If you like winter lake and pond fishing for big brown trout, then this is the time of year for you! The Fisheries Division has been distributing the Seeforellen strain brown trout (aka “Seefs”). These are a German strain of large, lake-dwelling brown trout that are capable of reaching very large sizes. The Fisheries Division plans to stock roughly 375 two-year-old fish averaging 5lbs each, about 3,000 yearlings averaging 1lbs each, and a few dozen three-year-old retired broodstock held over from last year that average a whopping 8-10lbs. Fish spawned at the hatchery provide eggs for future years and will be stocked in December into ten waterbodies, many of which are Trout Management Lakes with special regulations. The following are the list of waterbodies and towns:
- Beach Pond (Voluntown) Stocked on 12/14 yearlings • Black Pond (Middlefield) • Cedar Lake (Chester) • Crystal Lake (Ellington) Stocked on 12/22 yearlings • East Twin Lake – TML (Salisbury) Stocked on 12/21 yearlings • Highland Lake – TML (Winchester) 12/29 yearlings • Long Pond – TML (N. Stonington, Ledyard) Stocked on 12/14 yearlings • Mashapaug Lake (Union) • Squantz Pond – TML (New Fairfield, Sherman) • West Hill Pond – TML (Barkhamsted, New Hartford) Stocked on 12/22 yearlings
The fish are raised at Kensington State Fish hatchery and you can learn more https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Fishing/Fisheries-Management/Trout-Management-Lakes
In addition to stocking large Seefs in the fall, three lakes receive a total of around 15,000-20,000 yearling Seefs in the spring (typically mid-May). East Twin Lake, Lake Wononskopomuc, and Saugatuck Reservoir are stocked as part of a “put-grow-catch” management program. These three lakes are unique in Connecticut because they offer trout cool, well-oxygenated water even through the hot summer months, and provide suitable forage (alewives) for trout to reach large sizes. Because these three waterbodies have the potential for fish to holdover well and exhibit fast growth, they are stocked with smaller individuals while the lakes stocked in the fall receive larger fish that are expected to provide an immediate, though more short-lived fishery due to habitat and forage limitations.