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Bantam Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Connecticut's largest natural lake: 947 acres in Litchfield and Morris, managed by DEEP as a northern pike lake with bass, perch and panfish.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~55 F est.
Air / High
58 / 58 F
Wind
NE 6 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Bantam Lake feels the season turning: shorter days, grouping fish. Today brings clear skies, wind NE around 6 mph, rising pressure near 1027 hPa and a high of 58. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:26 AM-11:26 AM and 9:55 PM-11:55 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassGood

Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Northern pikeGood

The best band for pike: right after ice-out they move into flooded vegetated shallows to spawn, and they feed actively again as the water cools in fall.

Yellow perchGood

Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

Largemouth bassGood

In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

CrappieFair

Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

Tomorrow: Similar at 56 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Connecticut requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $28.00 for residents. What a Connecticut licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing smallmouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with CT DEEP before you keep anything. The season dates for Connecticut, read off the agency, are on the Connecticut seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp58 F
High / Low58 / 39 F
WindNE 6-9 mph
Pressure1027.0 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:14 / 17:59
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~55 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Which day to fish Bantam Lake this week

The best day on Bantam Lake this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 4 out of 5, against 2 today.

Best day this week: Sunday, Oct 25 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Tough

Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Solunar majors
9:26 AM-11:26 AM and 9:55 PM-11:55 PM
Minor period
3:48 AM-4:48 AM
Sun
07:14 to 17:59
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 9 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Bantam Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: cool water, from ice-out through spring, in fall and under the ice

A long, duck-billed predator of weedy lakes, slow rivers and backwaters that ambushes fish from vegetation. Wisconsin DNR points out that, unlike most of the state's common game fish, pike do their best feeding in cool water. The best band for pike: right after ice-out they move into flooded vegetated shallows to spawn, and they feed actively again as the water cools in fall.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Caught all year, including under the ice through winter

Yellow perch are schooling panfish of the Great Lakes and northern lakes, and Michigan DNR calls them the game fish most often caught in that state. Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

When to come: the Bantam Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Smallmouth bass
Northern pike
Yellow perch
Largemouth bass
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 55 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Bantam Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 62 F, wind to 13 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 59 F, wind to 12 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 66 F, wind to 12 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Connecticut requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Connecticut fishing license required. DEEP Northern Pike Lake rules for Bantam Lake: May 1 to November 30, 2 pike daily, 26-inch minimum; December 1 to the last day of February, 1 pike daily, 36-inch minimum; March 1 to April 30 closed to pike fishing. Live tench may not be possessed. Statewide regulations for all other species. Motors prohibited 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.; internal combustion motors prohibited on the Bantam River between the lake and the inlet to Little Pond.

Access

DEEP boat launch, 16 Palmer Road, Morris (corner of Route 209 and Palmer Road): paved ramp, 20 gravel parking spaces, seasonal floating dock, year-round chemical toilets. 6 mph limit in Nick's Cove; marina slips are for renters only.

About this water

A 947-acre natural lake in Morris and Litchfield, Litchfield County, Connecticut; DEEP describes it as the state's largest natural lake.

Fishing Bantam Lake: the full guide

A pike management lake

Connecticut DEEP lists Bantam Lake at 947 acres in Morris and Litchfield and names it one of the state's four Northern Pike Management Lakes. These lakes are supported by annual stockings of 4- to 6-inch fingerlings raised in DEEP's managed spawning marshes in Haddam and Mansfield, where adult pike spawn naturally; DEEP's 2025 stocking report lists 9,529 pike fingerlings for Bantam. The lake has its own pike rules, including a spring closure (see Regulations).

The rest of the species list

DEEP's lake listing gives smallmouth and largemouth bass, white perch, calico bass (black crappie), yellow perch, sunfish and bullhead, plus tench. Tench are a non-native species here: possessing a live tench is prohibited, so release one immediately where it was caught or dispatch and keep it.

Common questions

When can I keep a pike?

From May 1 to November 30 (2 daily, 26-inch minimum) and from December 1 to the end of February (1 daily, 36-inch minimum). Pike fishing is closed March 1 to April 30.

Is Bantam Lake stocked with pike?

Yes. DEEP stocks fingerlings from its spawning marshes; the 2025 report lists 9,529 for Bantam Lake.

Where is the boat launch?

DEEP's launch is at 16 Palmer Road in Morris, at Route 209, with a paved ramp and 20 parking spaces.

Is fishing good at Bantam Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Lake Waramaug7 miNaugatuck River8 miHousatonic River14 miHighland Lake15 miLake Lillinonah18 miLake Zoar20 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 41.7200, -73.2200 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 5, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 5, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.