2020 Fishing Licenses are Available Now!
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100% of your investment funds fishing!
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Latest Updates from Fisheries
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2020 Fishing Regulations
: There will not be any changes to the Freshwater (Inland) Regulations for 2020. Marine Regulations have been finalized and are as indicated below.
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Striped Bass:
Due to the outcome of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Striped Bass Management Board meeting on 2/4, there are no longer any options available for Connecticut to implement in 2020 other than the standard coast-wide regulation:
a 28-35 inch slot limit
. This means that 1 Striped Bass that is 28.0 to 34.9 inches may be kept per day. Any fish less than 28 inches must be released. Any fish 35 inches or larger must be released.
Bluefish:
Due to the outcome of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Bluefish Management Board meeting on 2/4, there are no longer any options available for Connecticut to implement in 2020 other than the standard coast-wide regulation:
a 3-fish bag limit for private anglers, and a 5-fish bag limit for party/charter boat
anglers (no size limit or closed season).
Sea Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Scup (Porgy), Tautog (Blackfish)
and all other marine recreational fisheries, no changes from 2019 to 2020.
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Public Input for Warmwater Fisheries (Bass, Pike, Walleye, Channel Catfish, Panfish):
The CT DEEP Fisheries Division is planning a series of public informational meetings to obtain angler preference and input regarding our management of warmwater fisheries over the next 5-10 years. Similar to the Trout and Salmon meetings, Fisheries Division staff will host a series of meetings around the state and have an on-line
questionnaire
.
The list of dates and locations is below.
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Trout Stocking in February & March:
With the weather continuing to cooperate we have been able to stock our
Trout Management Areas,
which are open to fishing year round, but are catch and release until Opening Day (be sure to check
FISHING GUIDE
for regulations). We have also stocked our
Trout Management Lakes
, open to fishing until March 31st (one fish per day that is 16 inches or larger). Stay tuned to our
Facebook page
or follow on our
interactive trout stocking map
.
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2020 marks the return of "Tiger Trout" to Connecticut. Check out our video below and stay tuned to find out how you can "catch" a free "Tiger Tamer" t-shirt this fishing season.
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2020 Warmwater Fisheries Public Discussions
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The CT DEEP Fisheries Division is hosting Five Public discussions to seek your input on Connecticut's warmwater fisheries (Bass, Pike, Walleye, Catfish, Panfish, Carp). Similar to the trout and salmon discussions held in October of 2019, these face-to-face discussions will help us to shape the future of warmwater fishing.
We would love to see you at one of these dates.
Please RSVP with the "ticket" button for the appropriate date and venue below.
3/9, Monday, 7-9 pm, Franklin Wildlife Management Area, North Franklin (Capacity 40).
3/12, Thursday, 7-9 pm, Quinnebaug Hatchery, Plainfield, (Capacity 25).
3/14, Saturday, 3-5 pm, Kellogg Environmental Center, Derby, (Capacity 75).
3/16, Monday, 7-9 pm, Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area, Burlington, (Capacity 100).
3/20, Friday, 7-9 pm, CT Parks and Forest Association Headquarters, Middlefield, (Capacity 35).
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Mon, Mar 9, 2020 7:00 PM EST
Warmwater Fisheries Public Discussion- Franklin
Franklin Swamp Wildlife Management Area,
Franklin
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Thu, Mar 12, 2020 7:00 PM EST
Warmwater Fisheries Public Discussion - Quinebaug Hatchery
Quinebaug Valley State Trout Hatchery,
Plainfield
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Sat, Mar 14, 2020 3:00 PM EST
Warmwater Fisheries Public Discussion - Kellogg Environmental Center
Kellogg Environmental Center,
Derby
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Mon, Mar 16, 2020 7:00 PM EST
Warmwater Fisheries Public Discussion - Sessions Woods Wildlife Mgt Area
Sessions Woods Wildlife Management,
Burlington
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Fri, Mar 20, 2020 7:00 PM EST
Warmwater Fisheries Public Discussion - CT Forest and Park Assoc. HQ
Connecticut Forest & Park Association,
Middlefield
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2020 Fishing Guide Cover Contest Winner
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Congrats to Cooper (son) and Jim (dad) Curcuruto who beat out over 250 photos to be the cover of the 2020 Fishing Guide. The theme for 2020 was fishing together as a family. As you can see, Jim and Cooper definitely enjoyed their "double" catch.
Jim stated that he and his son Cooper, both of whom are members of Newton Fish & Game, are excited about being selected for the fishing guide cover. Jim recalls, “This photo was taken the morning of June 15th and we used spinning rods with wacky-rigged Senko worms. A typical day of fishing there gets us up early and on the lake around 6:30am. Most of the bass we catch are released, but the occasional one makes it to our table. We catch "doubles" every once in a while but unfortunately for me, my catch is always smaller than Cooper's.” The father-son duo did a lot of fishing in Connecticut in 2019, but noted that their favorite locations are the Pomperaug River for trout and, not surprisingly, Taunton Lake for bass.
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Resolve to Learn to Fish in 2020
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A variety of FREE introductory fishing classes and events are being scheduled all over the state for spring/summer.
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Bonus Striped Bass Tag Program - Suspended
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In light of the overfished condition of the coastal striped bass stock and the need to reduce harvest, the Department has decided to suspend the Bonus Striped Bass Program until the stock recovers. Low rates of program participation, as evidenced by low numbers of Striped Bass Bonus Program Voucher returns in recent years, also contributed to the Department’s decision to suspend the Striped Bass Bonus Program. Get details
here
.
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Last month's mystery fish was the
Calico Bass AKA Black Crappie
(
Pomoxis nigromaculatus
). The Black Crappie is a an introduced fish to CT, but have become naturalized meaning they reproduce and sustain themselves without any supplemental stocking.
The Black Crappie is a "panfish" and as such there is no minimum size and no limit on how many you can keep in CT waters. Black Crappie are a very popular sportfish and are arguably the best eating freshwater fish out there - it is tough to beat a fried crappie sandwich! Black Crappies are typically 6-11" long, but "SLAB" crappie can grow in excess of 18" long!
Black Crappie are fairly common in lakes, ponds, and backwaters of large rivers and streams around the state. They can be caught on a variety of small jigs (1 1/2" soft plastics on a 1/16 oz jighead is a deadly combination) and small minnows. Black Crappie are a schooling fish so keep moving until you catch one, then concentrate on fishing that area. These fish can be very structure orientated, so try fishing along weed beds, rocky points, humps, drop-offs, boulders, and fallen trees.
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This Month's Mystery Fish
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Información disponible en español
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