Sea bass fishing has steadily grown in popularity over the last decade, the introduction of slow-pitch fishing and the recent decline in fluke has only served to make sea bass even more popular. Connecticut waters have offered some of southern New England’s most consistent fishing for this species and the state has taken some creative measures to offer anglers fishing in the Nutmeg State a larger bag limit and slightly smaller minimum size.
Look around at neighboring states and you’ll see that Massachusetts has a 16.5-inch minimum size and a four fish bag limit, with a continuous season that runs from May 18 to September 3. In Rhode Island they have the same 16.5-inch minimum size with, sort of, a split season; from May 22 through August 26 anglers may keep two fish and then from August 27 through December 31, anglers can take home three sea bass.
Connecticut has come at it from a different angler, their minimum size remains 16 inches (just like last year) but their season has a takes a little hiatus later this month and then resumes in July. The official regulation is that sea bass season is open from May 18 through June 23 and July 8 through November 28; sea bass fishing is closed between June 24 and July 7. And all that comes with a five fish bag limit. Basically they made creative use of conservation equivalence by giving up two weeks of their season in favor of bigger bag limits and smaller minimum size. Party and charter boats will have their own regs in 2024; open from May 18 through November 28 with a five fish bag limit until September 1 when the bag limit is increased to seven fish per paying passenger.
