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

• Overview

  Mount Tom Pond lies in Northwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut. The land about it is lake country bush. It measures about 57 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. With about 1.4 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Connecticut listings. New Preston is the closest town at 4.2 miles. The big place round here is Waterbury, 16 miles distant.

• Where to Fish on Mount Tom Pond

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Species logged across Northwest Hills Planning Region include bluegill, brown trout, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed and black crappie. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Mount Tom Pond a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 70°F and January reads 23°F. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Ice-out usually falls in late March, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Break-up near late March, freeze-up near late December: that is the shape of an average year. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. At Mount Tom Pond the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. There is a launch about half a mile from the bank. There is recorded parking some half a mile off. There is camping recorded roughly half a mile off. There are picnic tables recorded roughly half a mile off. Toilets are half a mile away, which matters on a long session. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Emmons Pond is 1.2 miles off.