PLAINFIELD — Craig Mannix would rather be ice fishing at Center Pond in Becket. But on Thursday, he chose a spot where the air was thinner and the ice was at least six inches thick: Plainfield Pond. The day after Christmas, Mannix, of Springfield, had the day off from his job as maintenance supervisor at Electro-Term/Hollingsworth in Springfield.
So did his son, who also works there. Craig Mannix catches and releases a pickerel at Plainfield Pond Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024.
So, the two packed hot dogs, a grill, tip-ups and minnows and set up base close to the shore line on the 57-acre pond at 1,690 feet above sea level. Jack Mannix and Craig Mannix kick back as they watch their tip-ups. The father and son duo sat side by side near their base — facing in opposite directions and past one another so they could hold conversations while keeping an eye out on the flags of their tip-ups.
“It may be 10 degrees, but this is nice weather for us,” Craig Mannix said. So, how was the fishing Thursday? Apparently, the fish and the men got hungry at the same time. Craig Mannix shows a pickerel he caught at Plainfield Pond.
“We were trying to get our breakfast, and they were just going crazy,” he said. The count by about 9:30 a.m.
was about 15 pickerel and perch. Jack and Craig Mannix have caught a pickerel at Plainfield Pond. “We usually stay 'til at least noon, depending on how fast we go through the bait,” Craig Mannix said.
“We came out with four dozen bait, so we’re dow.