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Best pumpkinseed lakes in Connecticut

96 Connecticut waters hold pumpkinseed, 96 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 brilliant little sunfish of weedy northern bays — a snail-crunching shallow-water resident that outnumbers bluegill across the east and Canada.

1. Saugatuck Reservoir — 100 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
2. Rainbow Reservoir — 35 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
3. Lake Saltonstall — 110 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
4. Aspinook Pond — 20 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
5. Congamond Lakes — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
6. McDonough Lake — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
7. Mansfield Hollow Reservoir — 21 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie
8. Hopeville Pond — 15 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, Bluegill
9. Moodus Reservoir, Upper — 9 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
10. West Twin Lake — 21 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Rainbow Trout
11. West Thompson Reservoir — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
12. Williams Pond — 15 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
13. West Branch Reservoir — 90 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
14. Winchester Lake — 16 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, Bluegill
15. Keeney Cove — 24 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
16. Moodus Reservoir, Lower — 12 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
17. Lake Hayward — 33 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
18. Stillwater Pond — 24 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
19. Alexander Lake — 48 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
20. Quaddick Reservoir, Middle — 18 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie
21. Wonoscoponuc Lake — 100 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
22. Pine Acres Lake — 9 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch, Pumpkinseed
23. Eagleville Lake — 6 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
24. Ashland Pond — 20 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
25. Long Pond — 66 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie

…plus 71 more Connecticut waters holding pumpkinseed.

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When to fish pumpkinseed in Connecticut

• Spring 1–8 ft — Spawning colonies carpet warm, protected bays — small baits dropped on the beds get instant attention.
• Summer 2–10 ft — Docks, pads and weed flats — pumpkinseeds hold tighter to vegetation than bluegill and love snails and nymphs.
• Fall 4–14 ft — Schools tighten on the last green weeds — find healthy cabbage near a drop and the school is there.
• Winter 6–18 ft — A staple ice panfish — soft-bottom flats just outside the deepest green weeds; downsize and watch for lift bites.

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 yellow perch lakes · best common carp lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best landlocked salmon lakes · best chain pickerel lakes · best rock bass lakes · best white perch lakes · best brown bullhead lakes

Pumpkinseed elsewhere: Ontario · Minnesota · Québec · Michigan · New Hampshire · Montana · Massachusetts · New York