The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced last month 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 9 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 9-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 9 inches in length. DEEP stocks hatchery-raised brook trout in many waters, and nearly all these fish are greater than 9 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.
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)
A complete list of the 22 new Class 1 Wild Trout Management Areas, as well as regulation changes for other species can be found on the DEEP website and in the Regulation Guide booklets available wherever fishing licenses are sold. 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).
