For the Devoted, Trout Season Is a Treasured Time

It’s possible to catch a rainbow. The equipment includes morning sunlight, a fishing rod and some steady patience.

Since 1866, the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife has stocked over 450 ponds and streams across the state each year with rainbow, brook, tiger and brown trout. On the Vineyard, this includes Mill Pond, Seth’s Pond, Duarte’s Pond and Upper Lagoon Pond.

This year only rainbow trout made the cut, the result being ponds filled with shades of pink, green, yellow and orange.

Trout season opened on April 1 but by the end of May there won’t be many left. In addition to humans, nature’s fishermen — osprey and cormorants — are on high alert.

Doug Asselin was up early last week, fishing at Mill Pond in West Tisbury. Mr. Asselin has worked at Dick’s Bait and Tackle in Oak Bluffs for the past 20 years, and during trout season he goes fishing almost every morning before his shift.

“I see ‘em boiling over there,” he said, casting his line out to some ripples a trout had created after breaking through the pond’s surface. He set up a second rod nearby.

Within a couple minutes his line tightened, and as he reeled the trout in, it gave a short burst before quickly tiring.

“Look at the spots on the fins,” Mr. Asselin said, cleaning the trout’s scales in the water. “That’s my favorite, you know.”

The rainbow trout was a juvenile and after Mr. Asselin removed the hook he gently released the fish back into the water and watched it swim away.

Trout season is a short one, and soon anglers like Mr. Asselin will turn to the ocean as saltwater species arrive after spending the winter in warmer waters down south.

Despite the brevity of the season, freshwater fishing brings with it a unique magic, said Cooper Gilkes, owner of Coop's Bait & Tackle Shop in Edgartown. He heads out early in the morning before opening his shop to check out a variety of fishing holes.

“It’s like a boost,” he said, standing beside Duarte’s Pond last week, watching the trout jump. “It just makes your day, it really does.”

Mr. Gilkes hosts tournaments to get people into the trout fishing spirit. The first is the annual Kids Trout Fishing Tournament which took place last Saturday.

A tournament for adults is also underway, through May 30.

At his shop, customers often refer to Mr. Gilkes as “The Professor.” With decades of experience, he knows all the spots and also dispenses advice on what equipment and bait to use.

While worms suffice, most anglers use what’s called trout nuggets. They look like neon-colored marshmallows and their scent mimics different kinds of hatchery feed.

“Corn and garlic – that was it this year,” Mr. Gilkes said. “They were flying.”

Many anglers also sprinkle their bait with glitter, which Mr. Gilkes calls “magic.” The powder adds a shimmer to the food so that it resembles scales.

“If it’s not chartreuse, it’s no use,” Mr. Asselin said of his color of choice.

Although trout are known as a relatively easy fish to catch — the ponds are filled with them and they don’t fight to the degree a saltwater fish will — their lack of aggression can also make the process more difficult.

Mr. Asselin had moved from Mill Pond to Seth’s Pond to find a more private spot, but he wasn’t having much luck.

“A rainbow might just decide it doesn’t want this because they’re a little bit more docile,” Mr. Asselin said, gesturing to his bait which wasn’t getting any attention.

Mr. Asselin has caught most every kind fish on the Vineyard, he said, but the thrill he gets from catching a trout brings him a different kind of joy. Even when he doesn’t catch anything, or loses his gear to the trees or birds, he said being pondside is a meditative way to start his day.

“It’s been my escape for years,” he said. “Sometimes I feel like I’m all alone on the whole Island.”

This article appears in May 8, 2026.