November 2021
2021 Fishing Licenses are Available Online
Fishing Fuels Conservation!
100% of your investment funds fish and fishing
Latest Updates from the Fisheries Division
To advance the conservation, enhancement, restoration, use, and appreciation of Connecticut’s fish, fisheries and fish habitats.
Circle Hooks Required for Striped Bass. Effective December 1, 2020 it is mandatory to use inline circle hooks whenever fishing with bait (live, dead, or cut) for Striped Bass. Please view our web page for the latest information and details.
Fall Trout Stocking - Fall trout stocking is nearing completion. We stocked about 54,000 trout in waterbodies near you! We stocked trout parks, trout management areas, community fishing waters, trout management lakes, and other popular waters as well as Atlantic Salmon management areas. Follow us here, view our stocking report, or check our interactive trout stocking map for dates and locations.

The following is our fall allocation:
20,000 Rainbow trout (10-12 inches)
10,000 Rainbow trout (> 12 inches)
10,000 Tiger trout (10-12 inches)
500 Tiger trout (> 12 inches)
1,000 Brook Trout (> 14 inches)
6,000 >12” Seeforellen brown trout
4,000 >12” Survivor brown trout
2,500 > 12” Cortland brown trout
1,200 2+ (about 14-18") Atlantic salmon
260 3+ (about 22-24") Atlantic salmon
Come out, Come out, Wherever You Are
The Fisheries Division is working with fisheries researchers from the University of Connecticut to study the movements of Brown Trout within the Housatonic River Trout Management Area. 38 were outfitted with a radio transmitter and a floy tag near the dorsal fin. The UConn team will be out following these fish around for the next 18 months. If you happen to catch one of these "bugged" fish, please return it to the river without harm.
Atlantic Salmon Management Areas in CT
The Fisheries Division is pleased to have an Atlantic Salmon Management Program where fish specifically raised at our Kensington State Fish Hatchery are stocked in to the Naugatuck River and Shetucket River (as well as a couple of lakes) each fall. The rules and regulations are complex and are intended to maximize the number of people able to enjoy this unique resource. Gear is limited to a single fly or an artificial lure that has a single free swinging hook, no additional weight may be added to the line. Check the Fishing Guide for specific regulations, as well as "catch and release" season dates and "harvest" season dates.
Lake and Pond Electrofishing Surveys
You may have seen the Fisheries Division out on a lake or pond during the night in October. Our boat looks like something right out of a sci-fi movie. We are pleased to be back out collecting relative abundance data on the fish populations in selected lakes and ponds. The data for this project supports decisions to help maintain quality fisheries in Connecticut. Learn more on our webpage.
Video of the Month- Walleye Stocking
The Fisheries Division stocked about 29,000 Walleye on October 25, 2021 into our Walleye Management Lakes. These fish, which average 5" at time of stocking, will spend the next few years growing to reach the legal minimum size of 18".

Watch this video and hundreds of others by subscribing to the DEEP YouTube channel.
Circle Hooks Mandatory - Striped Bass
"We're trying to help conserve a stock of fish that is in an overfished condition and needs help. By using inline circle hooks, people are pitching in to that effort."- Justin Davis, Assistant Director, Marine Fisheries Program

This regulation was mandated by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and is being adopted by all Atlantic coast states. View the regulation change.

For more info visit our web page, view our fact sheet, or watch the video below.
This Month's Mystery Fish
If you have a guess as to the type of fish pictured below, email Mike.beauchene@ct.gov
Fishing Challenge - For YOUth
NEW- Enter your catches online
Please use our online form to enter your youth fishing challenge catches
Youth Fishing Passport
Fishing is the perfect family activity during this time of "distance learning" and being "socially distant". CT's FREE Youth Fishing Passport is your child's ticket to all of the amazing outdoor discoveries fishing has to offer. Fishing involves knowing about habitat, environmental quality, food webs, life history of species, and so much more. You can get a Youth Fishing Passport, for those 15 or younger, using our online licensing system. Register your child as a new user. If you have questions please contact us.
Fishing Challenge Scorecard
The Youth Fishing Passport Fishing Challenge is a year long fishing scavenger hunt. To have your catch count, simple snap a photo of your fish (from our scorecard) and email it to us. The top four anglers (who catch the most different types on our list) receive a prize pack full of fishing swag.
Fishing Guide - Access Online Anytime
The 2021 Fishing Guide is available in English and Spanish.
Mystery Fish Revealed
Last month's mystery fish was a Jack Crevalle! This particular jack was mixed in with a school of snapper bluefish and caught at Fort Trumbull State Park fishing pier at a Connecticut Aquatic Resources Education fishing event this past September. The Jack Crevalle is a warm water fish species that is common in tropical and sub-tropical waters throughout the world, and a very rare catch and visitor of Long Island Sound. This fish most likely took a wrong turn into Long Island Sound while traveling the warm waters of the Gulf Stream! This fish is a perfect example and reminder of one of the coolest and most intriguing aspects of fishing - you never just what you might catch!
How to get your License Online
Your E-Tackle Box
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to complying with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you are seeking a communication aid or service, have limited proficiency in English, wish to file an ADA or Title VI discrimination complaint, or require some other accommodation, including equipment to facilitate virtual participation, please contact the DEEP Office of Diversity and Equity at 860-418-5910 or by email at deep.accommodations@ct.gov. Any person needing an accommodation for hearing impairment may call the State of Connecticut relay number - 711. In order to facilitate efforts to provide an accommodation, please request all accommodations as soon as possible following notice of any agency hearing, meeting, program or event.