses in Rhode Island, Connecticut, or New Hampshire.
Step two: getting your equipment
Now that you are legally allowed to fish, what do you need to actually start fishing? and where do you get it? Well, the basic supplies you need for fishing are of course: a rod, fishing line, fishing hooks, bait/lures, and a net. As well as a bobber, depending on how active you want to be while fishing. Now where you you start to look for this equipment you may ask? Well, there are a variety of stores that have what you’ll be looking for. The best-reviewed stores in the area are Tom’s Bait and Tackle in Middleboro, and J and J Bait and Tackle in Brockton. EBay or Craig’s list is also useful for used and cheaper items. With all your equipment and your licenses acquired, you’re all ready to go fishing. Now all you need to figure out is where.
Step three: Where are the fish?
The Norton Reservoir is home to 11 different species of fish including Largemouth Bass, Chain Pickerel, Yellow Perch, White Perch, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Brown Bullhead, White Sucker, American Eel, and Golden Shiner. There are also multiple surrounding ponds and rivers with are accessible to fish. You will find Winnecunnet Pond and Watson Pond a little further down the road. Both of these contain the same sorts of fish you will find in the Reservoir. Some of the fish in these ponds are bigger and feistier than inexperienced fishermen are prepared to deal with on their own, so an experienced partner or gloves are pliers may be needed to help remove the hooks while not hurting the fish. These fishing spots may also need a bit of hiking to get to, as all of them are surrounded by woods or houses, and being prepared to move to different spots may be essential for being successful as well as not getting in trouble for fishing on private land.
Now that you’re all caught up with what you need to know, it is time to go fishing!
Journalism 2.0 
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