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May 2026
Please reach out to mike.beauchene@ct.gov with any suggestions, comments, or questions related to CT's Fisheries.
Free Fishing May 9
May 9th is statewide FREE FISHING DAY – No license is required to fish on May 9, 2026 in CT (no trout and salmon stamp either). This is a great opportunity to introduce someone new to fishing without the need for them to obtain a fishing license!
June 21st and August 8th are follow-up Free Fishing License Days, where folks ages 16 and up can obtain a free one-day fishing license. Free licenses are available 2 weeks prior to the date by using the Online Sportsmen Licensing System
2026 Fishing Licenses Available
Don't miss any days of fishing in 2026 - renew or get your fishing license today! Planning to keep a trout or fish in a Trout Management Area, Wild Trout Management Area, Trout Park, or Atlantic Salmon Management Area? Be sure to add the Trout and Salmon Stamp to your cart before checking out - required for harvesting trout or fishing any of those special management areas.
Saltwater Species Opening Day in May
The following saltwater species open to fishing in May - season dates, length and daily limits for each species found below.
Summer Flounder (Fluke) - May 4 (No change to regulations in 2026)
May 4 - August 1; 19 inch minimum length
August 2 - October 15; 19.5 inch minimum length
Daily creel limit: 3 fish per angler
Enhanced Opportunity Shore Fishing Sites the Minimum Length is 17 inches
Scup (Porgy) - May 1 (No change to regulations in 2026)
Minimum length: 11 inches for boat anglers / 9.5 inches for shore anglers (including Enhanced Opportunity Shore Fishing Sites)
Daily creel limit: 30 fish per angler
Open Season: May 1 - December 31
Party/Charter Vessel Bonus Season:
For paying passengers only: 30 fish per angler from May 1 - August 31 and November 1 - December 31; 40 fish per angler from September 1 - October 31
Blue Crab - May 1 (No change to regulations for 2026)
No License Required
Egg-bearing females must be immediately released
Daily creel limit: None
Open Season: May 1 - November 30
Minimum shell width (spike tip to spike tip)
- 5 inches - Hard shell
- 3 1/2 inches - Soft shell
Black Sea Bass - May 16 (Changes to regulations for 2026 in BOLD).
Minimum Size = 15.5 inches (down from 16 inches)
Private Anglers
- May 16 - Nov 25; 4 fish per day (down from 5); no mid-season closure
For Hire Boats
- May 16 - Aug 31; 4 fish per day (down from 5 fish per day)
- Sept 1 - Dec 31; 6 fish per day (down from 7 fish per day)
Freshwater Species Opening in May
Northern Pike in Bantam Lake - May 1
- May 1–Nov. 30: Daily creel limit—2, 26″ minimum length.
- Dec. 1–last day Feb.: Daily creel limit—1, 36″ minimum length.
- March 1–April 30: Closed to northern pike fishing.
🎣Family Fishing Day 2026 🐟
Saturday, May 9th: Celebrate with your fellow outdoor enthusiasts at Black Rock State Park in Watertown. The annual event is hosted by DEEP's No Child Left Inside Program and features dozens of activities for all ages. The Fisheries Division - Fish With CARE program will be on site with loaner fishing equipment, bait and volunteer fishing coaches to introduce or re-introduce you to fishing! Since May 9th is CT Free Fishing Day - no fishing license is required to fish this day.
Come Stock With Us May 9th 😀
Each Spring Fishing Day, the Fisheries Division invites all kids to come and stock trout with us. Bring your muscles, boots, and your favorite 5-gallon bucket if you have one (we will have plenty) to our No Child Left Inside Event at Black Rock State Park. Stocking begins at 11:00 AM near the beach area. Please arrive early as the event is very popular.
New and Improved Freshwater Fishes of CT
We’ve updated the Freshwater Fishes of Connecticut webpage to improve accessibility, navigation, and overall usability, with the goal of making it easier to find information and learn more about freshwater fish species in Connecticut.
Take a minute to explore — try looking up a target species or browsing to learn more about fish that might be in your favorite fishing spots — then share your thoughts in a quick 1-minute survey. We’d like your feedback on the new design.
👉 Explore the new webpage:
https://depdata.ct.gov/fishing/fwf/index.html
For reference, you can also view the current version here:
https://portal.ct.gov/deep/fishing/freshwater/freshwater-fishes-of-connecticut/table-of-contents
Your feedback will help us improve how anglers find fish information and increase success on the water.
New State Record Rainbow Trout
The new state record rainbow trout is 16.47 pounds, caught by Rich Courtright of Bethel in the West Branch Farmington River about 2:00pm on Saturday April 11, 2026. The monster 'bow smashes the prior record of 14.62 pounds caught by Michael V. Ludlow in Mansfield Hollow Reservoir in 1998.
Interesting story: The Kensington Hatchery does not raise Rainbow Trout, so why was this fish there? This fish had spent the past several years "helping" to trigger the Atlantic salmon to feed. What? Yes, that is right, helping to feed. Captive Atlantic salmon are timid about feeding on pellets at the hatchery. So to solve this fish culture problem, just add 20 or so rainbows - who love to eat and will start to feed immediately - in with the salmon. Once the Atlantic salmon see/sense the feeding and splashing, they are eager to join in and not miss a meal. Win-Win. Big Salmon & Big Rainbows.
Pilot Project to Restore Smallmouth Bass
Breaking News – Juvenile Smallmouth Bass may be coming to a lake or pond near you later this spring! To attempt to restore Smallmouth Bass into several lakes where they have disappeared over the past decade, the DEEP Fisheries Division’s Kensington State Fish Hatchery staff and fisheries biologists have teamed up on a pilot project to rear and stock Smallmouth Bass (more info below).
Captions: A- the renovated "Bass Pond". B- One of 15 spawning boxes. C-One of 55 smallmouth captured. D- Some of the smallmouth captured and transported to the Kensington State Fish Hatchery. E- A smallmouth about to be stocked into the "Bass Pond". F- the first smallmouth stocked into the "Bass Pond", which has not been used to raise warm water species for decades.
Fifty-five pre-spawn Smallmouth Bass were captured and transferred to the hatchery where they have been placed into an unused pond, originally referred to as the “Bass Pond”. It is 0.5 acres, originally built for raising bass, and has not been used to raise fish for several decades (when the Kensington Hatchery first started operations in 1932 it was to raise warmwater species).
Staff built and filled 15 wooden boxes with gravel to provide a preferred substrate for nest building and spawning. Once the fry hatch and “swim up”, they will feed on zooplankton which have also been stocked into the pond. The adults will be removed from the hatchery and stocked while the fry will remain until they consume all of the zooplankton, which we expect to take about a month. Regular zooplankton tows will be used to assess food availability.
Once they deplete the food source, the fry will be stocked directly into lakes and ponds where Smallmouth Bass have disappeared in recent decades. While the number of waterbodies we are able to stock will ultimately depend on the number and size of fry produced, Lower Bolton Lake, Billings Lake, Black Pond (Woodstock), Quinebaug Lake, Mansfield Hollow Reservoir, Moodus Reservoir, and Gardner Lake are waterbodies we hope to reintroduce and/or supplement Smallmouth Bass in the coming years.
In future years, we plan to use a greenhouse being developed at the Kensington State Fish Hatchery to continue growing a subset of the Smallmouth Bass fry to a fingerling size, which is associated with better survival after stocking.
The intent for this program is to use a combination of approaches, including stocking Smallmouth Bass, adding habitat features, enhancing forage, and adjusting regulations where appropriate, to reverse the decline of Smallmouth Bass fisheries in Connecticut.
Monster Brown Trout Stocked Courtesy of the Kensington State Fish Hatchery
Staff from the Kensington Fish Hatchery stocked tagged broodstock Seeforellen Brown trout and tagged broodstock Rainbow trout in the upper section of the Farmington to provide a unique opportunity for anglers to catch a true trophy, or in the case of Rich above, a new state record.
The tags are meant to provide data on if/when these fish were caught, where, and whether they were harvested or released. If you are lucky enough to catch one like Ryan did, please let us know. BTW Ryan caught the fish on Friday, April 10 just a few hours before the start of catch and keep season.
Learn to Fish with CARE!
Fish with CARE May schedule, visit our web page for full list of 2026 events:
The Fish with CARE program (CT Aquatic Resource Education) has been introducing, or re-introducing, people to fishing since 1986. Fishing means many things to many people. Come find what fishing means to you by attending one of our many fishing events.
Check out our online self-paced "Let's Go Fishing" course - a beginners guide to fishing in CT - and register to join us at one of our events. We have all of the equipment, bait and a dedicated group of knowledgeable and patient fishing coaches to support you. A fishing license is required for participants age 16 and older.
Save the Dates: Fish with CARE June schedule:
Meet Your Fisheries Team
During each month in 2026 you will get to meet one of the highly dedicated and passionate staff of the Fisheries Division. Each of our team bring skill and professionalism to make CT's fisheries the best they can be.
Meet Jim Murtagh
I serve as the co-coordinator for the Fish with CARE program within the Fisheries Division. I have the privilege of teaching people how to fish and helping them discover the joy of spending time outdoors. Whether it’s a child’s first cast or an adult trying something new, my role is to make fishing approachable, welcoming, and memorable.
Compared to many of my colleagues, I’m relatively new. I’m approaching my fifth year professionally, but I bring 15 years of volunteer experience with the Fish with CARE program as a fishing coach. I may have started late, but I’ve been committed for a long time.
Education: I truly enjoy learning. If there were more time (and funding!), I’d happily be a perpetual student. I place a high value on lifelong learning and hold master’s degrees in engineering, business, and educational technology.
When not at work: I consider myself a lifelong student of the world. There are endless experiences to have and lessons to learn. It’s a challenge to fit even a fraction of them into one lifetime. Spend ten minutes with me and you’ll notice I ask a lot of questions; everyone has a story, a hobby, or a passion worth exploring. I’m energized by being around people who care deeply about what they do. When I can, I combine my interests in photography and videography to capture people pursuing their passions and share those moments with others.
More About Jim
What was the spark to get you interested in fisheries biology/management? Some of my earliest memories involve fishing—riding my bike to local ponds and streams and sitting for hours along the bank with a line in the water. Fishing shaped my life in ways I never could have predicted, so building a career around it felt like a natural progression.
Favorite part of the job: Everyone around me knows the answer: first-catch smiles. Through Fish with CARE, we’re fortunate to witness dozens of them each year. Being part of that moment, when someone realizes they can do this, is powerful and incredibly rewarding.
Least favorite part of the job: I’m fortunate to have merged my passion with my profession, so it’s hard to complain. That said, I’ll just mention cleaning bait containers full of squid after a 100-degree August fishing event. It builds character.
Trivia/Favorites of Jim:
Pizza Topping: Peppers and onions—and I’m a Modern guy.
Movie: The Princess Bride
Favorite Fish: It’s a tie between black crappie and smallmouth bass. Crappie are wonderfully finicky. It’s a mental chess match every time you target them. Smallmouth, on the other hand, bring pure energy. That first leap out of the water never gets old, along with the split-second anxiety that they might throw the lure.
Favorite Concert: Warren Zevon in Philadelphia—up close and gritty.
Red Sox or Yankees: Neither—Kevin VanDam or Shaw Grigsby. If you know, you know.
Phobia: Heights. I’ll stay off the ladders.
Dream place to live: I don’t travel much, but a few extra months of open-water fishing each year wouldn’t hurt. I’m open to suggestions.
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 the Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus). Alewife are one of the harbingers of spring as the migratory versions return to coastal streams in April/May of each year to spawn.
Anadromous (migrates to freshwater from saltwater to spawn) populations occur along the entire Atlantic Coast from Nova Scotia to North Carolina. Landlocked populations have been established in several Atlantic coastal states and in the Great Lakes. In Connecticut, anadromous alewives make early spring spawning runs up many rivers and coastal streams that flow into Long Island Sound. Young alewives feed in the rivers of their hatch and migrate to the ocean anywhere from late spring to fall. Some coastal lakes have naturally landlocked alewife populations, but most inland populations were introduced (primarily during the 1960s and 1970s). Landlocked alewives are typically common to abundant where they occur.
Migratory stocks have been very low for several years or more. In Connecticut it is illegal to take any migratory alewife or a similar fish, the blue back herring.
Need to find a place to fish? Check out our "Where to Fish For..." interactive map with the 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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