Connecticut Fishing Regulations: Rules by Species

Connecticut fishes Long Island Sound and has no ocean coast, so every offshore run crosses New York or Rhode Island waters. Connecticut fishing regulations follow the fish, not the chart line. For where to look in Connecticut waters, see our maps. Each species below gives the rule, the agency that owns it, and the agency’s page to check before fishing.

Connecticut Fishing Official Government Organizations

The CT DEEP Commissioner sets minimum lengths, creel limits and closed seasons by declaration, following ASMFC interstate plans and federal rules. Connecticut’s surveyed state-waters boundary runs through Long Island Sound as a line of points, from off Greenwich (40°59.32′ N, 73°39.62′ W) to off Stonington (41°19.76′ N, 71°50.92′ W). Federal law fixes a coastal state’s seaward boundary at 3 geographical miles from shore, so federal waters off New York and Rhode Island begin 3 miles from their coasts. A Connecticut boat running offshore crosses the waters of other states before it reaches the EEZ. Beyond that line, the federal councils and NOAA Fisheries manage the fishery, and NOAA’s Atlantic HMS office covers tunas, billfish, swordfish and sharks.

• CT DEEP Marine Fisheries Program – Sets and publishes Connecticut’s recreational size, creel and season rules from Old Lyme, and issues the Marine Waters Fishing License.
• CT DEEP Environmental Conservation Police – Enforces Connecticut’s marine fishing rules on the water and shore; the marine line is 860-434-9840.
• Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) – Writes the interstate plans Connecticut adopts for striped bass, tautog, summer flounder, scup, black sea bass and sharks.
• Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) – Develops federal plans for summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, bluefish and tilefish.
• New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) – Develops federal plans for Atlantic cod, haddock and pollock.
• NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) – Implements federal rules in the EEZ (3 to 200 nautical miles), published in 50 CFR parts 648 and 697, and posts federal recreational rules by species.
• NOAA Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) – Manages tunas, billfish, swordfish and sharks, and issues HMS permits.

Connecticut Offshore Fishing Regulations by Species

Connecticut size, season and creel limits apply to any fish you possess on Connecticut waters or the Connecticut shore, wherever it was caught, including federal waters or another state’s waters, and even in transit. A fish that is short, over the limit or out of season goes back immediately. For fluke and black sea bass, federal measures are waived, so the landing state’s rule governs.

Measure from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail; the tail may be pinched. Limits are per angler per day (24 hours, however many trips), with no pooling. Culling is prohibited, and fish on a stringer, in a cooler or in a live well count toward the limit.

Anglers age 16 and older need a Marine Waters Fishing License, including to land fish taken offshore. Licenses from Maine, Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island are honored, paying passengers on a DEEP-registered party or charter vessel are exempt, and a Connecticut license exempts the holder from the federal National Saltwater Angler Registry. You can buy a license online. For-hire vessels need a DEEP Party or Charter Fishing Vessel Registration, or a Guide Service Registration when carrying 2 or fewer customers, plus the federal charter/party permit for each species taken in federal waters.

In-season changes post on the commissioner declarations page. For offshore runs in the Northeast, the same possession logic carries across state lines.

Striped bass

Connecticut runs a slot limit for striped bass, and a fish outside the slot is released. Federally, striped bass fishing, harvest and possession are closed in federal waters. The exception is Block Island Sound, north of a line from Montauk Light to Block Island Southeast Light and west of a line from Point Judith Light to Block Island Southeast Light. A vessel there may carry striped bass only in continuous transit, with no fishing from the vessel while in the EEZ.

• Length28 inches minimum. No striped bass of 31 inches or longer may be possessed (a slot of 28 to under 31 inches).
• Bag limit1 per angler per day.
• SeasonOpen year round.
• Gear and permitsAn inline circle hook is required with natural bait (live, dead or cut). Artificial lures, including a lure with bait attached, are exempt. A fish caught on bait with a non-circle hook is released, even at legal size. No spearing or gaffing. Head and tail stay on.

CT DEEP striped bass and circle hook rules