Recreation Facilities/Activities
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers welcomes you to Hancock Brook Lake and Dam located in the town of Plymouth, Connecticut. Hancock Brook Lake is primarily a flood control reservoir with some water-based recreational activities.
The land and water resources of Hancock Brook Lake are valuable recreational and open space resources for the heavily populated and industrialized surrounding towns. Recreational opportunities at Hancock Brook Lake include hunting, fishing, canoeing, sightseeing, limited hiking and horseback riding.
The state of Connecticut stocks the project with fish and game. Hunting of upland game and waterfowl is permitted with shotguns only within State and Federal regulations. Fishing is allowed on all project waters subject to State regulations. Trapping is allowed under State permit. Enforcement of fish and wildlife laws is accomplished by the conservation officers of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).
For the adventurous and outdoor type the Mattatuck Trail, a major hiking trail in western Connecticut, passes through the project area as well.
Deer, turkey, upland bird, small game and furbearer hunting are allowed at Hancock Brook Lake. Please check with the DEEP for season dates, bag limits, rules and regulations, and before starting any hunting activities.
Reservations and Fees
Small outdoor events may be held at Hancock Brook Lake. Events are allowed through special use permits that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Hop Brook Lake can issue. For more information on hosting an event and obtaining a special use permit, please call or email.
Interpretive Programs
Park rangers can conduct on-site group interpretive programs upon request. Park Rangers can prepare programs that cover environmental education or missions of the Corps of Engineers. These programs can be tailored to your needs. Rangers also provide hikes and talks that focus on merit badges for scouting groups.
Natural Resources
Hancock Brook Lake is located among heavily populated and industrialized surrounding towns. This makes the 721 acres of undeveloped public land a valuable environmental asset to the people of the surrounding communities providing open spaces, recreational opportunities, and conservation and protection of the local resources. Hancock Brook Lake has been managed as a natural area set-aside primarily for wildlife habitat. Although recreation activities occur on a regular basis in the project, no recreation development has occurred to date.
Hancock Brook Lake offers 438 acres of woodland. The forest are made up of a wide variety of trees, including ash, oak, maple, birch, aspen, hickory, American elm, white pine, and eastern red cedar. There are 63 acres of wetlands and 170 acres of open land, which consist of old fields, old homesites, old railroads, and old sand and gravel pits.
These lands support a variety of upland game predators and variety of non-game birds and mammals. Many waterfowl, and hawks, turkey, turkey vulture, grouse, pheasant, and heron nest at Hancock. Whit-tailed deer, beaver, otter, fox, muskrat, mink, and many others make their homes at Hancock Brook Lake.
Hancock Brook Lake offers a 40-acre lake and 2.3 miles of brooks and streams for excellent fish habitat. These waters are full of bass, blue gill, perch, pickerel, and trout.
Updated: May 25, 2021