Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

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12/03/2025

DEEP Announces New Inland Sportfish Regulations Focused on Conserving Wild Brook Trout

Connecticut’s Native Trout Species is Threatened By Changing Climate

(HARTFORD) — The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced today that sportfishing regulations for the Inland District will be updated January 1, 2026. Most notably, the updated regulations provide additional protections for declining populations of brook trout, the only species of trout native to Connecticut. Decades of monitoring by DEEP biologists shows a clear trend of reduced range and abundance of brook trout in the state. Brook trout require cold water to survive and flourish, meaning that they are particularly susceptible to the impacts of our warming climate.

“The brook trout is an iconic New England fish that is losing ground here in Connecticut,” said DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes. “DEEP is pleased that our state’s fishing community broadly supported new fishing rules that will provide additional protections for this special fish. We all have a role to play in ensuring that future generations of Connecticut residents and visitors will have access to healthy streams and fish populations.”

“DEEP’s new trout regulations will provide enhanced protections for wild brook trout while also simplifying statewide trout fishing regulations,” said Pete Aarrestad, Director of the DEEP Fisheries Division. “These changes reflect DEEP’s commitment to managing our state’s natural resources for resilience to climate change and providing high quality and accessible outdoor recreation opportunities.”

Effective January 1, 2026, only trout nine inches or longer can be kept in waters open to trout harvest in the state, except where a more restrictive length limit is already in place. There has not been a default statewide minimum length limit for trout since 1953, when it was six inches. The new default nine-inch minimum length limit for trout will be highly protective of wild brook trout in the streams where they are found, as most wild brook trout in Connecticut are less than nine inches in length. DEEP stocks hatchery-raised brook trout in many waters, and nearly all these fish are greater than nine inches in length, thus providing opportunities for brook trout harvest.

Additionally, 22 waters or portions of waters are now newly designated as Class 1 Wild Trout Management Areas. Wild brook trout populations in these areas now will be protected by year-round catch-and-release-only regulations and a requirement that anglers use only artificial lures or flies with a single barbless hook. Trout regulations also have been simplified via the removal of special regulations on several waterbodies, which will now be subject to default statewide trout regulations (see list of locations below).

The updated trout regulations, as well as changes to some other inland fishing regulations (see comprehensive list below), were subject to a public comment period and public hearing during May 2024 and received substantial public support. All information about the regulatory process is available online via the eRegulations system under tracking number PR2023-034.

A summary of the new regulations can be found on the DEEP web site. The new regulations will be reflected in the 2026 Online Freshwater Fishing Guide and the 2026 printed Inland Fishing Regulations booklets available at DEEP offices, many Town Clerk offices, and fishing license vendors. The regulations also are available through the free version of the FishBrain APP. Questions about fishing regulations can be directed to the Fisheries Division by email to deep.inland.fisheries@ct.gov or by phone at 860-424-FISH (3474).

Comprehensive List of Changes to 2026 Inland Sportfishing Regulations

Definition Changes

  • Established a definition for “Artificial Lure/Lure” and for “Catch and Release Fishing.”
  • Modified the definitions for “Bait,” “Fish Hook/Hook,” “Fly,” “Fly Fishing,” “Daily Creel Limit,” and “Possession Limit.”
  • Removed the definition of “Bobbing.”

Trout Regulations

  • 9-inch statewide default minimum length limit for harvest (not applicable to areas subject to catch-and-release-only regulations or a more restrictive harvest length limit).
  • Establishment of three new Trout Parks: Mashamoquet Brook in Pomfret, Macedonia Brook in Kent, and Kettletown Brook in Southbury.
  • Special regulations removed from the following waterbodies, which now will be subject to default statewide regulations:
  • East Branch Naugatuck River in Torrington (previously Wild Trout Management Area-Class 3)
  • Shunock Brook in North Stonington (previously Wild Trout Management Area-Class 3)
  • Eightmile River in East Haddam & Lyme (previously Sea-Run Stream)
  • Whitford Brook in North Stonington (previously Sea-Run Stream)
  • Mianus River-outside of the Trout Management Area in Greenwich & Stamford (previously Sea-Run Stream)
  • Crystal Lake in Ellington (previously Trout Management Lake)
  • Establishment of 22 new Class 1 Wild Trout Management Areas (entirety or portions of the following):
  • Beaver Brook in Barkhamsted
  • Belden Brook in Granby
  • Bonemill Brook in Tolland & Ellington
  • Cold Brook and tributaries in Glastonbury
  • Green Falls River in North Stonington
  • Gulf Stream and tributaries in Somers
  • Hall Meadow Brook in Norfolk
  • Thorne Brook and tributaries in Hartland
  • Hurricane Brook in Hartland
  • Indian Hole Brook in Shelton
  • Jericho Brook in Thomaston
  • Lowden Brook in Voluntown
  • Mohawk Pond Outflow in Goshen
  • Morgan Brook in Barkhamsted
  • Pease Brook in Bozrah
  • Railroad Brook in Vernon
  • Sages Ravine Brook in Salisbury
  • Spruce Brook and tributaries in Litchfield
  • Stony Brook in Montville
  • Stratton Brook in Simsbury
  • West Branch Salmon Brook and tributaries in Hartland
  • Willow Brook and tributaries in Hamden & Cheshire
  • Establishment of a protective thermal refuge in Highland Lake in Winchester, at the mouth of Taylor Brook (no fishing allowed July 1 to October 15).

Regulation Changes for Other Species

  • Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass: catch-and-release year-round in the Housatonic River from the CT-MA state boundary to the Bleachery Dam in New Milford.
  • Establishment of three Chain Pickerel Management Lakes: Lake Wononskopomuc, East Twin Lake, and West Twin Lake in Salisbury. New chain pickerel regulations on these lakes: 22-inch harvest minimum length limit, and 1 chain pickerel per day bag limit.
  • Channel Catfish: Daily limit of 3 catfish in Wharton Brook Park Pond (Allen Pond) in Wallingford & North Haven.

Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), Connecticut’s only native trout, require precise physical, chemical, and biological conditions, which over the past 30 years are becoming less widespread. Documented decline in wild Brook Trout range and populations are due to a changing climate coupled with a host of additional human influences on the environment.

 

 

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DEEP.communications@ct.gov
860-424-3110