Hatch Pond in Northwest Hills Planning Region: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  You will find Hatch Pond in Northwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut. Around the bank it is mixed forest. Surface area runs to about 18 acres — small enough to read in one session. The nearest town is Kent, 9.6 miles away. The nearest city of size is Waterbury, 30 miles away. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Hatch Pond

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Open biodiversity records for Northwest Hills Planning Region list bluegill, brown trout, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed and black crappie. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Work Hatch Pond in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 70°F, the coldest about 22°F. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near late March. The water is typically free of ice between late March and mid December. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Hatch Pond runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Ford Pond at 1.2 miles is the sensible second choice. Nothing on Hatch Pond should be assumed from this page alone.