Lake Zoar, Housatonic river, Candlewood etc...

[billandamy]

Anyone wake board or ski on Lake Zoar? THis will be our primary location for such activities. Wondering if anyone else is on that lake?

As well Housatonic river (parents are on that river) or Candlewood (several friends are there).

 

[H2ONUT]

Lake Zoar, north of the Stevenson Dam, very nice... deep water, lots of nice little coves and areas to anchor and swim. Mainly canboats and small boats, waverunners.

Housatonic Lake, south of Stevenson to the Derby Dam. Nice place but has a lot of shallows, canboats, small boats and waverunners.

Housatonic River, south of the Derby Dam, from the dam to the Route 8 bridge in Shelton is very shallow and rocky, south of that however is marked with bouys all the way too Long Island Sound. Tidal waters, brakish from Route 8 to the Route 15 Sikorsky bridge, from there, salt to the sound.

I am docked at the very last marina on the river in Shelton.

Candlewood Lake... YIKES! The 2 times on that lake in the summer I thought I was going to get killed from all the yahoo's. Most just seem to point their boats and go up there...

 

[billandamy]

Lake Zoar, north of the Stevenson Dam, very nice... deep water, lots of nice little coves and areas to anchor and swim. Mainly canboats and small boats, waverunners.

Housatonic Lake, south of Stevenson to the Derby Dam. Nice place but has a lot of shallows, canboats, small boats and waverunners.

Housatonic River, south of the Derby Dam, from the dam to the Route 8 bridge in Shelton is very shallow and rocky, south of that however is marked with bouys all the way too Long Island Sound. Tidal waters, brakish from Route 8 to the Route 15 Sikorsky bridge, from there, salt to the sound.

I am docked at the very last marina on the river in Shelton.

Candlewood Lake... YIKES! The 2 times on that lake in the summer I thought I was going to get killed from all the yahoo's. Most just seem to point their boats and go up there...

We are just a couple of miles from the Oxford ramp, so we will primarily wakeboard and ski on zoar. It is a great lake, and usually pretty open. Not a lot of traffic.

My parents live on the housatonic, hate that river! lol...They have lived there for 20 years, and it has seriously deteriorated with the boating since they opened up Indian wells to, it seems, just about anyone. They only take the boat out after hours or during the week. Plus, I have seen every inch of that river in the 20 years. I may launch once in while, for 4th of July and after Labor day.

Candlewood, yes! lol...I agree, it is a madhouse there! We watched dozens of almost accidents there.

I wont go into salt water, so south of of Derby damn is out.

Do you ever get up to zoar?

 

[H2ONUT]

Years ago I would run on Zoar. I think it's Kettletown State Park???? Southbury? Good place to hang on the sand bar.

 

[billandamy]

Years ago I would run on Zoar. I think it's Kettletown State Park???? Southbury? Good place to hang on the sand bar.

Yes, Kettletown and Southbury boat ramp is on Zoar. The sand bar is supposed to be a cool place to get out of the boat and lounge in chairs lol.

I am a bit disappointed that there are no restaurants on that lake.

Where do you mostly run now? Into the sound?

 

[H2ONUT]

I stay docked at Ayers Landing which is off 110 in Shelton. It's behind Sunnyside school, and next to the Shelton ramp. We anchor less than a mile away at an island. The kids swim and have the inflatable to play around in if we decide to stay at the slip.

With the boys I venture down river mainly for fishing. The wife dosen't like the sound... :smt009

 

[Weave]

With the boys I venture down river mainly for fishing. The wife dosen't like the sound... :smt009

Por que? Water quality?

My wife want's to hit some bays, etc in the sound since she has this thinking that salt water is cleaner than the section of the river we frequent:huh:

 

[billandamy]

I stay docked at Ayers Landing which is off 110 in Shelton. It's behind Sunnyside school, and next to the Shelton ramp. We anchor less than a mile away at an island. The kids swim and have the inflatable to play around in if we decide to stay at the slip.

With the boys I venture down river mainly for fishing. The wife dosen't like the sound... :smt009

Aye, I know where that is. I think I might even know the island having done jet skiing on that part of the river years ago.

Your boat is big enough for the sound...why doesnt she want to go down there?

 

[H2ONUT]

She was in a car accident that messed with her back, so bouncing in a chop makes her uncomfortable.

We are planning a 3 to 4 day cruise next year. Down around Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. We planning on during the week and early morning travel, so she should be OK.

 

[H2ONUT]

Por que? Water quality?

My wife want's to hit some bays, etc in the sound since she has this thinking that salt water is cleaner than the section of the river we frequent:huh:

The river we are in is very murky... it's nice to travel down and see the salt water colors behind the boat instead of the browns, yellows and greens...

 

[Weave]

Ahhhhh.....sounds good

 

[H2ONUT]

Weave, enjoy that new boat! Looks like this weekend will be it... :smt009

 

[boatrboy]

I slipped at Eichliers for 3 years when I had a 19 ft bowrider. I liked lake Zoar and usually after work during the week it was quiet. We always tubed and water skied.

Every year I would trailer to Lake George on vacation. After the trip, I always ended up launching out of Milford harbor and cruising the sound. I would go to port Jefferson NY regularly. After doing this for three years, I bought my current boat and keep it at captains cove.

Lake Zoar has a lot of neat places to stop and swim. Watch out for the radar guns............


Mark

 

[billandamy]

I slipped at Eichliers for 3 years when I had a 19 ft bowrider. I liked lake Zoar and usually after work during the week it was quiet. We always tubed and water skied.

Every year I would trailer to Lake George on vacation. After the trip, I always ended up launching out of Milford harbor and cruising the sound. I would go to port Jefferson NY regularly. After doing this for three years, I bought my current boat and keep it at captains cove.

Lake Zoar has a lot of neat places to stop and swim. Watch out for the radar guns............


Mark

Thanks Mark.

I am surprised no restaurants, ice cream places, or other food joints ever cropped up that you could dock at. Seems like enough people would take advantage of that. There is that lake zoar drive in (?) near Stevenson dam, but I had heard they took the docks away. Ill check before next season.

How is wakeboarding and skiing there? My aunt and uncle dont do either, so they werent much help other than "I have seen people on there doing it!" lol

 

[boatrboy]

Billandamy- I was told there used to be a restaurant right before the dam, across the water from the hot dog stand you mentioned. It was abandoned last time I was there. A friend of mine said there is a pizza place within walking distance to one of the coves, but I never tied to find it.

As for skiing - GET A CHART!. There are these cheezy charts for that lake but they do show some land mines! I once lost a prop near route 84 bridge pulling a skier. There is an underwater railroad track or something there. I usually pulled skiers near the dam as it had the largest open area and during the week, it was usually quiet. The other end gets narrow and there are a lot of trees down and the branches sticking out of the water caused me some concern. However this part of the lake is a nice cruise and the homes on the water are very nice.

I will look for my copy of the chart and scan it If I find it. I will pm you if I do.

Hope this helps,

Mark

 

[billandamy]

Billandamy- I was told there used to be a restaurant right before the dam, across the water from the hot dog stand you mentioned. It was abandoned last time I was there. A friend of mine said there is a pizza place within walking distance to one of the coves, but I never tied to find it.

As for skiing - GET A CHART!. There are these cheezy charts for that lake but they do show some land mines! I once lost a prop near route 84 bridge pulling a skier. There is an underwater railroad track or something there. I usually pulled skiers near the dam as it had the largest open area and during the week, it was usually quiet. The other end gets narrow and there are a lot of trees down and the branches sticking out of the water caused me some concern. However this part of the lake is a nice cruise and the homes on the water are very nice.

I will look for my copy of the chart and scan it If I find it. I will pm you if I do.

Hope this helps,

Mark

Hi Mark,

I appreciate the response! There is a website lakezoarct.com that I went to, and I downloaded a map. It is a bit blurry, but I can see some things marked. I would surmise we will be doing most of the boating down near Stevenson dam, for the reasons you mentioned. I have family that live right in front of the big sandbar near 84, and they said the same thing, go slow around there until you learn the area, especially north of 84.

If you have a better chart than what I will attach below, I would love to get it!

As far as the restaurant, yea, that closed. The drive in place is still open, but difficult to dick, from what I was told. Rarely an pen slip.

Bill

 

[boatrboy]

The chart you show looks familiar to me but unreadable. I am pretty sure I have that same chart somewhere in my files. I will check next week when I am back in CT.

Mark

 

[billandamy]

The chart you show looks familiar to me but unreadable. I am pretty sure I have that same chart somewhere in my files. I will check next week when I am back in CT.

Mark

Sorry, I had to post in low res, the attachments here only allow a small file size. It is decent at full size, but still not perfect.

Thanks!