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Fishing in Connecticut

Click a region to explore top fishing spots, species, and local tips.

Connecticut has over 3,000 lakes with 2,200+ larger than 10 acres and 180+ public fishing lakes, plus 618 miles of coastline on Long Island Sound. Candlewood Lake, the largest lake entirely within the state, offers excellent smallmouth and largemouth bass fishing, while the Connecticut River provides outstanding shad, striped bass, and northern pike fishing. Long Island Sound offers world-class fishing for striped bass, bluefish, fluke, and black sea bass, and the numerous trout streams in the Litchfield Hills provide excellent fly fishing for brook, brown, and rainbow trout.

Topographic map — click to view full size

Northwestern Connecticut

Bantam Lake, Twin Lakes, Housatonic River, Farmington River -- Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass

Central Connecticut

Connecticut River, Barkhamsted Reservoir, Hartford area -- Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Catfish

Southwestern Connecticut

Candlewood Lake, Lake Lillinonah, Zoar Pond, Saugatuck -- Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie

Eastern Connecticut

Mansfield Hollow, Pachaug Pond, Thames River, Quaddick -- Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Trout, Crappie

Long Island Sound Coast

Long Island Sound, New Haven, Mystic, Stonington -- Striped Bass, Bluefish, Flounder, Tautog, Black Sea Bass