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United States · CT
Connecticut
Connecticut DEEP — Fisheries Division
Rules change by area and can change mid-season. We explain what the rules mean and always link you to the official source — we never copy a limit table and call it current.
Licences — what you need
- • Inland and marine fishing are separate licence products; trout fishing in designated areas needs the Trout & Salmon Stamp endorsement on top.
- • Licences are calendar-year; short-term marine licences exist for visitors.
How the rules are organized
- • Inland rules are organized by water type with Trout Management Areas and other special areas listed individually; marine rules are species-based for Long Island Sound.
- • Border waters (with NY, MA, RI) and the Connecticut River follow shared frameworks administered partly through the Atlantic States process.
Good to know — common mistakes
- • The Trout & Salmon Stamp is required to fish in Trout Management Areas and to keep trout/salmon — including kokanee waters.
- • Connecticut River shad and river herring rules are restrictive and change with the interstate framework; river herring are largely no-possession.
- • Candlewood Lake and other trophy bass lakes carry their own special regulations.
- • Ice fishing is permitted on listed waters with tip-up rules; not all state waters open to it.
Official links
Fishing locations covered in this guide
This page is a plain-language summary, not the law. Regulations change — including in-season by official notice — and if anything here disagrees with the official source, the official source governs.
AnglerPlan is an information service, not a regulator. If anything here disagrees with an official source, the official source wins — and please tell us so we can fix it.