It’s early January and the chill of winter is already upon our lakes and ponds, setting the stage for that wonderful wintertime activity called ice fishing! In anticipation of this winter’s freeze, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has completed its annual winter stocking of surplus broodstock brown trout.

The DEP stocked approximately 1,100 surplus Seeforellen-strain broodstock brown trout into fifteen lakes and ponds scattered throughout the State during the last two weeks of 2007. The fish released this winter were raised at the Kensington State Fish Hatchery and weigh between 1 and 15 pounds each. "These trout are spawned at the hatchery in the late fall and are then stocked out in the winter to provide additional opportunities for ice anglers to catch a large trout," said Ed Parker, Chief of DEP’s Bureau of Natural Resources.

In eastern Connecticut, Black Pond (Middlefield/Meriden), Black Pond (Woodstock), Crystal Lake (Ellington), Mashapaug Lake (Union) and Quonnipaug Lake (Guilford) each received 50 fish, and Amos Lake (Preston), Bashan Lake (East Haddam), Cedar Lake (Chester) and Long Pond (North Stonington) were stocked with 75 fish each. In western Connecticut, a total of 545 broodstock were released into the following waters: Tyler Lake (Goshen) (150 fish), West Hill Pond (New Hartford/Barkhamsted) (150 fish), Stillwater Pond (Torrington) (30 fish), Mohawk Pond (Cornwall/Goshen) (60 fish), Mt. Tom Pond (Morris/Litchfield/Washington) (95 fish), and Westside Pond (Goshen) (60 fish).

DEP reminds winter anglers that SAFETY COMES FIRST. Although it may look and feel like winter is upon the state, be aware that ice thickness varies on all water bodies due to a number of environmental factors including in-lake water circulatory patterns, snow cover and the type and amounts of recent precipitation. Please check the ice carefully before venturing out and check repeatedly to make sure that ice thickness is sufficient.

Ice anglers should also be aware that the Boat Launch access at Gardner Lake (Salem) is closed for renovations, but temporary access for ice anglers is now available from Lakeview Avenue.

Anglers are reminded that the 2008 fishing and hunting licenses are now available and can be purchased at town halls, bait and tackle shops, and many stores that sell outdoor sporting equipment. Anglers will also soon be able to purchase their licenses online.

The DEP advises anglers to check fishing regulations in their new 2008 Connecticut Angler’s Guide. Guides are available from Town Clerks, many bait & tackle stores, by contacting the DEP Inland Fisheries Division (860-424-FISH) or can be accessed on the DEP web site at: www.ct.gov/dep/fishing