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Fishing Bantam Lake: what the data says
947-acre lake near Morris. The lake tops out around 24 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Northern Pike fishing at Bantam Lake
In spring, northern pike run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 15 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring northern pike. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Bantam Lake
Spring largemouth bass on Bantam Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 7 to 24 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 7 to 24 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Crappie fishing at Bantam Lake
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 7 to 24 ft, and by winter most fish are in 7 to 24 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 24 ft, rated prime for winter crappie. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 7 to 24 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 7 to 24 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Bantam Lake
In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 6 ft. They move out to 4 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 7 to 24 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 7 to 24 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Yellow Perch fishing at Bantam Lake
Spring yellow perch on Bantam Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 7 to 24 ft, and by winter most fish are in 7 to 24 ft. Back-bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring yellow perch. Best bite is early morning. Summer baits: a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 7 to 24 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 7 to 24 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 7 to 24 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Common Carp fishing at Bantam Lake
Start shallow in spring: common carp sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 to 24 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for common carp in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | midday | |
| Winter | 7 to 24 ft | midday |
Bantam Lake also holds chain pickerel (3 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 24 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 20 ft
- Pine Road causeway: causeway / bottleneck, around 5 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 4 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 4 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Bantam Lake?
Bantam Lake is about 24 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Bantam Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, northern pike, crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, common carp, chain pickerel on Bantam Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Bantam Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Bantam Lake?
For northern pike, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Mount Tom Pond · Dog Pond · Mohawk Pond · Tyler Lake · Waramaug Lake · Stillwater Pond
See how Bantam Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Connecticut · best crappie lakes in Connecticut · best bluegill lakes in Connecticut · best yellow perch lakes in Connecticut
Browse all Connecticut fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.