Winchester Lake in Connecticut

Trip Overview

A beautiful, quiet lake, about a mile long, with lots of side coves and a couple of small islands and only a couple of houses. Motorboats are limited to 8 mph on the lake, so it's just a few fishermen. The lake is shallow with LOTS of rocks and HUNDREDS of barely exposed tree stumps, particularly on the north and east sides; the coves on the west side are much more open. We saw a fisherman catch a bass that must have been close to 5 pounds the day we were there. Birds included Great Blue Herons and a couple of Sharp-Shinned Hawks. On a sunny Sunday afternoon, there were only about 8 or 10 boats on the whole lake.

Accommodations:

Paved launch ramp, chemical toilet.

Fees:

None

Directions:

CT Route 8 to the end of the 4-lane in Winsted, right on Rte 44, 1.2 miles to Route 263. Left on 263 4.4 miles (watch the signs, it twists and turns), then right at a fork on to West Street, then 0.6 miles to the boat launch (there's a sign).