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Lake Lillinonah Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 11, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

A Housatonic impoundment: Lillinonah holds walleye, smallmouth and pike in a narrow Connecticut lake.

5/5
Excellent. Go now.Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
60 / 73 F
Wind
WNW 4 mph

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

Satellite view
Friday
11
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.

5/5Excellent. Go now.Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor.

Lake Lillinonah offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. Today brings cloud cover, wind WNW around 4 mph, falling pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 73. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:32 PM-1:32 AM and 11:32 AM-1:32 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeExcellent

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Smallmouth bassExcellent

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

Northern pikeExcellent

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perchGood

Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

Tomorrow: Similar at 76 F with a rain chance. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 12, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

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 →

Chasing walleye here? Check the size and bag limits with CT DEEP before you keep anything.

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.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp60 F
High / Low73 / 60 F
WindWNW 4-6 mph
Pressure1014.2 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 4%
Sunrise / Sunset06:29 / 19:09
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 11 · Overcast, 73/60 F, wind 9 mph, rain 4%

Fair or better. A 9 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

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

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

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.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Good most of the year

The great lakes and northern panfish staple. Schools tight to bottom; where you catch one there are fifty. Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

When to come: the Lake Lillinonah 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
Walleye
Smallmouth bass
Northern pike
Yellow perch
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 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 Lake Lillinonah today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 10

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 80 F, wind to 12 mph.

Wed, Sep 9

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 77 F, wind to 11 mph.

Tue, Sep 8

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 74 F, wind to 7 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. Walleye, bass and northern pike limits per current DEEP regulations; check for lake-specific rules.

Access

Public launches at Bridgewater and off Route 133; shoreline access limited by steep private banks.

About this water

A 1,900-acre Housatonic River impoundment behind Shepaug Dam, Fairfield and Litchfield counties, Connecticut.

Fishing Lake Lillinonah: the full guide

A river turned lake

Lake Lillinonah covers about 1,900 acres on the Housatonic River behind Shepaug Dam, a long, narrow, steep-sided impoundment winding through the hills of western Connecticut. It holds walleye, smallmouth and largemouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch, catfish and panfish, and its river-lake character makes current a real factor.

Walleye and smallmouth

Walleye are stocked and hold the river channel, the points and the deeper structure, taken on jigs, crawler harnesses and trolled crankbaits, best in low light. Smallmouth work the rock, the bluff walls and the current seams above the dam. The upper end near the river inflow fishes differently from the lower basin.

Pike and largemouth

Northern pike hold the shallower coves and any vegetation, taken on spoons, spinnerbaits and swimbaits. Largemouth work the wood and the backwater coves. Water level and generation at the dam change conditions through the day: the lake pulls current when the plant runs, which positions fish predictably.

Fairfield and Litchfield county logistics

Public launches serve the lake at Bridgewater and the Route 133 area, with limited shoreline access given the steep, largely private banks. Danbury and New Milford provide services. Summer weekend boat traffic is heavy in the wider sections: the narrow upper reaches stay quieter.

Common questions

Are there walleye?

Yes: they are stocked and hold the channel, points and deeper structure, taken best in low light.

Does current matter?

Yes: the lake pulls current when the dam generates, which positions fish predictably along seams and points.

Is bank fishing possible?

Limited: the banks are steep and largely private. Most fishing is done from boats.

Is fishing good at Lake Lillinonah right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor.

Nearby waters

Candlewood Lake5 miLake Zoar7 miHousatonic River15 miLake Waramaug15 miSaugatuck Reservoir15 miBantam Lake19 mi
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