Fishing Great Brook in Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut

• Overview

  The Western Connecticut Planning Region end of Connecticut holds Great Brook. Salt water lies 30 miles off. For a base, New Milford sits 0.4 miles out. Sherman lies 4.3 miles off, Washington another 6.6 miles. If this one is busy: Reservoir Number 2 a touch under 1.7 miles, Reservoir Number 4 at 1.8 miles, Reservoir Number 3 a touch under 2.1 miles, Great Mountain Pond at 2.4 miles and Green Pond a touch under 2.9 miles. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Great Brook

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Flow decides everything here: read the seams before you cast. Wading opens water that no bank angler reaches. Across Western Connecticut Planning Region, recorded fish include bluegill, brown trout, pumpkinseed, yellow perch and tessellated darter. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. On Great Brook the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 25°F in January to roughly 71°F in July. Fishing continues through most of the calendar, with quiet spells rather than closures. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. February into May fishes hardest as the water warms. Great Brook fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. There is a launch about half a mile from the bank. Mapping shows parking within half a mile. A pier or jetty stands half a mile away, which helps on a crowded bank. Town Open Space covers this ground, which means extra rules to check. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. For a change of water, Reservoir Number 2 is 1.7 miles distant. Check the current arrangement for Great Brook.