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Best chain pickerel lakes in Connecticut

130 Connecticut waters hold chain pickerel, 130 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. The eastern esox — a lie-in-wait weed-bed assassin that bites all year, including through the ice.

1. Lake Lillinonah — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
2. Lake Zoar — 64 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
3. Candlewood Lake — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Rainbow TroutWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
4. Lake Housatonic — 24 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
5. Pachaug Pond — 18 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel CatfishWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
6. Rainbow Reservoir — 35 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
7. Colebrook River Reservoir — 130 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
8. Waramaug Lake — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Rainbow TroutWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
9. Bashan Lake — 45 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Rainbow TroutWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
10. Lake Saltonstall — 110 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
11. Aspinook Pond — 20 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
12. East Twin Lake — 80 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
13. Congamond Lakes — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
14. Highland Lake — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
15. McDonough Lake — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
16. Saugatuck Reservoir — 100 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
17. Congamond Lakes South Pond — 35 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, BluegillWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
18. Coventry Lake — 36 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
19. Gardner Lake — 36 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
20. Beach Pond — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, BluegillWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
21. Hopeville Pond — 15 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, BluegillWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
22. Moodus Reservoir, Upper — 9 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
23. Squantz Pond — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Rainbow TroutWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
24. West Twin Lake — 21 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Rainbow TroutWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
25. Salmon Cove — 24 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site

…plus 105 more Connecticut waters holding chain pickerel.

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When to fish chain pickerel in Connecticut

• Spring 2–10 ft — Early spawner: post-spawn fish prowl warming, weedy bays and eat everything that moves.
• Summer 3–15 ft — Classic ambush game: weed edges, pad fields and dock shade — flashy, steady retrieves.
• Fall 4–15 ft — Feeding hard around the last green weeds as water cools.
• Winter 5–18 ft — One of ice fishing's most reliable biters — shiners on tip-ups over weed flats.

Also in Connecticut: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best striped bass lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best common carp lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best landlocked salmon lakes · best rock bass lakes · best white perch lakes · best pumpkinseed lakes · best brown bullhead lakes · best summer flounder (fluke) lakes · best bluefish lakes · best black sea bass lakes · best tautog (blackfish) lakes

Chain Pickerel elsewhere: Québec · Maine · New Hampshire · New York · Massachusetts · New Brunswick · Vermont · Nova Scotia · New Jersey · Delaware · Rhode Island