Saugatuck River (West Branch)
Fishing, stocking, and current conditions
Stocked April to May in 2026: trout, 3 plants in all. One of 28 stocked waters on the Fairfield County record. A USGS gauge reports from this water, so the conditions card on this page is live.
Fairfield County · Connecticut · see it on the national map
The year here
stocked last 7 days announced ahead · tap a tick for details
What swims here
Trout
Stocking record 2026
Agency feed checked today.
| Date | Species | Size | Fish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 8 | Trout | catchable | completed | |
| May 5 | Trout x 2 sections | catchable | completed |
When to fish Saugatuck River (West Branch)
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 9:30-11:30 am and 9:52-11:52 pm | 3:46-4:46 am and 4:02-5:02 pm |
| Tomorrow | 10:16 am-12:16 pm and 10:40 pm-12:40 am | 4:55-5:55 am and 4:26-5:26 pm |
Moon: waxing gibbous, 92% lit. These are solunar periods, the traditional feeding-time theory: majors around the moon's transit overhead and underfoot, minors around moonrise and moonset. Theory, not a measurement. Times are Eastern Time (EDT).
What the record actually says
- Last stocked May 5
- Flow 436% of the seasonal median
Computed this evening, Oct 23 · Connecticut fishing forecast
Gear for this water
It has been a while since the trucks came. The holdovers have spread out and wised up; downsize and fish natural.
For the trout (trout stocked 3 times here in 2026, moving water)
| Small jerkbaits | floating minnows in the 2 to 3 inch class for the deeper bends |
| Waders or wet-wading boots | stocked stream fish stack in the obvious pools; getting to the next one is the edge |
| Light spinning rod | 5 to 6.5 ft light or ultralight; short rods cast under branches |
Suggestions follow from what the state actually stocks here and what kind of water it is, nothing else. No sponsored placements.
Nearby stocked waters
The closest waters with stocking pages of their own, straight-line miles from this one.
| Water | Distance | Most recent |
|---|---|---|
| Saugatuck River Fly Fishing Area | 0.8 mi | Oct 6 |
| Aspetuck River | 3.7 mi | Mar 11 |
| Mill River (Open - Fairfield) | 4.8 mi | Apr 24 |
| Norwalk River | 5.5 mi | May 9 |
| Mohegan Lake | 5.9 mi | Apr 16 |
Follow Fairfield County stocking: RSS / Calendar (iCal) / Print the schedule