Fly Fishing in Connecticut

A regional note specific to this state: the trout water here is a mix of tailwaters below hydroelectric dams and a few high-country freestone streams, and the most productive water is the tailwater that produces the largest fish and the most consistent fishing throughout the year and across all seasons. Connecticut trout fishing is a small but technically challenging fishery built on the state's small rivers and streams, most of which run through the Litchfield Hills in the western part of the state. The state has about 2,000 miles of fishable trout water, including the famous Housatonic, the Farmington, the Naugatuck, and dozens more. The most famous trout river is the Housatonic, a Wild and Scenic river that runs through the Litchfield Hills and produces wild browns averaging 14 inches. The state's trout program is administered through the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and the agency stocks the put-and-take rivers and lakes while managing the wild trout water through a combination of slot limits and Trophy Trout designations. A regular Connecticut fishing license is required, and the cost is $28 for residents and $63 for non-residents, and the daily limit is 5 trout combined in most waters with a 2-trout limit on the Trophy Trout water. The unique regional quirk is that Connecticut has the most dense population of anglers in the country, and the state operates a Trout Park system in the spring where children can fish in parks that are stocked heavily.