April 2020
2020 Fishing Licenses are Available Now!
100% of your investment funds fishing!
Latest Updates from the Fisheries Division
Got Questions?
SOCIAL DISTANCING WHILE FISHING IS A MUST! :
Fishing is a great way to spend time outdoors, reduce stress, and possibly catch a tasty meal. The Fisheries Division along with the CDC, State of CT DPH, and the DEEP strongly encourage social distancing and not fishing with anyone other than people living in the same space.
Trout Season is OPEN! For a helpful list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) or refer to   https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Fishing/CT-Fishing   for more information.

Trout Stocking Updates . We continue to stock waters across the state. EXCEPT for FAIRFIELD County (since many of the public parks and property have been closed by the respective municipality, we have temporarily suspended stocking - see note below).

To reduce crowding and support social distancing we have suspended daily stocking updates on our Facebook page. We continue to update our interactive trout stocking map with updates published each Wednesday and Friday at 4 pm.
2020 Weekly Fishing Reports : We are suspending publishing our very popular weekly fishing reports. As we strongly encourage and support social distancing, publicizing areas with good fishing may be counter to public health objectives. We will commence our reports as soon as possible. We will still publish our list of stocked waters each Friday.
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.
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.
Public Input for Warmwater Fisheries (Bass, Pike, Walleye, Channel Catfish, Panfish) : The CT DEEP Fisheries Division has had to suspend our public meetings. We plan to restart the process as soon as we can host gatherings safely. Please see the section below if you would like to contribute your opinion via online methods.
No Foolin' - Trout Season is OPEN (early)
On March 24, 2020, Governor Ned Lamont issued an Executive Order ( E.O. 7L ) opening many lakes, ponds, rivers and streams to fishing statewide. The intention of opening the fishing season early is to limit community spread of COVID-19 by eliminating the large crowds that often accompany the traditional Opening Day of fishing in April. During this time of social distancing, fishing should be enjoyed as solitary experience or with members of the immediate household, not as a group activity. 

DEEP is encouraging all anglers to follow social distancing practices. Anglers should maintain a distance of at least six feet from others, practice good personal hygiene, stay home and away from others if they feel sick, and avoid areas where anglers or others congregate.

All other fishing laws and regulations, including requirements for a fishing license and trout and salmon stamp when needed, and all methods, creel limits and length limits remain in effect .  

More information and a helpful FAQ can be found on DEEP’s website. Please refer to   https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Fishing/CT-Fishing   for more information.
Connecticut Fishing COVID-19 Update
Anglers are encouraged to follow these guidelines to enhance social distancing:
  • If you’re not feeling well, stay home! Signs and symptoms of coronavirus include fever, cough and shortness of breath.
  • Rather than traveling to some of the most popular spots like Trout Parks and Community Fishing Waters, or the Salmon, upper Farmington River or Housatonic Rivers, try a small stream or pond you may not have visited before or one close to your home. If you arrive at a favorite fishing spot and see that crowds are forming, choose a different location, or return another day or time.
  • Observe the CDC's minimum recommended social distancing of six feet from other people. Practice it and know what it looks like – basically a fishing rod distance apart.
  • Follow the CDC’s guidance on personal hygiene. Wash your hands, carry hand sanitizer, cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, and avoid surfaces that are touched often, such as streamside trees, boulders along streamside trails, handrails on fishing piers and docks.
  • Bring water or drinks and a trash bag. Leave no trash, take everything out to protect park workers.
Trout Stocking and Town Closures
Many CT towns are closing their parks and lands to public access to help facilitate social distancing. The Fisheries Division will not be stocking waters that do not have public access. This is especially widespread in Fairfield County and as such t he Fisheries Division has decided to cease trout stocking in Fairfield County at this time. 

We will continue to monitor conditions and make adjustments to stocking locations as warranted, while striving to ensure the safety of the angling public and providing access to our stocked trout resources .   Please use our recently updated Trout Stocking Map to follow our latest efforts.​

The increasing occurrence of town park closures related to COVID-19 has reduced fishing access in Fairfield County, so we have chosen to reallocate these trout to neighboring areas to improve angler access to stocked trout.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. 
Tame A Tiger (Trout)
We are very sorry to announce we are suspending the T-Shirt campaign until this fall.
2020 Warmwater Fisheries Public Discussions
The CT DEEP Fisheries Division began hosting five public discussions to seek angler 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. Unfortunately we have paused these face-to-face discussions. We plan on hosting a webinar in the near future, but in the meantime, we have two online tools so you can contribute to this discussion:

A preference questionnaire (takes about 5 minutes)

and

Four key open-ended discussion questions (take as much time as you need to offer input).
2020 Fishing Guide - Access Online Anytime
The 2020 Fishing Guide is available. The best and fastest way to get your copy is online. We have a couple of options for you:
  1. The DEEP Webpage as a pdf
  2. In digital book format at the e-regulations page

The Fisheries Division is currently seeking photos for the 2021 cover! Send us your high quality shot to deep.inland.fisheries@ct.gov
Bonus Striped Bass Tag Program - Suspended
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 .
Mystery Fish Revealed
We can definitely say that while CT does not stock Lions , we do stock Tigers . Last month's mystery fish was the Tiger Trout. A Tiger Trout is a sterile offspring of a male Brook Trout and a female Brown Trout. Our hatchery staff mix the eggs and milt (sperm) to make several thousand Tiger Trout. The Fisheries Division has re-started rearing Tiger Trout at our Quinebaug State Hatchery. The first of the catchable-sized tigers are being stocked this spring. Many anglers like the tiger trout as they feel it provides a better "fight". Occasionally, you may catch a "wild tiger", if fishing in a stream that has a robust population of both wild Brook Trout and wild Brown Trout (sometimes they spawn together). Look for our "tame the tiger" campaign returning this fall (when we stock a bunch more tigers).
This Month's Mystery Fish
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