The Best Fishing Spots in Connecticut
Connecticut offers diverse recreational fishing across its coastal waters of Long Island Sound and numerous rivers and lakes. Anglers can target saltwater species like striped bass, bluefish, summer flounder (fluke), black sea bass, and tautog from shore, piers, or boats, while freshwater anglers pursue largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, rainbow trout, brown trout, walleye, northern pike, chain pickerel, and perch in waterways such as the Connecticut River and Candlewood Lake. Popular techniques include casting from a kayak or shore, boat trolling, and fly fishing for trout in cold streams, and the state's mix of estuaries, salt ponds and inland waters makes it a year-round destination for recreational anglers.
Top Cities For Fishing
Sea Fishing
Ansonia
(18 km to coast)
Branford
(3 km to coast)
Branford Center
(3 km to coast)
Bridgeport
(1 km to coast)
City of Milford (balance)
(2 km to coast)
Conning Towers-Nautilus Park
(5 km to coast)
Cos Cob
(1 km to coast)
Darien
(3 km to coast)
Derby
(17 km to coast)
East Haddam
(15 km to coast)
East Haven
(3 km to coast)
East Norwalk
(2 km to coast)
Easton
(15 km to coast)
Fairfield
(2 km to coast)
Greenwich
(3 km to coast)
Groton
(0 km to coast)
Guilford
(3 km to coast)
Hamden
(14 km to coast)
Killingworth
(12 km to coast)
Ledyard
(15 km to coast)
Madison
(0 km to coast)
Milford
(2 km to coast)
New Canaan
(13 km to coast)
New Haven
(2 km to coast)
New London
(1 km to coast)
North Branford
(8 km to coast)
North Haven
(14 km to coast)
North Stamford
(14 km to coast)
Norwalk
(4 km to coast)
Old Greenwich
(0 km to coast)
Old Saybrook
(2 km to coast)
Orange
(7 km to coast)
Pawcatuck
(7 km to coast)
Riverside
(2 km to coast)
Shelton
(16 km to coast)
Stamford
(3 km to coast)
Stratford
(3 km to coast)
Trumbull
(10 km to coast)
Waterford
(4 km to coast)
West Haven
(0 km to coast)
Westport
(5 km to coast)
Wilton
(15 km to coast)
Woodbridge
(13 km to coast)
Top Saltwater Fishing Spots
Mystic River
The tidal Mystic River around Mystic has accessible shorelines and protected water for kayaks, producing striped bass, bluefish, and summer scup; fish dawn topwaters near bridges and docks, drift soft plastics on the flats, and probe channel bends on moving tides.
New Haven Harbor
From the West Haven sandbars to the east breakwall, New Haven Harbor offers accessible pier and shore fishing for striped bass, bluefish, and summer fluke; boaters jig channel drops and troll bunker schools that stack along current seams.
Niantic Bay
Sheltered Niantic Bay near East Lyme offers consistent action for fluke over sand flats, summer scup, and roaming striped bass at first light along rip lines; boaters drift bucktails tipped with bait, while shore anglers score from beaches and piers when bait congregates.
Norwalk Harbor
Norwalk Harbor and approaches to the Norwalk Islands hold striped bass, bluefish, and fluke, with albies showing in late summer; anglers troll tube-and-worm along channel edges, cast to popping bait schools, and drift bucktails over sandy troughs.
Thames River
Flowing past New London and Groton , the tidal Thames River draws migrating striped bass and bluefish that push bait into coves and channel edges, while late summer can see scup and weakfish; jigging current seams, trolling tube-and-worm, and casting plugs around structure are productive.
Long Island Sound
Connecticut’s coastline on Long Island Sound offers prolific action for striped bass, bluefish, fluke, and seasonal false albacore, with spring and fall runs drawing anglers to breakwalls, beaches, and nearshore reefs from Greenwich to Stonington ; drifting bucktails over sand flats, working topwater plugs at dawn, and jigging rips by tidal points are classic tactics, while smaller craft and kayaks excel around rock piles and estuary mouths.
Top Freshwater Fishing Spots
Farmington River
A premier tailwater, the Farmington River below Barkhamsted holds wild and stocked brown and rainbow trout with excellent hatches; anglers drift nymphs through deep runs, swing soft hackles during emergences, and pick apart pocket water with small dries and streamers, with cold, consistent flows keeping fish active much of the year.
Gardner Lake
Gardner Lake near Salem features healthy populations of largemouth bass, pickerel, and yellow perch; target submerged weedlines and points with spinnerbaits and chatterbaits, and jig deeper breaks for bass when temperatures climb.
Lake Lillinonah
Formed on the Housatonic, Lake Lillinonah offers excellent largemouth and smallmouth bass, plus walleye and black crappie; target rocky banks and standing timber with jigs and spinnerbaits, and work channel swings where current concentrates bait.
Lake Zoar
Downstream of Lillinonah, Lake Zoar is a multi-species reservoir with strong largemouth, smallmouth, and walleye fisheries; fish points and coves with finesse plastics, crank mid-depth rock transitions, and probe deeper ledges during summer stratification.
Lake Waramaug
Scenic Lake Waramaug by Kent and Warren offers clear-water fishing for smallmouth bass, trout, and panfish; work rocky shorelines with tubes and Ned rigs, troll lightweight spoons along the thermocline, and fish early/late for cruising smallmouth.
Highland Lake
A deep, clear waterbody in Winchester , Highland Lake is noted for trout and smallmouth bass; work rocky shorelines with jerkbaits, troll spoons for trout over the basin, and finesse fish points and humps when the sun is high.
Bantam Lake
Connecticut’s largest natural lake, Bantam Lake supports quality largemouth bass, pickerel, and panfish; weed edges, lily pad fields, and shallow bays shine for frogs and spinnerbaits, while deeper breaks hold fish for jigs and drop-shots in warmer months.
Top Saltwater & Freshwater Spots
Hammonasset River
Flowing to the Sound at Madison , the Hammonasset River provides stocked trout upstream and spring/fall striped bass near the estuary; wade riffles with nymphs and dries, and cast soft plastics around the mouth on dusk tides when bait pushes in from the beaches.
Housatonic River
The lower Housatonic River near Stratford and Derby is famed for monster striped bass that winter over, with best action on outgoing tides using soft plastics and jigs; upstream impoundments and pools hold smallmouth bass, trout, and seasonal American shad, making it a year-round system fishable by boat or from numerous access points.
Saugatuck River
The Saugatuck River in Westport offers tidal action for striped bass and bluefish near the mouth, while upstream pools hold trout; fish bucktails and soft plastics on moving tides, and drift nymphs or small streamers in the freshwater reaches.
Shetucket River
Below Willimantic toward Norwich , the Shetucket River holds trout, smallmouth bass, and seasonal Atlantic salmon stockings, with tidal influence near its confluence with the Thames; swing streamers through deep runs and probe eddies with jigs on moving water.
Connecticut River
From the tidal marshes at Old Saybrook and Old Lyme to upriver coves, the Connecticut River produces striped bass, bluefish, spring hickory shad, plus inland stretches with smallmouth, pike, and catfish; casting swimbaits at bunker schools, trolling channel edges, and fishing live eels at dusk are staple approaches.