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Mansfield Hollow Lake Fishing Report

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

Eastern Connecticut’s flood-control lake: Mansfield Hollow holds bass, pickerel and northern pike in quiet water.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
15 cfs
Air / High
80 / 81 F
Wind
WNW 11 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01121000, 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.

Mansfield Hollow Lake serves up more heat: the productive hours are the dim ones. The river is running 15 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind WNW around 11 mph, rising pressure near 1009 hPa and a high of 81. Water sits around 84 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: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassFair

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

White bassFair

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 76 F with a rain chance. 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 from Mount Hope River near Warrenville (inflow).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01121000.

10203115 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp80 F
High / Low81 / 66 F
WindWNW 11-18 mph
Pressure1008.6 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 24%
Sunrise / Sunset06:17 / 19:17
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 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 · Showers, 81/66 F, wind 12 mph, rain 24%

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 Mansfield Hollow 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. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the Mansfield Hollow 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
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 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 Mansfield Hollow Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 80 F, wind to 8 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at excellent. High of 73 F, wind to 9 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 68 F, wind to 11 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. Bass, pike and panfish limits per current DEEP regulations; horsepower restrictions on the lake.

Access

State boat launch; extensive shoreline and trail access through the surrounding state park and WMA.

About this water

A 460-acre Corps flood-control lake on the Natchaug River, Tolland and Windham counties, Connecticut.

Fishing Mansfield Hollow Lake: the full guide

A Corps lake in the woods

Mansfield Hollow Lake covers about 460 acres at normal pool behind a Corps flood-control dam on the Natchaug River in eastern Connecticut, surrounded by state park and wildlife management land. It fishes as a shallow, weedy, wooded lake: largemouth bass, chain pickerel, northern pike, crappie, perch and bullheads, with the surrounding land keeping development off the shoreline.

Bass and pike

Largemouth relate to the weed beds, stumps and shoreline wood: plastics, spinnerbaits and topwater over the vegetation in warm months. Northern pike were stocked and hold the deeper weed edges, taking spoons and large baits, best in spring and fall. Chain pickerel are everywhere and provide reliable action on light tackle.

Panfish and the rivers

Crappie and perch stack around the timber and drop-offs, with spring and fall the best windows. The Natchaug, Fenton and Mount Hope rivers all feed the lake and hold trout in their own right, stocked by the state and fished by fly and spin anglers: a lake-and-stream day is straightforward here.

Tolland County logistics

A state boat launch provides access with horsepower restrictions, and the surrounding state park and WMA offer extensive shoreline and trail access. Storrs and the University of Connecticut are minutes away. Water levels fluctuate with flood-control operations, particularly after heavy rain, which changes the shoreline substantially.

Common questions

Are there really pike?

Yes: stocked northern pike hold the deeper weed edges, best targeted in spring and fall with large baits.

Can I fish the rivers too?

Yes: the Natchaug, Fenton and Mount Hope all feed the lake and hold stocked trout, making a mixed day easy.

Does the level change?

Yes: flood-control operations raise and lower it substantially, especially after heavy rain.

Is fishing good at Mansfield Hollow 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

Gardner Lake17 miWebster Lake27 miWood River29 miPawcatuck River32 miWatchaug Pond36 miWorden Pond37 mi
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