Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) recently announced that channel catfish have been stocked into twenty-four water bodies across Connecticut.
This marks the tenth consecutive year DEEP has been able to stock channel catfish purchased with Federal Sport Fish Restoration Funds. This year approximately 15,800 fish were stocked.
The stocking of channel cats include adult fish averaging 12-18 inches in length and weighing just under 2 pounds; and juvenile fish, averaging 9-12 inches and about 1/2 pound in weight.
Stocking larger fish provides an immediate summer fishery, while smaller fish provide a cost-effective investment for great catfish fishing into the future.
Just over half of the locations stocked are part of DEEP’s Community Fishing Waters Program (CFW). Community fishing waters are located in municipal parks that are in close proximity to hundreds of thousands of Connecticut residents. Many of these waters are located along bus stops enabling willing anglers to ride the bus to fish.
The intent of the Community Fishing Water program is to create and enhance year-round fishing opportunities in highly populated areas by combining trout stocking (in the spring), catfish stocking (in late spring or early summer), or both. This program began in 2007 and has expanded to now include fourteen lakes or ponds.
There is currently no minimum size for harvest or daily catch limit for catfish in Connecticut. DEEP strongly encourages anglers to enjoy fishing and catching channel catfish, but urges anglers to harvest only what they intend to eat.
For more information, visit www.ct.gov/deep/.
source: Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection