Freshwater

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• Rudd

  Not yet found in Connecticut, the Rudd has established populations in neighboring states.

• Tench

  An esteemed food and sport fish in Europe, it's unclear how the tench will affect Connecticut's freshwater ecosystems.

• Cutlip Minnow

  Cutlip minnows are known to sometimes knock out and eat the eyes of other fishes.

• Minnows and Carps

  Minnows are an extremely diverse family with abundant representatives over most of the world. Learn about all the minnows who call Connecticut home!

• Shortnose Sturgeon

  Learn about the shortnose sturgeon, a state and federally endangered species that call the CT River home.

• Grass Carp

  Native to China and Siberia, this gigantic freshwater fish has been widely stocked for weed control.

• Fourspine Stickleback

  True to their names, sticklebacks have very sharp spines, which can be locked in an upright position, causing these little fish to be very unpalatable for most predators.

• Perches and Darters

  Perches are distributed throughout temperate fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere. However, all of the many species of diminutive darters are native only to North America.

• Tessellated Darter

  Sometimes bury themselves in the sand with only eyes and tail tips exposed. Can be easily captured with small-mesh dip net or seine.

• Threespine Stickleback

  Freshwater populations exist as far south as Massachusetts, but none are known in Connecticut.

• Northern Pike

  The northern pike is Connecticut’s largest strictly freshwater gamefish.

• Redbreast Sunfish

  In Connecticut, the redbreast sunfish typically outnumbers other sunfish species only in river environments.

• Smallmouth Bass

  Due to their hard-fighting abilities, smallmouths are considered by many to be superior gamefish to largemouths.

• Hybrid Sunfish

  Hybrids are more common in unfished or lightly fished waters, most likely because they are easier to catch than the parent species and are thus removed more quickly from heavily fished waters.

• Black Crappie

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