Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection
Freshwater
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Prefer backwaters and slow-moving areas of larger rivers and streams as well as lakes and ponds. They appear to be more tolerant of brackish water than channel catfish.
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Black bullheads are very difficult to distinguish from brown bullheads. It is unclear whether the few individuals reported in Connecticut represent self-sustaining populations.
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Five species (and one hybrid, the “tiger trout”) exist in Connecticut. Only the brook trout and Atlantic salmon are native; the rest were introduced as sport fish.
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Brown trout can grow to large sizes and are generally harder to catch than brook or rainbow trout.
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This primitive family has a diverse fossil record, but only one species still exists.
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There are six native species of herring that commonly enter fresh waters in Connecticut.
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As with hybrids between many fish species, tiger trout tend to be more aggressive and faster-growing than either parent species.
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Brook trout prefer small, cold streams with gravel or cobble bottoms and adequate cover.
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All North American members of the family are important gamefish, and some support significant commercial fisheries.
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Three species of suckers have been reported in Connecticut. Two are native, with the other uncertain in origin.
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Swamp darters are very small, camouflaged and secretive. Primarily for this reason, their distribution in Connecticut is not fully defined, nor is it clear whether their range has changed over time.
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Commonly sold as bait, the golden shiner is our most common lake and pond minnow species.
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Atlantic salmon were extirpated from the Connecticut River and, despite extensive restoration efforts, self-sustaining runs do not occur.
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Kokanee prefer relatively clear lakes with cold, well-oxygenated water.
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Sculpins have a flattened head, large frog-like mouth and eyes, a scaleless body, and large fan-shaped pectoral fins.