Fishing Area 3 — Gate 43

Quabbin Fishing Area 3 is Boat Launch Area #3 at Gate 43, the Stephen M. Brewer Fishing Area, in Hardwick off Greenwich Road, west of Route 32A. It is one of three places on the reservoir where you can launch or rent a boat, and DCR says it offers excellent warm-water fishing as well as trout and salmon. It opens with the Quabbin Fishing Season in April; parking is $6 a car.

Area 3 got a new boat ramp and a resurfaced lot in 2025. It sits on the east side of Quabbin in Hardwick, a different drive from Quabbin Park and Winsor Dam on Route 9.

Getting to Gate 43

DCR places the launch area in Hardwick, off Greenwich Road west of Route 32A. Route 32A runs along the east side of the reservoir; DCR's directions for nearby gates reach it from Route 122 to the north or Route 32 to the south. DCR gives the coordinates as 42.3736, -72.2340, and its fishing guide links to driving directions from those numbers. Quabbin Park, Winsor Dam and the visitor center are on the opposite, south-west corner of the reservoir off Route 9, so plan on a separate drive if you want to see both. The maps page links DCR's interactive map with every gate marked.

What's at Fishing Area 3

• The 2025 ramp. The Department of Fish and Game's Office of Fishing and Boating Access tore out the old ramp, built a new one and resurfaced the parking lot in a $280,000 project, marked with a ribbon cutting on April 18, 2025. DFG says it should serve anglers for more than 30 years.
• DCR rental boats and launch-area attendants selling parking, one-day Quabbin licenses and rentals by card. See boat rentals for the rules.
• Shore fishing. Gate 43 is within the stretch of shoreline (Gates 22 to 44) where daylight shore fishing is allowed in season; parking fees apply to shore anglers at the launch areas.
• Pottapaug Pond, the regulating pond above the Horseshoe Dam here, where DCR has rented canoes, kayaks and jon boats in past seasons.

Pottapaug Pond Is Closed to Boats in 2026

Pottapaug Pond in Hardwick is closed to all boating, private and rental, for the 2026 season. DCR is surveying and hand-pulling swollen bladderwort, a floating invasive plant, and boat props and paddles can break it up and spread it. That closure is why DCR offered no canoe or kayak rentals at Area 3 in 2026. Check the fishing guide before the 2027 season for whether the pond reopens.

Fishing From Area 3

DCR's fishing guide says Gate 43, like Gate 31, reaches shallower water that suits warm-water species, smallmouth and largemouth bass, pickerel, perch and bullhead, while still giving access to trout and salmon in the main body of the reservoir. MassWildlife says smallmouth bass are abundant across the reservoir and can be caught throughout the year from shore or boat. For lake trout and salmon in summer, DCR points to the deep west arm reached from Gate 8 (Area 1). Limits, the license rules and the mercury advisory are on the fishing guide.

Season, Hours and Night Access

The 2026 boating season ran April 18, 2026 to October 17, 2026. The launch area opens at 6 a.m.; closing times move through the season and boats must be off the water 90 minutes before closing. Gate 43 is also one of six gates where DCR allows pedestrian night fishing with its online Night Access Permit during the season. Call the visitor center at (413) 323-7221 on windy days, because DCR suspends rentals in high wind.

Biking at Gate 43

DCR allows bicycles on designated roads through Gates 43A and 43B, part of the short list of gates open to bikes. Riding on dirt roads and trails beyond the designated routes is not allowed. Details on the gates and biking page.