The East Coast is well known for its fishing industry. But the average angler can go fishing in Connecticut and have the time of his/her life. New England is home to a lot of commercial fishing companies. The state of Connecticut is on the Atlantic and is surrounded. On the East Coast there is Rhode Island, to the North there is Massachusetts and the Southwest border is shared with the state of New York. This makes the Southeast a part of the New York Metro Area. Most of the state population lives in this small area. It is situated on the Long Island sound and this is a part of its long maritime heritage.

Climate

The inland areas of the Connecticut area has a humid climate whereas the closer you get to the Atlantic Ocean the temperatures are more subtropical. The winters are very cold and the winter temperatures go as low as thirty-one degrees. The state receives at least 25 – 100 inches of snow each. Summers are hot and humid with average highs from 80 –87 degrees.

 

Bodies of Water

There are over 180 public lakes and ponds in Connecticut and thousands of miles of rivers and they are all full of game fish. An angler can choose fresh or salt water fishing in Connecticut. You might just want to try your line in one of these

Boundary Pond – Connecticut shares this pond with New Hampshire. This pond is close to the US/Canadian Border. The fishing season is from the fourth Saturday in April to October 15^th. The limits are 5 fish or 5lbs whichever comes first.

Bashan Lake – This lake has Brown Bullheads, Brown Trout, Yellow Perch, Red Ear, Small mouth Bass and Rainbow Trout. This lake is on the Moodus River in Middlesex County.

Anderson – is about two hours from New York City. It is a man made pond and holds quite a number of game fish species. There are Red Ear, Large Mouth Bass, Blue gill, Channel Catfish, Sunfish and Carp.

Lake Wononscopomuc – has Bass, Trout, Catfish and Panfish. This lake is located in Lakeville Connecticut.

Tyler Lake – This is two miles west of Goshen, Connecticut near the New York border. This lake is a good place to find Bass, Trout, Crappie, Catfish and Panfish.

Washinee and Washining lakes – these are the twin lakes of the state of Connecticut. The name is misleading because they differ in area and size and other features but these were never the reasons for the name twin lakes. Th e lakes were named for a great Native American Mahican Chief’s two daughters. The fish are very different in each body of water. The Washinee has Bass and Panfish only whereas Washining has Bass, Trout and Panfish.

For more information on the lakes of Connecticut and the fish to be found in them visit www.aa-fishing.com/fish

Species of Fish

Here is a short list of the native species that can be found in the state of Connecticut. This is typical of what you will find in the lakes, rivers and streams.

• Bass
• Trout
• Walleye
• Crappie
• Catfish
• Panfish
• Striper
• Striped Bass

Bait and Tackle

Bass are very aggressive and they are fast enough to chase down their food. They are by nature predators and also very territorial that is why they will attack any thing that enters their space. Fly fishing and spinner lures work best. For the rest of the species your usual methods will suffice.

Licenses and permits

As with most states the age starts at sixteen years and goes upward. Until recently a license was not required to fish in the saltwater. A recent bill in Connecticut changed that as well as making the senior citizens annual pass one that has to renewed each year. The licenses for full time members of the Armed Services can be purchased for the price of a resident

 

License                                                           Resident               Non-resident

Inland fishing                                                28.00                     55.00

All Waters                                                      32.00                     63.00

All Waters +Hunting                                     38.00                     N/A

Senior Citizen                                                free                       N/A

Disabled Persons                                           free                       free

Salt Water Fishing                                        10.00                     10.00

 

This is only a small section of the license rules and regulations for more information visit www.ct.gov/dep