2023 Fishing Licenses are Available Online

The changes to the regulations for freshwater fishing are now in effect (as of December 27, 2022). Learn more in the section below or view a simple summary.

Would you like to see your catch highlighted in upcoming issues of CT Fishin' Tips? If so, please email your photo to mike.beauchene@ct.gov 

2023 Fishing Licenses are available. Don't miss one day of potential fishing. Get yours online or stop by your favorite license vendor.

Plan on fishing East Twin Lake (Salisbury), Mohawk Pond (Goshen), and Wononskopomuc Lake (Salisbury) this winter? We hope to see you there as the Fisheries Division will be conducting ice angler creel surveys this winter on those three water bodies.

Freshwater Fishing Regulations: The Fisheries Division WILL be printing a limited run of fishing regulation guide books in 2023. Stay tuned for where and when you can get your copy. Please be advised the Fisheries Division strives to do all possible to conserve and protect our environment. This includes encouraging everyone to make use of our digital fishing guide so we can reduce wasted paper whenever possible.

The following is a simple summary of the key changes to the regulations for sport fishing in the inland district. The full version of the regulations is available on the Secretary of State’s web page. Questions may be sent to mike.beauchene@ct.gov

Download the simple summary of inland fishing regulations.



Seasons

Removes the closed season for fishing on all lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams. (Legal access still required, for example if a park is closed to all activity then fishing is not allowed).

Establishes a statewide “Catch and Release” season for trout and kokanee salmon from March 1 to 6:00 am on the second Saturday of April (Opening Day of harvest).

Extends the season on Trout Management Lakes from March 31 to 6:00 am on the second Saturday of April (Opening Day of harvest). (Previously the season was March 1 to March 31, then closed to fishing).

Retains thermal refuge closures to protect trout seeking refuge in cold-water tributaries as indicated by signs posted by CT DEEP.

Species

Revises the statewide daily creel limit for trout and kokanee to be 5 trout daily AND 5 kokanee daily (previously 5 of either, 8 in aggregate).

Waterbodies

Establishes the following special trout regulations on East Twin Lake and Lake Wononskopomuc: During the period from 6:00 a.m. on the second Saturday in April through the last day of February the daily creel limit for trout shall be five, not more than one of which may be a brown trout, and the minimum length for brown trout shall be twenty-two inches. During the period from March first through 6:00 a.m. on the second Saturday in April, inclusive, the daily creel limit for trout shall be one and the minimum length limit shall be twenty-two inches.

Adds Long Pond (North Stonington) and Lake Wononskopomuc to the list of Trout Management Lakes.

Prohibits ice fishing on Factory Pond (Salisbury), Lake Chamberlain (Bethany), Lake Saltonstall (Branford, East Haven), Maltby Lakes (Orange, West Haven), Lake McDonough (New Hartford, Barkhamsted) and Shenipsit Lake (Ellington, Tolland, Vernon).

Gear

Establishes a limit of two devices per person when ice fishing on East Twin Lake or Lake Wononskopomuc. This may be two (2) tip ups, two (2) jigging rods or one of each.

Definitions

Establishes a definition for Cast Net, Inline Circle Hook and Culling.

Revises the definition of Closed Season to conform with the definition provided in state statute

The recent warm weather has eliminated safe ice for the time being. When the cold weather returns, the Fisheries Division encourages you to be safe by checking our ICE FISHING WEBPAGE with resources to get you started safely and successfully, including tips and pointers on how to dress for cold, what equipment you will need, popular ice fishing locations, ice safety, published articles on ice fishing CT, an ice fishing 101 blog, and a list of learn to ice fish classes and events.

The Burlington State Fish Hatchery turns 100 this year! Look for a special look into the hatchery each month. The video below gives you a sneak peak into daily operations.

Interested in Ice Fishing? Come "Fish With CARE" (Connecticut Aquatic Resources Education) at one of our "First Catch" fishing events. We look forward to seeing you soon for our "Ice Fishing Events". The video below is a quick demo on how to set your tip up just right.

If you have a guess as to the fish pictured below, email Mike.beauchene@ct.gov

The November mystery critter was a mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis). A Chinese mitten crab was found in Connecticut waters and confirmed by DEEP and Connecticut Sea Grant in June of 2012. The crab was collected from the Mianus Pond fishway on the Mianus River (Greenwich) and is the first confirmed sighting of this invasive crab in this state. Where abundant, Chinese mitten crabs can damage fishing gear, clog pumps and intake pipes, cause riverbank erosion through their burrowing activities, and outcompete native species for food and habitat. These crabs are relatively new to the Atlantic coast; however, and at this time it is unclear as to what their effects will actually be here.

DEEP needs your help! Be on the lookout for Chinese mitten crabs.

Mitten crabs are NOT native to Connecticut but have been found in our state. Establishment of mitten crabs in Connecticut may have negative consequences for coastal and freshwater ecosystems. Any crab found in freshwater should be investigated, as there are no freshwater crabs in New England.

Adult Chinese mitten crabs have several distinctive characteristics that aid in identification:

• Brownish-orange to greenish-brown color.
• Hairy, white-tipped claws (look like mittens).
• Distinct notch between the eyes.
• Four spines along each side of the shell.
• Legs are twice as long as the width of the shell.
• Only crab that would be found in freshwater in the Northeast.

Please help us learn more about mitten crabs in Connecticut.

If you catch a mitten crab:

1. Do not release it!
2. Please freeze it or preserve it in alcohol.
3. Note date and location of capture
4. Please report your finding within 48 hours to david.molnar@ct.gov or call 860-434-6043.
5. Report mitten crabs on DEEP's new online reporting app, the Marine Aquatic Invasive Species Survey (MAIS Survey).