Western CT Fishing Spots

The Deep Brook TMA on the Pootatuck River (half-mile upstream and half-mile downstream from the confluence with Deep Brook), managed by the Candlewood Valley Chapter of TU, is an incredible fishery with stocked Brook Trout, wild Brown Trout and native Brook Trout (wild fish are not native, but are stocked and then able to maintain a breeding population). The local TMA is a Class One trout stream, meaning that it has a sustained breeding population of native and wild trout.

A great local lake to hit is Warner Pond. The Angler's Guide lists the species of fish in Warner as Largemouth Bass, Yellow Perch and Sunfish but the lake also has a large population of Chain Pickerel that are more than willing to hit a little Rapala or Rooster Tail. Pickerel are aggressive and easy to catch, making them a perfect fish for some catch and release fun or as a fish to use to introduce youngsters to the sport. Pickerel are also a pretty fish, but they are slimy, so take pliers along to unhook the fish ... and you might want the pliers so the fish's sharp teeth and gill plate don't take a chunk of your skin.

For the Yellow Perch in Warner, try a small minnow about two feet below a bobber; when the Perch are turned on, you can clean up on them. For the bass, live minnows or standard bass lures work just fine. The smaller fish are working the surface right now when the weather is nice. The larger bass are still holding deep, but the occasional good fish shows up. As the weather warms, the lunkers will move shallow for a while. The bream and sunfish are relatively easy to catch; just pop on a small bobber with a small worm on the hook. (Ray Huntzicker, Newtown Bee)