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Gardner Lake is a public lake in Southeastern Connecticut County, Connecticut, managed by Connecticut DEEP Bureau of Natural Resources. It is public water managed for fishing by Connecticut DEEP. Public access confirmed via CT DEEP stocked water.
A CT DEEP-stocked trout lake — brook, brown and rainbow trout stocked each spring (and fall on many waters), alongside a resident largemouth bass and panfish population.
Gardner Lake covers about 528 acres in the Mystic Coast & Lower CT Valley region. Anglers here mostly fish for brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, largemouth bass; chain pickerel, yellow perch are also on record. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are Oxoboxo Lake and Deep River Reservoir.
Species from PiscaMaps water-type profiles, CT DEEP trout-stocking records and hand research.
Night fishing: No statewide night-fishing closure in Connecticut on inland waters; some Trout Management Areas and Trout Parks have their own posted seasonal or catch-and-release hours — check current DEEP signage for that specific reach.
Boats: The larger lakes and reservoirs (Candlewood, Lillinonah, Zoar, Bantam, Squantz Pond) take a trailered boat via a CT DEEP launch; most stocked ponds and Trout Management Area river reaches are car-top, wading or bank access only.
Bank & bivvy camping: Camp at Connecticut state parks and forests near many of these waters (several in the Litchfield Hills and Quiet Corner); DEEP boat launches themselves are day-use only.
Tackle: A Trout and Salmon Stamp is required in addition to your inland fishing licence to fish for trout or salmon here; some reaches are Trout Management Area / Wild Trout Management Area water under artificial-lures-only or catch-and-release rules — check the current DEEP Anglers Guide.
Boat ramps: 1 mapped — Gardner Lake Boat Launch.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors.
Anyone 16 or older needs a Connecticut inland fishing licence — the resident annual is about $28, the non-resident annual about $61 (a 3-day non-resident licence runs about $21). Anyone fishing specifically for trout or salmon also needs a Trout and Salmon Stamp (about $5). Residents 65 and older pay a reduced rate and anyone under 16 fishes free. Buy from CT DEEP at portal.ct.gov/deep. A Connecticut inland fishing licence covers this water — it's on CT DEEP's stocked lakes/streams list, with a Trout and Salmon Stamp required if you're fishing for trout or salmon here.
Every water carries species, bank & boat access, current regulations and live water conditions — and members get Swim Mapper, Catch Logger and Trip Planner. It's the only US map with a dedicated carp-water layer.
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