Sports

Show Us Your Fish: Opening Day of Fishing Details

Saturday, April 21, is opening day of fishing season and we want to see your catch!

Nearly thanks to the Connecticut DEEP and the Fisheries Management Program and today’s the big day for you to fish them out.

Of course, half the fun of fishing on Opening Day is showing off your catch so be sure to add your photos to this gallery here. Just click the box above: "Upload Photos & Videos."

Around the state, the DEEP reports 100 lakes and ponds and 200 rivers and streams have been stocked with various types of trout in anticipation of opening day. Stocking efforts, they stated, will continue through the end of May with more than 600,000 'catchable-size-trout' added to the state's waters.

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According to the DEEP, all 11 of the trout parks in the state have already been stocked.

The areas scheduled to be stocked again on Opening Day are:

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  • Black Rock Pond (Watertown)
  • Chatfield Hollow State Park (Killingworth)
  • Southford Falls State Park (Southbury)
  • Stratton Brook State Park (Simsbury)
  • Wharton Brook State Park (Wallingford)
  • Mohegan Park Pond (Norwich)
  • Valley Falls Park Pond (Vernon)
  • Great Hollow Pond/Wolfe Park (Monroe)

See stocking times in the chart below. All the remaining trout parks will be re-stocked shortly after Opening Day.

In a press release, the DEEP touts their Community Fishing Areas, an initiative first made possible through No Child Left Inside in 2006.

Community Fishing Areas, which will also be stocked with trout, include:

  • Keney Park Pond (Hartford)
  • Lake Wintergreen (Hamden)
  • Bunnells Pond (Bridgeport)
  • Mohegan Park Pond (also managed as a trout park)
  • Upper Fulton Park Pond (Waterbury)

Though there's plenty of trout to go around, the DEEP recognized that low stream flows have reduced stocking capabilities all over the state.

"This spring a number of anglers have expressed concern about low stream flows," according to the DEEP. "A warm winter with little to no snowpack and a very dry March and early April have left flows in many streams well below typical April levels."

The DEEP maintains that all but a few places were stocked despite the low stream flows but they warn, if levels remain low, there could be a number of changes to their in-season spring stocking schedules.

"Anglers will be able to find updated trout stocking information (including any changes) in DEEP’s “Weekly Fishing Report” which will be available at www.ct.gov/deep/fishing beginning next week," according to the DEEP.

Useful Links

Fishing licenses online at the DEEP website. See chart below for prices.

Download the attached DEEP 2012 Angler’s Guide to ensure you are making the most out of this fishing season!

Fishing License Prices

Resident Inland Fishing

$28.00

Resident All Waters Fishing

$32.00

Resident Senior Citizen (65 and older) - Inland Fishing

Free (Requires Annual Renewal)

Nonresident Season-Inland Fishing

$55.00

Nonresident Season-All Waters Fishing

$63.00

Nonresident Three Day Inland Fishing

$22.00

The following species & sizes of trout & salmon will be stocked for Opening Day, 2012:

61,800

brook trout

(10-11 inch)

192,600

brown trout

(10-11 inch)

6,500

brown trout

(12 inch)

1,100

tiger trout

(10-12 inch brook/brown hybrid)

96,100

rainbow trout

(10-12 inch)

16,000

rainbow trout

(12-14 inch)

1,900

surplus broodstock

(3-10 pound trout – all species)

600

Atlantic salmon broodstock

(1-2 pound salmon) 

The following is a list of the designated Trout Parks in Connecticut, approximate stocking times are given for the areas scheduled to be stocked on Opening Day:

Trout Parks

Opening Day stocking time

Black Rock State Park* (Watertown)

8:00  a.m.

Chatfield Hollow State Park* (Killingworth)

9:30 a.m.

Day Pond (Colchester)

 

Mohegan Park Pond (Norwich)*

8:00 a.m.

Kent Falls State Park (Kent)

 

Natchaug River (Eastford)

 

Southford Falls State Park* (Southbury)

10:00 a.m.

Stratton Brook State Park* (Simsbury)

8:00 a.m.

Valley Falls Pond (Vernon)*

8:15 a.m.

Wharton Brook State Park* (Wallingford)

10:00 a.m.

Wolfe Park – Great Hollow Lake* (Monroe)

10:00 a.m.

*Stocked on Opening Day

Note- all times approximate


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