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100% of your investment in fishing license fees come to the DEEP Bureau of Natural Resources to support your passion for the outdoors- Thank You! 👍👍
March 2025
Please reach out to mike.beauchene@ct.gov with any suggestions, comments, or questions related to CT's Fisheries.
2025 Fishing Licenses are Available
Fishing licenses are available for 2025. Don't miss a single day of fishing - renew or get your fishing license today.
Trout Fishing in CT is
"Catch and Release" starting March 1
Trout fishing shifts to "Catch and Release" in most waters (see exceptions below) starting on March 1. Opening day of the "Catch and Keep" season starts at 6:00 am on April 13, 2025.
Waters where anglers may continue to keep trout throughout March include:
1) Trout Management Lakes: no closed season and one fish per angler per day. Minimum length and species rules vary by lake. Please refer to the "Lake and Pond" section of fishing guide for waterbody specific regulations.
2) Sea Run Trout Streams: no closed season and two fish per day, 15 inch minimum length:
- Eightmile River – Lyme, downstream of dam at Mt. Archer Road
- Farm River – Branford, downstream of I-95 bridge
- Hammonasset River – Madison, downstream of breached dam located 300 ft upstream of River Road
- Latimer Brook – Waterford-East Lyme, downstream of I-95 bridge
- Mianus River – Stamford, downstream of Mianus Pond Dam
- Oil Mill Brook – Waterford-East Lyme, downstream of I-95 bridge
- Saugatuck River – Westport, tidal area downstream of Wood Dam
- Whitford Brook – Stonington, downstream of route 184 bridge
3) Tidal Waters and Tributaries: Designated rivers and stream sections including the entire Connecticut and Thames rivers, and downstream most sections of the Coginchaug, Farmington, Housatonic, Mattabesset, Mystic, Naugatuck, Niantic, Quinnipiac, Salmon, and Yantic rivers. Anglers may keep two trout per day, 15 inch minimum length. Please refer to "Rivers and Streams" and find specific waters for regulations:
No Changes to 2025 Freshwater Fishing Regulations
There are no changes 😁 to the regulations for sportfishing in the Inland District 🎣 for 2025. Download your PDF copy. Printed copies are available at many town clerks and tackle shops.
The changes proposed over this past summer are still working through the formal adoption process. As such, the Fisheries Division is opting to keep the regulations as they are. We expect the proposed changes will take effect January 1, 2026, about one year from now.
Marine Angler Interviews - Start March 1
The DEEP conducts interviews of marine anglers to help obtain valuable data on fish retained and fish released.
March 1st marks the beginning of the 2025 Marine Recreational Information Program’s (MRIP) fishing survey season here in Connecticut ! Our team of Field interviewers will be surveying recreational anglers at fishing locations throughout the CT coastline. Be on the lookout for our interviewers at coastal piers, beaches, boat launches, marinas, and on party boats.
If you see our MRIP staff out interviewing while you're fishing, please say hello and take a moment to complete a fishing survey! We'll ask you questions about your fishing trip, such as - What were you trying to catch? How long were you out fishing today? How often do you fish? and most importantly - What did you catch!
🏆🏆 This season we are handing out collectible bumper stickers for completing our survey! Above is a sneak peak of one of our designs! 🏆🏆
The fishing data collected in the survey directly benefits you, the angler! Better data, better fishing!
Good luck fishing in 2025!
Annual Fish Stocking Report is Out
DEEP's annual Fish Stocking Report summarizing all fish species and numbers stocked in 2024 is available. Over 1,000,000 fish were stocked in 2024 to support the Fisheries Division's efforts to support conservation and recreation.
Ice Safety Still Paramount
With temperatures on the rise as we head toward spring, ice conditions can change FAST! ❄️☀️ Before heading out, make sure you’re staying safe on the ice:
✅ Check the ice thickness—warmer weather can weaken ice quickly.
✅ Be extra cautious near shore, structures, and areas with moving water like inlets or outlets—ice can be much thinner in these spots!
✅ Never go alone—bring a buddy and let someone know your plans.
✅ Carry safety gear like ice picks, a throw rope, and a life vest.
No fish is worth the risk—when in doubt, stay off the ice! Stay safe, stay smart, and enjoy the outdoors responsibly. 🎣🧊
Aquatic Invasive Species Stamp Info
New for 2025- The Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Stamp must be purchased separately from your vessel registration. Any person operating a vessel on Connecticut inland waters that is required to be registered, in CT or another state, must have a CT AIS Stamp.
There are two AIS Stamp options:
$7 individual operator
or
$25 AIS decal to cover all operators on the vessel
Visit AIS Stamp FAQs for more information. You can purchase your 2025 AIS Stamp now through the Online Sportsmen Licensing system. This is required for CT registered and out of state registered vessels.
Fishing Challenge DIY Videos
To help budding anglers fill their youth fishing passport fishing challenge score card the Fish With CARE program has made a special playlist on the DEEP Video YouTube channel.
The fishing challenge is free for all age 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 Largemouth Bass. Read on for an interesting wrinkle with the species.
If you fish in North America, you are likely well acquainted with the Micropterus genus. Micropterus includes all the “black bass” species, the most well-known and widely distributed being Largemouth Bass. However, you may not realize that there are currently 14 described species of black bass, with recent research from Dr. Thomas J. Near’s lab at Yale University suggesting there may truly be 19 separate species. In their landmark 2022 publication, Phylogenomics and species delimitation of the economically important Black Basses (Micropterus), the authors (Daemin Kim and others) evaluate the genetic relationships of black basses. One of their findings is that the species name for Largemouth Bass should change from Micropterus salmoides to Micropterus nigricans, with Florida Bass retaining the old scientific name (Micropterus salmoides).
In taxonomy, or the science of classifying living things, naming rights typically go to the first to formally describe a new species. In this case, the first formal description for Largemouth Bass that used the species name Micropterus salmoides was done using a specimen that occurred in what is now understood to be within the range of Florida Bass, which have since been recognized as a unique species. Because this description of Micropterus salmoides was in fact a description of Florida Bass, the scientific name for Florida Bass becomes Micropterus Salmoides and the species name for Largemouth Bass changes to Micropterus nigricans, which was the species name used in the first formal description of what is believed to be a true Largemouth Bass.
The avid angler will not notice any change, other than revision of some text in our state statutes and fishing regulations in the coming years. The research highlights how much there is left to learn regarding the evolutionary history, management, and conservation of this economically and culturally important recreational fishery resource.
Nice Catch!
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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