Bolton Lake Fishing Guide, Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut

• Overview

  Connecticut holds Bolton Lake, in Capitol Planning Region. The bank gives way to mixed forest. It runs to roughly 178 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Size puts it in the front rank of our Capitol Planning Region list. Nearest town is Rockville, 4.6 miles off. After that come Manchester at 4.9 miles and Coventry Lake at 5.5 miles. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Bolton Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Reported across Capitol Planning Region: bluegill, pumpkinseed, yellow perch, chain pickerel and brook trout. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Bolton Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 25°F in January up to 71°F in July. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around late March. The open-water window runs from around late March to about late December in an average year. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Bolton Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. There is a slipway at Lower Bolton Pond Boat Launch, roughly half a mile off. The closest car park is half a mile away, so pack accordingly. This lies within protected land, so the rules will be stricter than usual. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. The nearest alternative is Upper Bolton Lake, 0.5 miles out. Ask locally about Bolton Lake if anything is unclear.