Freshwater Fishing Guide

River and Stream Regulations

Determining fishing regulations is a simple two-step process:

Check the species regulation page for general statewide Species, Legal Methods, and Daily Creel Limits regulations.

Look up the waterbody in this alphabetical list of rivers and streams to find any special regulations that apply. If the water is not listed or if there are no special regulations, then the statewide regulations apply.

Effective on 12/27/2022: From March 1 until 6:00 am on the second Saturday of April, trout fishing in rivers and streams, except for sections designated as "tidal waters and tributaries" or "Sea-run trout streams", is catch and release only. Please refer to specific waters for regulations outside of this date range.

Examples of management categories which have special regulations:

Trout Management Areas (TMA): High quality trout fisheries in rivers and streams offering year-round or partial year catch and release fishing.

Trout Parks: Easy to fish, frequently stocked until mid-May, with some stocked in the fall.

Trophy Trout Areas: Stocked with a higher proportion of fish that are larger than 12 inches.

Sea-run Trout Streams: Areas where brown trout are known to migrate (or may have historically) to and from Long Island Sound.

Wild Trout Management Areas (WTMA): There are three classes of WTMAs:

Class 1: Catch and release only, open year-round, use of barbless single-hook artificial lures and barbless single-hook flies only.

Class 2: Two (2) trout per angler per day limit, trout must be 12 inches or larger to keep

Class 3: Five (5) fish per angler per day limit, trout must be 9 inches or larger to keep