No one would refute the claim that it’s been a stormy winter, but did you know that 17 inches of rain has fallen between mid-December and today? That’s a lot of rain and the flooding we saw as a result of all that rain (along with wind-driven storm surge) will be something that many of us will never forget. But did you know that all these flooding rains also affected Connecticut’s salmon stocking program? All of that rain and flooding made it unsafe for state officials to conduct their final round of stocking which had been scheduled for December and it took nearly two months for the rivers to return to safe levels. And so we get to reap the rewards today of what we missed during the holidays.
This final round of salmon stocking is comprised of the biggest fish in the tank, these are the retired broodstock which have been bearing eggs for the hatchery program for several years, the state says that these fish average between 10 and 15 pounds! That’s a big fish! These retired brooders were stocked over the past 10 days between two rivers, the Naugatuck (February 5) and the Shetucket (February 9). Each river received 60 fish.
In the Naugatuck, the salmon were split between two sections of the river; the Campville section and Beacon Falls. The fish are stocked in several locations along the Shetucket as well. These freshly-stocked fish are often aggressive and will nip at the rear of many offerings, meaning it’s always best to make sure your hook is positioned toward the back of you lure or fly. The salmon do tend to spread out rather quickly, so fishing the sections of the river where they were stocked is not always you best bet and you’re better off to move around rather than beating one section of the river to a froth. Larger offerings like spoons and flies are a good choice for getting the attention of these fish. Spin anglers should keep in mind that regulations dictate that all lures must carry just one free-swinging single hook and no weight may be added to the line. A daily creel limit of one fish per angler also applies to the current season.
You may wonder why there are so many regulations applied to a stocked fish, Connecticut Fish & Wildlife officials say that the fish are regulated this way to ensure the access to the fishery for a maximum number of anglers. And add that, if the state was able to stock more than 1400 to 2000 fish per year, the regs might be a little more relaxed. No matter how you slice it, Connecticut’s stocking program offers a unique opportunity to target – what was once a widespread native species – in the natural habitat. The fact that this latest round includes some seriously large specimens, only makes it that much sweeter.