Rifle Range Pond, Connecticut: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  In Connecticut, Rifle Range Pond belongs to Naugatuck Valley Planning Region. Height above sea level is 381 feet. Surface area runs to about 13 acres — small enough to read in one session. Oakville sits 2.2 miles from the bank. Wolcott is 3.2 miles and Waterbury 3.5 miles. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank. The near end sees the visitors; the far end rarely does.

• Where to Fish on Rifle Range Pond

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Open biodiversity records for Naugatuck Valley Planning Region list bluegill, white sucker, pumpkinseed, yellow perch and largemouth bass. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Rifle Range Pond gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 25°F to 71°F. Ice comes and goes from one year to the next. It is not guaranteed from one year to the next. Autumn steadies things again once the heat lets go. Rifle Range Pond fishes to that pattern most years. Weed growth peaks in late summer and changes where you can fish.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. A carry of half a mile from the nearest parking is the price of fishing here. There is a toilet block some half a mile out. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Should this one be busy, Greystone Pond is 0.9 miles off. For Rifle Range Pond in particular, ask before you travel.