Connecticut / Housatonic River /

Birdseye Street Boat Launch

Boat ramp · on Housatonic River · near Stratford · Connecticut

The Housatonic River from Boardman's Bridge, New Milford
Housatonic River, the water this launch is on. The Housatonic River from Boardman's Bridge, New Milford Photo: Dougtone · CC BY-SA 2.0 · via Flickr
Restricted

Public, but limited to residents, sticker or permit holders (on tribal land, a tribal permit). Check the rules with the town, tribe or agency before you go.

Status not reported No closure has been posted for this launch, but its agency does not publish open or closed status. Check with the managing agency before you tow.

At the launch

Type
Boat ramp
Fee
Free
Restrooms
Yes
Tidal
Yes
Wheelchair access
Yes
Managed by
Town of Stratford
Website
townofstratford.com
Coordinates
41.17934, -73.12448

Directions (Google) Apple Maps

Channel depths in feet from the Army Corps' surveys (New England District; the one nearest this launch is of July 25, 2024). Not for navigation.

Conditions

Marine advisories

Advisories in effect load here; without them, see the NWS zone forecast below.

National Weather Service marine zone ANZ335, Long Island Sound West of New Haven CT/Port Jefferson NY. Zone forecast: winds, seas, warnings.

Tides

Predicted highs and lows at NOAA's Sniffens Point station, 0.7 mi from this launch, in local time above MLLW. Predictions, not observations: wind and weather move the real tide. Full predictions at NOAA.

Tide predictions, Mon Oct 19 to Sun Oct 25
Mon Oct 19 Low 12:17 am 1.3 ft · High 6:28 am 5.7 ft · Low 12:37 pm 1.7 ft · High 6:47 pm 6.0 ft
Tue Oct 20 Low 1:11 am 1.3 ft · High 7:24 am 5.9 ft · Low 1:34 pm 1.4 ft · High 7:43 pm 6.1 ft
Wed Oct 21 Low 2:02 am 1.1 ft · High 8:15 am 6.2 ft · Low 2:28 pm 1.1 ft · High 8:36 pm 6.3 ft
Thu Oct 22 Low 2:49 am 0.8 ft · High 9:02 am 6.6 ft · Low 3:17 pm 0.7 ft · High 9:24 pm 6.5 ft
Fri Oct 23 Low 3:33 am 0.6 ft · High 9:45 am 7.0 ft · Low 4:04 pm 0.3 ft · High 10:09 pm 6.7 ft
Sat Oct 24 Low 4:15 am 0.4 ft · High 10:26 am 7.4 ft · Low 4:49 pm 0.0 ft · High 10:52 pm 6.9 ft
Sun Oct 25 Low 4:57 am 0.2 ft · High 11:06 am 7.7 ft · Low 5:34 pm -0.3 ft · High 11:36 pm 7.0 ft

Channel survey

The Army Corps surveys the channels it maintains and posts every survey.

  • Housatonic River · 0.1 mi from this launch
    Condition survey of July 25, 2024 by the New England District. Least depth in the channel (18-Foot Nells Island Reach): 2.9 ft below mean lower low water (MLLW); project depth 18 ft. Survey sheet (PDF)

US Army Corps of Engineers hydrographic surveys, from eHydro. A survey shows the bottom on the day it was made; channels shoal after high water and change with dredging. Not for navigation.

On Housatonic River

The Housatonic River is a river about 149 miles long in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut. It begins where its West and East branches meet in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, drains about 1,950 square miles and empties into Long Island Sound between Stratford and Milford. Five hydroelectric dams hold back the river in Connecticut: Falls Village, Bulls Bridge, Shepaug, Stevenson and Derby. The last three form a chain of lakes running from New Milford south to Shelton: Lake Lillinonah, Lake Zoar and Lake Housatonic. Below Derby Dam the river is tidal for its whole length, and its lower end is brackish to salty. In December 2022 the 41-mile stretch from the Massachusetts line to the Boardman Bridge in New Milford was designated a National Wild and Scenic River. More about Housatonic River.

Boating rules on Housatonic River

  • Slow no wake when passing marinas, yacht clubs, fuel docks, anchorages, docks, boat launches and congested areas source
  • Slow no wake in the channel east of Nells Island and in all channels, creeks and waterways within the Charles E. Wheeler Wildlife Management Area source
  • Slow no wake from the Devon railroad bridge (Milford–Stratford) south to navigation aid #14 source
  • Slow no wake from the northernmost to the southernmost tip of Wooster Island source
  • Slow no wake from 500 feet upstream of navigation aid #4 to 500 feet downstream of navigation aid #3 source
  • Fly-fishing only in the lower three miles of the Housatonic River Trout Management Area (Cornwall) source
  • Catch-and-release only for trout and smallmouth bass, all year, in the Bulls Bridge Trout and Bass Management Area source

Community

Where people who use Housatonic River talk about it.

Nearby launches

Sources

Why it is listed as public: listed by Connecticut DEEP Coastal Access Sites (boat launches and car-top access). Something wrong, or is this launch private? Send a correction; it goes to a person.