There was a lot to talk about – ‘trout wise’ – in Connecticut this year. After the State officially opened a ‘catch and release only’ trout season from March 1 through the second Saturday in April, a move that won favor during the seasons of social distancing in 2020 and 2021, there was more participation than ever. Connecticut anglers most likely remember that ‘trout stocked waters’ were closed to all fishing from March 1 through opening day in the past. But with calls for social distancing during the ‘COVID years’ that state nixed the closed season and both anglers and officials liked the change.
Tackle shop owners were singing the praises of the 2023 rule change, highlighting it as a great reason to get outside and a revenue booster as well. Bait dealers saw a spike in sales across the state, with tackle, bait, rods and reels selling well above average for March.
A May 19 Facebook post on the Connecticut Fish & Wildlife page read, “[This is our] final trout stocking update for spring 2023: We started stocking on January 13, 2023 and have [since] distributed 501,746 trout. These were comprised of 207,487 rainbow, 190,578 brown, 90,689 brook, and 10,595 tiger. In addition, 2,397 highly sought after broodstock were stocked.”
That’s a ton of trout! Anglers that enjoyed the great fishing should keep their eyes on the Connecticut Fish & Wildlife social media pages for news about fall stocking. And remember that the state also stocked lake trout this winter and conducted its regular rounds of legacy stocking of Atlantic salmon as well. We’re very lucky in New England to have such robust and relentless stocking programs and we owe a debt of gratitude to them for finding ways to keep it fresh and interesting.
