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13-acre lake near Hamden. The lake tops out around 10 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. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Traced from the shoreline, Butterworth Dam runs 13 acres with 0.6 miles of edge. Nearly circular (index 1.2), so the story is the bottom, not the bank. The whole water is littoral — nothing here runs deeper than ~15 ft, so it's all weed-and-bait territory. You'll find it in South Central Connecticut County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Chamberlain Lake, 5 mi southwest of here.
Start shallow in spring: rainbow trout sit in 3 to 10 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 3 to 10 ft covers summer, 2 to 10 ft covers winter. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in winter. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Back-bay flat (3 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (9 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (9 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 2 to 10 ft | dawn | Deep basin (9 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Spring brown trout on Butterworth Dam hold shallow, usually 1 to 10 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 3 to 10 ft in summer, 1 to 10 ft once it turns cold. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 9 ft, prime for summer. Prime time lands in after dark and early morning. The summer box starts with a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night).
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | night & dawn | Deep basin (9 ft) | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 2 to 10 ft | dusk & dawn | open water | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 1 to 10 ft | dawn | Deep basin (9 ft) | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
Early season yellow perch use the shallows, holding in 3 to 10 ft. Even in summer they hold at 3 to 10 ft; winter keeps them in 3 to 10 ft. The chart's best answer is Back-bay flat — weed flat, 3 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning. Tie on a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Back-bay flat (3 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn | Deep basin (9 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Deep basin (9 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (9 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
In spring, smallmouth bass run shallow here, mostly 3 to 10 ft. Summer keeps them at 3 to 10 ft, and they winter in 3 to 10 ft. Winter smallmouth bass concentrate at Deep basin, a good-rated deep basin around 9 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | open water | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Deep basin (9 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Spring puts largemouth bass in skinny water — 2 to 10 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 3 to 10 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 10 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Back-bay flat (3 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Back-bay flat (3 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Deep basin (9 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 3 to 10 ft before dropping to 3 to 10 ft for winter. Winter crappie concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 9 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Back-bay flat (3 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | dawn | Back-bay flat (3 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Deep basin (9 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Butterworth Dam also holds bluegill (3 to 10 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), brown bullhead (3 to 10 ft in summer), channel catfish (3 to 10 ft in summer), common carp (2 to 10 ft in summer), chain pickerel (2 to 10 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
The chart marks 3 structure features on Butterworth Dam; the deepest is Deep basin at about 9 ft.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Connecticut waters are set by the Connecticut DEEP — and special regulations can apply to Butterworth Dam specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Connecticut fishing regulations →
Butterworth Dam is about 10 ft (3 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target rainbow trout, brown trout, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead, channel catfish, common carp, chain pickerel on Butterworth Dam. This isn't a survey of the lake — none is on record for it — but an informed estimate from the species listed for the nearest surveyed lakes in the region, filtered to this lake's depth and habitat.
Back-bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For rainbow trout, 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.
Fishing on Butterworth Dam is regulated by the Connecticut DEEP. Check the official Connecticut regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Chamberlain Lake 5 mi · Lake Wintergreen 7 mi · North Farms Reservoir 7 mi · Black Pond 10 mi · Maltby Lake #2 10 mi · Lake Saltonstall 10 mi · Maltby Lake #1 10 mi · Beseck Lake 10 mi · Maltby Lake #3 10 mi · Quonnipaug Lake 11 mi · Silver Lake 12 mi · Naugatuck River 12 mi
See how Butterworth Dam stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Connecticut · best smallmouth bass lakes in Connecticut · best crappie lakes in Connecticut · best bluegill lakes in Connecticut
More water nearby: South Central Connecticut County fishing maps (9 charts). Browse all Connecticut fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.