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April 2026
Please reach out to mike.beauchene@ct.gov with any suggestions, comments, or topics related to CT's Fisheries.
No Fooling Here - New Link Interactive Trout Stocking Map
Please update your bookmarks and favorites to the new link for the interactive trout stocking map. The change was required due to software modernization and upgrades.
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/6c0723c5e1174e0c85197d0caee20bc7/page/Page
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 Parkportal.ct.gov, or Atlantic Salmon Management Area? Be sure to add the trout and salmon stamp to your cart before checking out.
'Tog and Winter Flounder Open April 1
Tautog (Blackfish)
Minimum length: 16 inches
Open Season: April 1 - April 30, 2 fish per angler
Open Season: July 1 - August 31, 2 fish per angler
Open Season: October 10 - November 28, 3 fish per angler
Winter Flounder Minimum length: 12 inches
Daily creel limit: 2 fish per angler
Open Season: Open April 1 - December 31
Changes to Saltwater Fishing Regulations for 2026 - Black Sea Bass and Bluefish
The expected changes to the marine recreational regulations for 2026 are for Black Sea Bass and for Bluefish. These changes are listed below. All other species remain the same. Please visit our webpage for the CT recreational saltwater regulations.
Black Sea Bass
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)
Bluefish
- Private Anglers - 5 fish per day (up from 3 fish) of any size
- For Hire Boats - 7 fish per day (up from 5) of any size
🎣Spring Fishing Day 2026 🐟
Saturday April 11th is Spring Fishing Day! Celebrate with your fellow anglers as many hit the waters at 6:00 am to usher in the start of catch and keep trout fishing.
Calling All Kids - Come Stock With Us 😀
Each Spring Fishing Day, the Fisheries Division invites all kids to come an stock trout with us. Bring your muscles, boots, and your favorite 5-gallon bucket if you have one (we have plenty) to one of the locations below. Please arrive 15-20 minutes early as this is a very popular event and each actual stocking takes approximately 20-30 minutes.
Locations and approximate times for "Stock With Us"
- Allen Brook Pond, within Wharton Brook State Park (Wallingford) 10:15 a.m.
- Black Rock Pond, within Black Rock State Park (Watertown) 10:00 a.m.
- Schreeder Pond, within Chatfield Hollow State Park (Killingworth) 10:00 a.m.
- Day Pond, within Day Pond State Park (Colchester) 8:00 a.m.
- Great Hollow Lake at Wolfe Town Park (Monroe) 10:00 a.m.
- Kent Falls Brook, within Kent Falls State Park (Kent) 8:30 a.m.
- McGovern Pond, within Spice Bush Town Park (West Hartford) 8:00 a.m.
- Mohegan/Spaulding Pond, within Mohegan Town Park (Norwich) 8:00 a.m.
- Papermill Pond, within Southford Falls State Park (Oxford) 8:00 a.m.
- Pasture Pond, at Quinebaug Valley State Fish Hatchery (Plainfield) 8:00 a.m.
- Stratton Brook Park Pond, within Stratton Brook State Park (Simsbury) 8:00 a.m.
- Valley Falls Pond, within Valley Falls Town Park (Vernon) 8:00 a.m.
New Freshwater Regulations for 2026
There are several changes to trout fishing regulations for 2026. Stay informed with all of the regulations by referring to our Fishing Guide or on the FishBrain App.
- All trout must be 9 inches or larger to keep
- Crystal Lake (Ellington) now has a 5-trout daily limit; 9-inch minimum length.
- 22 waters are added to the list of Class 1 Wild Trout Management Areas. These waters are catch and release year-round and require fishing with a single barbless hook on a fly or on a lure.
- A closure to fishing in Highland Lake at Taylor Brook from July 1 to October 15.
- Mashamoquet Brook, Kettletown Brook, and Macedonia Brook (all within state land) are added to the list of Trout Parks. Daily limit is 2 trout, 9-inch minimum length.
Save the Date - No Fishing License Required
Saturday May 9, 2026 is DEEP's annual FREE fishing day. On May 9, no fishing license is required (nor is the trout and salmon stamp), so please take this opportunity to take someone fishing who normally would not buy a fishing license. The Fisheries Division will be at Black Rock State Park in Watertown with the State Parks Division's No Child Left Inside Program to celebrate FAMILY FISHING DAY. More details in next month's newsletter.
Go To Trout Lures - Do You Have These?
Early spring trout can be surprisingly picky when it comes to striking. If one presentation isn’t working, a small adjustment can make all the difference. Two consistently reliable options are inline spinners (top row) and flashy, small spoon-style lures (bottom row), both of which do a great job enticing reluctant trout.
When fishing these lures in streams, cast slightly upstream or across the current and retrieve just fast enough to keep the lure moving and spinning while it drifts naturally with the flow. To improve your chances, try switching the size and style of your lure several times before deciding to move to a new spot. Sometimes it’s not the location, it’s just finding the right look and movement that triggers a bite.
Tips For Successful Catch and Release
Not only is catch and release for trout required in many instances, it is also the preference of many anglers regardless of species. Delayed mortality from poor release techniques is real. To ensure best chance of survival for the fish you release, please check out these tips and the video below:
- use barbless hooks
- swap treble hooks to a single hook
- be attentive to the line to prevent fish from swallowing the hook
- keep fish in the water to unhook
- when taking a picture, wet your hands before handling the fish
- minimize time you keep the fish out of the water
- avoid dragging the fish on land or flopping in the mud, sand, pavement
How to Clean Your Trout
Your catch can provide a delicious and healthy meal. Cleaning a trout is easy - just watch our video below.
Come Fish With CARE
The 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 our our online self-paced "Learn to Fish" course and register to join us at one of our events. We have all of the equipment and a dedicated group of knowledgeable and patient fishing coaches support you. A fishing license is required for participants age 16 and older.
Fish with CARE schedule for April and May. Visit our web page for a complete list for 2026.
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 Dave Ellis
I have been immersed in Fisheries my entire adult life and have been with DEEP for 29 years. I consider myself very fortunate to have been hired in Connecticut as this is my home state. I work on the Long Island Sound Trawl Survey. This is a survey designed to investigate the biota across many depths and multiple substrates in Long Island Sound.
Education: I attended Unity College where I earned a degree in Environmental Science with emphasis in Fisheries. After being hired by the state of Connecticut, I attended the University of Connecticut hoping to attain an MS degree but haven't finished.
When not at work: When I'm not working, I stay very busy with my family enjoying the outdoors through hunting, fishing, vacationing and training my hunting lab Teal.
More About Dave
What was the spark to get you interested in fisheries biology/management? I became interested in Fisheries in high school. I went to a vocational school that provided me exposure to different environmental careers and I fell in love with the idea of working with fish!
Favorite part of the job: The most favorite part of my job is the people I work with and the connection I have with the natural world.
Least favorite part of the job: The least favorite part of my job... Hmmm I don't have one!
Dave said "Our Long Island Sound Trawl Survey crew never knows what they might see on a given day out on the Sound – yesterday was a stand-out example. The crew trawled up a HUGE roughtail stingray (Bathytosia centroura): over 6 ft. long, 5 ft. wide, and an estimated 400 pounds! These gentle giants are found along the Atlantic coast from New England to Florida but are relatively rare in Long Island Sound. Like all stingrays, roughtails have a venomous spine in their tail – but not to worry – they are not aggressive, and don’t frequent shallow nearshore waters where people wade and swim. Note that the picture shows the ray laying on its back, with its light-colored “ventral side” (aka – belly) facing up. Rather than attempt to roll the animal over, our crew quickly took some measurements and immediately returned the ray to the water to watch it swim away alive and well".
Trivia/Favorites of Dave:
Pizza Topping: of course, anchovies....
Movie: The Perfect Storm
Favorite Fish: American Shad. Its our state fish, they been important throughout history, they have an interesting life history, they are a great food source and most of all they are so much fun to catch!
Favorite Concert: Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds
Phobia: Tiny spaces
Dream place to live: Tortola, British Virgin Islands
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 Common Shiner (Luxilus cornutus). One of the native minnow species, common shiner prefer cool, clear waters of small streams to medium-sized rivers, where they are typically found in pool areas. They are rarely found in lakes. Can be easily caught on very small hooks baited with bits of worm.
Having no obvious distinctive characteristics, a common shiner appears to most people at first glance to be simply a “generic” shiner or dace. For this reason, in Connecticut this species is easiest for beginners to identify by process of elimination — in other words, if it isn’t one of the other shiners, it is probably a common shiner.
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?
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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