Hartford, CT – With spring approaching and ice receding, Connecticut has ramped up its annual trout stocking program, releasing 30,000 fish into local lakes, ponds, and rivers since Monday, March 10.
Hatchery trucks continue to roll out daily, preparing waterways for the start of the season.
“The weather is and looks to be beautiful for a while so dust off the tackle and head out to your favorite fishing hole,” Connecticut Fish and Wildlife officials said in an update Wednesday.
The state reminds anglers that catch-and-release regulations remain in effect from March 1 through 6:00 a.m. on April 12, except in Trout Management Lakes (TMLs), sea-run trout streams, and tidal waters.
With warming temperatures, officials are urging caution on ice-covered lakes and ponds, as conditions remain highly variable and unsafe in many areas.
“Please use extreme caution and good judgment if you continue to venture out on the ice and consider fishing rivers and streams instead,” they advised.
The following have been stocked so far this week:
Baldwin Pond, Meriden
Coginchaug River, Durham/Middlefield
Coventry Lake, Coventry
Crystal Lake TML, Ellington
Dickenson Creek, Marlborough
East Twin Lake TML, Salisbury
Farm River (lower WTMA 3) & upper, East Haven/North Branford
Fivemile River (lower & upper), Thompson/Putnam/Killingly
Green Fall River, N. Stonington/Voluntown
Highland Lake TML, Winchester
Little River, Canterbury – Sprague
Mill River TMA (Sleeping Giant SP), Hamden
Millers Pond, Durham
Moosup Pond, Plainfield
Moosup River, Plainfield/Sterling
Muddy River, North Haven/Wallingford
Pequabuck River TMA (RT 229 to 177), Bristol
Quinnipiac River, Cheshire/Meriden
Shunock Brook WTMA 3, N. Stonington
Skungamaug River, Coventry/Tolland
Wauregan Reservoir, Killingly
Wyassup Lake, N. Stonington
Poaching violations can be reported to Connecticut’s Environmental Conservation Police at 1-800-842-4357.
More information on river flows is available through the U.S. Geological Survey at USGS stream gauge website.
