Fishing Bates Pond in Northwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut

• Overview

  Look for Bates Pond in the Northwest Hills Planning Region part of Connecticut. It lies 1,076 feet above sea level. At 3 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. On size it sits at the modest end of our Northwest Hills Planning Region list. New Preston at 2.3 miles is the nearest place to stop. Waterbury sits 18 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Bates Pond

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Across Northwest Hills Planning Region, recorded fish include bluegill, brown trout and largemouth bass. The county list is broader than any single water. Read Bates Pond for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 70°F; the cold one sits at 23°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Count the season from break-up, usually late March. Averages suggest open water from about late March through to roughly late December. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. That is the shape of the year on Bates Pond.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. Expect a half a mile walk in from where the car goes. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Should this one be busy, Lake Waramaug is 1.4 miles off. Where Bates Pond is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.