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Saugatuck Reservoir Fishing Report

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

Fairfield County’s hidden water: Saugatuck Reservoir holds trout and bass under strict watershed rules.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
11 cfs
Air / High
60 / 60 F
Wind
N 5 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01209005, 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.

Saugatuck Reservoir rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. The nearest gauge is running 11 cfs, steady over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind N around 5 mph, rising pressure near 1027 hPa and a high of 60. 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

Rainbow troutExcellent

This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

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.

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.

CrappieFair

Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

Tomorrow: Similar at 60 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 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 largemouth 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 from Saugatuck River below Saugatuck Reservoir.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01209005.

11121211 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 17 years of October 23

At 11 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 01209005 (Saugatuck River below Saugatuck Reservoir) is at the 67th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 17 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 9 cfs; the highest was 71 cfs and the lowest 4 cfs.

p10 5median 9p90 46

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 01209005; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp60 F
High / Low60 / 42 F
WindN 5-12 mph
Pressure1027.3 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:14 / 18:00
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 Saugatuck Reservoir this week

The best day on Saugatuck Reservoir this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 4 out of 5, against 2 today.

Best day this week: Sunday, Oct 25 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — 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 18:00
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 11 mph
Rain chance
0%

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

Species guide

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

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.

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.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

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. Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

When to come: the Saugatuck Reservoir 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 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 Saugatuck Reservoir 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. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 64 F, wind to 14 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 62 F, wind to 13 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 68 F, wind to 13 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 license plus a water company fishing permit. Boat, motor and access restrictions apply: verify current rules with Aquarion and DEEP.

Access

Permit-based shoreline and boat access at designated areas; Saugatuck River access below the dam.

About this water

An 850-acre drinking-water reservoir in Fairfield County, Connecticut, managed with watershed access restrictions.

Fishing Saugatuck Reservoir: the full guide

A protected water supply

Saugatuck Reservoir stretches about 850 acres through the hills of Fairfield County, supplying drinking water to southwestern Connecticut and managed with the restrictions that implies: a permit is required, boats are limited, and no body contact is allowed. Those rules have preserved a quiet, lightly fished lake with trout, largemouth and smallmouth bass, and panfish in clear water.

Trout and bass

The reservoir is deep and cold enough to hold trout through summer, with the state and the water company managing the fishery. Trolling and deep presentations reach them in warm months, while spring and fall bring them shallower. Smallmouth work the rocky shorelines and points, largemouth the coves and wood, both in clear water that rewards finesse.

Fishing under permit

Access requires a permit from the water utility, and the rules on boats, motors and shoreline access are specific. That friction is exactly why the fishing stays good in one of the most densely populated corners of the country: fish here see far less pressure than any comparable water within an hour of New York City.

Fairfield County logistics

Permit-based shore and boat access is managed by the water company, with designated areas along the reservoir. Redding and Weston surround it, and the Saugatuck River below the dam offers stocked trout fishing with public access. Verify current permit requirements and rules before planning: they change and are enforced.

Common questions

Do I need a special permit?

Yes: a water company permit in addition to the Connecticut license, with specific rules on boats and access.

Is the fishing worth the paperwork?

For many anglers, yes: restricted access keeps pressure remarkably low for southwestern Connecticut.

What about the river below?

The Saugatuck below the dam is stocked with trout and offers straightforward public access.

Is fishing good at Saugatuck Reservoir 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 Zoar14 miLake Lillinonah15 miCandlewood Lake16 miLong Island Sound19 miHousatonic River29 miLake Waramaug31 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 01209005 — Saugatuck River below Saugatuck Reservoir
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 18:45 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 41.2500, -73.3500 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.
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 guide was drafted with AI assistance. Unlike our newer pages, it does not yet list the official pages its facts were checked against: that audit is under way, and anything it cannot verify will be 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.