Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection
Fishing
Page 6 of 18
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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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Also called “calico bass,” crappie grow quickly and are a popular food and sport fish.
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Blacknose dace are a native minnow that prefer the pools and rocky riffles of small headwater streams.
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Rarity and difficulty with identification cause the blackspotted stickleback’s whereabouts in Connecticut to be unclear.
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Blueback herring and alewives are so similar that the color of the gut lining (peritoneum) is the only sure way to tell them apart.
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Bluegills often inhabit shallow areas and are very easy to catch on a variety of small lures or baits (especially worms).
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It is unclear how or when bluntnose minnows arrived in Connecticut.
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Often confused with the snakehead, the bowfin is an introduced fish that has grown rapidly in abundance since 2003.
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This primitive family has a diverse fossil record, but only one species still exists.
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This easily overlooked minnow, the bridle shiner, is apparently declining throughout much of its range.
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Brook trout prefer small, cold streams with gravel or cobble bottoms and adequate cover.
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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.
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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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The burbot is the only completely freshwater member of the cod family. Little is known of its life history in Connecticut.
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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.”