Best brown trout lakes in Connecticut
48 Connecticut waters hold brown trout, 43 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Wary, nocturnal-leaning predator. Shorelines and inflows in cold months; the thermocline in summer.
- Lake Housatonic — 24 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
- Saugatuck Reservoir — 100 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
- Rainbow Reservoir — 35 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
- Colebrook River Reservoir — 130 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
- Lake Saltonstall — 110 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
- Aspinook Pond — 20 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
- Congamond Lakes — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
- McDonough Lake — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
- Mansfield Hollow Reservoir — 21 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
- West Twin Lake — 21 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
- Salmon Cove — 24 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
- West Thompson Reservoir — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
- West Branch Reservoir — 90 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
- Keeney Cove — 24 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
- Lake Hayward — 33 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
- Stillwater Pond — 24 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
- Alexander Lake — 48 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
- Wonoscoponuc Lake — 100 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
- Ashland Pond — 20 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
- Long Pond — 66 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
- Mudge Pond — 32 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
- Tyler Lake — 21 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
- Killingly Pond — 21 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
- Beseck Lake — 24 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
- Uncas Lake — 36 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
…plus 23 more Connecticut waters holding brown trout.
When to fish brown trout in Connecticut
- Spring 3–25 ft — Cold-water browns hug shorelines, river mouths and mud lines — often in a few feet of water early and late.
- Summer 25–60 ft — Browns sit at the thermocline by day and slide shallow after dark — the night troll takes the giants.
- Fall 5–30 ft — Spawn-run browns stage off tributaries and gravel shorelines, aggressive and territorial.
- Winter 5–35 ft — Browns feed all winter — nearshore when bait is in, deeper breaks otherwise.
Also in Connecticut: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best common carp lakes · best chain pickerel lakes · best white perch lakes
Brown Trout elsewhere: Minnesota · Michigan · New Hampshire · Montana · Wyoming · Massachusetts · Washington · Utah · Colorado · New York · Wisconsin · Arizona · Nevada · Tennessee · Missouri · Maine · Pennsylvania