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November 2025
Please reach out to mike.beauchene@ct.gov with any suggestions, comments, or questions related to CT's Fisheries.
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Walleye Fingerlings Stocked
Walleye fingerlings (average 5-7 inches) arrived from Minnesota on Monday, October 27 and were stocked into Batterson Park Pond, Lake Zoar, Coventry Lake, Long Pond, Beach Pond, Squantz Pond, Saugatuck Reservoir*, Gardner Lake, Mashapaug Lake, and Mount Tom Pond, Lake Saltonstall*, and Lake Pocotapaug*.
The annual stocking of Walleye fingerlings serves to maintain the fisheries in these waters. Learn more about the Walleye management program in the video below. In addition to being a sought-after game fish for anglers, Walleye also help lake ecosystems as a predator, feeding on stunted sunfish which can overcrowd lakes. Questions about CT's Walleye program may be sent to Christopher.Mcdowell@ct.gov
*Purchased by Aquarion Water Company, South Central Regional Water Authority, or the Town of East Hampton respectively.
Check out this tips video on targeting Walleye.
Atlantic Salmon and Trout Stocking Continues!
Thanks to Fox 61 for getting the word out regarding the beautiful trophy-sized Brook Trout that have been produced at the Kensington State Fish Hatchery. Watch the story here.
Nice Catch!
Congrats to Brady R. from Guilford who landed this nice Tiger Trout (above), which is just one of the thousands of trout being stocked this fall! Follow along with our current stocking report or the interactive trout stocking map. Check out the video below for tips on fishing our Trout Parks this fall.
Trout Spawning is Ongoing - Watch Your Step
Cue the music, pour some wine, and light the candles it is spawning time! That said trout spawning activity is widespread across the state and "redds" are present and well-developed.
Trout redds are oval or teardrop shaped depressions in small gravels where the substrate looks like someone swept it clean (see circled areas in the photos below). They are used to deposit and incubate eggs. The size and shape can vary quite a bit and depend on the length of the fish. Please be aware of these highly sensitive spawning areas and do not trample or disturb the area in and around them.
These "nests" hold the eggs until the hatching time, which can be well into March. These eggs will face many natural challenges until then, but being stepped on is something we can prevent- be on the look out and watch where you step.
While not illegal, please do not target or disturb fish that are actively constructing redds or in nearby vicinity of established redds as the added stress of capture may be detrimental to successful spawning or lead to post-spawn mortality.
Farmington River Flow Management Video
The Farmington River, especially the West Branch (from Hartland to New Hartford) supports a world-class brown trout fishery. This fishery, it supported by the release of cold oxygenated water (tail water fishery) stored behind the Colebrook River Flood Control Dam and Goodwin Dam (Hogback Dam) in Colebrook and Hartland. With the passage of Public Act 24-13, the DEEP now manages the release of approximately 10 Billion Gallons of water (formerly under control of the Metropolitan District Commission).
View the plan as well as weekly updates on the volumes of water being released on our webpage.
DEEP Requests Proposals for Grants for Aquatic Invasive Species Control on Lakes, Ponds, and Rivers by December 10th
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is now accepting proposals for the Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Grant Program for 2026. Applications will be accepted through December 10, 2025. Please visit the DEEP AIS Grant Program website for details on how to apply for 2026 grants.
In 2019, the Connecticut General Assembly created dedicated funding to address AIS via Public Act 19-190, which established an AIS Stamp and associated fee that applies to all registered boats using Connecticut inland waters. Funds derived from the AIS Stamp are distributed via a competitive AIS Grant Program, funding selected projects proposed by municipalities, state agencies, and non-profit organizations to address the impacts of AIS on inland waterbodies in Connecticut. DEEP has awarded approximately $1.9 million to 71 projects during the first five years of the AIS Grant Program.
Invasive species, such as hydrilla and zebra mussels, are a serious threat to freshwater ecosystems and outdoor recreation. Invasive species can negatively affect native plants and animals, and the dense mats formed by invasive aquatic plants can seriously hamper boating, fishing, and swimming. These species often are costly and challenging to eliminate once established, necessitating intensive control and education efforts to prevent further spread.
“Boating and fishing are the largest contributors to Connecticut’s outdoor recreation economy, which continues to experience year-over-year growth and outpaces the national average,” said DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes. “Aquatic invasive species pose a serious threat to that economy and to the health of our freshwater ecosystems. The funding provided by our AIS Grant Program will enable grant recipients to do the critical work of controlling and researching aquatic invasives, helping to protect the state’s waterways and preserve the many benefits they provide to residents, visitors, and local communities.”
Fishing Challenge DIY Videos
To help budding anglers fill their Youth Fishing Passport (YFP) fishing challenge score card the Fish With CARE program has made a special playlist on the DEEP Video YouTube channel. The playlist will give you tips on gear, bait, and techniques on targeting each of the 33 fish species found in the YFP fishing challenge!
The fishing challenge is free for young anglers ages 15 and younger. The challenge is a year-long fishing scavenger hunt to try and catch all 33 species on the score card. Catches are submitted online and results displayed on the dashboard. For more info, please reach out to mike.beauchene@ct.gov
This Month's Mystery Fish
Think you know this species 👀? Send your guess to mike.beauchene@ct.gov
Mystery Fish Revealed
Last month's mystery fish was a male kokanee (Sockeye) salmon.
The kokanee salmon is a landlocked form of the larger pacific sockeye salmon. Like all pacific salmon, the kokanee life cycle is unusual in the fact that they are semelparous, meaning they die after spawning. Kokanee also go through extreme physiological changes, such as changing colors from silver to bright red and developing fang-like teeth and a hooked jaw, or kype, during their once-in-a-lifetime spawning occurrence.
Kokanee have been stocked into select Connecticut lakes since the 1940s and currently provide several very unique and exciting fisheries not found anywhere else in the Northeast! The history of kokanee in Connecticut is extensive, with close to 20 lakes being stocked throughout the decades, but only two lakes - East Twin Lake and West Hill Pond – have developed into viable recreational fisheries.
Learn more about CT's Kokanee Fishery and the Kokanee itself.
Need to find a place to fish? Check out our "Where to Fish For..." interactive map with video tutorial below.
DIY Videos- our complete library can be found on the DEEP YouTube Channel
How to get your fishing license online
How to get the youth fishing passport online
Have a Tip or Photo You Would Like to See in CT Fishin' Tips?
Have a Tip or Photo You Would Like to See in CT Fishin' Tips? Email your tip to DEEP.Inland.Fisheries@ct.gov
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.
This program receives Federal financial assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the U.S. Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex, or disability.
If you believe that you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility, or if you need more information, please write to:
Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Civil Rights
U.S. Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20240
Report a Fishing or Hunting Violation
Call DEEP's Environmental Conservation Police 24/7
860-424-3333
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