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Fishing Butterworth Dam: what the data says
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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Butterworth Dam
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. 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. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Chain Pickerel fishing at Butterworth Dam
Start shallow in spring: chain pickerel sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 2 to 10 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 10 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for chain pickerel in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a weedless spoon + trailer or a buzzbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Weedless spoon + trailer, Buzzbait |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait along weed edges, Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon (through ice) |
Yellow Perch fishing at Butterworth Dam
Spring yellow perch on Butterworth Dam hold shallow, usually 3 to 10 ft. Summer fish stay in 3 to 10 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 10 ft. Back-bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring yellow perch. 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 | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Bluegill fishing at Butterworth Dam
In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 6 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 10 ft, and winter fish settle into 3 to 10 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 | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Butterworth Dam
Spring smallmouth bass on Butterworth Dam hold shallow, usually 3 to 10 ft. Summer fish stay in 3 to 10 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 10 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 9 ft, rated good for winter smallmouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
White Perch fishing at Butterworth Dam
Spring white perch on Butterworth Dam hold shallow, usually 3 to 10 ft. Summer fish stay in 3 to 10 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 10 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for white perch in summer. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a small spinner rig drifted or a 1/8 oz jigging spoon gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 10 ft | dusk | Small jig + curly tail, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn | Small spinner rig drifted, 1/8 oz jigging spoon |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Blade bait |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | dusk | Small rattle spoon, Tungsten + spikes |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 9 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Butterworth Dam?
Butterworth Dam is about 10 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 Butterworth Dam?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch, chain pickerel, white perch on Butterworth Dam.
Where is the best fishing spot on Butterworth Dam?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Butterworth Dam?
For largemouth bass, 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
Chamberlain Lake · Lake Wintergreen · North Farms Reservoir · Lake Saltonstall · Maltby Lake #2 · Maltby Lake #1
See how Butterworth Dam stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Connecticut · best smallmouth bass 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.