Pomperaug River Fishing Guides
A short, pretty trout river in the hills of western Connecticut, the Pomperaug holds stocked trout and wild browns within an easy drive of the Housatonic it feeds.
Guides on the Pomperaug River
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About the Pomperaug River
The Pomperaug is a modest river by any measure – something like eleven miles from the junction of the Nonnewaug and Weekeepeemee brooks at Woodbury down to the Housatonic at Southbury – but it is one of the more pleasant pieces of trout water in western Connecticut and it sits in the shadow of a much more famous neighbour. Anglers drive past it on the way to the Housatonic. Those who stop find a river of comfortable size, running over ledge and cobble through hemlock and hardwood, with pools deep enough to hold fish through a dry summer and gradient enough to keep the riffles oxygenated.
The state stocks it with brown and rainbow trout, and the cooler upper reaches and the feeder brooks support wild brown trout and brook trout that reproduce naturally. Through the lower river, closer to the Housatonic confluence, the water warms and smallmouth bass and rock bass become the realistic target, with fallfish – an underrated and surprisingly strong native minnow that takes a fly readily – common throughout. American eel still run the river, and chain pickerel hold in the slower backwaters and the mouths of the tributaries.
The gauge at Southbury reads the river near its lower end, and its record is characteristic of a small New England freestone stream: responsive to rain, prone to summer lows, and more variable across a season than the river’s size suggests. Summer heat is the real constraint. In a dry July and August the lower Pomperaug can get warm enough that fishing for trout becomes an unkindness, and the sensible move is to go upstream into the brooks or go early. Spring and autumn are the reliable seasons, and access is good through town parkland and road crossings.
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Access
Southbury - the gauge town near the lower river, with town parkland and bridge access.
Woodbury - the upstream town where the Nonnewaug and Weekeepeemee brooks join to form the river.
Housatonic River confluence - the downstream end at Southbury, where the Pomperaug enters the larger river.
Flanders Nature Center - conservation land in the upper watershed with trail access to the feeder brooks.
Bullet Hill area - a Southbury access point on the middle river.
River Road - the valley road giving a series of pull-offs and walk-in points along the river.
Lake Zoar - the Housatonic impoundment just below the confluence, for boat access to the bigger water.
Seasons
Spring: the best season, with high clean flows, stocked trout freshly in and wild browns active through the upper reaches.
Summer: low and warm in the lower river, when trout fishing should move upstream into the cooler brooks or shift to smallmouth.
Fall: flows recover and the river fishes well again, with brown trout colouring up and the valley hardwoods turning.
Winter: cold and low, with the deeper pools holding fish and access easy where the road follows the river.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the Pomperaug River?
As of Nov 2, 7:00 am, the USGS gauge POMPERAUG RIVER AT SOUTHBURY, CT reads 49 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Pomperaug River?
Anglers target American Eel, Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Chain Pickerel, Fallfish, Rainbow Trout, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Sucker on the Pomperaug River in Connecticut.
Where can you access the Pomperaug River?
Southbury - the gauge town near the lower river, with town parkland and bridge access. Woodbury - the upstream town where the Nonnewaug and Weekeepeemee brooks join to form the river. Housatonic River confluence - the downstream end at Southbury, where the Pomperaug enters the larger river. Flanders Nature Center - conservation land in the upper watershed with trail access to the feeder brooks. Bullet Hill area - a Southbury access point on the middle river. River Road - the valley road giving a series of pull-offs and walk-in points along the river. Lake Zoar - the Housatonic impoundment just...
When is the best time to fish the Pomperaug River?
Spring: the best season, with high clean flows, stocked trout freshly in and wild browns active through the upper reaches. Summer: low and warm in the lower river, when trout fishing should move upstream into the cooler brooks or shift to smallmouth. Fall: flows recover and the river fishes well again, with brown trout colouring up and the valley hardwoods turning. Winter: cold and low, with the deeper pools holding fish and access easy where the road follows the river.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Pomperaug River?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Connecticut agency site: https://portal.ct.gov/deep/fishing/regulations/fishing-regulations