Taking of Bait Species
For personal use/not for sale: License required in marine district.
Fishing gear which may be used to catch bait species
- Cast Nets.
- Minnow Traps: no larger than 20″ long by 15″ in diameter.
- Umbrella Nets: not more than 4 ft. in length by 4 ft. in width.
- Scoop or Scap Nets: no larger than 36″ in diameter.
- Seines: no longer than 30 feet in length.
- Up to two eel pots.
- Hook & Line.
- By hand.
Legal Bait Species
- Menhaden (license required for gillnetting, see below)
- Striped Killifish and Banded Killifish
- Atlantic Silverside
- Tidewater Silverside
- Mummichogs
- Sea Herring (Atlantic Herring)
- Sand Lances (Sand Eels)
- American Eel
- Sea Lamprey
- Bay Anchovy
- Mullet Species
- Sheepshead Minnow
- Shrimp Species
- Green, Fiddler, Asian Shore and Hermit Crabs
- Other fish of legal length may be used, if taken by Hook & Line only!
GILLNETTING MENHADEN
For personal use/not for sale: License required.
Legal Menhaden Capture Methods
Use of a single gillnet, not more than 60 feet in length.
Prohibited
The taking of any species other than menhaden.
Required
- All gillnets must have a tag, provided with the license number.
- A minimum mesh size of 3″ stretched.
Info
- Call 860-434-6043, ask for the Personal Use Menhaden Gillnet License Guidelines.
- Please submit daily catch record at the end of the year to: DEP Marine Fisheries Division P.O. Box 719, Old Lyme, CT 06371
SHELLFISH
For personal use/not for sale: License required.
Species Include
- Mussels
- Oysters
- Clams
- Scallops
Contact the town where you plan to harvest shellfish for permit information, or the Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture Division at 203-874-0696. email: dept.agric@snet.net
LOBSTER
Recreational harvest/not for sale: License required.
Legal Lobster Capture Methods:
- Ten pots or less (pot tags required)
- Skin Diving
- SCUBA Diving
- Hand Capturing
No closed season.
Minimum Shell Length: 33⁄8″ (eye socket to end of carapace).
Prohibited
- Use of spears or hooks. Possession of speared lobsters.
- Possession of egg bearing females or female lobsters with a 1⁄8″ or deeper V-shaped notch in the tail flipper.
- Tending pots from one half hour past sunset to one half hour before sunrise.
- Catch compartments (parlor) escape vents — either one 2″ by 53⁄4″ rectangular or two 25⁄8″ circular escape vents.
- Maximum trap size is 22,950 cubic inches.
Info
- Call 860-434-6043, ask for the Guidelines for Personal Use Lobster Fishing in Connecticut.
- Lobster Gauges can be purchased at the Marine Fisheries office in Old Lyme or from DEP Licensing at: 79 Elm Street, 1st Floor, Hartford, CT 06106-5127 860-424-3105
- Please submit daily catch record at the end of the year to: DEP Marine Fisheries Division P.O. Box 719, Old Lyme, CT 06371 www.ct.gov/dep/fishing
BLUE CRAB
For personal use/not for sale: No license required.
Legal Blue Crab Capture Methods:
- Scoop Net, Hand Line, Dip Net, Trot Line
- Star Crab Trap (or similar device)
- Circular Topless Trap (not exceeding 26″ in diameter)
- Semi-Circular Cylindrical Trap (12″ or less in diameter)
Open Season
May 1–November 30.
Minimum Shell Width: (Spike Tip to Spike Tip)
- 5″ hard shell crabs
- 3½” soft shell crabs
- Possession of uncooked blue crab meat without the body shell attached.
- Possession of more than 2 claws per body.
- Possession of egg bearing females.
All devices must be attended at all times.
