Trout stocking begins

DEEP BEGINS FALL TROUT STOCKING

Trout Parks and TMA’s among the areas being stocked.

Connecticut’s Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) today announced that its 2013 autumn trout stockings have begun. From now through mid October, DEEP is releasing 29,000 trophy and adult sized trout into selected waters throughout the state. Among the areas scheduled to be stocked this fall are twenty-three lakes and ponds, fourteen rivers and streams that include twelve of the Trout Management Areas (TMA) and eight Trout Parks.

Trout Parks are managed to enhance fishing opportunities for families and novice anglers and are easily accessible with picnic areas and other amenities nearby. “Our Trout Parks are great places for family fishing outings,” said Susan Whalen, Deputy Commissioner of the DEEP. “A family can get outdoors before winter sets in and enjoy a day of fishing and picnicking in the late fall weather.

Approximately 29,000 adult trout will be released this fall, of which 12,800 are trophy size brown trout (all greater than 12 inches in length). The remaining 16,200 adults are standard size (9-10 inch) rainbow trout.

The Farmington River TMA received its annual Labor Day stocking with DEEP releasing 2,000 of the large brown trout (12 inches and larger fish) just prior to the Labor Day weekend. These fish were stocked into the sections of the Farmington River Trout Management Area from the Goodwin (Hogback) Dam to the old bridge abutments just below “Whittemore pool” (Barkhamsted), and from the Route 219 bridge (New Hartford) to the Route 177 bridge (Unionville).

Among the other Trout Management Areas (TMA) being stocked this fall are the two areas on the Housatonic River. A total of 9,000 trout (1,000 large brown trout, 5,000 rainbow trout, 3,000 “yearling” brown trout) will be released into the Housatonic River TMA and 2,500 rainbow trout into the Bull’s Bridge TMA. The large brown trout are intended to augment the population of holdover trout in the river this fall, while the rainbow trout and “yearling” browns (5-7 inch fish) should enhance the holdover population for next spring.

Fishing in all sixteen Trout Management Areas during the fall is catch-and-release only. Trout Parks have a two-fish per day creel limit. Regulations vary on many of the other waters being stocked this fall. The DEEP advises anglers to check fishing regulations in the 2013 Connecticut Angler’s Guide, found online at www.ct.gov/deep/anglersguide. Print versions of the guides are available from many Town Clerks and bait & tackle stores, or by contacting DEEP’s Inland Fisheries Division (860-424-FISH). 

Additional fishing and fisheries related information, including the Weekly Fishing Report, can be found on the DEEP Fisheries web pages at www.ct.gov/deep/fishing and on the Fisheries and Wildlife Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CTFishandWildlife.  This fall, anglers will find updates on DEEP’s broodstock Atlantic salmon stockings and the fall trout stockings in the Weekly Fishing Report, on the Fisheries webpage and on the Fisheries and Wildlife Facebook page. 

Below are the areas that are scheduled to be stocked with large brown trout and/or adult rainbow trout this fall (2013).

TROUT PARKS (two trout per day limit):

Black Rock Pond	Mohegan Park Pond	Wharton Brook (Allen Brook Pond)
Chatfield Hollow (Schreeder Pond)	Natchaug River	Wolfe Park (Great Hollow Pond)
Day Pond	Valley Falls Park Pond

TROUT MANAGEMENT AREAS (TMA, all catch-and-release only during the fall & winter):

Bulls Bridge TMA (Housatonic River)	Mianus River TMA	Saugatuck River TMA
Farmington River TMA (West Branch Farmington & Farmington rivers to Unionville)	Mill River TMA (Fairfield)	Sleeping Giant TMA (Mill River- Hamden)
Hammonasset River TMA	Moosup River TMA	Willimantic River TMA
Housatonic River TMA	Salmon River TMA	Yantic River TMA

OTHER RIVERS AND STREAMS (regulations vary; see 2013 CT Angler’s Guide):

Hammonasset River	Salmon River	Shetucket River
Natchaug River

LAKES AND PONDS (regulations vary; see 2013 CT Angler’s Guide):

Amos Lake	Gardner Lake	Rogers Lake
Beach Pond	Highland Lake	Squantz Pond
Bigelow Pond	Long Pond	Stillwater Pond
Black Pond (Meriden)	Mashapaug Lake	Tyler Pond
Black Pond (Woodstock)	Mohawk Pond	Wauregan Reservoir
Cedar Lake	Mt. Tom Pond	West Hill Pond
Coventry Lake	Pattaconk Lake	West Side Pond
Crystal Lake (Ellington)	Quonnipaug Lake