New map clarifies Candlewood Lake

The state Department of Environmental Protection has produced a new map of Candlewood Lake. Being man-made, Candlewood Lake has never exactly been uncharted waters. But the maps of Candlewood Lake are either 50 years old and inexact, or parceled out — a wedge of the lake pictured here, another there. Now, thanks to satellite and sonar technology, the state Department of Environmental Protection has produced a handsome map of the entire lake, giving anglers and boaters accurate readings of the lake's depths and shallows.

Fishermen will find the map extremely useful said Bob Reichart of The Compleat Angler in Danbury. Fishermen want to know the lake's depths and shallows, Reichart said, because they can use that information to better figure out where fish may be gathering. "There are places where it's shallow, then it goes down deep,'' Reichart said. Game fish, like bass and trout, might form schools at these places, Reichart said, as they try to feed on the bait fish looking for deeper water. As the lake's water gets warmer in summer, fish tend to head for deeper, cooler water. Knowing where the lake gets deeper will let anglers avoid the warm, fishless shallows. But in the spring, the fish might spawn in the shallows, so you want to be there.

The new map is a laminated — hence waterproof — 23-inch by 36-inch chart that gives the lake's depth in 10-foot contour intervals. It is not a navigational guide.
The new Candlewood Lake Depth Chart costs $10.95 at the DEP Store.