Connecticut’s Trout Parks - The Fisherman

Connecticut’s Trout Parks

2019 4 Connecticuts Trout Parks
Regardless of where you live in Connecticut, a Trout Park is sure to be located nearby. (Photo courtesy of the CT DEEP)

Looking for a place to fish on Opening Day? Why not give one of Connecticut’s 12 Trout Parks a try?

When it comes to trout fishing there are purists and there are casual anglers. There are the anglers who meticulously tie their own flies on hooks so small you need a magnifying glass to thread your leader, and there are anglers who prefer to glob a chunk of PowerBait on a large hook and pitch it out into a stocked pond. Neither is more right in their pursuits so long as they enjoy themselves, and you’re sure to see both types of anglers (and probably many others) on Opening Day in Connecticut, which falls on Saturday, April 13 this year.

For me trout fishing is a fun way to start my season, perhaps harvest a few fish for the smoker and ultimately spend some much-needed time outdoors. Being a transplant from Massachusetts to Connecticut some years ago, I still don’t quite have the intimate knowledge of the best local trout hot spots in my home turf. Fortunately for me—and the thousands of like-minded trout anglers out there—the state of Connecticut has designated a dozen water bodies across the state as Trout Parks.

Trout Parks are located in easily accessible areas to enhance trout fishing opportunities for young anglers and novice anglers as well as for those with mobility challenges. The frequent stockings, generally between Opening Day and Memorial Day, will greatly increase an angler’s chances of catching a fish, making it a more attractive “fishing hole,” particularly to children and families.

Although the Trout Parks will have more fish in them, their daily creel limit (the number of trout an angler can keep) has been reduced from five as it is in other trout-stocked locations, to two fish per day in order to spread the catch among a greater number of anglers. In addition to a valid fishing license for anglers over the age of 16, a Trout and Salmon Stamp is required to fish in a Trout Park.

  • Black Rock State Park, Watertown
  • Chatfield Hollow State Park, Killingworth
  • Kent Falls State Park, Kent
  • Pasture Pond, Plainfield (Quinebaug Hatchery)
  • Southford Falls State Park, Oxford
  • Spaulding Pond, Norwich
  • Stratton Brook State Park, Simsbury
  • Valley Falls Pond, Vernon
  • Wharton Brook State Park, Wallingford
  • Wolfe Park, Monroe
  • Day Pond, Colchester
  • Natchaug River, Eastford

Related

SANDY-HOOK

Hot Spot: Sandy Hook

Hot Spot: The Old Stone Church

ROBINS-ISLAND

Hot Spot: Robins Island