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Lake Waramaug Fishing Report

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

Lake Waramaug: a 656-acre natural lake in Kent, Warren and Washington, Connecticut, with carry-in access at the state park and a town launch in Washington.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~62 F est.
Air / High
58 / 58 F
Wind
NNW 5 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.

Lake Waramaug feels the season turning: shorter days, grouping fish. Today brings clear skies, wind NNW around 5 mph, rising pressure near 1027 hPa and a high of 58. Water sits around 62 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:27 AM-11:27 AM and 9:56 PM-11:56 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.

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.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

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.

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.

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~62 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp58 F
High / Low58 / 40 F
WindNNW 5-9 mph
Pressure1027.1 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:14 / 17:59
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~62 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 Waramaug this week

The best day on Lake Waramaug 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
9:27 AM-11:27 AM and 9:56 PM-11:56 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 Lake Waramaug: 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.

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.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

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.

When to come: the Lake Waramaug 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
Largemouth bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Yellow perch
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 62 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~62 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 Waramaug 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 61 F, wind to 12 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 60 F, wind to 11 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 11 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 inland fishing license; a Trout and Salmon Stamp is required for anglers 16 and older to keep trout. DEEP's 2026 guide lists Waramaug for its access rules and shows no lake-specific creel or length limit, so statewide regulations apply.

Access

Carry-in access at Lake Waramaug State Park; town boat launch in Washington with fee and invasive species inspection (Washington Parks and Recreation, 860-868-1519).

About this water

A 656-acre glacial lake in Kent, Warren and Washington, Litchfield County, Connecticut (DEEP).

Fishing Lake Waramaug: the full guide

The lake

Connecticut DEEP's 2026 fishing guide lists Lake Waramaug at 656 acres in the towns of Kent, Warren and Washington. The state parks page calls it a glacial lake, the second largest natural lake in Connecticut and one of the cleanest, and says its name, from the Wyantenock Tribe, translates to 'place of good fishing'. The state bought land for the 95-acre Lake Waramaug State Park in 1920.

Fish

DEEP's guide lists largemouth bass, sunfish, yellow perch, brown bullhead, chain pickerel, trout, white catfish, smallmouth bass and calico bass as likely present. The state parks page singles out largemouth and smallmouth bass, especially fish over 16 inches, and says the lake is fished in all four seasons, including through the ice.

Getting on the water

DEEP lists carry-in access in Lake Waramaug State Park and a town boat launch in Washington open to the public for a fee and an inspection; boats and trailers that fail the aquatic invasive species inspection are turned away. Launch days and hours vary by season, so call the Washington Parks and Recreation Department (860-868-1519). The state park rents canoes, kayaks and paddleboards.

Common questions

Can I launch a trailered boat on Lake Waramaug?

Yes, at the town launch in Washington, which charges a fee and inspects boats for invasive species. The state park offers carry-in access.

What fish are in Lake Waramaug?

DEEP lists largemouth and smallmouth bass, calico bass, yellow perch, chain pickerel, sunfish, brown bullhead, white catfish and trout.

Do I need a trout stamp?

Only to keep trout: Connecticut requires the Trout and Salmon Stamp for anglers 16 and older who take trout or salmon.

Is fishing good at Lake Waramaug 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

Housatonic River7 miBantam Lake7 miNaugatuck River15 miLake Lillinonah16 miCandlewood Lake17 miLake Zoar20 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 41.7000, -73.3550 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 8, 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 8, 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.