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970-acre reservoir near Mansfield. CT DEEP survey water. The lake tops out around 21 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, Mansfield Hollow Reservoir runs 970 acres with 5.3 miles of edge. Nearly circular (index 1.2), so the story is the bottom, not the bank. Nothing on this chart breaks 15 ft, which makes the whole surface littoral: weeds, bait and ambush cover everywhere. Tip to tip the water measures near 2.2 mi with a 0.8-mi widest point. You'll find it in Capitol County. The nearest mapped water is Pine Acres Lake, 5 mi to the east.
Spring puts brook trout in skinny water — 2 to 15 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 6 to 21 ft, wintering in 3 to 20 ft. Summer brook trout concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 20 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (1 ft) | Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon |
| Summer | 6 to 21 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (20 ft) | Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm |
| Fall | 2 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (1 ft) | Small spoon (orange), Spinner |
| Winter | 3 to 20 ft | dawn | Deep basin (20 ft) | Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic |
In spring, rainbow trout run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 6 to 21 ft, and winter fish settle into 4 to 21 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for winter rainbow trout. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (7 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 6 to 21 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (7 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 6 to 21 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (7 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 4 to 21 ft | dawn | Break off the point (7 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
When the water first warms, brown trout slide up into 3 to 21 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 6 to 21 ft, winter 3 to 21 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 7 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and early morning. Keep a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 21 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (7 ft) | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 6 to 21 ft | night & dawn | Break off the point (7 ft) | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 4 to 21 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (7 ft) | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 3 to 21 ft | dawn | Break off the point (7 ft) | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
When the water first warms, yellow perch slide up into 3 to 12 ft. Summer is a 6 to 21 ft game here, winter a 6 to 21 ft one. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 20 ft of water and rates prime come fall. The feeding windows run early morning. Keep a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 6 to 21 ft | dawn | Deep basin (20 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 6 to 21 ft | midday | Deep basin (20 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 6 to 21 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (20 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: northern pike in 2 to 8 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 20 ft before dropping to 5 to 15 ft for winter. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike in fall. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (7 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (7 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Break off the point (7 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: smallmouth bass in 3 to 12 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 6 to 21 ft before dropping to 6 to 21 ft for winter. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (1 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 6 to 21 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (7 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 6 to 21 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (7 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 6 to 21 ft | midday | Break off the point (7 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Mansfield Hollow Reservoir also holds largemouth bass (8 to 20 ft in summer), white perch (6 to 21 ft in summer), crappie (6 to 21 ft in summer), bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), brown bullhead (3 to 12 ft in summer), channel catfish (6 to 21 ft in summer), chain pickerel (3 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
The chart marks 6 structure features on Mansfield Hollow Reservoir; the deepest is Deep basin at about 20 ft.
Access data: Connecticut DEEP — State Boat Launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Connecticut waters are set by the Connecticut DEEP — and special regulations can apply to Mansfield Hollow Reservoir specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Connecticut fishing regulations →
Mansfield Hollow Reservoir is about 21 ft (6 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 brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, yellow perch, northern pike, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, white perch, crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead, channel catfish, chain pickerel on Mansfield Hollow Reservoir.
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 20 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in fall. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
For brook 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 Mansfield Hollow Reservoir 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.
Pine Acres Lake 5 mi · Eagleville Lake 6 mi · Halls Pond 6 mi · Coventry Lake 7 mi · Hampton Reservoir 8 mi · Mono Pond 9 mi · Willimantic River 9 mi · Williams Pond 11 mi · Jurovaty Pond 12 mi · Holbrook Pond 12 mi · Bolton Lake, Upper 13 mi · Bolton Lake, Middle 13 mi
See how Mansfield Hollow Reservoir stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Connecticut · best smallmouth bass lakes in Connecticut · best northern pike lakes in Connecticut · best crappie lakes in Connecticut
More water nearby: Capitol County fishing maps (22 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.