Mudge Pond Boat Launch and Fishing Access
southeastern shore, Silver Lake Shore Road, Sharon, Litchfield County, Connecticut

Directions:

Take Route 361 north from it intersection with Route 4 in Sharon  for approximately 1 mile and turn north onto Silver Lake Shore Road.  The area has a gravel launch with a paved approach.

Geology/Hydrology:

The Northeast-Ancram fen complex from Sharon, Connecticut, north to Copake Falls, New York is one of the significant wetland complexes in the Hudson Valley. (The other one is the Great Swamp from Brewster, New York north to South Amenia, New York.)  http://training.fws.gov/library/pubs5/web_link/text/hvc_form.htm

Mudge Pond is the remnant of a proglacial lake created during the glacial period (120,000 to 15,000) years ago.

The surface elevation of this natural pond was raised by a small earthen and masonry dam on Mudge Pond Brook. 

Mudge Pond is fed by Spring Brook, which includes the outflow from Wononpakook Lake, and three small unnamed streams. 

The pond has a surface area 206 acres, an average depth of 16 feet, and a maximum depth of 33 feet. The pond contains approximately 1 billion gallons of water.  The watershed of Mudge Pond is 11.5 square miles (7,360 acres).  

History:

Most of the shoreline of Mudge Pond is privately owned.

Wildlife:

The fish species include largemouth bass, yellow perch, and sunfish. Fishing for largemouth bass has been reported as good to excellent.

PLANT LIST:

An aquatic survey of Mudge Pond, 1988.

Brasenia schreberi (water shield)
Ceratophyllum demersum (coontail)
Elodea sp. ( waterweed)
Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife)
Nuphar sp. (yellow-pond lily)
Nymphaea odorata (white-water lily)
Polygonum sp. (smartweed)
Pontederia cordata (pickerelweed)
Potamogeton sp. (pondweed)
Typha sp. (cattail)

Sources:

Welcome to Mudge Pond
http://dep.state.ct.us/cgnhs/lakes/mudge/lake.htm

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