Kelly Ponds near South Woodstock: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Kelly Ponds is one of the Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region waters in Connecticut. The shore lies 31 miles out. It covers about 9 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. South Woodstock lies 4.7 miles from the water. For a city, Worcester is 29 miles off. The nearest boundary is a fair way off. One side gets the morning sun and the other the evening.

• Where to Fish on Kelly Ponds

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region cover bluegill, smallmouth bass and yellow bullhead. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The near bank of Kelly Ponds is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 70°F and January near 24°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Break-up comes around late March, and the run that follows is short and strong. Ice usually gives way near late March, and forms again about late December. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. The season on Kelly Ponds follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. This lies within protected land, so the rules will be stricter than usual. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Failing this one, try Abbott Pond, 0.9 miles away. Where Kelly Ponds is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.