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Lake Lillinonah Fishing Report

Updated Mon, Nov 9, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Lake Lillinonah: a 1,547-acre Housatonic River impoundment between the Bleachery and Shepaug dams, with bass, pike and tiger muskie on DEEP's species list.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~44 F est.
Air / High
43 / 55 F
Wind
W 6 mph

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

Satellite view
Monday
9
November 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.

Lake Lillinonah asks for patience today: short windows, precise presentations. Today brings a mixed sky, wind W around 6 mph, rising pressure near 1008 hPa and a high of 55. Water sits around 44 F for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:17 PM-1:17 AM and 10:53 AM-12:53 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Northern pikeGood

Ice season: tip-ups with live bait near weed beds; where water stays open, slow live-bait presentations.

Yellow perchGood

Ice season. Perch stay active under the ice in both shallow and deeper water, so small jigs or spoons tipped with live bait over known winter areas are the usual approach.

CrappieGood

Bites slow; a minnow or small jig fished slowly near deeper cover is the usual approach, and through the ice where lakes freeze.

MuskellungeGood

Water under 50Β°F comes before the spawn in spring and at the end of the season in fall. In fall, where seasons stay open, slow-moving lures and large live suckers are the traditional approach.

Smallmouth bassFair

Fish hold in slower, deeper water; fish slowly and expect fewer bites until spring warming.

Largemouth bassFair

Below about 50Β°F feeding slows sharply, Iowa DNR notes; use small, slow baits near deep cover and fish the warmest part of the day.

Tomorrow: Similar at 58 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Tue, Nov 10, 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.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovNov, ~44 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp43 F
High / Low55 / 40 F
WindW 6-12 mph
Pressure1007.6 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain26% cloud, 21%
Sunrise / Sunset06:34 / 16:39
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~44 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 Lake Lillinonah this week

The best day on Lake Lillinonah this week looks like Saturday Nov 14, at 4 out of 5, against 2 today.

Best day this week: Saturday, Nov 14 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Nov 9 β€” Tough

Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Solunar majors
11:17 PM-1:17 AM and 10:53 AM-12:53 PM
Minor period
6:45 AM-7:45 AM
Sun
06:34 to 16:39
Moon
New Moon, 0% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 14 mph
Rain chance
21%

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

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.

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. Fish hold in slower, deeper water; fish slowly and expect fewer bites until spring warming.

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. Ice season: tip-ups with live bait near weed beds; where water stays open, slow live-bait presentations.

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. Ice season. Perch stay active under the ice in both shallow and deeper water, so small jigs or spoons tipped with live bait over known winter areas are the usual approach.

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. Below about 50Β°F feeding slows sharply, Iowa DNR notes; use small, slow baits near deep cover and fish the warmest part of the day.

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. Bites slow; a minnow or small jig fished slowly near deeper cover is the usual approach, and through the ice where lakes freeze.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Fished from late spring into late fall where seasons allow

Muskellunge are solitary, fish-eating ambush predators of the pike family, holding in weed beds and other cover in lakes and rivers of the Great Lakes, upper Mississippi and Ohio basins. Water under 50Β°F comes before the spawn in spring and at the end of the season in fall. In fall, where seasons stay open, slow-moving lures and large live suckers are the traditional approach.

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
Smallmouth bass
Northern pike
Yellow perch
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Muskellunge
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 44 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovNov, ~44 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
Sun, Nov 8

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Northern pike led the card at good. High of 60 F, wind to 13 mph.

Sat, Nov 7

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Northern pike led the card at good. High of 60 F, wind to 11 mph.

Fri, Nov 6

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Northern pike led the card at good. High of 67 F, wind to 6 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used if we need to ask you about your report. No mailing list, no spam.

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 inland fishing license. DEEP lake rule (regulations updated May 2025): one northern pike or one tiger muskie a day, not both, 38-inch minimum. Speed limit 45 mph by day and 25 mph from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise. Other species: statewide rules.

Access

DEEP launches at Bridgewater (199 Main Street South, east side of Route 133; paved lot, 50 spaces, seasonal floating dock) and Pond Brook (158 Hanover Road, Newtown), both open year-round.

About this water

A 1,547-acre impoundment of the Housatonic River between the Bleachery and Shepaug dams in western Connecticut.

Fishing Lake Lillinonah: the full guide

Between two dams

Lake Lillinonah runs from the Bleachery Dam down to FirstLight's Shepaug Dam, bordering Brookfield, Bridgewater, Newtown, Southbury and New Milford. DEEP lists 1,547 acres. Boats may not come within 300 feet upstream or 1,500 feet downstream of Shepaug Dam, or within 300 feet below the Bleachery Dam.

Species on DEEP's list

DEEP's lake listing names largemouth and smallmouth bass, white perch, black crappie, northern pike, sunfish, carp, yellow perch and tiger muskie. Walleye are not on that list, and Lillinonah is not among the lakes in DEEP's walleye stocking program.

Fall drawdown

FirstLight plans to draw the lake down from October 26, 2026 for annual maintenance and inspection at Shepaug Dam, targeting 190.5 feet against a normal summer range of 195.5 to 200 feet. It aims to bring the lake back to normal on November 4, 2026, as river conditions allow.

Hydrilla and algae advisories

DEEP warns that hydrilla, which is spreading through Connecticut, has been found in Lake Lillinonah and can interfere with boating and fishing. At the Pond Brook launch, DEEP also posts an advisory that an increased risk of a cyanobacteria bloom has made the area potentially unsafe for water contact.

Common questions

Are there walleye in Lake Lillinonah?

DEEP does not list walleye for the lake, and Lillinonah is not one of the lakes DEEP stocks with walleye.

What is the pike and tiger muskie rule?

One northern pike or one tiger muskie per day, not both, and it must be at least 38 inches.

When is the 2026 drawdown?

FirstLight starts it on October 26, 2026 and aims to restore normal levels on November 4, 2026.

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: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Lake Zoar4 miCandlewood Lake8 miSaugatuck Reservoir15 miHousatonic River16 miLake Waramaug16 miBantam Lake18 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 41.4704, -73.3016 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 7, 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 7, 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.