Fishing Straits Pond in Northwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut

• Overview

  The Northwest Hills Planning Region end of Connecticut holds Straits Pond. Salt water lies 38 miles off. It covers about 17 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Compared with other Connecticut water on our list, it sits high. New Preston is the closest place, 3.5 miles off. The nearest city of size is Waterbury, 21 miles away. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Straits Pond

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Species logged across Northwest Hills Planning Region include bluegill, brown trout, largemouth bass and pumpkinseed. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Straits Pond gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 23°F in January up to 70°F in July. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Ice-out usually falls in late March, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Open water usually runs from late March until about late December. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Straits Pond fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. For a change of water, Beaman Pond is 1.5 miles distant. Treat access at Straits Pond as something to verify.