Freshwater

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• Atlantic Sturgeon

  Damn building, overfishing and pollution all likely contributed to the demise of Atlantic sturgeon in Connecticut.

• Black Bullhead

  Black bullheads are very difficult to distinguish from brown bullheads. It is unclear whether the few individuals reported in Connecticut represent self-sustaining populations.

• Atlantic Silverside

  Their abundance makes them very important forage fish for many marine predators such as striped bass, fluke and seabirds.

• Black Crappie

  Also called “calico bass,” crappie grow quickly and are a popular food and sport fish.

• Blacknose Dace

  Blacknose dace are a native minnow that prefer the pools and rocky riffles of small headwater streams.

• Blackspotted Stickleback

  Rarity and difficulty with identification cause the blackspotted stickleback’s whereabouts in Connecticut to be unclear.

• Brown Trout

  Brown trout can grow to large sizes and are generally harder to catch than brook or rainbow trout.

• Brook Trout

  Brook trout prefer small, cold streams with gravel or cobble bottoms and adequate cover.

• Brown Bullhead

  The brown bullhead is Connecticut’s most widely distributed and only native catfish species. They are good to eat, but are typically underutilized by anglers.

• Bridle Shiner

  This easily overlooked minnow, the bridle shiner, is apparently declining throughout much of its range.

• Channel Catfish

  The channel catfish is the state’s largest catfish species.

• Common Carp

  Learn all about common carp, one of Connecticut's biggest and hardest fighting fish!

• Catfishes and Bullheads

  Catfish and bullheads have eight barbels around the mouth: two off the snout, two off the corners of the mouth, and four under the chin. These long barbels give the impression of whiskers, hence the name “catfishes.”

• Chain Pickerel

  The chain pickerel is Connecticut’s largest native freshwater predatory fish. Before the introduction of bass, it was the top predator in the state’s lakes and ponds.

• Burbot

  The burbot is the only completely freshwater member of the cod family. Little is known of its life history in Connecticut.