No images? Click here
October is one of the best times to fish Connecticut. Tautog season opens Saturday, October 10, striped bass and false albacore are feeding hard along the shoreline, and hatchery trucks are rolling with more than 60,000 trout and 2,000 Atlantic salmon headed to lakes, ponds, and rivers across the state. Whether you're chasing tog off a jetty or trout on your favorite stream, fall fishing is in full swing.
100% of your investment in fishing license fees comes to the DEEP Bureau of Natural Resources to support your passion for the outdoors- Thank You! 👍👍
October 2026
This month at a glance
🛟PFD use Required
🎣Tog'Tober
🐟 Fall Trout Stocking Underway
🙀Channel Catfish are Coming
🎏Walleye Fingerling Stocking
🐟Kokanee Spawning
🍲Tautog Chowder Recipe
🐟 Youth Fishing Challenge Videos
🐟 Mystery Fish Challenge
PFD use Required
A friendly reminder to boaters that state law requires anyone operating a canoe, kayak, stand-up paddleboard or other manually-propelled vessel between October 1 and May 31 to wear a personal floatation device (PFD).
Please follow the DEEP Boating Division’s social media accounts for more safety information and boating tips on Facebook (@BoatinginConnecticut), Instagram (@ctdeep_boating) or X (@CTBoatingInfo). To learn more about cold water boating and paddling in Connecticut, visit the DEEP Boating and Paddling website.
Tog'Tober
The long awaited opening day for Blackfish (Tautog) often called "Tog" is October 10, 2026. The minimum size is 16 inches and each angler may take up to 3 fish daily. Blackfish season closes on November 28.
Tautog (AKA Blackfish) are a perennial favorite of saltwater anglers due to their "bulldog" like fight. Most anglers prefer to drop crabs onto reefs, wrecks or around rocky shorelines or jetties. Be sure to have a sturdy rod and tackle as the tog will give you a run for your money. Tog can be found in shallow water in October, making them catchable from shore, kayak, or boat!
Tog "Chowdah" is a perfect meal after a cool fall day on the water. See recipe later in the newsletter.
Fall Trout Stocking Underway
This fall, the Fisheries Division plans to stock over 60,000 trout and more than 2,000 Atlantic salmon across 38 lakes/ponds and 37 river/stream sections.
The hatchery staff and biologists have made final preparations and hatchery trucks are rolling across the state. Species include brook, brown, rainbow, tiger trout and Atlantic salmon. Fall is a fantastic time to get outdoors and track down trout and salmon. So, dust off the gear, patch the waders, fuel up the boat, and get ready for the action.
Trout Stocking Resources:
Channel Catfish are Coming!
The annual stocking of adult-sized (14-18 inch) Channel Catfish is planned for later this month. The Fisheries Division will be stocking approximately 8,800 fish into the Community Fishing Waters. Each Community Fishing Water (except Fulton Park Pond) is slated to receive about 400 catfish. Check out our catfish management webpage to learn more.
These catfish are purchased from a commercial fish farm and shipped overnight to CT. DEEP Fisheries staff transfer the fish to a small army of our stocking trucks and distribute them to their respective destinations.
Fishing Tip: Channel catfish are not just a "bottom feeder", they are predatory and will often take a variety of live baits, lures, and soft plastics.
Walleye Fingerling Stocking!
Each October the Fisheries Division purchases approximately 40,000 juvenile Walleye from a commercial vendor located in Minnesota. The Walleye are about 5-6 inches when stocked and will take about 3 years to reach the legal size of 18 inches. Annual stocking of juvenile fish is a cost effective way to sustain this popular recreational species. Our annual stocking is planned for later this month. Visit our walleye management webpage to learn more.
Check out a video highlighting CT walleye stocking below:
Kokanee Spawning
You may have heard of "Fat Bear Week" where you can vote for your favorite Alaskan bear as they fish for Sockeye salmon migrating upstream to spawn. Here in CT, we also have sockeye salmon (Kokanee) in full spawning mode (and some fat bears).
Each October - fisheries biologists, not bears, collect spawn-ready Kokanee (the name for a landlocked sockeye salmon) from West Hill Pond in Barkhamsted/New Hartford. Staff collect the eggs and milt (sperm) lakeside and bring the fertilized eggs back to the Burlington State Fish Hatchery. After hatching, the young Kokanee will spend about 6 months at the hatchery and come June are stocked as fry (2-3 inches) back to West Hill Pond and into East Twin Lake in Salisbury.
Here in Connecticut, these fish do not have a large river to migrate upstream to spawn so hatchery intervention is required to sustain this unique fishery (one of only a couple east of the Mississippi River).
Don't Miss A Day of Fall Fishing - Get Your License
Licenses are valid for the calendar year. Buy or renew online in minutes.
Tautog Chowder Recipe
About as good as it gets - freshly caught Tautog in a warm, hearty chowder:
- 1 pound tautog fillets, cut into 1-inch chunks
- ½ pound bacon
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup clam juice or fish stock
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup white wine
- 4 potatoes, diced
- 2 yellow onions, diced
- 2 celery sticks, diced
- 1 cup fresh Italian parsley, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp. garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp. fresh dill, roughly chopped (or 2 tsp. dried dill)
- 1 tbsp. fresh thyme, minced (or 1 tsp. dried thyme)
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- Oyster crackers (optional)
1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil on medium-high and cook bacon until crisp. Remove, crumble and set aside.
2. Melt the butter into the bacon fat, add the onion, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté until the onion is translucent and starting to brown on the edges.
3. Add the white wine and reduce until half the liquid remains, about 5 minutes.
4. Now add the potato, clam juice, and stock. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer to cook the potatoes through, about 15 minutes.
5. When a fork can be pushed through the potatoes, add the heavy cream. Just as cream begins to boil, reduce to a low simmer and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Add the fish and chopped dill. Simmer the fish for 3-5 minutes or until tender and just cooked through, depending on the thickness of the fillets. Add parsley at end of cooking process. Garnish with the bacon and oyster crackers. Serve piping hot and enjoy. Add lots of fresh black pepper!
Youth Fishing Challenge 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 anglers ages 15 and younger. The challenge is a year-long fishing scavenger hunt to try and catch all 33 species on the scorecard. 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 Challenge
Think you know this species 👀? Send your guess to mike.beauchene@ct.gov
Mystery Fish Revealed
Last month's mystery fish was the Spanish Mackerel (Scomberomorus maculatus). Spanish mackerel are fast-swimming fish found along the eastern US and Gulf coasts. Known for forming large schools, they can move quickly from one area to another, making them exciting targets for anglers. These fish prefer open waters but are also found around reefs and estuaries. They can live up to 12 years and grow several pounds.
Spanish mackerel migrate seasonally, staying near Florida in the winter and moving north in the spring and summer to spawn in places like Massachusetts and New York.
Both commercial and recreational fisheries seek Spanish mackerel, with most catches coming from Florida and North Carolina. Managed with quotas, size limits, and seasonal regulations, Spanish mackerel populations are currently healthy, ensuring they remain a popular and sustainable choice for fishing communities (text courtesy of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission).
Learn about all of Connecticut's Freshwater Fish in our mobile friendly application.
Access CT's Freshwater Fish Community Data in our interactive data viewer.
Thank you for being part of Connecticut's fishing community. Whether you fish every weekend or only once each year, we appreciate your support of Connecticut's fisheries.
Please reach out to mike.beauchene@ct.gov with any suggestions, comments, or questions related to CT's Fisheries.
Need to find a place to fish? Check out our "Where to Fish For..." interactive map with the video tutorial.
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
 |