CT DEEP Updates Inland Fishing Rules, Adds New Southbury Trout Park

SOUTHBURY, CT — Connecticut will adopt new inland sportfishing rules on Jan. 1 aimed at protecting declining populations of wild brook trout, state environmental officials announced Wednesday. The changes include a new Trout Park designation for Kettletown Brook in Southbury.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said brook trout—the state’s only native trout species—have faced shrinking habitat and reduced abundance for decades. Biologists attribute the decline largely to warming stream temperatures linked to climate change.

“The brook trout is an iconic New England fish that is losing ground here in Connecticut,” DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said in a statement. She said broad support from the state’s angling community helped advance the new rules, which are intended to conserve habitat and maintain access to healthy fish populations.

Pete Aarrestad, director of DEEP’s Fisheries Division, said the regulations strengthen protections for wild brook trout and simplify trout rules statewide. “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,” he said.

Beginning Jan. 1, anglers may keep only trout at least nine inches long in waters open to harvest, unless a stricter rule already applies. State officials said most wild brook trout in Connecticut streams measure under nine inches, making the change a key conservation measure. Stocked hatchery brook trout, however, typically exceed nine inches, allowing continued harvest opportunities.

The updated regulations also designate 22 new Class 1 Wild Trout Management Areas, which will now require year-round catch-and-release fishing using only artificial lures or flies with a single barbless hook.

Several waterbodies will shift to default statewide regulations with the removal of older special rules, and DEEP has added three new Trout Parks: Mashamoquet Brook in Pomfret, Macedonia Brook in Kent, and Kettletown Brook in Southbury.

Other changes include new protections for a thermal refuge at Highland Lake in Winchester and updated species-specific rules. On the Housatonic River, catch-and-release for largemouth and smallmouth bass will be required year-round from the Massachusetts border to the Bleachery Dam in New Milford. Three Salisbury lakes will become Chain Pickerel Management Lakes, each with a 22-inch minimum harvest size and one-fish daily limit. A daily limit of three channel catfish will now apply at Allen Pond in Wallingford and North Haven.

The regulations followed a public hearing and comment period in May 2024 and received substantial support, DEEP said. Full details appear under tracking number PR2023-034 on the state’s eRegulations site.

A summary of all changes will be available in the 2026 Online Freshwater Fishing Guide and printed booklets distributed at DEEP offices, local town clerk offices, and fishing license vendors. Information is also accessible through the free version of the FishBrain app.