Five Lakes in Northeastern Connecticut to Ice Fish

Ice fishing in northeastern Connecticut offers some interesting choices for anglers, because there are many lakes and ponds from which to choose. Five of those bodies of water where ice fishing in northeastern Connecticut is common are Black Pond and Roseland Lake in Woodstock, West Thompson Lake in Thompson, and Bigelow Lake and Mashapaug Lake in Union, up by the Massachusetts line. These five lakes offer a wide variety of fish to go after under the ice, including walleye, yellow perch, chain pickerel, bass, trout, and crappies.

Northeastern Connecticut lakes freeze before most others in the eastern part of the state. The difference of a few miles translates into temperatures that often are 5 to 10 degrees colder than the middle of Connecticut, meaning ice forms much quicker there. Once you have established that the ice is safe, it is a matter of what species you desire to target through the ice. If it is trout, then Black Pond off of Route 198 in the western part of Woodstock is for you. Black Pond is small, only 79 acres, but it is home to a good number of trout, with bass and perch as well. February's last day is the cutoff for ice fishing this northeastern Connecticut lake, as is the case with many of the state's fisheries.

Also found in Woodstock, in the southeastern corner of this square shaped rural town, is Roseland Lake. Yellow perch are found here in great numbers, as are black crappies, also known as calico bass. Roseland Lake, not far from the junction of Routes 169 and 171, is 96 acres in size. Access to Roseland for ice fisherman is easy enough; there is a parking area right next to the water. The ice fishing season at Roseland ends on February 28th or 29th, depending on if it happens to be a leap year or not.

Bigelow Pond is the smallest of these five ice fishing spots by far, snuggled at the bottom of a valley in a heavily wooded portion in the eastern half of the town of Union. Of all the lakes described in this article, Bigelow Pond freezes first, as the cold air just settles into the hollow where it sits, right next to Route 171. The pond is only 25 acres and not overly deep, but it is in a beautifully scenic area and contains trout, bass, and perch. Once again, the last day of February causes ice fishing to cease here per Connecticut regulations.

Mashapaug Lake, in northeastern Union almost at the Massachusetts border, is the most heavily ice fished of this group. The 287 acre lake is a bass management lake as well as a walleye lake. The walleyes have been being stocked by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection for some time now, with a healthy population the result. Mashapaug is a long lake, extending a good distance north to south. It can be reached via Interstate 84 onto Route 171, following the road signs. Mashapaug offers no ice fishing after February has passed.

West Thompson Lake was created in 1965 when the United States Army Corp of Engineers constructed a dam across the Quinebaug River in the southwestern part of Thompson. The lake that formed covers 239 acres and it is long and somewhat narrow. The river channel runs through the lake, so successfully finding that often means finding the largemouth and smallmouth bass that inhabit it. Crappies are abundant, as are pickerel, and there is adequate parking available once you travel down the short paved road to the boat launch on the eastern side. West Thompson Lake is one of the few in the state to have no development at all on its shores and is open year round; ice fishing in March here is common. To find West Thompson Lake, get off of Exit 98 on Interstate 395, take a right on Riverside Road and follow the signs to the West Thompson dam.

Source:

http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2719&q=325530&depNav_GID=1625