The Natchaug River

The most celebrated trout streams in Connecticut – the Housatonic, Farmington and Salmon rivers – are often victims of their own popularity, especially on weekend days in the spring. Instead of dealing with crowds, it is worth the effort to seek out some of the overlooked streams within the state. The Natchaug River is one of those streams. It is one of the least fished – but most heavily stocked – rivers in the state
of Connecticut.

The Natchaug is a gem of a river in the northeastern portion of the state. It begins at the convergence of two flows, the Still River and Bigelow Brook, and indeed the name Natchaug is Wabbaquasset Native American and translates to “Land between the rivers,” referring to the two rivers that combine to form its main stem. The Still River (one of two in the state) originates in a small pond in southwestern Woodstock and runs southerly toward Eastford. It is a small but beautiful stream near its origins and is intermittently accessible along Route 198 as it widens and makes its way into the Natchaug State Forest. Connecticut’s DEP releases more than 2,000 trout into this small brook annually, so it is definitely well worth fishing.

Bigelow Brook is a beautiful, accessible and very wild stream that flows from Mashapaug Lake, just south of the Massachusetts border, within Bigelow Hollow State Park in the town of Union, Connecticut. The brook runs through the state park for a short stretch, passes through Bigelow Pond and crosses under Route 171 as it exits the park and heads down into the pristine Yale Forest. The dirt road that runs along the stream through the state forest is one of the most beautiful areas of the state. Bigelow flows to the west of the Still River as it makes its way through Union before serving as the borderline for the towns of Eastford and Ashford. There is no shortage of access to this brook as it heads down to Route 44 and then to Route 198 where it meets up with the Still River to form the Natchaug. You could easily spend a day fishing here without ever seeing another angler. Nearly 2,000 trout are released into Bigelow Brook annually, however there are wild trout found in it as well. Both of these small streams are very well-suited for either fly fishing or ultralight spin-fishing.

The two streams converge within the Charlie Brown Campground on Rte. 198 in Eastford to form the Natchaug River which is a beautiful, evergreen-lined Trophy Trout Stream, as designated by the Connecticut DEP, for its entire length. Streams that carry the Trophy Trout designation are stocked with a higher proportion of larger fish. The river is also considered a Trout Park by the state within the state forest in Eastford. Trout Parks are described as easy to fish, frequently stocked areas – excellent places to take kids and beginners to introduce them to the sport. The Trout Park is loaded with approximately 5,400 trout annually. The rest of the stream sees nearly 13,000 trout from the DEP. There is a daily creel limit of 2 fish per day imposed on the entire stream.

The campground is a fantastic, well-maintained and operated resource that is angler-friendly, and there are campsites available right along the river. The owner will allow parking for fishing within his facility if there are empty spaces in his lot, however you must check in at the front desk and let them know you will be doing some fishing.

There are several other campgrounds located along the Natchaug as you head downstream, but they will charge you a visitor fee for parking within their facilities to fish. However, you can park along Route 198 and walk through those facilities to fish the river free of charge. Staying at any one of the campgrounds along the Natchaug on Connecticut’s opening day of fishing season (the third Saturday in April annually) will require reservations of at least one year in advance. After the opening day madness, campsites are usually available at one or more of these great fishing access resources.

The Natchaug River can be floated with a canoe, kayak or float tube during the
higher flow periods, depending on rainfall amounts. It rolls for a good long stretch through the campgrounds along Route 198 on its west bank and borders the Natchaug State Forest along the east bank. There is plentiful access to the stream from the campgrounds as well as from intermittent pull-offs along Route 198. After the river crosses into the town of Chaplin, you will find an entrance to the state forest off of Route 198 that leads down to a secluded dirt road running along the river. There are picnic and grilling areas along the stream in this section of the state forest as well as excellent fishing access from trails along the river. You could easily launch a small boat from here for a day of floating the stream.

The state forest is a beautiful place to spend a relaxing day of trout fishing. The area is tranquil and undeveloped, and holdover trout are often caught throughout this section of the stream. Connecticut has many state parks and forests that offer hunting and fishing opportunities, yet many residents of the state are unaware of the abundance of recreational resources, and don’t realize that they do not have to travel out of state for a vacation or weekend of great fishing.

This stream is a perfect one for fly fishing. It is wide enough to cast throughout its length and is an easily wadeable river that has many large boulders, fallen trees and undercut banks begging for casts. A trip to the Natchaug would not be complete without a visit to JT’s Fly Shop in Union, which is extremely helpful when fishing in this area. It is a full service shop with several very experienced guides available. Steve Babbit is the lead guide; he has more than 35 years of experience fishing the Natchaug and its tributaries as well as many of the other streams on the eastern side of the state.

Steve says that the Natchaug is the best river on the eastern side of Connecticut for March brown hatches, that there are excellent early stonefly hatches, and that they always have a great Mother’s Day caddis hatch. He also mentioned that 99% of the river, from its source down to Mansfield Hollow Lake, is publicly accessible through a conservation easement that was put into place by members of the now-defunct Natchaug Chapter of Trout Unlimited.

Babbitt also points out that there are many small streams in the area, such as the Mashamoquet, that can be productive during wash-outs on the larger rivers. So if you have reserved a campsite and the water levels in the Natchaug are too high to fish, there are other productive fishing spots and Steve knows where to find them.

As the river continues along the eastern side of Route 198, you will find Morey Road in Chaplin, which crosses the Natchaug between Peppertree and Riverbend campgrounds. The bridge at Morey Road provides further access to a long, beautiful stretch of the Natchaug that flows through another section of the state forest. This is another spot where you could launch a boat to cover more ground or to just enjoy the beauty of the stream.

Just downstream of Riverbend Campground, you will find a second crossing at Marcy Road, which is another excellent point of access. There are also many areas along Route 198 to pull off and fish right down to where the river passes below it.

If you are spin-fishing the Natchaug, lures such as Rooster Tails, Rapalas, and Thomas Buoyant spoons work well. The size of the lures that you choose should be determined by the depth of the stream. If it is running hard, fish heaver lures and user 4-pound test line. If it is running low, use lighter lures and 2-pound-test line. You will catch more fish using light line, but you must be sure that the drag on the reel is properly set or you will lose fish. Be patient with the lighter lines, and do not horse larger fish in. When your lures get hung up, shake them loose gently or get close to them for removal. More times than not, if you are hung up on the bottom of a streamed and you walk down below where you are hung up, you can easily shake the lure loose. This also works well with flies.

The next bridge crossing on the Natchaug is found on North Bear Hill Road where yet another portion of the state forest can be accessed and explored. The river then passes beneath England Road, which would be your final point of access before the Diana’s Pool Fish and Wildlife Area, which is a beautiful spot where the gradient drops rapidly through rolling bedrock formations creating some whitewater. You can also find a canoe launch at England Road to ride the rapids through this area.

The river consistently bends from its beginning all the way down to the Diana’s Pool Fish and Wildlife Area. It is an exceptionally clean and pure stream throughout its length, which is why it can be busy with people hiking and swimming during the warmer months, often making it difficult to fish or to find parking. However, in the cooler months, this spot can hold some large fish and is an excellent place to try your luck.

The Fish and Wildlife Area is found where the river passes beneath Route 198. There are several nice holes throughout the area. Downstream of the bridge, the river becomes the Chaplin/ Windham border and there is only one spot to access the stream before it enters into Mansfield Hollow State Park, which is where Station Road crosses the stream. This is another area where you can park and either launch a boat or fish along the banks. The river is slow rolling in this area due to the Mansfield Hollow Dam.

The Natchaug enters into Mansfield Hollow Reservoir, which is also known as Naubesatuch Lake, from its east side. This is where the Connecticut state record rainbow trout was taken, a 14-pound, 10-ounce fish that was caught by Michael V. Ludlow in 1998.

The reservoir is the result of the Mount Hope River, the Fenton River and the Natchaug Rivers being held back by the Mansfield Hollow Dam, constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers for flood control purposes in 1949.

The 460-acre reservoir is an incredible fishing resource and is a Bass Management Lake as well as a Northern Pike Lake as designated by the state. Its maximum depth is around 25 feet. There are no trout stocked into the lake, but they can be found in it throughout the spring, fall and winter months due to the three rivers that feed into it. The Mount Hope is a fantastic New England trout stream that is stocked with more than 7,000 trout by the state annually. The Fenton River is another gorgeous stream that sees approximately 6,000 trout released into it each year by the state DEP.

Add the nearly 20,000 trout that the Natchaug receives, plus the 4,000 trout released into the Still River and Bigelow Brook (not to mention the fish released into Mashapaug Lake and Bigelow Pond in Union) and the wild and holdover trout that these river systems have to offer, your chances of hooking a trout in Mansfield Hollow Reservoir are pretty good. (Mashapaug Lake is also periodically stocked with large broodstock Atlantic salmon that can also wind up in the rivers after heavy rains.)

Mansfield Hollow Lake interconnects with the Willimantic Reservoir, which follows the natural course of the Natchaug. The reservoir was built for drinking water in 1885 and is still used for that purpose today, so recreation is not allowed. The Natchaug River flows out of the reservoir and rolls beneath Route 6 where it enters into Phillip Lauter Park. The park, which is found on Route 195, provides further access to another fine stretch of the Natchaug that is often overlooked after the early season.

At this point, the Natchaug runs through a suburban area, and there are more accessible areas at several bridge crossings before it passes beneath Route 14 at Recreation Park in Windham. The Natchaug River joins up with the Willimantic River behind the park to form the beginning of the Shetucket River.

So, if you are tired of fighting the crowds in the handful of Connecticut’s more popular streams, seek out some of the less traveled, such as the Natchaug River or Bigelow Brook, for a day of quality fishing, peace and solitude.

 

About the Author
An avid fisherman, Ron Merly has been fishing the trout streams of Connecticut and on Long Island Sound for over 45 years. He has held the current Connecticut state record for sea-run trout since 2006. A self-taught writer, he was awarded first place in the Best Magazine Article category by the New England Outdoor Writers Association in 2009 and 2010. He has served as the president of the Nutmeg Chapter of Trout Unlimited since 2010, and has been a member of the Nutmeg Board of Directors since 2000. Ron has resided on the Connecticut coastline for his entire life, and has flyfished all over New England, as well as in Mexico and Honduras.

Ron Merly’s book “Flyfisher’s Guide to Connecticut” can be purchased on Amazon.