Share your catch

Highland Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Winsted’s hillside lake: Highland holds trout, bass and perch in the Litchfield hills.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~73 F est.
Air / High
76 / 77 F
Wind
WNW 11 mph

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

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 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.

Highland Lake sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. Today brings clear skies, wind WNW around 11 mph, rising pressure near 1009 hPa and a high of 77. Water sits around 73 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Rainbow troutGood

Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Largemouth bassFair

Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

CrappieSlow

Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 72 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

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.

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp76 F
High / Low77 / 65 F
WindWNW 11-19 mph
Pressure1009.3 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain6% cloud, 28%
Sunrise / Sunset06:21 / 19:21
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 77/65 F, wind 12 mph, rain 28%

Fair or better. A 12 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

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

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

When to come: the Highland 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
Largemouth bass
Smallmouth bass
Rainbow trout
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 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 Highland Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 79 F, wind to 9 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 68 F, wind to 7 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 70 F, wind to 8 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

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 license plus trout stamp where required. Trout and bass limits per current DEEP regulations.

Access

State boat launch on the lake; limited public shoreline given residential development.

About this water

A 440-acre lake above Winsted in the Litchfield hills, Litchfield County, Connecticut.

Fishing Highland Lake: the full guide

A lake above the town

Highland Lake covers about 440 acres above Winsted in northwestern Connecticut, a deep, clear lake in the Litchfield hills reaching past 60 feet. That depth supports trout through the summer alongside the warm-water species: largemouth and smallmouth bass, yellow perch, crappie and bluegill, with the state stocking trout in spring and fall.

Trout and bass

Stocked trout hold the deeper water through summer thanks to the lake’s depth, reachable by trolling with weighted lines and downriggers. Smallmouth work the rocky points and drop-offs while largemouth relate to the weedier shoreline and docks. Clear water rewards finesse presentations and low-light periods.

Panfish and ice

Yellow perch, crappie and bluegill fill the weed lines and provide steady light-tackle action. Ice fishing is a local tradition when the lake freezes reliably, targeting perch, pickerel and trout. The lake’s three basins fish somewhat differently, with the deeper sections holding the coldwater species.

Litchfield County logistics

A state boat launch provides access, with the lake ringed by homes and modest public shoreline. Winsted sits below it with services. The northwestern Connecticut hills make a pleasant setting, and the lake sees moderate pressure: weekday mornings and the shoulder seasons offer the quietest fishing.

Common questions

Do trout hold over the summer?

Yes: the lake is deep enough that stocked trout survive below the thermocline, reachable by trolling deep.

Is the water clear?

Reasonably so, which makes finesse presentations and low-light fishing noticeably more effective.

Is ice fishing popular?

Yes, a local tradition when the lake freezes: perch, pickerel and trout over the deeper basins.

Is fishing good at Highland 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

Farmington River7 miBantam Lake16 miNaugatuck River17 miLake Waramaug23 miHousatonic River27 miCandlewood Lake37 mi
Share your catch